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Eero thinks its tiny box can fix all your WiFi issues
While many of the devices we use every day depend on WiFi -- everything from our smartphones to our TVs -- most home WiFi networks are still woefully slow compared to their wired alternatives. Enter Eero, a small San Francisco startup that aims to bring home WiFi into the future. How? By combining the functions of a router, a range extender and a repeater into a single device, thus making the Eero a complete WiFi system for the home. Wirelessly connect two or more Eeros together and you've got an instant mesh network, no IT degree required.
From beginning to breakup: a history of HP's highs and lows
HP's recent decision to split into two companies is undoubtedly a big deal. It's a cornerstone of Silicon Valley, and it has been synonymous with PCs for much of its lifetime. However, this is really just the latest chapter for a technology legend that has witnessed plenty of triumphs and disasters throughout its 75-year history. We've rounded up some of its greatest and lowest moments in a gallery, ranging from its humble beginnings in a garage to the webOS era and a series of scandals -- check them out if you want to know how HP reached yet another turning point. [Image credit: Kimihiro Hoshino/AFP/Getty Images]
Jon Rubinstein: OS X and iOS 7 borrow features from webOS
You might remember Jon Rubinstein as the Apple executive turned Palm CEO who helped spearhead development of the short-lived Palm Pre, a device which many initially thought might put Apple on the defensive. The way things played out, however, couldn't have been more different. Since the Pre first launched in 2009, Apple has gone on to sell millions upon millions of iPhones while the Palm Pre, not to mention Palm, are now all but non-existent. Nonetheless, some of the UI features introduced by the Palm Pre and the webOS that powered it have lived on and are now being incorporated into Apple's own software. Notifications and multitasking are two examples that come to mind. Naturally, this wasn't lost on Rubinstein who, in an interview with FierceWireless, couldn't help but insinuate that Palm's webOS was ahead of its time. FierceWireless: It seems like iOS 7 is taking lots of multitasking cues from webOS. How do you think that platform, webOS, influenced other mobile platforms? Rubinstein: It's not just mobile platforms. If you look at the notifications on Mac OS X, it looks just like webOS, too. We did a lot of things that were very, very innovative. Obviously, multitasking, notifications, Synergy, how we handled the multiple cards. There's a long list of stuff we did that has been adopted by Microsoft, Apple and Android. Our over-the-air updates and mechanism has been updated by everybody. Our whole Synergy concept is now becoming much more common. I don't think anyone has implemented it as well as we did yet, but clearly they're all heading down that direction. The entire interview is worth checking out as it touches on a number of subjects, including why the Palm Pre was exclusive to Sprint upon launch and why Rubinstein feels that selling out to HP was a waste.
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.
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.
Ex-Apple, ex-Palm exec Jon Rubinstein now leaving HP
Sometimes the revolving door spins quickly at the top. AllThingsD reported today that HP executive Jon Rubinstein is leaving the company for places unknown. Rubinstein is perhaps best known for his days at Apple, when he spearheaded the rapid growth of the iPod music player -- the piece of Apple hardware widely remembered as the "gateway drug" that has since attracted millions of customers to the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. After Apple, Rubinstein worked at venture firm Elevation Partners, then moved to Palm. In 2009, Rubinstein replaced Ed Colligan as Palm's CEO, overseeing the ill-fated switch from the old PalmOS to WebOS. The latter mobile operating system first appeared on the Pre, Pixi, and Veer smartphones. Rubinstein became an HP exec when the consumer electronics giant acquired Palm, and was at the driver's seat of the mobile division as the WebOS-powered TouchPad tablet crashed and burned. When HP decided to get out of the mobile devices hardware market, Rubinstein was given a "product innovation role" at HP's Personal Systems Group designed to lessen the eventual impact of his departure.
Jon Rubinstein leaves Hewlett-Packard
Former Palm chief Jon Rubinstein has left Hewlett-Packard, having completed the 24-month commitment period he agreed to when HP acquired Palm. An HP spokesperson has confirmed the story, first reported by AllThingsD, in a brief statement: "Jon has fulfilled his commitment and we wish him well." Rubinstein rose to fame as a hardware guru at NeXT, ultimately joining Apple after the company acquired NeXT in 1996. He was instrumental in developing the iMac and PowerMac desktops before spearheading the iPod project that would herald the company's business dominance. After retiring in 2006, he joined Palm to revitalize the flagging device maker's fortunes, developing the Palm Pre and WebOS software before being crowned as its CEO in 2009. A year later, Hewlett-Packard purchased the company for $1.2 billion: but just a year later, pulled the shutters down as Rubinstein was shifted (or "dumped") to a "product innovation role" within HP, where he saw out the last of his retention period before departing. In a terse comment to The Verge, the man himself has said that he's "going to take some well deserved time off," and after the last twelve months, we wouldn't blame him.
All Things D: HP kept executives in the dark about webOS decision
If you thought the saga surrounding HP's decision to cease production of webOS devices was over, you may be mistaken. All Things D reported yesterday that key executives -- specifically Todd Bradley of the currently-in-limbo Personal Systems Group and former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein -- weren't informed of the move until Sunday night. The blog's inside sources say the two plan to remain at their posts for the time being, however, that could change dependent on what happens next with webOS. Those sources also noted that Rubinstein wasn't exactly thrilled about the timing of the TouchPad's release, saying CEO Leo Apotheker had failed to make good on a public promise to ship the tablet only when it was "perfect." So will they stay or will they go? It's anyone's guess at this point, but you can bet we'll keep you posted.
HP will 'discontinue operations for webOS devices', may spin off Personal Systems Group
And just like that, Palm's baby was abandoned. Among the "other announcements" in today's press release about the potential spinoff of its entire Personal Systems group (PCs, mobile devices, storage) is a note that the webOS ecosystem HP snagged for $1.2 billion a year ago is already being ditched. "In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward." Among slightly lowered estimates for its 2011 revenue, HP confirms it's in talks with Autonomy Corporation plc about a "possible offer" for the company. It's clear that a separation of HP the services / software company and HP the hardware manufacturer leaves no room in the lifeboat for the Pre and TouchPad family, but what happens next? We're sure there will be more pointed questions about what "optimizing the value of webOS software going forward" means -- we vote for a quickie sale to one of Google's disgruntled hardware partners or better yet, opening it up for some community hackery -- on the conference call scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern. Update: HP CEO Leo Apotheker confirmed on the company's earnings call late this afternoon that the Autonomy acquisition is considerably further along than just a "possible offer," and that it's expected to be completed by the end of 2011. He also made it clear that any possible spin-off of the PC business won't happen soon, and said that the company will take 12 to 18 months to consider its options, further adding that he is "taking ownership" of all of these decisions. As for webOS, Apotheker expectedly offered few specifics, but suggested that just about all options, including licensing, remain on the table. Timeline: 4.28.10 - HP buys Palm 4.28.10 - HP: 'We're doubling down on webOS,' Palm: 'That was the whole point' 7.1.10 - HP / Palm buyout officially complete -- get ready for webOS printers 2.9.11 - RIP, Palm: 1992 - 2011 2.9.11 - HP's 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer 2.9.11 - HP Pre 3: 1.4GHz Qualcomm CPU, 3.6-inch WVGA, coming this summer (video) 3.9.11 - WebOS will be on 'every HP PC' shipping next year, says CEO 6.29.11 - HP confirms it's in talks about licensing webOS, Samsung tipped as a possibility 7.11.11 - HP's Stephen DeWitt to lead webOS global business unit, Jon Rubinstein stepping aside 8.18.11 - HP unveils 64GB TouchPad, spurns America (and freedom)
The Engadget Interview: HP's Stephen DeWitt
HP caught the industry by surprise yesterday, announcing some serious executive reshuffling, with Stephen DeWitt, the company's former head of Personal Systems Group Americas stepping up to fill in the lead role at HP's webOS global business unit, while Jon Rubinstein will be in charge of PSG globally. This game of executive musical chairs raised a lot of questions with regards to the state of the company's beloved but arguably underperforming mobile operating system, particularly in the wake of the TouchPad's lukewarm reception amongst reviewers, ourselves included. We managed to grab some time with DeWitt, in spite of what's sure to be a fairly packed schedule at the moment, discussing the impact of the TouchPad's reviews, the present and future of webOS, and what smartphone he carries around in his pocket.
HP exec Jon Rubenstein compares webOS to early Mac OS X
Like most non-iPad tablets, HP's TouchPad has faced lukewarm reviews thus far. Most reviews have dinged the device for being laggy and not having enough apps, though a few reviewers have admitted the webOS-powered device does seem to have potential that tablets like RIM's PlayBook seem to lack. According to Pre Central, Jon Rubinstein, Senior VP and General Manager of HP's Palm Global Business Unit, sent a memo out to all HP employees in response to the reviews. In that memo, he notes that a fellow HP employee drew parallels between the opening reviews for the TouchPad and those for Apple's Mac OS X when it first launched over ten years ago. The echoes do sound pretty uncanny; OS X was also criticized for being "sluggish" and having a paucity of supported apps when it first launched. Rubinstein seems to be implying that HP's TouchPad can achieve the same success that Mac OS X has, given enough time. On the other hand, thus far the tablet market seems to be a lot more unforgiving of an environment than the PC market was in the early 2000s, and Mac OS X didn't become successful overnight. It took years before wide swathes of the tech industry stopped deriding OS X as an also-ran to Windows, and even ten years later some pundits still look down their noses at it. The key to Mac OS X's success, and the path HP must follow if it wants webOS to succeed, is that Apple made a series of quick, iterative improvements to OS X rather than allowing it to founder. If Mac OS X had seen only marginal improvements over its first couple of years, the Mac may well have died a hasty death in the market -- and it would have deserved to. Whether we say the same thing about the TouchPad and webOS a few years from now is completely up to HP.
HP confirms it's in talks about licensing webOS, Samsung tipped as a possibility
HP CEO Leo Apotheker has already indicated that he's totally open to licensing webOS to other companies, and he's now confirmed that HP has, in fact, been in talks with a "number of companies" about that possibility. Not surprisingly, he didn't get much more specific than that, and went some way to dampen expectations a bit, saying that "there is no time pressure to do this." According to Bloomberg, however, "three people with knowledge of the discussions" say that Samsung is one of the companies HP has had talks with, and one said that the company is specifically interested in possibly using webOS for its Galaxy Tab tablets. HP's Jon Rubinstein also dished a bit more on the subject to This is my next, noting that "if someone wants to really invest, and potentially help develop webOS, we're interested in talking to them," although he went on to indicate that HP isn't interested in playing second (or third) fiddle with a company primarily focused on Android or Windows Phone -- it'd seemingly have to be webOS first, but not necessarily webOS exclusively.
The Engadget Show - 019: HP's Jon Rubinstein, Palm TouchPad demo, Nintendo 3DS, Samsung 9 Series
Get ready humans, because we have an all new episode of The Engadget Show that you absolutely don't want to miss. First, Josh sits down with HP's Jon Rubinstein for a long chat about the future of webOS, the latest Palm devices, and an exclusive demo of the TouchPad. Then, Josh and Joanna welcome Paul Miller and Nilay Patel to the roundtable for a raucous breakdown of the latest gadget news including demos of Samsung's new 9 Series laptop and the Nintendo 3DS. Rounding things out is some incredible music from Minusbaby with visuals from The C-Men. It's everything you love and more! What are you waiting for? Hit up the video stream after the break or download the full show in HD below! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Joanna Stern Special guests: Jon Rubinstein, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Chad Mumm Music by: Minusbaby Visuals by: The C-Men Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Animation by: Nick Criscuolo Taped live at The Times Center Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 019 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 019 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 019 (Small) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (MP4). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (MP4). [RSS MP4] Add the Engadget Show feed (MP4) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. [HD RSS] Get the Engadget Show delivered automatically in HD. [iPad RSS] Get the Engadget Show in iPad-friendly adaptive format.
The Engadget Show Live! with Jon Rubinstein
Humans, keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 7:00PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live with HP's Jon Rubinstein, joining us for a evening of frank, eye-opening and all-around awesome conversation. There'll be mind-blowing devices, crazy giveaways, and much, much more! We've even got music from Minusbaby. The stream is available after the break, just click the "read more" button to watch!
The Engadget Show with HP's Jon Rubinstein tonight!
Attention humans, just a friendly reminder that the Engadget Show is taping tonight at 7:00pm with HP's Jon Rubinstein at The Times Center in New York City! Joshua Topolsky will be sitting down the former Palm CEO (current HP Senior VP) to get the inside scoop on everything from the TouchPad, new Pre 3, Veer, the state of WebOS, and much more! What's more, our very own Joanna Stern will be demoing the Samsung 9 Series laptop, we'll have the Nintendo 3DS on stage for a live demo, and special guests Nilay Patel and Paul Miller will be joining the roundtable! We'll also have the usual slew of insane giveaways (someone will be walking away with a brand new HP Envy 14 notebook) and rocking chiptunes music from Minusbaby with visuals from The C-Men, as well as some more surprises! Remember, giveaways happen at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person! We'll also be streaming the show right here on Engadget, so stay tuned! The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). If you want to join us tonight, tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:00PM on Friday, March 25th, doors will open for seating at 6:15PM, and the show begins at 7:00PM We now have assigned seating, so the first people to get their tickets -- and the Sprint text-to-win winners (you'll know you've won by a text message) -- will get priority seating. This also means that once you get a ticket, your seat is guaranteed -- you won't have to get back in line to get a good seat. Ticketing will continue until all tickets are given away You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
The Engadget Show with HP's Jon Rubinstein, this Friday!
Attention humans, just a friendly reminder that the Engadget Show is back this Friday, March 25th at 7:00pm with HP's Jon Rubinstein at The Times Center in New York City! Joshua Topolsky will be sitting down the former Palm CEO (current HP Senior VP) to get the inside scoop on everything from the TouchPad, new Pre 3, Veer, the state of WebOS, and much more! Trust us when we say that you won't want to miss it. What's more, our very own Joanna Stern will be demoing the Samsung 9 Series laptop, we'll have the Nintendo 3DS on stage for a live demo, and special guests Nilay Patel and Paul Miller will be joining the roundtable! We'll also have the usual slew of insane giveaways (someone will be walking away with a brand new HP Envy 14 notebook) and rocking chiptunes music from Minusbaby with visuals from The C-Men, as well as some more surprises! Remember, giveaways happen at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. Be sure to check out the ticketing policy below. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream right here on Engadget. The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's the updated info on our new ticketing policy that you need to know: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:00PM on Friday, March 25th, doors will open for seating at 6:15PM, and the show begins at 7:00PM We now have assigned seating, so the first people to get their tickets -- and the Sprint text-to-win winners (you'll know you've won by a text message) -- will get priority seating. This also means that once you get a ticket, your seat is guaranteed -- you won't have to get back in line to get a good seat. Ticketing will continue until all tickets are given away You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
The Engadget Show with HP's Jon Rubinstein, next Friday March 25th!
Attention humans, the Engadget Show is back next Friday, March 25th at 7:00pm with HP's Jon Rubinstein at The Times Center in New York City, and you can win a free trip for two to the taping! Josh will be sitting down the former Palm CEO (current HP Senior VP) to get the inside scoop on everything from the TouchPad, new Pre 3, Veer, the state of WebOS, and much more! Trust us when we say that you won't want to miss it. What's more, our very own Joanna Stern will be demoing the Samsung 9 Series laptop, we'll have the Nintendo 3DS on stage for a live demo, and special guests Nilay Patel and Paul Miller will be joining the roundtable! We'll also have the usual slew of insane giveaways and rocking chiptunes music, as well as some more surprises! Remember, giveaways happen at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. We have a new ticketing policy, so if you're coming to the live show, be sure to read about it below. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream right here on Engadget and/or read below to find out how to win and free trip to NYC for the taping! The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's the updated info on our new ticketing policy that you need to know: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:00PM on Friday, March 25th, doors will open for seating at 6:15PM, and the show begins at 7:00PM We now have assigned seating, so the first people to get their tickets -- and the Sprint text-to-win winners (see below) -- will get priority seating. This also means that once you get a ticket, your seat is guaranteed -- you won't have to get back in line to get a good seat. Ticketing will continue until all tickets are given away You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Sprint is also offering 50 guaranteed tickets to The Engadget Show taping to the first 50 entrants who text "ENGADGET" to 467467 or enter online! Standard text messaging rates apply. Click for the Official Rules and see how to enter online. If you live outside of the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT), you can enter online for a chance to win a trip for two to New York City to attend The Engadget Show. Standard text messaging rates apply. Click here to enter. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Engadget Podcast 232 - 02.13.2011
Who's ready for the special Grammys edition of the Engadget Podcast? When we said "Grammys," we meant "consumer electronics," and when we said "special," we meant "just like every other week, but still pretty special."Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerGuest: Chris Ziegler Producer: Trent WolbeMusic: March of the Pigs00:02:45 - Nokia CEO Stephen Elop rallies troops in brutally honest 'burning platform' memo? (update: it's real!)00:05:15 - Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and more00:09:13 - RIP: Symbian00:11:15 - Nokia: Symbian and MeeGo not dead yet, still shipping this year (updated)00:18:41 - Nokia tells investors that 2011 and 2012 will be 'transition years'00:32:50 - Exclusive: Nokia's Windows Phone 7 concept revealed!00:39:34 - Live from HP / Palm's 'Think Beyond' webOS event!00:41:15 - RIP, Palm: 1992 - 201100:42:07 - The Engadget Interview: Jon Rubinstein and Steven McArthur talk webOS on PCs, 'Music Synergy,' competition, and more00:43:20 - HP's 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer00:45:07 - HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!)00:48:00 - webOS Enyo framework free to developers today, brings pixel density agnostic apps to phones, tablets and PC (video)00:48:22 - HP Pre 3: 1.4GHz Qualcomm CPU, 3.6-inch WVGA, coming this summer (video)00:49:00 - HP Pre 3 first hands-on! (updated with video)00:49:27 - HP Veer: smallest smartphone in the webOS stable, 2.6-inch display, coming this spring00:50:45 - HP Veer, first hands-on! (updated with video!)00:52:40 - HP's Touch to Share eyes-on, starring the TouchPad and HP Pre 3 (video)01:11:52 - Palm Pre 2 vs. HP Pre 3: what's changed?01:18:40 - Looking for our Motorola Atrix 4G review?01:21:05 - We're live at Mobile World Congress 2011!Hear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @engadget @reckless @zpower
The Engadget Interview: Jon Rubinstein and Steven McArthur talk webOS on PCs, 'Music Synergy,' competition, and more
We had a chance to sit down with HP's Jon Rubinstein and SVP of applications and services Steven McArthur just after the company's device-filled event yesterday, and the conversation was rather revealing. Besides being extremely upfront about some tough issues (timing, legacy support), both execs were more than willing to tackle questions about HP's current deficiencies in the consumer electronics space. We've put together a rough transcript of the chat below, and it touches on a lot of issues currently facing HP and its user base -- namely, developer support, future versions of webOS, where the company is headed with devices, and what the overarching strategy will be in the coming weeks and months. We highly suggest you take a look... after the break.
Original Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi and Pixi Plus won't get updated to webOS 2.0
We had a chance to sit down with Jon Rubinstein after HP's webOS event today, and he confirmed some unfortunate news for us: older Palm devices like the original Pre, the Pre Plus, the Pixi, and the Pixi Plus won't receive that previously promised update to webOS 2.0. Jon was pretty candid with us, saying that Palm had "missed a product cycle" in the midst of its financial troubles and subsequent acquisition by HP last year, and that the older products simply don't have the horsepower to properly run webOS 2.0 and beyond. That said, it's clear that he wants to do right by customers -- he told us that HP would do "something special" for owners of older hardware when the Pre 3, the Veer, and the TouchPad hit the market. We'll see what that entails -- and whether or not anyone actually sticks it out on webOS 1.4.5 until the new gear ships sometime this summer. P.S.- We have lots more from our talk with Jon coming up -- including some actually good news -- so keep an eye on this space.
