The Engadget Interview: Jon Rubinstein and Steven McArthur talk webOS on PCs, ‘Music Synergy,’ competition, and more

We had a chance to sit down with HP’s Jon Rubinstein and SVP of applications and services Steven McArthur just after the company’s device-filled event yesterday, and the conversation was rather revealing. Besides being extremely upfront about some tough issues (timing, legacy support), both execs were more than willing to tackle questions about HP’s current deficiencies in the consumer electronics space. We’ve put together a rough transcript of the chat below, and it touches on a lot of issues currently facing HP and its user base — namely, developer support, future versions of webOS, where the company is headed with devices, and what the overarching strategy will be in the coming weeks and months. We highly suggest you take a look… after the break.

Continue reading The Engadget Interview: Jon Rubinstein and Steven McArthur talk webOS on PCs, ‘Music Synergy,’ competition, and more

The Engadget Interview: Jon Rubinstein and Steven McArthur talk webOS on PCs, ‘Music Synergy,’ competition, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

webOS Enyo framework free to developers today, brings pixel density agnostic apps to phones, tablets and PC (video)

Development frameworks don’t make for exciting gadget news, but HP’s Enyo is kind of a big deal. It’s the little dealie that allows new webOS apps to stretch between vastly disparate screen resolutions — say, tablet and phone — and still work just fine, and since it’s based completely on web technologies, they can also run in a PC browser with no formal emulator or OS install required. While dev team lead Matthew McNulty pitched the browser functionality as a debugging boon, we’re starting to wonder if that’s how HP could bring webOS to PCs to start — rather than a dual-boot or a UI layer, it could simply make your favorite apps available in a web store. Sound like fun? HP says you can download the basic package right now for free if you’re a member of the webOS developer early access program, and start cracking on some apps of your very own. We’ll have video of an Enyo-powered app on PC in just a tad, so keep your eyes glued to this post.

Update: Video after the break!

Continue reading webOS Enyo framework free to developers today, brings pixel density agnostic apps to phones, tablets and PC (video)

webOS Enyo framework free to developers today, brings pixel density agnostic apps to phones, tablets and PC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Former Lucasfilm CTO Richard Kerris takes over as head of webOS developer relations

HP’s having a blowout webOS developer event here in San Francisco to bookend its big product announcements from this morning, and it kicked things off with a personnel announcement — Richard Kerris is taking over as head of webOS developer relations. Don’t recognize the name? Richard was formerly the chief technology officer at Lucasfilm, where he was named one of Variety’s “Top 10 innovators to Watch,” and before that he was a senior director of developer relations for a little company called Apple. That’s quite a pedigree — and Richard told the crowd here that he views developers as his primary customers, so it’s clear he’ll be working hard to win their favor. That said, we think he’s got quite a challenge evangelizing developers to support a platform that won’t have compelling new products out for months — let’s all wish him luck.

Former Lucasfilm CTO Richard Kerris takes over as head of webOS developer relations originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Original Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi and Pixi Plus won’t get updated to webOS 2.0

We had a chance to sit down with Jon Rubinstein after HP’s webOS event today, and he confirmed some unfortunate news for us: older Palm devices like the original Pre, the Pre Plus, the Pixi, and the Pixi Plus won’t receive that previously promised update to webOS 2.0. Jon was pretty candid with us, saying that Palm had “missed a product cycle” in the midst of its financial troubles and subsequent acquisition by HP last year, and that the older products simply don’t have the horsepower to properly run webOS 2.0 and beyond. That said, it’s clear that he wants to do right by customers — he told us that HP would do “something special” for owners of older hardware when the Pre 3, the Veer, and the TouchPad hit the market. We’ll see what that entails — and whether or not anyone actually sticks it out on webOS 1.4.5 until the new gear ships sometime this summer.

P.S.- We have lots more from our talk with Jon coming up — including some actually good news — so keep an eye on this space.

Original Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi and Pixi Plus won’t get updated to webOS 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

HP posts complete ‘Think Beyond’ event video

It may not have provided a live stream, but HP has at least quickly turned around a complete video of today’s nearly two hour-long “Think Beyond” event in San Francisco. Head on past the break to see the announcements of the TouchPad, Pre 3 and Veer as they happened, along with few other surprises. Unfortunately for those watching at home, it seems HP wasn’t able to think beyond 360p.

Continue reading HP posts complete ‘Think Beyond’ event video

HP posts complete ‘Think Beyond’ event video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHP Data Central  | Email this | Comments

HP’s Touch to Share eyes-on, starring the TouchPad and HP Pre 3 (video)

Tablet manufacturers love to talk about how magical their devices are, but HP’s Touch to Share truly is something else — you simply bump a paired Pre 3 into an HP TouchPad slate, and the data beams over the air — in this case, loading a website URL a la Chrome to Phone. While it uses the same induction coil technology to connect the twain as HP’s Touchstone dock (and Bluetooth to actually pipe those packets through the ether), you don’t actually need a Touchstone to make the magic happen this time around, only a pair of compatible devices. Representatives tell us that you do have to pair them beforehand, as well — you wouldn’t want an errant Pre 3 owner to swipe your banking session while you’re on the go, now would you? Don’t miss the video above.

Nilay Patel contributed to this report.

HP’s Touch to Share eyes-on, starring the TouchPad and HP Pre 3 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

webOS Coming to Laptops, Desktops

web os pc.jpg

It was pretty clear from the moment we heard that HP was going to buy Palm precisely what the company was in it for: webOS. What wasn’t clear, however, was precisely how many devices the company planned to implement the mobile operating system on.
HP/Palm unveiled three new devices today–the Veer, the Pre 3, and the TouchPad. Two smartphones and a tablet. But HP has even larger plans for the operating system. The company capped off today’s event by announcing plans to implement webOS on other connected devices, including printers, and some form factors you haven’t seen before.”
The company showed off shots of a printer, laptop, and desktop all running the operating system. More details coming later this year, apparently…

HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape

At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP’s answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it’s coming in with guns blazing — specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it’s clear Apple’s entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera — not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what’ll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves — should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.

Continue reading HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape

HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

HP Veer, first hands-on! (updated with video!)

How does the HP Veer look up close? Cute as a button, and small — these pictures don’t do it justice at all. We just got our hands on the pint-sized webOS 2.2 smartphone, and snapped a stack of pictures for your viewing pleasure. You won’t be able to flip these around like playing cards, but they will give you a handle on what to expect from the miniature Pre 2 in the weeks or months to come, so click on through that gallery below. We’ll have video in a moment, too!

Update: We went back for seconds and came away stuffed impressed by the power of the tiny machine — its form factor may bring back painful memories of the Kin One, but the Veer feels like a multitasking beast. Before our eyes, an HP rep swiped rapid-fire through enough apps to plan and communicate a Yelp restaurant date in under a minute flat, and there wasn’t so much as an instant’s delay when switching between each. We’re big fans of the form factor, small screen aside, the sliding hinge is solid with a delightful snap, and the cute little keyboard attached to that slider is fairly usable despite its size, with rubbery little keys that reminded us of those on the Palm Centro. What’s not to like?

Update 2: Video after the break!

Update 3: While we were unable to determine with certainty what carrier the Veer demo units were using, an IMEI was clearly displayed in the device info screen, leading us to conclude these were GSM phones (likely on AT&T).

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading HP Veer, first hands-on! (updated with video!)

HP Veer, first hands-on! (updated with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!)

By now, you know how HP’s new slate compares to the crowd — now, see how it looks up close and personal. We just got our hands on that dual-core Palm webOS tablet here in San Francisco, and it’s a beaut, with a slim black profile that highlights the brilliant 9.7-inch screen. We’ll be back in a jiffy with some impressions of that newfangled Tap to Share and card-based multitasking, but for now, simply feast your eyes on our gallery below.

Update: Video time! Check it after the break.

Continue reading HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!)

HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments