Oct 31

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

Posted in: Apple, hybrid, iPhone, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, Today's Chili

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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Oct 29

HP’s Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors

Posted in: hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, mobilepostcross, pre, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

HP’s Todd Bradley showed up on Bloomberg last night for a quick round of webOS damage control. Following a report from The Guardian, saying the company would in fact kill the webOS division, Bradley referred to the report as an “unfounded rumor.” He went on to say that “accolades for the operating system are broadly known” and that the company is focusing on how to “effectively utilize that phenomenal software.” Of course, there’s always a chance that the best way to utilize the troubled OS is to sell it to the highest bidder, but Bradley said HP will weigh all the “data and information” before making “the right decision.” For now, the operating system’s still kicking it in limbo. The full interview awaits you at the source link below.

HP’s Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 28

The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be ‘imminent’

Posted in: HP, mobilepostcross, pre, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

Could the writing have already been on the wall for webOS when former VP of worldwide developer relations Richard Kerris left HP for Nokia this week? While nothing is yet confirmed, The Guardian is now reporting that HP will indeed finally shut down its webOS division, which could affect up to 500 jobs (either through reassignment or layoffs — we’ve previously heard that some layoffs had already begun). That word comes from some unnamed internal HP sources, who reportedly expect an “imminent closure,” with one employee adding that “there’s a 95% chance we all get laid off between now and November.” For its part, HP remained noticeably mum on any news about webOS when it announced that it would hang onto its PC business this week, and its decision to use Windows 8 on tablets certainly didn’t do much to inspire the webOS faithful.

The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be ‘imminent’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 24

Pre 3 for AT&T review

Posted in: att, HP, mobilepostcross, palm, pre, review, smartphone, Today's Chili, video, webos

This is a review of a phone that was never actually released to the public on AT&T. Despite the unfortunateness of the prior statement, we felt obligated to run this device through the wringer as a final farewell to Palm, the Pre line and webOS on consumer devices.

Man, what a weird, labyrinthine life this device has had. European carriers didn’t even want the Pre 2, and for whatever reason, those folks were the only ones to even get the Pre 3. Excluding this guy, of course. This guy, as you’ve probably gleaned, is one of only a handful of AT&T Pre 3 handsets to make it out of the factory unscathed, and we couldn’t be happier to be putting it through the paces. Well… we could be happier, but that would require Meg Whitman undoing Leo’s departing shot through the webOS heart.

All that aside, it’s been a strange few days with the final webOS-based phone, and in a sense, the final phone that’ll ever have Palm’s DNA running through its circuitry. Not even two months ago, HP was telling developers to get their Pre 3 app submissions in for approval, and a mere four weeks ago, the same company affirmed that this very phone wouldn’t ever arrive on US shores. You know, despite that whole “being announced for AT&T” thing. Turns out, a few of those units actually did pass the requisite QA tests, and if you’ve got the right connections (or a quick enough trigger finger on eBay), you too can land yourself what’ll undoubtedly go down as one of the most highly sought after pieces of Palm / webOS history. But should you? Find out after the break.

Gallery: Palm Pre 3 for AT&T hands-on and unboxing

Continue reading Pre 3 for AT&T review

Pre 3 for AT&T review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 29

Quickoffice update brings document editing to the TouchPad

Posted in: HP, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

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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Aug 22

HP: Pre 3 not destined for US shores

Posted in: HP, mobilepostcross, palm, pre, Today's Chili, webos

Looks like all of those currently enjoying HP’s deep discounts on the TouchPad won’t be reaping similar benefits with regards to the Pre 3 — not in the US, at least. HP broke the news to PCMag, explaining that the smartphone won’t be hitting the States. European webOS fans will be getting a pretty sweet deal from all of this, however, with the handset running a rather affordable $75 unlocked in France and the UK. And what about Germany? HP is reporting that the Pre 3 has sold out in that country.

HP: Pre 3 not destined for US shores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 21

Switched On: The webOS triangle

Posted in: column, HP, palm, pre, Software, switched on, SwitchedOn, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

HP’s decision to discontinue production of webOS devices has been widely seen as the final nail in the promising operating system’s coffin. Statements from HP on the future of webOS app development sound absurd in the current context. How can, for example, HP continue to promote the webOS app catalog as it has pledged to do when there are no ongoing devices on which those apps can run? How would developers even test apps?

The answer may lie in a complex ongoing reorientation of the webOS triangle consisting of the HP corporate entity, PSG (Personal Systems Group, HP’s PC business) and webOS. HP hasn’t said exactly what it is doing with webOS. However, the combination of publicly expressing commitment to the operating system while dismantling its own devices points strongly to licensing. In fact, it’s highly consistent with it; if HP simply wanted to wage war with (or sell) Palm’s patent pool, it wouldn’t need webOS developers any more. HP made no secret of its interest in licensing webOS while it was still producing devices based on that operating system. As Switched On discussed last month, though, there is a long, bleak history chronicling the difficulty in building devices based on an OS that a company is licensing. In other words, pursuing both of the contrasting business models of Apple and Microsoft results in inherent conflict.

Continue reading Switched On: The webOS triangle

Switched On: The webOS triangle originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 18

HP will ‘discontinue operations for webOS devices’, may spin off Personal Systems Group

Posted in: breaking news, hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, mobilepostcross, palm, pre, tablet, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

And just like that, Palm’s baby was abandoned. Among the “other announcements” in today’s press release about the potential spinoff of its entire Personal Systems group (PCs, mobile devices, storage) is a note that the webOS ecosystem HP snagged for $1.2 billion a year ago is already being ditched.

“In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.“

Among slightly lowered estimates for its 2011 revenue, HP confirms it’s in talks with Autonomy Corporation plc about a “possible offer” for the company. It’s clear that a separation of HP the services / software company and HP the hardware manufacturer leaves no room in the lifeboat for the Pre and TouchPad family, but what happens next? We’re sure there will be more pointed questions about what “optimizing the value of webOS software going forward” means — we vote for a quickie sale to one of Google’s disgruntled hardware partners or better yet, opening it up for some community hackery — on the conference call scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern.

Update: HP CEO Leo Apotheker confirmed on the company’s earnings call late this afternoon that the Autonomy acquisition is considerably further along than just a “possible offer,” and that it’s expected to be completed by the end of 2011. He also made it clear that any possible spin-off of the PC business won’t happen soon, and said that the company will take 12 to 18 months to consider its options, further adding that he is “taking ownership” of all of these decisions. As for webOS, Apotheker expectedly offered few specifics, but suggested that just about all options, including licensing, remain on the table.

Timeline:

Continue reading HP will ‘discontinue operations for webOS devices’, may spin off Personal Systems Group

HP will ‘discontinue operations for webOS devices’, may spin off Personal Systems Group originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 18

HP Killing webOS Devices

Posted in: HP, phone, pre, smartphone, tablets, Today's Chili, top, touchpad, webos

HP just announced that it’s killing off its line of webOS devices. Updated More »

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Aug 14

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

Posted in: dual-core, HP, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, Today's Chili, webos
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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