In the most dramatic stay of execution since Robin Hood shot an arrow through Little John’s noose, HP has decided that webOS will live on as open source. And there was much merriment and backslappery throughout the land! Also: good work, HP. This couldn’t have worked out better. More »
When HP decided to discontinue the TouchPad tablet and drop the price to just $99, it wasn’t surprising to see the devices fly off the shelves. The market was there for a tablet that performed at the right price point, and led us to suggest every tablet should be $99. Supplies soon dried up, but […]
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.
Looks like the tablet that wouldn’t die is finally dead — well, kind of sort, for now. HP sent out a note to let the world know that it’s “officially out of stock” of the zombie TouchPad. It’s not all bad news, however — apparently you can still pick one up at Best Buy, so long as you buy an HP computer at the same time. Mourn another quasi-death for the webOS slate with Boyz II Men after the break.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Continue reading HP ‘officially’ out of TouchPads, Best Buy can still help you out
HP ‘officially’ out of TouchPads, Best Buy can still help you out originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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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.
Richard Kerris moves from HP to Nokia, becomes Global Head of Developer Relations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lucasfilm’s former chief technology officer just became HP’s former VP of worldwide developer relations — Richard Kerris is calling it quits. HP confirmed Kerris’ departure, stating that he “has decided to leave HP to pursue an opportunity outside of the company, effective immediately.” Kerris joined HP in February 2011 as the outfit’s webOS frontman for the development community, vowing to work hard to win its favor before the firm discontinued operations for the platform’s devices earlier this year. Kerris isn’t the first employee to go since the webOS cut, and sadly, he probably won’t be the last either.
Richard Kerris leaves HP, ventures off into the land of outside opportunity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Remember Shane Robison, the HP exec who advocated for the survival of webOS following the company’s decision to dismantle its hardware unit? Yeah well, he’s about to make an exit. HP confirmed yesterday that Robison will retire from his position as executive VP and chief strategy and technology officer on November 1st, after spending eleven years at the company. In a statement, HP praised Robison for spearheading much of its R&D and several high-profile mergers during his tenure there. “In his role, he was responsible for shaping HP’s corporate strategy and technology agenda,” the company said. “He was instrumental in steering the company’s multibillion-dollar research and development investment and has led many of the company’s largest merger and acquisition activities.” Newly minted CEO Meg Whitman, meanwhile, described Robison as a powerful innovator and lauded his role in guaranteeing “that innovation continues at HP.” Perhaps the bigger story, however, is the fact that the firm doesn’t plan on filling Robison’s shoes. In the announcement, HP confirmed that his position will be dissolved as part of “an effort to drive strategy, research and development closer to the company’s businesses.” The implications, of course, remain to be seen. Full PR after the break.
Continue reading HP’s chief strategy officer to retire next month, won’t have a successor
HP’s chief strategy officer to retire next month, won’t have a successor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It may not have resulted in much of a numerical bump, but the just-released webOS 3.0.4 software update for the HP TouchPad is a fairly significant one. The big new addition is the ability to pair non-webOS phones, which will let you answer calls on your TouchPad (pairing with third-party Bluetooth keyboards is also said to be “streamlined”). It also adds a new Camera app for photos and videos, plus support for Ogg Vorbis music files, and online / offline messaging status support. Perhaps just as notably, HP is also promising “better performance” and “user interface improvements,” as well as a number of other enhancements and “more robust Skype video calling.” We’ll be giving it a go ourselves, but feel free to share your own impressions in the comments below.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: We’ve since spent a bit of time with a TouchPad running webOS 3.0.4, and it is indeed noticeably snappier and more responsive. Receiving phone calls via a non-webOS phone also works as promised (although you can’t make phone calls from the TouchPad), and the new Camera app is simple and gets the job done — though the TouchPad’s camera itself is still decidedly lackluster. Another somewhat minor but important change is the scrolling behavior in the web browser — it now requires a far more deliberate swipe left or right to move the page horizontally, which results in far less accidental jumping around than before.
HP TouchPad gets webOS 3.0.4 update, now able to answer calls from non-webOS phones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
It’s with broken heart that we announce that the doors have officially shut for good on all remaining webOS retail stores. The news likely won’t come as a shock to many, given HP’s intent to scrap the operating system from its future plans. This isn’t the first physical manifestation of the company’s announcement, when factoring in the plethora of layoffs taking place; nonetheless, anyone affected or touched by a Palm device over the last 19 years may likely mourn the loss. That said, at least the stores went out with a bang: Veers were cleared out for $50 each, the Pixi was sold for $25 ($15 if you purchased four or more) and the Touchstone could be had for a cool $2.50. The retail outlets may now be a thing of the past, but the memories of the products sold in them will hopefully live on forever. Never forget.
webOS brick-and-mortar stores close forever, may they rest in peace originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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