Hasta La Gadget!

HP kicked off this morning’s Q2 earnings call citing a leaked company memo that recently popped up at Bloomberg. That memo, which had the outfit’s CEO, Leo Apotheker warning of “another tough quarter,” resulted in a five percent drop in HP shares in after-hours trading Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal, and prompted the release of the outfit’s Q2 earning a day ahead of schedule — an earnings call was originally slated for Wednesday. According to the report, the company managed to pull in $31.6 billion in revenue and $2.3 billion in earnings, compared to $30.8 billion in revenue and $2.2 billion in earnings the same time last year.

So what brought about the pot-stirring internal memo? Well, it seems HP’s struggled to keep up with the competition when it comes to consumer computer sales. Despite an increase in revenue in every other segment of the company’s business, HP’s Personal Systems Group (which covers enterprise and consumer sales) saw revenue decline five percent year-over-year, with the portion covering consumer computers down 23 percent. That might seem like a big dip, and it is, but Apotheker says the company is “excited by the tablet opportunities,” continuing on to say that the impending release of the company’s TouchPad “will be an exciting product release for HP.” For now, we’ll just have to sit back and see if the webOS slate has the stuff to pull HP out of the consumer computer lurch. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading HP releases 2011 Q2 earnings early, following leak of foreboding internal memo

HP releases 2011 Q2 earnings early, following leak of foreboding internal memo originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lest you think the desktop is an endangered species, HP, at least, begs to differ. The company just unveiled three of ’em: the Pavilion p7, Slimline s5, and the Pavilion HPE h8 — all festooned with black finishes, rounded edges, sliding port covers, and metallic panels designed to blend in with the electronics already populating your living room. Of the three, the p7 is the most mainstream, with a non-threatening chassis that’s about the size you’d expect a tower to be. The Slimline s5 has a similar look, but is about half the size, making it look more like a media hub. Lastly, there’s the HPE h8, whose red accents and beastlier shape mark it as the power tower it is. For the money, you’ll get discrete graphics, optional Beats Audio, and support for dual displays. The p7 and h8 go on sale May 18, starting at $299 and $599, respectively. For the petite s5, you’ll have to step up to a $329 starting price. Look for it on June 15.

Continue reading HP trots out Pavilion p7, Pavilion Slimline s5, and HPE h8 desktops

HP trots out Pavilion p7, Pavilion Slimline s5, and HPE h8 desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These two smartphones probably couldn’t be any different if they tried — on the left, we’ve got the tiny 2.6-inch HP Veer with webOS on board, and on the right is Samsung’s Infuse 4G, a giant 4.5-inch Android that costs twice as much on contract. They do have two important things in common, however: they’re both available on AT&T right now, and you can read our reviews of each before tossing any money down. Enjoy!

Update: The Veer 4G is actually free on contract at Best Buy right now. Needless to say, that’s a much better deal.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Infuse 4G and HP Veer 4G now on sale at AT&T (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 May 2011 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week’s Gadget Lab Podcast is packed with Android announcements, hackable hardware and a teensy new smartphone you may dig (if you can fit your thumbs on it).

Staff writer Mike Isaac went to Google’s annual I/O developer conference this week, and came back with a ton of Google news, not to mention an armload of free swag. Mike joins senior editor Dylan Tweney to talk about what he saw, including a taste of the new version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

They also show off the limited edition Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 given out to I/O attendees, some of which are already going for big bucks on eBay. Our verdict: it seems an awful lot like an Android-powered iPad.

Next, the crew looks at Google’s new Accessory Developer Kit (or ADK), which you can use to make stuff that will interact with your Android device. Just imagine: one day you may be able to make sure your front door is locked from the comfort of your smartphone. Is there no bottom to man’s level of laziness?

And this week, we got to play with Samsung’s version of Google’s Chromebook (although we couldn’t take it home). It’s an update version of the CR-48 web-only notebook released in beta last year. Though the Chromebook isn’t out yet, we liked what we saw.

Finally, Gadget Lab intern Christina Bonnington stops by to give her take on HP’s latest smartphone release on AT&T’s network, the Veer.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #115

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0115.mp3

We don’t usually go wild for wireless mice, but HP has revealed a new rodent that controls your PC pointer via WiFi that’s piqued our interest. Dubbed the HP WiFi Mobile Mouse, it’s got five programmable buttons and a four-way tilt scroll wheel for nuisance-free navigation, plus a nine-month battery life from dual AAs. In addition to the WiFi wunderkind, HP is rolling out its Link-5 wireless connection technology — similar to Logitech’s Unifying Receiver — with compatible keyboards and mice as well. Link-5 lets you connect up to (surprise, surprise) five devices through a single diminutive USB dongle. So instead of pedestrian peripherals, you can connect something a little more awesome. Vid’s after the break.

Continue reading HP unveils WiFi Mobile Mouse and Link-5 wireless tech to free your USB

HP unveils WiFi Mobile Mouse and Link-5 wireless tech to free your USB originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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