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Qualcomm acquires Palm, other patent portfolios from HP
Chipmaker Qualcomm just announced that it's acquired 1,400 granted and pending US patents and another 1,000 foreign patents from HP. Those include "fundamental mobile operating system techniques" and come from a collection of patent portfolios that include those of once-great smartphone manufacturer Palm. The sale comes just months after the announcement that HP sold Palm's operating system, WebOS to LG, and more than a year after HP put the failed TouchPad tablet to rest. HP's relationship with Palm and the technology that it brought to the table has been a sordid one. Former Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein even went as far as to call the sale to HP a waste during an interview last summer, months after he joined Qualcomm's board of directors. The company also acquired patent portfolios from HP's iPAQ PDA business and Bitfone, a mobile enterprise software company that it acquired in 2006.
Leak shows LG's radical new interface for its webOS Smart TVs
LG's rumored webOS Smart TV is tipped to arrive at CES in the coming days, but that hasn't stopped intrepid leaker @evleaks from giving us what could be an early preview of its next connected set. In what appears to be a significant departure from the smartphone-like UI utilized in its current Smart TVs, the leaked render shows off LG's modern interpretation of the Cards interface we first saw in Palm's webOS-powered smartphones and tablets. LG chiefs have already indicated that the company has thrown its weight behind the Enyo open-source JavaScript development framework, which it acquired from HP as part of the webOS project, in the hope it will encourage third parties to create apps and services for its next-gen TVs. If the leaked image is real, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Skype apps will likely be available at launch, but we're set to find out for sure when CES 2014 commences next week.
Palm and webOS product auction reminds us of the forgotten Foleo
It's funny how, as time passes, we grow fonder of gadgets that were once disregarded. Nerd nostalgia has a knack of trumping common sense and draining wallets, which is why we're almost hesitant to bring this auction of Palm and webOS gear to your attention. Featuring the collection of a former webOS employee, you'll find everything from t-shirts, posters and other branded paraphernalia, through to a mint-condition Palm VII PDA, 4G TouchPads and a range of mobiles, including many from the long-forgotten Pre series. The prize piece, however, has to be the boxed, unused Palm Foleo complete with an hour of phone time with one of the product's OG engineers, who also "has apps for you," apparently. All money raised from the auction is going to a charitable cause, which totally justifies whatever exaggerated sum Palm's nigh-mythical flop ends up going for.
HP exec says company will re-enter smartphone market, is working on a device that offers a unique experience
HP and phones? It's not over, apparently. The company's Senior Director of Consumer PCs and Tablets for Asia-Pacific, Yam Su Yin, has told The Indian Express that HP isn't done with smartphones and is already working on a new device. While its focus (for now) remains on tablets, laptops and its all-in-ones, it's wisely decided not to ignore the ever-increasing influence of smartphones, despite that whole messy Palm saga. When asked about a chances of a future HP smartphone, she said: "The answer is yes but I cannot give a timetable. It would be silly if we say no. HP has to be in the game." "Being late you have to create a different set of proposition[s]. There are still things that can be done. It's not late. When HP has a smartphone, it will give a differentiated experience." We'd put money on an Android device being in the works, given several of HP's recent product launches, but to compete in the increasingly two-horse smartphone race, HP will have to ensure that its "differentiated experience" offers something pretty pervasive to win over customers.
Jon Rubinstein: Hewlett Packard's purchase of Palm was a waste
Finally, Jon Rubinstein is ready to re-open the wounds sustained from HP's bungled acquisition of Palm. When Fierce Wireless asked the former CEO what he'd do differently, he said that selling the company to Hewlett Packard was "a waste," and that he probably wouldn't do the same again. He also revealed that the company's awkward exclusive relationship with Sprint was caused by last-minute withdrawals from Verizon and Vodafone. If you're curious about Rubinstein's feelings on how webOS has influenced mobile operating systems and his new roles with Amazon and Qualcomm, head on down to the source link.
Owner gives Palm Pre 2 a steampunk makeover
Most people would buy a Bluetooth controller if they decide to keep an old phone for gaming, but one particular user from Chinese site Zoopda was struck with a better idea. Kissing his plan to buy a Bluetooth add-on goodbye, he instead spent a weekend adding steampunk-inspired accoutrements to his Palm Pre 2. Check out a video of the tricked out phone in action after the break. It's not in English, but it might give you an idea of what to do with your old handheld devices in case you're looking for something to go with your goggles and Victorian-era laptop.
Jon Rubinstein joins Qualcomm board of directors
When Jon Rubinstein left HP, it wasn't certain whether he would retire (again) or once more respond to the siren's call of technology. Clearly, he couldn't resist -- Qualcomm has confirmed that Rubinstein is joining its board of directors. It's not hard to understand why the firm would be interested, mind you. Between NeXT, Apple, Palm and HP, Rubinstein has extensive experience with Silicon Valley technology in general, and mobile in particular. While Qualcomm is already doing blockbuster business without his help, it no doubt wants to keep the money train going. Us? We're just happy to see a familiar name back in the limelight.
WindsorNot: the 4-inch webOS smartphone that never saw the light of day
The downfall of webOS left more than a few canceled devices in its wake, but the most elusive of the bunch tends to be the WindsorNot: a touch-only smartphone. We've seen hints of it here and there, but the shy little device has largely been kept under wraps -- until now. The dedicated folks at webOS Nation have managed to get their hands on a functional prototype. The 4-inch devices seems to lie somewhere between a Pre3 and HP Touchpad, aping the hardware specifications of the former while adopting the latter's software version: webOS 3.0. The tweaked software does feature a smartphone-sized keyboard, but webOS Nation says some of the OS' trappings are difficult to read, and were clearly meant to be refined for the smaller screen before release. The phone's form, on the other hand, seems to be top notch, indicating that the project was canned before the software team had a chance to catch up. Check out the source link for a full walkthrough of the device and a brief history lesson of webOS' last days.
Apple licenses 'worthless' Palm patents
Japanese blog Macotakara has uncovered documents published on Access (formerly PalmSource) that show Apple has licensed US$10 million worth of patents from a number of former technology companies, including the now defunct Palm. Interestingly, as 9to5Mac points out, Steve Jobs once told then Palm CEO Ed Colligan in an email exchange that Palm's patents were essentially worthless. There's not much word on what patents were licensed, but given that they "only" cost $10 million, they probably don't represent groundbreaking tech. The announcement letter refers to the patents as "foundational patents." Microsoft reportedly licensed the patents as well.
LG acquires webOS from HP, plans to use it in smart TV platform (updated)
Here's a wild one -- webOS has been revived, and the suitor may surprise you. LG has reportedly lifted the troubled webOS unit from HP's hands, but instead of using it in future smartphones or tablets, it's planning to inject the operating system across its smart TV portfolio -- finally adding a layer of truth to a rumor we first spotted in October of last year. The deal includes the source code for webOS, "related documentation, engineering talent, and related webOS websites." Moreover, LG's procuring HP licenses for use with its webOS wares, not to mention patents that HP had originally gained from Palm. Not surprisingly, dollars and cents aren't being publicly discussed, but we'll be sure to clue you in on any more specifics as we get them. Update: The official PR has appeared, and can be found after the break. It doesn't shower us with additional info, but fans of Open webOS and Enyo should know that LG is assuming "stewardship" of these projects as part of the HP deal.
Steve Jobs reportedly threatened Palm over anti-poaching agreement
Documents released in a civil lawsuit against Apple and other high-profile tech companies claim Steve Jobs threatened to sue Palm if it refused to sign an anti-poaching agreement. Defendants in the lawsuit asked the court to keep these documents sealed, but Judge Lucy Koh denied this request, according to Reuters. The civil suit focuses on anti-poaching agreements signed by Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit and Pixar. The agreements would prevent these companies from stealing talented employees from each other. The DOJ eventually stepped in and forced the companies to stop entering into these anticompetitive no solicitation agreements. Former Palm CEO Edward Colligan said in an affidavit that the Jobs tried to coerce Palm into participating in an anti-poaching agreement after the company hired a handful of Apple employees. "As a solution, Mr. Jobs proposed an arrangement between Palm and Apple by which neither company would hire the other's employees, including high-tech employees," Colligan said. "Mr. Jobs also suggested that if Palm did not agree to such an arrangement, Palm could face lawsuits alleging infringement of Apple's many patents." Colligan provided copies of emails sent between himself and Jobs to support this accusation. Tim Cook is slated to give a deposition on this matter, and other high-ranking executives from Google and Intel are also expected to be questioned in the next few weeks. [Via AppleInsider]
KDDI's smartphone palm authentication app unveiled at CEATEC 2012 (hands-on)
Sidestepping lockscreen codes and fingerprint scanners -- and without any new hardware demands -- KDDI has unveiled a new palm authentication app that takes advantage of the high-resolution camera on its Android smartphones. Scanning in tandem with the flash, we gave it a try on a HTC J, here at CEATEC in Japan. After a brief setup, which involves positioning your hand to fit between some red markers, the phone was soon calibrated to our hands. Then, after locking the device, attempting to unlock it will send you to the palm authentication screen, seen above, where (hopefully) only your mitts will be able to gain access. The time it takes to check your hand remains a little longer than it would take you to drum in your typical four-digit PIN, but in our brief test, it was able to discriminate between two Engadget editors' hands. Better still, you'll be able to give the app a try yourself tomorrow, when it goes on free trial on Google Play. Until it does, see how it's all meant to work in our hands-on video after the break.
webOS team becomes Gram, isn't heavy on mission statements
HP's webOS team has been keeping busy with its open source project, but it's time for a new challenge in the form of Gram: a fresh HP-funded offshoot focused on "software, user experience, the cloud, engineering, and partnering." We're not quite sure where that list could lead, but webOS, Enyo and cloud services are all expected to play a role in future endeavors. Judging from the fancy flyer after the break, a lot of energy is going into brand-building right now, along with a dose of secrecy, but hopefully some more concrete details will happen along soon.
No Open WebOS support for existing WebOS devices, no soup for you
Another day, another major blow to the webOS community. The Open webOS project announced today in its blog that the fledgling OS won't support any of the existing hardware -- like HP's Pre 3 and TouchPad. While not completely surprising, this is disappointing for those who were hoping to wring a little more life out of their current webOS devices. Open webOS is targeting SoCs that support the Linux 3.3+ kernel and components with open source drivers. The blog post blames the existing hardware's "many proprietary components, including graphics, networking and lack of drivers for a modern kernel". Despite having access to these proprietary drivers, it appears HP isn't willing to make them available to the Open webOS project -- proof that sometimes you can have your cake, but not eat it too.
NTP reaches agreement with 13 patent defendants including Apple, Microsoft and Google
One of the original "non-manufacturing IP firms," NTP, has just signed an agreement with 13 of the companies it sued for infringing its email patents. The tech industry whales paying for licenses include Google, Microsoft and Yahoo on the software side; wireless operators Verizon, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile; and handset companies Apple, HTC, Motorola, Palm, LG and Samsung. If all the litigation is blurring together in your head, we remind you that NTP is one of the founding patent under-bridge dwellers who made lawyers' eyes everywhere light up with a $612 million payout from RIM back in 2006. That seemingly gave them the courage -- and bankroll, presumably -- to attack the above companies in 2010 for infringement of its eight wireless email patents, including push technology. The terms of the settlement weren't disclosed, but considering the dollars paid out by RIM, "we can imagine quite a bit," to quote Han Solo. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Design firm's video offers a glimpse of the touchscreen webOS phone that never was
Well, it looks like there's still a few surprises left from HP's brief foray into webOS hardware. As webOS Nation has discovered, the design firm Transparent House posted a brief clip of a device described as "WindsorNot" some eight months ago, which is very clearly a touchscreen-only webOS smartphone. As the site notes, that appears to be the very same device that had previously turned up in leaked photos under the codename "Stingray," and it estimates that the phone has the same 3.6-inch screen as the Pre 3. Details are scarce beyond that, but you can get a good look at what might have been in the video after the break -- not to mention yet another look at the unreleased TouchPad Go (a.k.a. Opal) on Transparent House's Vimeo page linked below. Update: Looks like this one is remaining elusive. The video has now unfortunately been pulled. Update 2: We've removed the still from the video at the request of Transparent House. The image above is the previously leaked photo of the device.
Sprint's Palm C40: the Pre 2 that never made it
Take a look through the trousers of time at what might have been; a Palm Pre 2 on Sprint. WebOSNation managed to grab the very rare prototype from a Palm employee and it fortunately worked on the Now Network without the need for any screwdrivers or warranty busting. Despite its second-hand status, the phone cheerfully handled webOS 2.2.4, albeit without a licensed webOS Doctor. Aside from the swap to a CDMA radio, the rest of phone hardware chimes with the Verizon version that did arrive. A handful of bloatware Sprint apps are on the device, including a ringtone store -- how quaint! Take a closer look at the source below.
Clamcase's Clambook gives Android phones and iPhones a laptop shell, feels decidedly Airy
The idea of creating a full-fledged laptop companion to a smartphone isn't new -- just ask the former Palm team -- but rarely has it come across as so pretty. Clamcase's upcoming Clambook, while it has more than a slight hint of MacBook Air about it, is really meant as a large canvas of sight and sound for an Android phone or iPhone. Although the Clambook can at least be used as a big, 16:9 ratio display for an iPhone, the emphasis is clearly on more Google-inclined users that can use an MHL port: the one cable provides audio, video, power, an Android 4.0-native keyboard and a multi-touch trackpad. More recent Motorola phone owners might get the most out of it, since Webtop's full-size Firefox browser and windowed interface will kick in without needing one of Motorola's proprietary docks. We're still waiting on many basic details, like exact device support and the all-important matter of pricing, but the Clamcase should be ready for supersized Real Racing sessions by the holidays.
Phoenix project wants to rise from the ashes of webOS with open source wings
It looks like webOS isn't going quietly into the mobile OS retirement home. While its journey to open-source continues, an eager cabal of developers, fans and designers have decided to reignite the ill-fated operating system under the banner of Phoenix International Communications. Focusing its efforts on transporting open webOS to existing devices, both HP-made and otherwise, Phoenix also wants throw in some new features and fixes -- presumably throwing in some extra software gems and UI tweaks. If it all goes to plan, the organization even wants to bring new webOS devices to market -- a heady dream, but you've got to admire their pluck. Any webOS devotees out there can pledge their allegiance (and assistance) to the cause at the source below.
Fujitsu dabbles in palm reading, hopes to bring biometric sensors to tablets
When you think about it, there's no reason that biometric recognition can't provide security on tablets -- well, aside from the need for a sensor thin enough to fit on a slate. Fujitsu has been on the job, making significant progress since showing off its clunky palm vein reader. The company's latest development on the biometric front is an authentication sensor that measures a minuscule 5mm thick, which is slight enough for use in tablets. Fujitsu employed its PalmSecure technology for reading users' palm vein patterns without requiring physical contact with the sensor. This super-thin module is still in the thick of research and development, but it's likely destined for your tablet someday down the line.
