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HP's webOS keyboard hands-on
HP confirmed that slick webOS keyboard we saw leaked a while back during its event today, and we got a quick chance to check it out. It's really, really thin -- and the battery compartment is tucked under the curve, so from most angles it looks like it's not even there. Apart from that, it's just a really nice keyboard, albeit one with a webOS function key next to the space bar. No price or availability yet, unfortunately, but we'll keep digging. %Gallery-116163%
Reminder: HP / Palm's webOS 'Think Beyond' event is tomorrow (update: the countdown is on!)
To say we're expecting big things from HP and Palm at tomorrow's webOS "Think Beyond" event would be a huge understatement: not only has the company strongly hinted at a family of new mobile products, it's even playfully called us out for leaking the Topaz tablet as seen in the invite above, and released a very intriguing teaser video. Update: Palm's website has been taken over by a countdown and the teaser video, and "Think Ahead" has been added as a tagline -- perhaps hinting at a tease of future products? We'll find out soon enough. Of course, we'll be there live to cover it all when the event starts at 10:00AM PST -- and you'll find our liveblog at this link at the following local times: 07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 11:30PM - Mumbai 03:00AM - Tokyo (February 10th) 05:00AM - Sydney (February 10th) See you then!
Palm 'Think Beyond' teaser shows off glimpses of... something (updated with longer video)
HP and Palm aren't being shy about hyping up next week's big webOS event, and they're following up on that nod to our leak and CEO Leo Apotheker's comments with this "Think Beyond" teaser video. As is undoubtedly intended, we can't make much of the product from these brief glimpses of tapered curves, elegant switchgear, and what appears to be a charging connector -- but we'd like to think it's a tablet, because we are fundamentally very hopeful people. In any case, we'll see what Palm has in store for us next week -- and whether it can live up to all this buildup. Update: We were just sent a longer version of the video, which we've swapped in above -- it shows a rear-facing camera and what's either a microphone or speaker grille. And is it just us, or is this thing looking pretty chubtastic or what? Original Palm video after the break. [Thanks, Raphael]
HP CEO: New webOS products shipping weeks after February 9 reveal, another big announcement March 14
It's been a few months since Leo Apotheker took the top spot at HP following the Mark Hurd debacle, and it sounds like he's got some big plans for the company -- speaking to the BBC, he says he hopes "one day people will say 'this is as cool as HP,' not 'this is as cool as Apple.'" How does he plan on doing that? By speeding up ship times, for starters -- unlike the year-long wait for the HP Slate, Apotheker says that "when HP makes announcements, it will be getting ready to ship," and that the new webOS products announced on February 9 will ship just a "few weeks" later. Speaking of the February 9 event, Apotheker said the new product line of tablets and mobile phones will have a new name that falls under the HP brand, which sounds like the Palm name is done for. (If we had to guess, it'll be HP webOS, but that's just a guess.) On top of all that, the BBC calls February 9 just the "starting gun," because Apotheker's "secret answer" and "vision of what HP is capable of in the future" will come on March 14, where he'll try to pull together HP's vast product portfolio into a cohesive narrative. According to Apotheker, HP's size is its "basis of strength," and no other company sells everything from servers to phones the way HP does. Sounds extremely exciting -- and if Apotheker can pull it off, there's a chance we'll remember Mark Hurd's dalliance as the best thing that ever happened to HP. [Thanks, soydeedo]
HP files for 'HP Touchpad' trademark -- a possible name for the webOS tablet?
We can't conclusively link this to the upcoming Palm tablets, but HP just filed for a trademark on "HP Touchpad" across a wide variety of products and services ranging from memory cards to -- dun dun dun -- "tablet computers." We're liking it as a tablet name, though -- we've been getting the sense that the Palm name is on the way out, and "HP Touchpad" jibes nicely with the conspicuous lack of Palm branding on the invite for HP's February 9th webOS event. What's more, HP's already invested heavily in branding its laptop trackpads with the ClickPad name, so this seems like something else entirely. We've definitely come across headfake trademark registrations in the past, so we'll see what's going on here -- and whether this slow trickle of leaks ever turns into a flood.
HP Envy 14 aficionados rejoice! Radiance displays are back for a limited time
What once was lost, now is found...for a little while, at least. HP has finally decided to undo its previous mistake, and make the 1600x900 Radiance Infinity LED display a $200 upgrade on its Envy 14 laptops for a limited time. Alas, Dr. Dre fans are not afforded the same luxury, as the Beats Edition only comes with the standard 1366x768 BrightView screen, but we're just glad to see that beautiful, bright Radiance panel is on one Envy, even if only temporarily. [Thanks, Maciej]
HP revs up Pavilion dm1 with AMD Fusion, the notbook wars have begun
We're about to see an onslaught of AMD Fusion-powered 11.6-inch laptops, and HP's newly revised Pavilion dm1 is among the first to be announced, along with the Lenovo X120e. The case has been substantially hotted-up from last year's dm1, and inside you're looking at a dual-core 1.6GHz Vision E-350 APU, which includes Radeon HD 6310M graphics that power an LED-backlit 1366 x 768 BrightView display. 3GB of memory comes standard with a max of 8GB, and there's a 320GB drive and an SD card reader as well as 3 USB ports, HDMI and VGA out, and an Ethernet port. Best of all, it weighs in at 3.52 pounds with a six-cell 55WHr battery that's promised to run for "up to 9 hours and 30 minutes." That's a lofty claim, and one we look forward to testing in the days ahead -- along with just how much real-world performance that E-350 APU really provides for the dm1's $449 MSRP. We'll let you know -- for now, check out some hands-on shots below. %Gallery-112417% %Gallery-112415%
Hewlett Packard files trademarks for Gyst, Myte, and Veer: new Palm models?
Palm has never shied away from odd, short names for its devices -- take the Zire, for instance -- so when you hear that Palm's new owner has filed for trademarks on "Gyst," "Myte," and "Veer" in the category that covers smartphones, it doesn't take a very big leap of logic to believe that they're intended for future Palm models. HP's filings were all made on the 10th of this month, so they're very fresh; of course, companies of all types regularly file trademarks that they don't use either to throw off the Engadgets of the world or just in case they end up needing it down the road, so we wouldn't take these to mean there'll definitely be Veers on your carrier's shelf in 2011. Our vote? We think Myte's a great name for a tiny phone and we've heard rumors that they'll be releasing a small model -- possibly a Pixi successor -- in the next few months, so that lines up rather nicely.
HP Slate 500 sees 'extraordinary demand,' experiences six-week shipping delay (update)
Yes, the HP Slate 500 is officially backordered, less than a month after its enterprising debut, and Hewlett-Packard claims it's because of "extraordinary demand," a phrase that's presently not quantifiable. The long and short of it, though, is that you're not getting one by Yuletide if you purchase the pricey portable today, as you'll have to wait six weeks until they're ready to ship out. Still, if your budding business bought in on day one, there's still a chance it might arrive in time -- ours is due to our door in early December, if that gives you any idea. We've pinged HP for comment, and hope to hear back soon. We'll be sure to let you know just how "extraordinary" those sales numbers might be. Update: We've yet to hear back from HP proper, but a trusted tipster with a contact inside HP spun us a very interesting tale -- HP reportedly only ever planned a limited production run of 5,000 units, and received orders for 9,000 instead. When demand outstripped supply, HP apparently had to re-hire production workers just to get the presses printing out tablets again, and are presently placating angry customers by offering them over $100 off their $800 purchase as apology. [Thanks, Dan]
Palm Pre 2 swims across the English Channel in three days, launches November 12th in the UK
French citizens have been enjoying webOS 2.0 with their morning baguette for over two weeks, but it's one step closer to home today -- Pocket-lint reports that the Palm Pre 2 will launch in the United Kingdom this Friday. What's more, the 1GHz handset won't be chained to a British carrier, but rather released into the wild completely SIM-free, which probably means future Just Typists will need to buy it direct from HP. As for the promised pre-orders for US students, we're sorry to say they've failed to materialize; the Facebook page that once clearly stated "preorders begin 11/8" now simply reads "Palm Pre 2 coming soon." Soon enough for you?
HP responds to Jobs about touchscreen PCs
Steve Jobs has never been averse to exaggeration or verbal misdirection when discussing features publicly. However, Hewlett-Packard's Ken Bosley has taken issue with Jobs' recent comments on touchscreen PCs. During the recent Back to the Mac press event, Steve had this to say: "...Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical. It gives great demo but after a short period of time, you start to fatigue and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off. It doesn't work; it's ergonomically terrible." Bosley responded in an interview with DVICE. He admits that a touch interface probably wouldn't be optimal if it were the only input mechanism for a vertical screen. However, he emphasizes that each of the TouchSmart machines offers users multiple inputs, including keyboard, mouse, and touch. Users are free to use whichever they like. Bosley also notes that the orientation of the screens on its machines can be adjusted for use with touch. For example, its touch-enabled laptops are convertibles with screens that flip around and lay flat, essentially turning it into a tablet. Similarly, the desktop screens can be made more horizontal. Despite this, HP's TouchSmarts are generally not considered to be huge sellers, especially the laptops. Bosley's arguments do lend credence to the idea of a touch-enabled iMac with an adjustable screen (like the one seen in a recent Apple patent). Such an arrangement would provide the horizontal surface that lends itself to touch. Would you want such a convertible desktop machine? Have your say in the comments.
HP Photosmart eStation C510 printer / Android tablet now on sale
An HP Slate it isn't, but if you plop down $399.99 for the eStation C510, you'll also bring home a detachable 7-inch Android 2.1 tablet that's designed to act as a "wireless digital companion and control panel for remote printing." We'll point you to the source link if you're actually interested in the printer specs, and you can head right over here for a hands-on preview of the (admittedly lackluster) tablet. But do us a favor -- don't buy this thing for the slate alone, okay? Okay.
HP's Todd Bradley slips 'PalmPad' tablet name during analyst call
Well well, Mr. Bradley -- hast thou said too much? During an analyst call today the outspoken head of HP's Personal System Group confirmed that it's sent more than 200 employees to work at Palm.... and then casually mentioned that HP will have "a webOS-powered PalmPad that will be set for release early in 2011." If you'll recall, HP filed for a trademark on PalmPad back in July, and it's been talking about tablets since it bought Palm in May, so we're thinking ol' Todd just let one slip. Now let's just hope all this "early 2011" talk means really early... like, say, CES.
HP announces TouchSmart 310 and Omni100 all-in-one PCs
It's not just oddly random Android tablet-based printers for HP today -- the company also announced two new all-in-one PCs, the TouchSmart 310 (pictured above) and the Omni100. The TouchSmart 310 is obviously the latest in the TouchSmart line, with a 2.8GHz Athlon II 240e dual-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, Radeon HD 4270 integrated graphics, a 1TB drive and a 20-inch 1600x1900 touchscreen running the latest version of HP's Windows 7 touch overlay with custom interfaces for Facebook, Hulu, Netflix, Twitter, and HP's built-in HDTV tuner. Not bad -- but we'll see how much all those options cost above the $699 base price. On the non-touch front, the Omni100 also has a 20-inch 1600x1900 display, but it's running HP's MediaSmart Windows 7 overlay on a 1.8GHz Athlon II 260u with 3GB of RAM, a 500GB drive and the same Radeon HD 4270 integrated graphics. It's also cheaper, starting at $499 -- we're definitely a little concerned that HP's cheaped out on display quality at those prices, but we'll have to see things in person first. We'll find out soon enough -- both of these hit on the 22nd. %Gallery-102785%
HP says webOS tablets to be 'similar to the iPad'
HP's been saying it'll use webOS on a tablet since the first moment it bought Palm, but it looks like things are starting to pick up ahead of that "early 2011" due date -- in an email to the Palm Developer Community, HP's Peter Helm says webOS will be used on "tablet-style devices similar to the iPad." Check it: Now that we are officially part of HP, we are going full speed ahead with our applications initiative. Our proprietary operating system, webOS, is now the OS that will be used in HP's mobile devices. This includes mobile handsets as well as tablet-style devices similar to the iPad. We will accordingly leverage Palm's ability to innovate and the scale of HP's vast install base and distribution network previously unavailable to us. Yeah, that's pretty much the Rorschach test of seemingly-innocuous quotes; you can read it as anything from a meaningless passing reference to the market leader to an overt hint that we'll be looking at an ARM-based device with a 9-inch display and a lengthy battery life. The possibilities are endless -- let's just hope whatever Palm and HP are actually working on delivers on the enormous promise of the platform. [Thanks, Pierre-Marc]
HP's Photosmart eStation Android tablet hands-on (update: video!)
So here it is, after months of details coming to light an inkdrop at a time, the HP eStation all-in-one printing solution. But we're not gonna dwell but on half of that: the 7-inch tablet skinned out by Yahoo and powered by Android 2.1. As we expected, though, the Google experience is decidedly less that you're accustomed to: search is Yahoo only, and our attempt to find an alternate method was met with a barebones settings menu (search via the browser page still works). Additionally, there is no access to Android Market, relegating your customization instead to HP's print-heavy app store -- sorry, no games, as that's not what the company wants to focus on here, according to the rep. That also means no native Gmail, much to our dismay. What Yahoo has provided is a suite of apps and widgets that actually work well in their simplicity, from weather to stocks and search. We were reminded at numerous points that this is a prototype build, and for good reason -- the responsiveness was questionably slow, especially in the browser. That said, the Nook store and e-reading app was as fluid as you'd ever need. WiFi is equipped on both the tablet and the printer for cloud-based connectivity on the go. Battery life is measured at four to six hours, and Android 2.2 is expected by holiday still sans Market, but beyond Flash (and at this point we question its performance on this hardware), there's probably not a lot of value-add in the update. Expect this AIO to be shipping the in the next few weeks. %Gallery-102780%
HP confirms webOS tablet for 'early 2011'
We'd heard HP's Todd Bradley had confidentially told employees that a webOS tablet would arrive in Q1 2011, but now the man's gone on the record in the company's Q3 2010 earnings call. "You'll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011," he told investors and analysts in response to a direct question about tablets this afternoon, adding that potential slates were part of the reason HP bought Palm in the first place. Now, we're not financial experts, but we've heard it's typically a good idea not to promise things to your shareholders if you don't intend to deliver. In other words, there's a good bet the PalmPad is actually not an imaginary friend our subconscious created after Mark Hurd's hateful words in June. [Thanks, Robert]
Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $40m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports
Worried that former HP CEO Mark Hurd might not know what to do with himself after getting caught falsifying expense reports to hide girl #2 and being forced to resign? Don't be: ol' Mark's getting a $12,224,693 severance payment in exchange for agreeing not to sue HP. Yep, Mark Hurd just got $12 million in cash for fraudulently filing expense reports to conceal his mistress -- not a bad trick if you can pull it off, we suppose. (We don't know how much he'll have to pay back, but we're guessing he'll have a little cash left over.) Oh, and he's also having his option to buy 775,000 shares of HP stock extended to September, which is pretty groovy considering HP actually upped its quarterly forecast today, some other assorted stock-related compensation, and 18 months of health and dental benefits. Whoever said a little white collar crime doesn't pay? Update: CNBC has sources claiming the total value of Hurd's severance including stocks is closer to $40-50 million, give or take. That's... well, that's a lot of ink cartridges.
HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns over sexual harassment investigation (updated with liveblog!)
Wild news out of HP just now -- CEO Mark Hurd has just resigned over a sexual harassment investigation. Hurd and HP's board of directors decided that he should resign following a sexual harassment claim against Hurd and HP by a former marketing contractor -- HP claims that although there was no violation of its sexual harassment policy, Hurd violated the company's standards of business conduct by submitting inaccurate expense reports that covered his relationship with the contractor. CFO Cathie Lesjak is taking over on an interim basis, and she's actually upping the company's forecasts for next quarter, saying Mark's resignation has nothing to do with HP's performance and everything to do with his behavior. A committee led by former Netscape CEO Marc Andreessen has been formed to find a new CEO; Lesjak has asked to be excluded, and HP declined to answer if Jon Rubinstein was being considered when we asked. Update: We liveblogged the media call -- check it after the break! Update 2: A quick note from the investor call, which mostly repeated the same info -- interim CEO Cathie Lesjak said that although Mark Hurd was a "strong leader, at the end of the day, he didn't drive our initiatives -- it was the organization that supported Mark in driving those initiatives." Ouch -- given Mark's recent history of saying things like "we didn't buy Palm to get into the smartphone business," it certainly seems like he might have been a little distracted. Update 3: We've just received the full text of the letter interim HP CFO Cathie Lesjak sent to all employees -- check it after the break.
HP's 11.6-inch Pavilion dm1 goes on sale
HP's Pavilion dm1 has done an awfully great job of living in the shadows, but it's just about time this 11.6-inch ultranote finally peek its head out to do battle with Gateway's LT32 and the host of others slotted between netbook and ultraportable. At long last, the style-centered dm1z is up for sale, touting space for 5GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive (or a 128GB SSD), a 92 percent full-size keyboard, optional external DVD burner, a 6-cell battery good for up to 5.25 hours of usage, VGA webcam, three USB sockets, a 5-in-1 card reader and a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional. On the CPU front, it's AMD's Athlon II Neo running the show, with a variety of choices ranging from 1.3GHz (K325) to 1.7GHz (K125); there's also an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 GPU, 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, 802.11n WiFi, optional WWAN and a total weight of just 3.24 pounds. The whole shebang gets going at just $449.99, but don't be shocked at how easy it is to push this cutie beyond six or seven Benjamins.
