Hasta La Gadget!

What a pair these two will make! HP’s Wireless HDMI TV adapter — both the transmitter and receiver, which we toyed with earlier this month — have hit the FCC’s database under two separate filings. The HM517 receiver and HM516 transmitter work in the 4.9THz to 5.9GHz unlicensed band and boasts a maximum video stream of 1080p 60Hz (but supports resolution upwards of 1600 x 1200) and up to 8PCM audio channels, S/PDIF DTS, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and AC-3 (5.1 channel) — all HDCP 1.0 compliant. According to the paperwork, the couple can’t be more than 5 to 10 meters apart at any time. We’ve got a file on ’em… in the gallery below.

HP’s Wireless TV Connect transmitter and receiver hit FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Above, Larry Ellison eats a hot dog, angrily.]

Well, that turned to name calling pretty quickly, didn’t it? Not that it’s a major surprise or anything–after all, this whole HP/Oracle battle has been pretty odd from the get-go. Where to start? Well, there’s Mark Hurd, who jumped ship (or, more likely, was pushed) from HP roughly this time, last month.

The official justification for the exit was “accounting irregularities,” suggesting that Hurd had, more or less, fudged some expense reports. The timing, however, was awfully suspect. The CEO, who had taken over for the controversial Carly Fiorina (declared by some to be the “anti-Steve Jobs”) was the target of a sexual harassment suit. The plaintiff in the suit was Jodie Fisher, an actress who had appeared in such high profile Hollywood blockbusters as Intimate Obsession and Body of Influence 2.

On Hurd’s exit, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison told The New York Times,

[T]he HP Board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple Board fired Steve Jobs many years ago. That decision nearly destroyed Apple and would have if Steve hadn’t come back and saved them. HP had a long list of failed CEOs until they hired Mark who has spent the last five years doing a brilliant job reviving HP to its former greatness.

Well, thar she blows — we just got this shot of the HP’s seven-inch Zeen Android tablet that’s shipping with the leaked PhotoSmart eStation C510 printer system just straight chilling in the wilds of China. Apparently this unit is a little bit closer to final than the one our other tipsters have been playing with — and unfortunately, the stock Android homescreen has been totally removed in favor of the TouchSmart UI. As we’d guessed, there’s also no Gmail app or Market access, although there is a homegrown email client and a fair bit of integration with Yahoo services like Mail and Messenger. Facebook is also preloaded, and the screenshot shows apps for 60 Minutes, MSNBC, and Dreamworks, so it looks like there’ll be some video action going on — and that Barnes & Noble logo all but confirms the Nook compatibility our previous tipsters had mentioned. There’s also a printing app and that Coupons app, which we’re guessing… prints coupons, but maybe HP’s trying to surprise us.

We’re told the software is better than on earlier Zeen units and that the previously-bad touchscreen has been improved, but that there’s still work to be done before the projected late September launch. Don’t get your hopes up about snagging this one without a printer, though — we’re told the solo SKU has been canceled, and only the $399 bundle with the Zeus printer will be available. Makes sense — we’re guessing it’s all webOS for HP from here on out. One more pic after the break.

Continue reading Exclusive: HP’s Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild

Exclusive: HP’s Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve heard about Palm’s big plans for webOS 2.0 — heck, we’ve even seen a handful of pictures here or there. And now we’ve been graced with lots, lots more. We’re still not sure the exact origins, as they both came to us unsourced at around the same time. But, be it PreCentral forums or Chinese site Crooked neck (a.k.a. Wibozi), we’re still graced with two dozen new screenshots that showcase features beyond Stacks and Just Type. Plenty of extra services are on display, including favorites like Dropbox and head-scratchers like MobileMe (we know Palm has something of an Apple complex, but the benefits of MobileMe are pretty minimal beyond iPhone integration). There’s also default app selection for filetypes, which is a welcome addition we’ve enjoyed on our Android sets. Just in case all the screenshots go poof, we’ve got them in a gallery below. Let your imagination run wild, or at least in a bigger fence.

[Thanks, kkhanmd]

WebOS 2.0 beta screenshot extravaganza originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Crooked neck (Wibozi), PreCentral  | Email this | Comments

We saw it this weekend for a fleeting moment, but thankfully one handy reader sent us copies of the product page for HP’s Photosmart eStation C510, which we can now confirm is the Zeus / Zeen printer and detachable tablet combination we caught wind of back in early August — and we’ve got some more details. Bad news first: as of a month ago, the Gmail app was missing and there was no support for Android Market, meaning the Zeen might not be an official “with Google” Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. (The product page conspicuously lacks any mention of the OS, so we’re thinking Android might simply be the hidden-away base layer for the TouchSmart UI, making this thing super boring.) It does have the default Android browser and at least some custom apps for printing pictures from Facebook, Yahoo, and Snapfish preloaded, but we don’t know about anything else. Major bummer, but we’re told it shouldn’t be too hard for the community at large to root the sucker. Beta testing begins this month, so that all might change before the projected September 20th release. Here’s what else we know so far:

• The Zeen is a capacitive tablet running HP’s TouchSmart skin on top of Android 2.1 — it won’t get shifted to webOS, and it’s not clear if it’ll get upped to Froyo before launch given the development time required. It has capacitive touch buttons, an SD card slot, video support, and at least some prototypes have cameras with a special webcam app installed.
• We’re told TouchSmart will be locked in, but we don’t know how deep that’ll go — right now the standard Android homescreen is still accessible. That’s supposedly going away, so don’t get your hopes up for any native Gmail / Angry Birds use.
• E-reading is a major focus, and the Zeen has “significant” integration with the Barnes & Noble Nook bookstore and ecosystem. Makes sense, as the Nook itself is based on Android, and being able to print e-books from the Zeen would be a huge differentiator — and a great way for HP to sell more ink.
• The touchscreen is apparently not very accurate at all, and we’re told the overall experience is far less satisfying than a competent Android phone. Don’t expect this to replace your Droid Incredible for all at-home use.
• The Zeen will come in two configurations: a $399 bundle with a new printer called Zeus and as a standalone unit for an unknown price. The Zeus has its own “basic” control setup, but when the Zeen is docked it provides a rich interface to the printing functions — presumably a web-connected interface like the one HP’s been moving towards with other printers. (Note: the product page listed $399.99 but provided no indication what price the Zeen might go for solo.)
• Ship date is an estimated September 20th but due to some testing issues this may be pushed back.

Until HP comes clean and inks out the details for all the world to see, check out the product page in pictorial format below.

Exclusive: HP Photosmart eStation C510 is Android-powered Zeus / Zeen, may not run Gmail or Market apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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