Hasta La Gadget!

Well, it looks like HP’s year of acquisitions isn’t showing any signs of letting up just yet — it’s now reportedly bought Melodeo, the parent company of the Nutsie music streaming service, for between $30 and $35 million. While the service doesn’t exactly have the name recognition of the now Apple-owned Lala, Nutsie’s mobile applications (for iPhone, Android and Blackberry) have reportedly been downloaded more than two million times, and the company already has partnerships with a range of carriers and cellphone companies including Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. As TechCrunch reports, however, what might be most interesting is what the company has in store for Nutsie 3.0 — it will apparently let you copy your entire iTunes library to the cloud and access any song on demand (it currently offers a more limited service that only offers a shuffle mode). We’ll let you take the Palm / WebOS speculation from there.

HP buys Melodeo, brings Nutsie music streaming service into the fold originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  TechCrunch  | Email this | Comments

Ever since HP CEO Mark Hurd said he wasn’t interested in smartphones, it’s like the company’s been making up for lost time — first by denying the exec’s predilections, and more recently by actually asking us to speculate wildly. Now Palm’s Developer Relations team has reportedly stepped in to confirm that speculation, telling devs that future devices and a new version of webOS are on the way. While there’s no knowing if those devices are smartphones or when we might see them, we’re told to expect a “very exciting” next year.

Palm confirms new devices, webOS upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PreCentral  |  PreCentral Forums  | Email this | Comments

We’ve talked about the desktop. Think mobile. Think about your phone. HP just acquired Palm. Think about how many legs something like this has. Feel free to speculate.

Of course, there isn’t much more than speculation about those possible mobile applications at the moment, with the official press release on the partnership (after the break) only confirming that one of the first uses of Vidyo’s technology will be an “executive desktop solution” running on an HP TouchSmart PC. Still, as the man says, feel free to speculate.

Continue reading HP partners with video conferencing firm Vidyo, drops hints at mobile applications

HP partners with video conferencing firm Vidyo, drops hints at mobile applications originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  PreCentral  | Email this | Comments

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is testing a tablet that could act as a “companion” to its BlackBerry phone, says the Wall Street Journal.

The BlackBerry tablet is reportedly in the early stage of development and will tether to the the phone. Last month, the Boy Genius Report web site said the BlackBerry tablet is likely to have an 8.9-inch screen and include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Since Apple introduced the iPad in April, other PC and smartphone makers have announced that they are working on tablets of their own. In less than 60 days since the iPad was launched, Apple said it sold more than 2 million of them.

Earlier this month, Dell announced it will introduce a tablet called ‘Streak’ that will have a 5-inch display and run Google’s Android operating system. The Streak also has a SIM card so users can make calls with it. The device is currently available in the U.K. now and is expected to launch in the U.S. next month for $500.  HP is also working on a tablet computer called the HP Slate.

RIM hopes to introduce its tablet to complement its BlackBerry phones. The move evokes Palm’s failed experiment with the Foleo. In 2007, Palm announced the Foleo as a companion device to its Treo phone. The Foleo priced at $500 would sync wirelessly to Treo phones. But, after much criticism, Palm cancelled the device even before it could make it to retail shelves.

RIM’s tablet might be better received. A tablet could help RIM compete better with the latest generation of smartphones. Except for the BlackBerry Storm, RIM hasn’t released any smartphones with touchscreens. A tablet could help bridge the gap between its keyboard-focused phones and the fast growing market for touchscreen devices.

See Also:

• BlackBerry Maker Overhauls Phone Operating System
• 5 Things RIM Needs to Fix in its BlackBerries
• Gallery: 8 Tablets That Aren’t Made by Apple
• Hands-On With the Apple iPad

Photo: (ichibod/Flickr)

We knew it was coming, and here it is: you can now grab up a Palm Pixi Plus on AT&T. The tiny QWERY webOS device will run you $49.99 with a new two year contract after rebates. Overall, it’s pretty much the same beast as the classic Pixi, but check out our hands on of the Plus, and our full review of the little dear if you need a refresher.

Palm Pixi Plus now available on AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobile Burn  |  AT&T  | Email this | Comments