HP Taiwan reportedly reaffirms pre-October launch for webOS tablet
By Ross Miller 
posted May 22nd 2010 12:29PM
posted May 22nd 2010 12:29PM
Don't mind us taking a few grains of salt on this one, but according Digitimes, HP Taiwan Vice President Monty Wong has confirmed a webOS-powered tablet is due out in the market before the fiscal year ending in October. This jibes with what we heard earlier this month, including the common sense caveat that more details will be forthcoming only after the Palm acquisition is completed near the end of July. Now, we won't be surprised one iota if this comes to fruition -- HP itself has gone on record numerous times as wanting to throw the onetime mobile-exclusive OS on everything from tablets (yay) to printers (huh). Still, everything we know about it so far comes via words and whispers to third-party sources, or the voice in our head dreaming up ideal product lines -- neither of which, unfortunately, we can put our complete trust in.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: The DigiTimes report might be referring to the existing Windows-based Slate for a pre-October launch, not necessarily the first volley of HP-branded webOS devices -- but either way, we're certain the article isn't ruling out the Windows 7-based Slate. See more here.
YES!!!!!
@SlaterGS
I don't own a Pre, but have played with many of them over the time it has been out and a total fan of it and it's potential.
I think Palm's downfall was not licensing it's WebOS out earlier, I mean look @ Android and right now the success of HTC.
I think HP can totally take on the IPad with this and can benefit by offering all the High End options that the IPad has at a lower price. I liek the IPad, but I hate that there is a Premium Price to have things that in my mind should be standard (Mainly, CONNECTIVITY Options)
Now, if HTC could release an Android / Sense based Tablet!
@SlaterGS
This would go great with the Evo I want to get. 2010 is the year for mobile devices. Hopefully HP can flawlessly implement webOS into a tablet.
@SlaterGS
wow! these people dont waste time huh? cant wait to see one!
@SlaterGS
As long as it has a better hardware design than the Pre (my poor, falling apart Pre) then I will join in with your jubilation.
@SlaterGS
What about a dual-boot?
Both Windows 7 and webOS, I think it will be awesome. :)
@SlaterGS
Slap on a real app store for this baby and they have my money. Love WebOs if the current hardware choices werent such crap lol
@SlaterGS
shit i think i got a boner
@SlaterGS
I hope that thing comes with a pretty beefy processor. Web slOS didn't get that nickname for nothing. Core i7 perhaps?
@SlaterGS Will be amazing
@SlaterGS Well...uh...perhaps "MAYBE!!!!!".
As far as THIS reader has read (Digitimes et al), the Taiwan HP guy didn't say anything about webOS coming in October:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100521PD200.html
@SlaterGS Whats the fuss about? It's just big Palm Pre! (iPad hater reasoning) Wheres the desktop OS? Etc, etc.
Let's hope all those who dissed the iPad for having a mobile OS, do the same for WebOS and Android tablets - for consistencies sake, if nothing else(can't see it though).
@ZeCoder Windows 7? Windows 7 sucks. WebOS is amazing.
@ZeCoder
IIRC webOS is only ARM based, so I'm not sure that's even possible.
@SlaterGS
Go Go webOS
@hsa470
Thanks!
@BergerFan Ipad isn't dissed because it has a mobile OS, its dissed because its uses Apple's absurdly closed mobileOS. Jobs claimed that it could compete with laptops, but it fails in every regard do to the control apple exerts. In order to make it somewhat compete with a laptop you have to pay for overprice dongles (expanded memory, camera, etc), then you're still left with the fact that apple dictates what apps you can run
With WebOS and Android, the system is open, allowing you to do what you want with it when you want to. That's the KEY feature people appreciate with laptops and the ipad will never be able to make that claim.
@SLINC
The HP offering will be just another iPad wannabe. By the time this tablet hits the streets, Apple will have sold about five million iPads and no consumers except die-hard geeks will be interested in any other tablet. The HP tablet will be like an HP Zune. I'm not saying the HP tablet won't be a nice device and will have even more hardware than the iPad. I'm only saying that I doubt that very few consumers will even care whether the HP tablet exists.
There will be about 50 Android tablet vendors with various features all fighting for recognition, but there'll only be one Apple iPad.
@MosesusedaniPad
The hp webOS tablet will be a flop?
You means like android competing against the iphone is?
Oh wait...
@SLINC They made the mistake of licensing their OS in the past. If Palm were to license webOS they'd be in the same position as every other phone manufacturer. Competing on hardware alone. WebOS is Palm's unique selling point that no other company has.
@mhunterjr
Plus you won't need to hobble your computer with iTunes to use this tablet.
Sweet
My name is Manuel, and I'm a webOS addict.
@RockNStuff
just as long as you don't say it's your idea
-Jon
Darn, just got the ipad. Should have waited :(
@HotDog Why? I have a palm pre and it's laggy and that battery life sucks. The apps also suck on webOS. I see no advantage of a webOS tablet over the iPad especially after OS4 for the iPad is released.
@jsbaugh
The tablet won't use the same processor obviously.
@jsbaugh
then you haven't overclocked it. Give it a try before you bash the os. Pre's hardware may be a bit lacking, but for a first gen device from a strugling company I would say your being a little harsh.
@HotDog You should have waited for plethora of other reasons. I hope your giant iPod is 1/625 as useful as you've hoped.
@TareG pray tell, how is webOS not also a mobile OS?
@TareG jealous?
@HotDog
Because of a Rumor? Now you're bummed??
Pfft if that's what you do when you read Engadget, maybe you shouldn't visit the site.
@Wesscoast
Well, what's stopping me from buying another tablet? Isn't two better than one?
So. Who thinks HP is going to be lazy with it and keep the same internals (Atom) from the last Slate for this one (And ruin it by doing so)
@CJisohsocool well considering ited be web os and not windows 7 I a:don't think an atom is possiable for web os but I can be wrong (feel free to correct me) b:if it is possiable ited be fine web os needs less power to operate = better battery life + better performance.
@CJisohsocool
I doubt the hardware will change at all. It's much easier and faster to tweek WebOS to the the existing hardware rather than the other way around. I'll be getting this but look forward to the second WebOS tablet built for WebOS from scratch.
@patp
Atom would run WebOS... Just poorly. Atoms suck. They should only be used on a slate if its going to run Windows 7 because its an x86 processor. I really do hope HP wont be lazy and uses a Tegra2 or atleast Arm A9 with some kind of graphics chip.
@CJisohsocool
well, if there is a company that has resources to change specifications and internals on the fly it is HP, you know.
@CJisohsocool To begin with I dodnt think this news is correct and I believe it refers to the windows 7 slate. But just one thing:
As you might have also seen in engadget, a user has managed to run webOS on a PC, an old DELL c600 that is a pentium iii. Obviously is a hacky way and the applications show too big because some tweaks are needed in the configuration, but the point is that according to the video the apps load and run really really fast.
I know atom will have problems with battery life against arm, but I dodnt think an atom soc can not run webOS as good as a very good arm soc.
@marcio Windows slate was cancelled.
@theSixFive it was rumored than the windows slate was cancelled.
I also think HP wont launch it
but I also believe that the October launch piece on that article on digitimes was because they were talking about that Windows 7 slate. They just throwed a known fact, without checking the rumor to add facts to the news. Independently is actually going to be launched o not.
@CJisohsocool
I actually hope they keeps the same internals.
@Arkv2
Why? Atoms suck compared to ARM in both performance and battery life...
awesome! I was just about to cave and get an iPad.
@brrip
I almost did, but I maintained control of myself.
@brrip
I turned to the dark side, and it feels good (for the moment).
They should have branded it as Palm powered by HP or HP powered by Palm.
Acquistions like these only kill the spirit and innovation of the acquired company.
Yesterday Giz said it was still Win7, but the report didn't say that. I believe it will definitely be a WebOS tablet, and I believe I will be pre ordering that bad boy just as soon as they let me.
Pre October launch.... i guess the name would be PreBAR
Currently impressed by the ExoPC Slate. With the 850g weight (120g more than iPad), that bad boy brings all the cool stuff on board including the USB port (3), Card Reader and HDMI etc.
If the HP Slate does not do more than beating the 5 hours battery life of ExoPC Slate, it will not interest me!