Screen Grabs: Palm Pre-iPhone hybrid appears on Grimm, doesn’t look half bad

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

Anyone who caught the series premiere of Grimm, NBC’s new fairy-tale-and-crime-procedural would have seen another sort of unearthly fusion: a Palm Pre device ringing like an iPhone. The phone then switches to the typical webOS interface we’ve long admired, picking up reception on AT&T along the way. We’re torn over whether they’re using a Pre 2 or another Palm family member, though the screen looks too dinky for it to be the mythical Pre 3. But in a world of monster hunters and big bad wolves, we guess anything’s possible.

[Thanks, Ben]

Screen Grabs: Palm Pre-iPhone hybrid appears on Grimm, doesn’t look half bad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mr Fussy mods Samsung Galaxy S for inductive charging, without frazzling warranty (video)

It’s not hard to find a good inductive charging smartphone these days, but German IT student Qian Qin absolutely had to have the feature on his Galaxy S Plus. What’s more, it needed to be just right: no voiding of the warranty and no unsightly protrusions. So, instead of bumping his gums, he went out and purchased a Palm Pre back cover and a Touchstone dock for €30 ($40), ripped the charging circuit out of the Pre cover and stuck it into the Samsung’s cover, then finally soldered a wire from the circuit to the micro-USB port (plus another wire to the microSD slot for 0V). Job done. At first, the mere mention of a webOS device gave us a twinge of sadness, but then the video after the break cheered us right up again — you can tell within the first six seconds that this guy is a pure OCD perfectionist. You’ll also find more detailed instructions at the source link, and they should work equally well for the original Galaxy S too.

Continue reading Mr Fussy mods Samsung Galaxy S for inductive charging, without frazzling warranty (video)

Mr Fussy mods Samsung Galaxy S for inductive charging, without frazzling warranty (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quickoffice update brings document editing to the TouchPad

Well, we knew it was coming, and folks, it’s finally here — the promised update to Quickoffice HD that brings document editing to HP’s webOS slate. Available gratis for TouchPad owners, the overhaul enables text formatting in Word docs, in addition to enabling cell and function editing in Excel spreadsheets. Unfortunately, editing of Powerpoint presentations is sorely lacking, but that’s nothing another update can’t cure, right?

Quickoffice update brings document editing to the TouchPad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Interview: HP’s Stephen DeWitt discusses the state of webOS

The last time we spoke with Stephen DeWitt, the head of HP’s webOS global business unit was on the defensive about the TouchPad. In spite of — or perhaps because of — the anticipation of the device, the first webOS tablet received a lukewarm reception at hands of reviewers. DeWitt vigorously defended the slate against the critics, suggesting that technology writers had been approaching the product the wrong way. A lot has happened since that conversation, of course, including reports of unmoved stock and, more significantly, yesterday’s news that HP would effectively be discontinuing production on its webOS devices, the TouchPad included.

There’s been a good deal of confusion around precisely what yesterday’s announcement means for both the company and the mobile operating system that it picked up with its purchase of Palm back in April of last year. In spite of his understandably packed schedule, DeWitt sat down with us to set the record straight and shed some light on the future of webOS — a future both he and the company remain rather optimistic about.

Read on for the full interview.

Continue reading The Engadget Interview: HP’s Stephen DeWitt discusses the state of webOS

The Engadget Interview: HP’s Stephen DeWitt discusses the state of webOS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Touchstone Audio Dock passes FCC on the way to anonymous launch

If your grandest dream involves HP releasing a Touchstone dock that could stream music over Bluetooth, you probably suffer from the same lack of ambition that caused it to meekly push the Pre 3, unheralded, into Europe this week. Such a dock has made the rounds at the FCC, and from their documents we can glean that it’s packing a 3.5mm audio-out jack and can broadcast over 6MHz, a capability that was also added to the Pre 3 for an as-yet ambiguous reason. Perhaps we can expect the new dock to arrive in Europe prior to the Pre 3 landing stateside — it’s asking a lot, we know, but crazier miracles have come to pass.

HP Touchstone Audio Dock passes FCC on the way to anonymous launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP’s Pre 3 goes up for pre-order in Germany, shipping in ‘1 bis 2 Wochen’

Remember the Pre 3? The portrait slider HP promised it’d be hawking to webOS fans by the end of summer? Well it might barely make its launch window, but only if you live in the land of the autobahn. Currently live on the Deutsches wing of HP’s online store is a pre-order page for the elusive smartphone which’ll apparently ship in “one to two weeks.” The localized variant is unlocked and comes with a QWERTZ (yes, Z) keyboard instead of the QWERTY we’re used to. And, at 349€ (or around $500), the handset is considerably cheaper than when when we first spied it on Amazon.de in May. Taking the plunge? Feel free to send one our way, preferably with bratwurst and rösti in tow, danke.

[Thanks, Andreas]

HP’s Pre 3 goes up for pre-order in Germany, shipping in ‘1 bis 2 Wochen’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange UK’s official HP Pre 3 support page goes live, still not available to purchase

If you haven’t been paying close enough attention to the matter, you’d think the HP Pre 3 had already been released. After all, it’s been myriad months since it was originally announced and the Veer and TouchPad were both pushed out to store shelves (arguably a little too early). Sadly, it’s still sitting on deck, waiting to try its luck when the time is right. Orange’s UK branch, however, is wasting no time making sure it’s ready for the mystery launch date, as the Pre 3’s support page is live on the carrier’s site and awaiting your perusing eyes. The listed specs confirm that the smartphone’s running with a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU (as opposed to its originally-announced 1.4GHz) and using webOS 2.2, as well as 512MB of RAM and a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 WVGA resolution display. Though we’re still waiting on word of the phone’s release from HP or Orange, sightings of a finalized page on the carrier’s site are awfully hard to ignore. Given the length of time it’s taken to hit the market, however, will it even feel fresh once daylight hits it for the first time?

Orange UK’s official HP Pre 3 support page goes live, still not available to purchase originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP tells developers to start submitting apps for Pre 3, still on track for summer launch?

Summer’s whittling away folks, and with it the promised window for Palm’s HP’s Pre 3. Last we heard, the flagship device would miss its launch window, but a new directive from the company suggests its release isn’t too far off. Registered webOS developers received an email about an updated emulator and deets regarding the App Catalog’s newfound acceptance of Pre 3 submissions. Speaking of digital storefronts, the company also noted the latter’s expansion into the following territories: Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. Get this far? Hop on past the break and read the full communiqué yourself.

Continue reading HP tells developers to start submitting apps for Pre 3, still on track for summer launch?

HP tells developers to start submitting apps for Pre 3, still on track for summer launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP tempts webOS early adopters to buy a TouchPad with $50 rebate

HP TouchPad
WebOS hopefuls — especially owners of a Palm Pre, Pixi or their Plus variants — you there? HP’s TouchPad launch is a few days away, and the company’s seeking to entice loyalists with a $50 mail-in-rebate on the new slate in the US and Canada. You’ve got until July 31st to make good on the deal, and all it’ll take is proof that you own one of the aforesaid phones. Still need help deciding? We’ve heard that a visit to Walmart might score you some hands-on time while you’re stocking up on bulk toilet paper. Hit that source link below for the full details straight from Ruby and Co.

HP tempts webOS early adopters to buy a TouchPad with $50 rebate originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP TouchPad veers into stores early, flaunts its webOS moves (video)

Dying to get your hands on HP’s TouchPad before it’s available on July 1st? According to Pre Central, a visit to either Best Buy or Walmart may afford you the opportunity. During the past few days, the stores have apparently begun quietly displaying demo-loaded versions of the slate. The device went up for pre-order about a week ago, but for webOS hopefuls still contemplating whether to take the Palm-rooted plunge, a pre-release impression may not be a bad grab between socks and motor oil. Don’t feel like taking a trip to Wally World, you say? You’ll find a video overview past the break; although the box to the left has us wondering if now’s a good time for getting lucky

Continue reading HP TouchPad veers into stores early, flaunts its webOS moves (video)

HP TouchPad veers into stores early, flaunts its webOS moves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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