Hasta La Gadget!

HP has quietly put together a full slate of WebOS-powered PalmPad tablet PCs that will be unveiled at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, according to a report from FoxNews.com.

HP did not immediately return Wired.com’s call.

We’re expecting tablet-centric announcements from such tech giants as Microsoft, Samsung and Motorola, but HP’s presence in Vegas could potentially throw the entire proceedings on its collective ear. HP spent $1.2 billion to acquire struggling mobile-computing pioneer Palm earlier this year, and speculation has run rampant that the computer giant plans to use PalmOS not just for smartphones, but for a new tablet device.

With tablet sales projected to approach 20 million this year and exceed 50 million in 2011, there’ll be no shortage of jockeying for market position at the trade show. Competition for eyeballs is expected to ruthless.

If the documents cited by FoxNews.com are accurate, then the PalmPad will initially launch with three base models, with a fourth (geared toward university students) scheduled to launch around the third quarter of next year.

Any sort of PalmPad momentum heading into 2011 would be a boon for the Palo Alto, California–based company, which had already put its HP Slate on life support when it acquired Palm in late April. That move set off speculation that Palm’s WebOS for smartphones might be adapted and ported over to a new HP-branded tablet, whether that be a “Slate” or some next-gen model.

Now it appears that HP has taken those original Slate specs and updated them for a new PalmPad-branded platform. It’s primed to run on WebOS version 2.5.1. In addition, there’ll also be dual cameras (sporting 1.3 and 3-megapixel resolution) with LED flashes, according to the report.

Few other details were revealed, but what we’d most like to know is what processor it’ll use (likely Nvidia’s Tegra 2 chipset), exactly how large the screen will be (though it should be comparable to the iPad’s 9.7-inch display), and what the storage capacity will look like across the three different models.

Whether the PalmPad debuts at CES or not, anything resembling a successful launch in early 2011 would present HP with a decent chance to make up ground on Samsung, which has sold more than 1 million Galaxy Tabs less than two months after its October launch.

Both would be far behind tablet leader Apple, which sold roughly 4 million iPads in the most recent quarter alone, and may have sold up to 28 million of the devices by the time 2011 ends.

Image: FoxNews.com

Verizon’s chief operating officer John Stratton mentioned today that “LTE smartphones are on the horizon,” a sentiment the carrier has been echoing since it launched its 4G network earlier this month. That alone isn’t new, but what is new is the mention of Moto in the same breath: “Motorola will be right there.” He wouldn’t go into specifics about models, specs, release dates, or prices, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the offering looked a little like the Tegra 2-powered device codenamed Olympus (pictured) — allegedly for AT&T — that we’ve seen floating around recently. For what it’s worth, we’re also aware of models from HTC and LG in the pipe, so by all accounts, Big Red is planning on coming out with guns blazing when it rolls out 4G handsets next year.

Motorola has an LTE phone for Verizon in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rest assured that we’re working on a full analysis of the FCC’s major net neutrality decision today, but the Commission hasn’t actually released the full text of the order yet, and we just came across something in the press release we wanted to break out: one of the specific reasons the FCC gives for regulating wireless broadband more lightly than wireline is the release of Android. Seriously — the release says that only “measured steps” to regulating wireless are necessary because “open operating systems like Android” have been released, and that it wants to see how Verizon and other 700MHz spectrum winners handle the hotly-contested openness requirement when building out 4G. Here’s the full quote:

Further, we recognize that there have been meaningful recent moves toward openness, including the introduction of open operating systems like Android. In addition, we anticipate soon seeing the effects on the market of the openness conditions we imposed on mobile providers that operate on upper 700 MHz C-Block spectrum, which includes Verizon Wireless, one of the largest mobile wireless carriers in the U.S.

In light of these considerations, we conclude it is appropriate to take measured steps at this time to protect the openness of the Internet when accessed through mobile broadband.

Now, we obviously love Android, and there’s no doubt that Google’s OS has been part of some wonderfully furious competition in the mobile space recently. But we’re not sure any of that has anything to do with net neutrality — it doesn’t matter how open your OS is when you’re stuck with a filtered and throttled connection, and it’s a pretty huge stretch to think Android’s openness (however you want to define it) has anything to do with network access itself. And let’s not forget that the primary proponent of the 700MHz open-access rules was Google, which promptly flip-flopped on the issue when it became Verizon’s policy BFF after the Droid launch — if we were slightly more paranoid, we’d be pretty sure there’s a link between the FCC’s Android mention and the combined furious lobbying of Google and Verizon. Nice try, boys — but how about you make with the actual rules now?

FCC: We didn’t impose stricter net neutrality regulations on wireless because Android is open originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These tough lens containers are watertight so you don’t have to worry about getting drenched. They are also capable of regulating temperature so the lenses won’t get too hot or cold.

So you’ve got a new BlackBerry smartphone. Start finding cool apps for every purpose with our BlackBerry Starter Kit.

Originally posted at The Download Blog