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HP Palm Broadway, Manta and Topaz name-dropped in casting call
All the pieces, they're a-comin' together. If you'll recall, we spotted a smattering of HP Palm codenames in webOS 2.0 code early last month, and now, those very names are popping up elsewhere. Over at DirectCast, a couple of casting calls have emerged for HP Palm, with both of 'em seeking young, carefree hipsters with lovely hands. They're willing to pay a solid grand if you fit the profile, presumably to hold one of these impending devices on camera for some sort of advertisement. A PreCentral reader actually signed up, and then received some even more interesting information -- he was informed that the shoot will involve the HP Palm Broadway, Manta and Topaz. The Broadway was indeed one of the devices spotted in the aforementioned code, and while Manta wasn't there, "Mantaray" was. Topaz, of course, looks to be Palm's forthcoming tablet. This is all just expanded speculation for now, but if you were holding out hope for new HP Palm products, feel free to let your imagination run wild.
Yes, there is a cow mode in webOS 2.0
Palm's current hardware situation -- or the lack of it -- is no laughing matter, but that doesn't mean the software guys can't have any fun. Turns out that if you receive an email in webOS 2.0 with the subject line "supercowpowers," you get dazzled with... well, a cow show. That's really the only way we can describe it. Kind of apropos for the same guys that used the Konami code, isn't it?
webOS 2.0 coming to 'all' Palm devices in the coming months
We're hoping he wasn't speaking out of turn here, but for what it's worth, Palm developer advocate Josh Marinacci has said on stage at webOS Developer Days today in New York that webOS 2.0 will be coming to "all" Palm devices in "the coming months." Now, we're going to go ahead and assume he's not talking about your Treo 650, your Palm III, or your LifeDrive, but we're taking that to mean that Pre, Pixi, Pre Plus, and Pixi Plus owners on all carriers around the globe can expect official upgrades for their phones -- and hey, considering how mild of an upgrade the Pre 2 is (and the fact you can't get it on some of the older devices' launch carriers), that's fantastic news. Follow the break for Marinacci's full presentation from the event.
Sprint's Palm Pre marked for End of Life?
We don't quite know how to break it to you, but if PreCentral sources are correct, Palm's hit a very interesting landmark: its comeback device, the Pre for Sprint, has reportedly reached End of Life (EOL). Warehouse quantities are said to be limited, and after that... well... have fun scouring eBay. Or better yet, maybe consider another carrier for the Plus model or even a full-blown sequel; we can't imagine the original Pixi's gonna cool your cravings. It's been a wild ride since that June 5th, 2009 launch, eh?
Unlocked GSM Palm Pre 2 to be 'available direct from HP,' Gorilla Glass on the front
We've been toying with a Palm Pre 2 for a few weeks now, but given that it's not "final hardware," we can't exactly make any firm judgments on the unit itself. Tim Pettitt, product manager for HP Palm, can. In speaking with MarkGuim.tv (and slyly handling a Verizon Pre 2), he not only confirmed that the company was relying on a layer of the famed Gorilla Glass to keep the front as scratch-resistant as possible, but also that the five megapixel camera is capable of capturing a shot every second. More importantly, however, he made clear that it wouldn't be just the developers nabbing an unlocked GSM Pre 2. According to Tim, that very handset will be "available direct from HP.com," though he stopped short of saying whether it would support T-Mobile's AWS 3G band. For AT&T loyalists, however, we're guessing this may be the best way to nab webOS on the network that's still rethinking possible. [Thanks, Fuu]
HP Palm quietly debuts new HP Palm logo
We don't know how this one slipped past us, but somewhere in the past few weeks (on October 19th as far as we can tell), HP and Palm's logos got together to form what you see to the left: the HP Palm logo. The new, hybrid logo is on both Palm's website and Facebook page, so this should quell any fears that the world might lose Palm's branding all together. We don't know what you think of the new logo -- personally, we were a little partial to our own mock up.
HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011?
Underwhelmed by the feeling of sameness with the Pre 2? Well, you may or may not be in luck; Chinese-based CENS.com is reporting that manufacturers Foxconn and Compal now have contracts to manufacturer up to six new Palm devices for 2011. That boils down to one for Compal, and either four or five for Foxconn. We'd venture a guess that PalmPad's at least one of those, seeing as it's due early next year, but what about the others? Whatever (stackable) cards HP / Palm have in hand aren't exactly being laid out, and while we can't confirm this report ourselves, rest assured, we're hoping really hard that there'll be more webOS options with non-pebble form factors.
Rahul Sood sees an awesome, but distant future for webOS devices
Rahul Sood, founder of Voodoo PC and current innovation tzar at HP, has some good and some bad news for us. On the one hand, the way he sees webOS development from the inside of the HP Palm coupling makes Rahul believe that "everyone will want in once the presentation of hardware is in front of them," but then on the other, far less happy hand, he urges us to abandon hope of seeing that happen soon. We can't know for sure what his definition of "soon" might be, but it does suggest webOS 2.0 will likely be a pure software drop later this year, to be followed by HPalm finally unveiling the hot new gear sometime in 2011. Although that's basically what we were expecting anyway, we can't help but wonder why it's taking so long to churn out some new devices -- it's not like they're being made out of unobtainium... or are they, Rahul? Update: Rahul has clarified his tweet in a blog post, assuring us that we'll see an entire new portfolio of webOS devices -- replete with new form factors -- take shape over the next 12 months. That, he says, means neither tomorrow nor 364 days from now. HPalm's unification challenges are many and the roadmap remains fluid.
HP Taiwan reportedly reaffirms pre-October launch for webOS tablet
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.
webOS-based HP Hurricane tablet rumored for Q3
Shortly after announcing a blockbuster deal to acquire Palm, HP confessed that it would be "doubling down on webOS," with near-term plans to "scale it across multiple connected devices." We took the liberty at that point to assume this meant that a larger webOS-based device was at least sitting around in the rear of someone's mind, and now it sounds as if Palm loyalists may actually have something tangible to look forward to. According to an unsubstantiated report over at the Examiner, an "insider at HP" has informed the site that "a webOS tablet under the code name HP Hurricane could be released the third quarter of this year." This all lines up well with what we've heard over the past few weeks: HP pledged to take webOS to places it has never been, strong whispers emerged that the HP Slate was being shelved, and now, people close to the HP camp have given a name to a purported webOS tablet slated for Q3. There's obviously no telling if this is simply hot air being blown, but we wouldn't be shocked to see HP nail down a webOS slate in time for the sure-to-be-rockin' 2010 holiday buying season. Or maybe we're just crossing our fingers, humming aloud and praying to our lucky stars that this all pans out. [Thanks, Mike and Trever]
HP: opportunities for webOS 'smartphones, slates, and potentially netbooks'
Color us excited. HP's Todd Bradley just made an interesting proposition on the conference call about its Palm acquisition. Specifically, Bradley said, "Between smartphones, slates, and potentially netbooks, there are a lot of opportunities here." You read that right: slates and potentially netbooks. The tablet route is pretty obvious, but having the netbook / smartbook form factor is quite a twist. Think about it, a Foleo descendant you can be proud of -- whodathunkit? If you're worried HP has forgotten about other platforms, we need only point in the direction of the Android-fueled Airlife. Obviously nothing to announce at this point, but doesn't that just get us hopeful -- roadmap announcements are said to be forthcoming closer to the merger being finalized. The call is still ongoing, so stay tuned!
