Hasta La Gadget!

HP’s decided to end its fireworks-rich presentation on a gorgeous bombshell: webOS is coming to PCs! The company says it’s thinking beyond today and intends to take webOS to “other connected devices, including printers, and some form factors you haven’t seen before.” Aside from the groundbreaking discovery that our next LaserJet might run the same code as the dashing new TouchPad, there are few specifics to be learned, but HP promises to share further details as the year goes on.

webOS is coming to PCs later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There she is, the HP TouchPad. It’s the webOS slate we’ve been yearning for ever since probing (then) Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein on our first-ever Engadget Show, but sadly, it looks as if HP has yanked any and all Palm labeling from the final product. Introduced today in San Francisco as part of a newfangled webOS triumvirate, the TouchPad (previously known by Topaz) is shaped almost exactly like the iPad. It tips the scales at 1.6 pounds and measures 13.7mm thick, which is somewhat of a downer for those already put off by the heft found in Apple’s slate. As we’d heard last month, HP’s shipping this one with its own Beats audio engine, Touch-to-Share (a feature that lets users easily transfer a website, document, song, text or call from the phone to the tablet — or vice versa — simply by tapping the two devices together) and a huge reliance on the cloud. Also of note, Jon just mentioned that this is only the “first in the webOS TouchPad family,” hinting that the Opal may be just around the bend.

Other specifications include webOS 3.0, “true multitasking,” Touch-to-share, instant-on productivity, a 9.7-inch display (1024 x 768 screen resolution), a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU (!), inbuilt gyroscope, accelerometer, compass and 16GB / 32GB of internal storage space. There’s also a front-facing 1.3 megapixel webcam, support for video calling, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A-GPS (3G model only), “twice the memory of a Pre 2” and a set of stereo speakers. Rubenstein claims that this here tablet is “screaming fast,” and the software UI we’re seeing looks downright luscious. There’s a new paneled email application a Growl-like pop-up notification system, support for Skype calling, compatibility with Amazon’s Kindle e-book store, plenty of cal / email integration courtesy of HP Synergy, a slick virtual keyboard, VPN support, wireless printing as well as Google Docs, QuickOffice, Dropbox and Box.net compatibility. One of the killer features that can’t be found on a competing tablet right now is this one’s ability to talk to the Pre 3 — so long as there’s a Touchstone involved, one can have their Pre 3 and TouchPad communicate, even piping over notifications and texts from the phone onto the slate. It’s a brilliant idea, and we’re obviously amped to see just how well it’s implemented.

Over on the accessories front, there’s a case / stand (which includes a handy flip-out kickstand for desk use), a wireless keyboard (yeah, this one!) and a new Touchstone dock that enables all of the wireless communication magic between webOS devices. If you’re curious about specific models, the first out of the gate will be a WiFi only version, with 3G and 4G variants to follow suit in due time. As for the all-important pricing and availability? “Coming this summer,” with pricing to be determined “at a later date.” Bah, humbug!

Update: Video after the break, and have a look at our hands-on here!

For more on all of HP’s webOS announcements today, click here!

Continue reading HP’s 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer

HP’s 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You wanted a small smartphone? Well, you’ve got it in HP’s Veer, the very first webOS-based device to bear the HP name alone without Palm’s alongside packing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7230 processor at 800MHz. Other headline specs include a 2.6-inch 320 x 400 display, 5 megapixel EDoF camera, HSPA+ support, 8GB of storage, an accelerometer, proximity and light sensors (as usual), Touchstone compatibility, and mobile hotspot support. It’s genuinely cute — but keyboard usability will be a big question that we’ll need to have answered when the phone is released this spring. No word on carriers yet, and pricing is set to be decided upon “at a later date.”

Update: Added the full press release and a demonstration video after the break, and our hands-on with the device can be found here!

For more on all of HP’s webOS announcements today, click here!

Continue reading HP Veer: smallest smartphone in the webOS stable, 2.6-inch display, coming this spring

HP Veer: smallest smartphone in the webOS stable, 2.6-inch display, coming this spring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that HP’s full slate of webOS reveals has been made, it looks as if the web admins are testing the waters. On HP’s Home & Home Office shopping page, there’s a drop-down under “Deals & Offers” that quite clearly reveals the outfit’s planned triumvirate: the HP Veer (a name HP filed a trademark for back in December), Pre 3 and TouchPad. Those are slated to bring webOS in “S, M and L” flavors, though it’s unclear whether the Veer or Pre 3 will be the smallest. HP has managed to yank the teaser from its US portal, though it still looks live internationally. There’s no guarantee that any of this will ship momentarily but seriously, why list something like this if all three weren’t going to be on sale by sundown? Here’s hoping!

WebOS-based Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad leaked on HP’s site, likely on sale today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still waiting for the first OMAP 4 devices to hit the market, but TI’s planning ahead — way ahead — with its announcement today of the OMAP 5 platform that really kicks things into high gear. The headline feature would be the inclusion of two Cortex-A15 cores, each running at up to 2GHz; Cortex-A15 is the fastest architecture ARM has announced to date, featuring performance roughly 50 percent better than Cortex-A9 at the same clock speed. What’s more, there are another two Cortex-M4 processors along for the ride, ready to take over less intensive tasks at much lower power consumption to improve device responsiveness. The platform can support up to four cameras operating at the same time, offer 3D playback, recording, and 2D upsampling to 3D at 1080p resolution, and control up to 8GB of RAM. The chips start sampling to device manufacturers in the second half of this year with retail devices expected in the second half of 2012. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading TI announces OMAP 5: two high-performance and two low-power cores, devices next year

TI announces OMAP 5: two high-performance and two low-power cores, devices next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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