It's only been a couple short months since HP announced its
intentions to buy Palm, but apparently all the investors are happy and the lawyers are rich, because the two companies have just announced that the $1.2b transaction is official and the buyout is complete -- Palm is now part of HP. Yes, it's the end of an era -- Palm's been a part of the tech landscape in one confounding way or another since 1992 -- but it's also the start of what could potentially be a
webOS renaissance, as HP plans to use Palm's ideas and OS on everything from smartphones (
phew) to tablets to
even printers. We still don't know exactly how Palm's people and structure will be folded into HP, or what exact role CEO Jon Rubinstein will play, but Palm's already lost
some important people, and
managing that transition while still keeping the
product roadmaps on course will be the next great challenge for these two companies. Here's to the best -- now how about some of that
rumored new hardware?
P.S.- Now that things are official, we can't help but wonder about the fate of the
HP Slate -- there have been
rumors of its death since the buyout was announced, and HP's gone from crowing about it to
total radio silence. We honestly don't know one way or another, but we'd sure love to find out.
posted July 1st 2010 10:32AM
and Slates!!!!!
@Revolutionary
Where's my HP Slate with WebOS?
Yea! Printers! Who the hell wants smartphones, anyway?
@Smart People Play Tuba
Me?
@Revolutionary
You know, now that this is complete, everyday I go on Engadget I'm going to hope for a post that says: "HP Hurricane with WebOS caught running in the wild!"
When will that day come?!
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
How would you know? WP7 isn't even out yet. These kind of comments are what's wrong with these comment sections: fanboys talking smack about stuff they've never used.
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
Yeah yeah, blah blah blah, you're a fanboi, we know. Windows Phone 7 isn't even out yet so how do you know it's better? Oh, that's right, you don't.
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
So you are saying that WinMo 7, an OS with no multitasking or even cut and paste for god sake is better than WebOS? Jog on.
@Smart People Play Tuba
Oh, printers. HP's bread and butter. I just hope Palm doesn't go the way of the iPaq.
@Revolutionary!!!
I wan a pre killer from palm just as bad.
GO PALM - GO WebOS!!!
@Smart People Play Tuba
I sure as hell don't care about printers running WebOS. I would like to see some good phone hardware running WebOS. Something with good high specs!!!
I'd rather see some new webos phones this summer....
@DoctarPeppar
I hope they launch a few new handsets/form factors in the next couple of months, not just another flagship phone.
@DoctarPeppar Sadly it may be too late. With Android gaining market share, iOS4 dominating and the eventual release of Windows Phone 7 there isn't much room for another OS. Plus they haven't released new hardware since its initial launch and there are no set dates for new phones for 2010.
I will miss my Pre and webOS (still my favorite mobile OS) but I fear it's time has passed.
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
Why wouldn't I?
@DizWhiz
Different strokes for different folks. The more choices we have, the better. So what if WebOS isn't as popular as Android or iOS (or WP7, eventually). I love WebOS and will continue to use it as long as there are WebOS devices out there. It doesn't bother me that there aren't 600,000 apps in the app store; it does what I need it to do, and it does it well.
My only worry is that short-sighted execs might say "WebOS isn't #2 or #3, so we might as well bail on it."
@Smart People Play Tuba
You pretty much summed up my feelings. Don't get me wrong if there were a new 1Ghz / 4in screen WebOS device I would have purchased it, but there isn't. Many of us Pre owners are up for an early upgrade and since mine is about toast I couldn't wait any longer and the only other choices are Android phones.
I honestly don't know how they can hope to keep WebOS alive if they don't release any new hardware this year.
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
Obvious troll is obvious.
Expect to hear hardware news in a few weeks.
@dcoaster
I hope so. Otherwise I might just cave and re-up with an iPhone 4, reception issues or no -- my 3G just took a dip in the pool with me a few days ago and I have to get something new quick.
Might I make a suggestion . . .
Sent from my Palm Pre on AT&T
@Smart People Play Tuba
I know, I know I could get a Pre, but I also know that as soon as I do they'll announce some new hardware and leave me with a brand-new phone and still feeling that gadget-lust itch that I won't be able to scratch for 2 years.
@ Revoluntionary
how about some new phone hardware instead
Still sticking with 2011 being HP/Palms year.
Why is it on the HD portion of Engadget we can collapse any replies to a comment, but on the regular site it just stacks up?
@Peter Fox
Always wondered that myself.
@Peter Fox
this is how Engadget can continually write about fragmentation on android, but not for iOS 1-4. They can because they are masters at fragmentation themselves and this give them fragmentation cred.
Webos on my trackpad!!!
@DefPoet That'd be pretty sweet.
Well, HP/Palm and Microsoft have a hell of a lot of catching up to do.
They've been out of the game for an eternity in the tech world.
I wish I could get more excited about this. For some reason I get the feeling this will not work out as well as most WebOS lovers would like. :(
Ok, so what... Few weeks we should start getting the rumors of new phone hardware followed by tablet/slate rumors and around the same time a clarification on exactly what WebOS on a printer would be good for.
This is gonna be a great summer.
We will have a winner if they come out with a slate with Wacom handwriting capabilities like the touch smart series and WEB OS.
@Eternity ...and if it can run Adobe Photoshop CS5, OneNote 2010, and Corel Painter!
Don't care much for a new smartphone or printer, but a tablet would be niiiiice :)
WebOS on my LAPTOP!
HPalm, please hurry up and release a new device. I switched over to android via the EVO and I miss my web OS. :(
I know it is fun to mention WebOs on printers every time this deal is discussed but don't HP have rather striking sales figures in the laptop and netbook markets. The fact that their main weakness in the portable computing power is the smartphone arena makes this deal make pretty good sense. Couple WebOs fundamentals with HP's experience in tablets touch based PCs and some interesting products could well emerge.
How about WebOS on a PDA?
@J Acheson That is available through webOS-Internals' Meta-Doctor if you want one. It runs off of wifi instead of a cell tower. I know its not an official device but its still great to have the option.
Announce new cell hardware, please. That's all I want.
I am waiting until HP finally realizes what customers want and will release webOS powered microwave and vacuum cleaner. Isn't what the world is waiting for? And they release webOS powered printers.... sheeesh.
Printers con Webos? hahhahhah
BALLS! (spanish ppl will get it lol)
@Rosco911
...
and it's just as unfunny as it was in the beginning.
Wow, way to not do any research before writing this post. Rubinstein will be the head of HP's new mobile division that will absorb the iPaq department. As of now, the Palm name is retained and is listed as "a subsidiary of HP" on HP's website. All good news for Palm and WebOS fans! Perhaps you should have done like Engadget's other writers and ripped off your post from precentral.net.
@forcegoat You are right. weven the title of the article needs alittle of reseach. In their press release today HP said nothing about a printer. They did however talk about a slate, smart phones and netbooks. Engadget is too busy talking up the iphone and android so they don't care to do proper reporting on HP and Palm on the first day of their new business. Engadget could have printed the press release and done a better job then the piece of shit reporting. This Just show how much they
care.
ipaq form factor running webOS stat!
Now let's see some high end webOS phones!
Haha, I love the title to this article.
I never liked the palm pre form factor but the softwase was the bomb. i especially liked the way you close the apps just flik them up and its gone awesome.
i would buy the slate if it comes with webOS and i am sure hp can add a few things to it.
HP + WebOS FTW