HP’s Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors

HP’s Todd Bradley showed up on Bloomberg last night for a quick round of webOS damage control. Following a report from The Guardian, saying the company would in fact kill the webOS division, Bradley referred to the report as an “unfounded rumor.” He went on to say that “accolades for the operating system are broadly known” and that the company is focusing on how to “effectively utilize that phenomenal software.” Of course, there’s always a chance that the best way to utilize the troubled OS is to sell it to the highest bidder, but Bradley said HP will weigh all the “data and information” before making “the right decision.” For now, the operating system’s still kicking it in limbo. The full interview awaits you at the source link below.

HP’s Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP to announce ARM-based servers next month, throw Intel a curveball

Sources close to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal say that HP is primed to help ARM wrestle its way into the server game next month, citing unannounced plans that may challenge Intel’s corner on the market. HP is said to be working with Calxeda, an outfit with dreams of outclassing today’s servers by selling OEMs an ARM-based system on a chip that can be used to build high performance racks with low energy footprints. ARM, HP and Calxeda all declined to comment, although a spokesperson for Calxeda mentioned that it has a product release event scheduled for November 1st. Intel doesn’t seem too concerned, and told the Wall Street Journal that ARM architecture still had a few hurdles to jump before it was ready for the server game. “We believe the best-performing platform will win.” Spoken like a true sportsman, Intel. Game on.

HP to announce ARM-based servers next month, throw Intel a curveball originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Kerris leaves HP, ventures off into the land of outside opportunity

Lucasfilm’s former chief technology officer just became HP’s former VP of worldwide developer relations — Richard Kerris is calling it quits. HP confirmed Kerris’ departure, stating that he “has decided to leave HP to pursue an opportunity outside of the company, effective immediately.” Kerris joined HP in February 2011 as the outfit’s webOS frontman for the development community, vowing to work hard to win its favor before the firm discontinued operations for the platform’s devices earlier this year. Kerris isn’t the first employee to go since the webOS cut, and sadly, he probably won’t be the last either.

Richard Kerris leaves HP, ventures off into the land of outside opportunity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP’s chief strategy officer to retire next month, won’t have a successor

Remember Shane Robison, the HP exec who advocated for the survival of webOS following the company’s decision to dismantle its hardware unit? Yeah well, he’s about to make an exit. HP confirmed yesterday that Robison will retire from his position as executive VP and chief strategy and technology officer on November 1st, after spending eleven years at the company. In a statement, HP praised Robison for spearheading much of its R&D and several high-profile mergers during his tenure there. “In his role, he was responsible for shaping HP’s corporate strategy and technology agenda,” the company said. “He was instrumental in steering the company’s multibillion-dollar research and development investment and has led many of the company’s largest merger and acquisition activities.” Newly minted CEO Meg Whitman, meanwhile, described Robison as a powerful innovator and lauded his role in guaranteeing “that innovation continues at HP.” Perhaps the bigger story, however, is the fact that the firm doesn’t plan on filling Robison’s shoes. In the announcement, HP confirmed that his position will be dissolved as part of “an effort to drive strategy, research and development closer to the company’s businesses.” The implications, of course, remain to be seen. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading HP’s chief strategy officer to retire next month, won’t have a successor

HP’s chief strategy officer to retire next month, won’t have a successor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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webOS brick-and-mortar stores close forever, may they rest in peace

It’s with broken heart that we announce that the doors have officially shut for good on all remaining webOS retail stores. The news likely won’t come as a shock to many, given HP’s intent to scrap the operating system from its future plans. This isn’t the first physical manifestation of the company’s announcement, when factoring in the plethora of layoffs taking place; nonetheless, anyone affected or touched by a Palm device over the last 19 years may likely mourn the loss. That said, at least the stores went out with a bang: Veers were cleared out for $50 each, the Pixi was sold for $25 ($15 if you purchased four or more) and the Touchstone could be had for a cool $2.50. The retail outlets may now be a thing of the past, but the memories of the products sold in them will hopefully live on forever. Never forget.

webOS brick-and-mortar stores close forever, may they rest in peace originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP pays $10.4 billion for controlling interest in Autonomy, which will remain autonomous


VoodooPC
. 3Com. And, perhaps most notoriously, Palm. The list of HP acquisitions grows by one today, with the purchase of UK information-software maker Autonomy, long a target of former HP chief Léo Apotheker. Apotheker, you may recall, was just ousted in favor of former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. The deal began during Apotheker’s tenure and went through with HP paying just about $10.4 billion for a controlling percentage of Autonomy stock. The UK firm will remain a separate unit, with Whitman saying, “Autonomy significantly increases our capabilities to manage and extract meaning from that data to drive insight, foresight and better decision making.” Something tells us she’s not the only one hoping for some better decision making. For full details on HP’s latest buy, check the source link.

HP pays $10.4 billion for controlling interest in Autonomy, which will remain autonomous originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP names Meg Whitman new President and CEO, gives Leo Apotheker the boot

Well, after less than a year on the job as HP’s top dog Leo Apotheker is out, and former eBay CEO and one time candidate for California governor Meg Whitman is in. The move was hardly unexpected, but it very quickly evolved from quiet mumblings and rumors to full-fledged fact this afternoon. It was initially expected that Whitman would only be stepping in as an interim solution — just another person passing through the revolving door at the entrance to the CEO’s office. But, Whitman, a current board member, is in for the long haul. She’s stepping in at a crucial and somewhat difficult time for the company that has seen its stock price plummet 47 percent, its $1.2 billion mobile OS flounder and is considering spinning off its PC business. She is no stranger to controversy (simply refer to her short tenure with Goldman Sachs) and was an integral part in growing eBay from a startup with just a couple of dozen staff members to one of the most popular destinations on the internet — so, at least she’s accustomed to having a few curve balls thrown her way.

In a statement, Whitman said, “I am honored and excited to lead HP. I believe HP matters – it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world.” The company also announced today that Ray Lane is moving from a non-executive chairman role to executive chairman of the board of directors, and that the board intends to appoint a lead independent director “promptly.” HP’s press release and some information from the company’s investor call announcing the decision are right after the break.

Continue reading HP names Meg Whitman new President and CEO, gives Leo Apotheker the boot

HP names Meg Whitman new President and CEO, gives Leo Apotheker the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Layoffs underway at HP’s webOS division, hundreds of employees may be in jeopardy

HP’s webOS-powered devices are riding off into the sunset and so too, apparently, are hundreds of jobs. Sources close to the company tell All Things Digital that upwards of 525 employees at HP’s Palm division are slated to lose their jobs in the near future, as part of a layoff process that began this week. In a statement, an HP spokesperson explained the decision thusly:

“As communicated on August 18, HP will discontinue the development of webOs devices within the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, which ends Oct 31 2011. As part of this decision, the webOS GBU is undergoing a reduction in workforce. Today’s actions are part of this initiative. During this time, we stand by our commitment to our webOS customers and will work to ensure that support and service for customers are not adversely affected.”

The company went on to say that it’s still “exploring ways to leverage webOS software,” but declined to specify the exact number of hardware-related jobs that would be cut.

Layoffs underway at HP’s webOS division, hundreds of employees may be in jeopardy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touchstone mod blesses Samsung Epic 4G Touch with inductive charging powers

The Touchstone’s future is just as unclear as any other webOS product at the moment, but it’s sure getting a fair share of love from the mod community. Not only did we witness the inductive-charging unit work on a modded Samsung Galaxy S Plus, a bold and daring AndroidCentral Forums member also accomplished the feat on his three-day-old Epic 4G Touch in a process that’s definitely not for the faint of heart. The modder (who goes by the name of “darrenf” on the forum) offers a full step-by-step guide on exactly how to do it, but advises that it’s “a pretty delicate mod” and attempting it will likely void any warranties or return policies that were attached to the phone when purchased. It also doesn’t result in the most aesthetically pleasing look since the charging coil had to be attached to the outside of the phone, but it’s gotta give you some massive street cred if you pull it off, right?

Touchstone mod blesses Samsung Epic 4G Touch with inductive charging powers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP goes display crazy, unveils eight new models, four IPS panels (hands-on)

HP may not have much going on when it comes to cellphones and tablets at the moment, but the company is hardly resting on its laurels. As if to prove it’s still got a bit of fire in its corporate belly, it unleashed a total of eight new displays today (nine, if you count the updated HP rp5800 Retail System). The trio of digital signage models, including the 47-inch multitouch LD4720tm, probably aren’t of much interest to you, but the four new ZR series Performance Displays and the more budget friendly LE2202x Essential display are worth at least a quick glance. The LE model is an LED backlit, 1,920 x 1,080 monitor with 21.5-inches of real estate and a 5ms response time. The ZR line are all IPS displays, ranging in size from 20 to 27-inches, with a resolution of 1,600 x 900 at the low end and up to 2,560 x 1,440 for the ZR2740w. The 2740 also sports the ability to display over one billion colors, while the three other models make do with just 16.7 million. The ZR2040w, ZR2240w and ZR2440w ZR2740w are available now for $189, $289 and $425 $729 respectively, while the ZR2740w ZR2440w is expected to follow in October for $729 $425. Those with less demanding eyes and occupations will be able to grab the LE2202x on September 19th for $179. Check out the galleries below, as well as the PR after the break.

Update: Our apologies, it’s the ZR2440w that won’t be shipping till october.

Dante Cesa contributed to this report.

Continue reading HP goes display crazy, unveils eight new models, four IPS panels (hands-on)

HP goes display crazy, unveils eight new models, four IPS panels (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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