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HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!)
By now, you know how HP's new slate compares to the crowd -- now, see how it looks up close and personal. We just got our hands on that dual-core Palm webOS tablet here in San Francisco, and it's a beaut, with a slim black profile that highlights the brilliant 9.7-inch screen. We'll be back in a jiffy with some impressions of that newfangled Tap to Share and card-based multitasking, but for now, simply feast your eyes on our gallery below. Update: Video time! Check it after the break. %Gallery-116122%
WebOS-based Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad leaked on HP's site, likely on sale today
Now that HP's full slate of webOS reveals has been made, it looks as if the web admins are testing the waters. On HP's Home & Home Office shopping page, there's a drop-down under "Deals & Offers" that quite clearly reveals the outfit's planned triumvirate: the HP Veer (a name HP filed a trademark for back in December), Pre 3 and TouchPad. Those are slated to bring webOS in "S, M and L" flavors, though it's unclear whether the Veer or Pre 3 will be the smallest. HP has managed to yank the teaser from its US portal, though it still looks live internationally. There's no guarantee that any of this will ship momentarily but seriously, why list something like this if all three weren't going to be on sale by sundown? Here's hoping!
Palm TouchPad leaked: 1.5 pounds, 13mm thick, and just moments from official
According to PreCentral, Palm's forthcoming tablet -- which we suspect will be officially revealed in just a few hours -- will be dubbed TouchPad. They were able to sneak in and hear a few details during the event preparation session, enabling them to confirm that it'll weigh 1.5 pounds and measure 13mm thick (just as we'd heard). If those figures sound familiar, it's because a fledgling startup in Cupertino just so happens to have a slate that aligns exactly to those very specifications. Keep it locked right here for our impending liveblog -- we'll be bringing you the blow by blow as it goes down today in San Francisco. Update: Robert Scoble seems to have let loose a bit of information as well, confirming that a 10-inch slate is indeed on the docket, as well as "the smallest little phone" he has ever seen. And before you think that's a positive attribute, he also mentions it being too small to be taken seriously, and definitely not as "a competitor for the iPhone or Android." Ouch. Guess we'll have to see for ourselves as the day develops. Update 2: Oh, boy! The HP Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad just leaked on HP's official site. We're cautiously optimistic that all these will be on sale later today.
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.
Three HP Slate-like webOS tablets coming at CES? We're not so sure.
Well, this is certainly an interesting, if not bewildering rumor. Obviously, we've heard that HP is working on webOS tablets for 2011 -- it's planning to double down on Palm OS, remember? -- but our friend Clayton Morris at Fox News has heard that some of these PalmPads could be coming as early as CES in just two weeks. So, what's said to be coming? Apparently, HP will introduce three tablets based on webOS 2.5.1, but the very puzzling part is that they will be "spin-offs" of the HP Slate, and as you can see in the image above, are said to look almost identical to the current Slate. Yeah, it even seems like that Ctrl + Alt + Delete button and slide-out certification tab are still present, though we're told there's also a Pre-like "multi-switch." We're highly skeptical of that image being a true render of the hardware since it's exactly the same as older HP Slate service manual line drawings (check one out below), but according to the report, the trio of PalmPads will be thinner than the iPad with rounded edges, pack Sprint 4G connectivity, weigh 1.25-pounds, have both mini-HDMI and USB 3.0 ports, and at least one will have a 9.7-inch display. Also, just like the HP Slate, there'll be two cameras -- a front-facing 1.3 megapixel lens and a 3 megapixel rear-facing unit. Lastly, there's said to be a straggling fourth tablet aimed at university students, though it apparently won't be on hand at CES. We're obviously very intrigued by the specs -- USB 3.0, really?! -- and the fact that HP may not change the look and feel of the Slate all that much, but we'd be very very surprised if this were all to happen at CES. Firstly, we've heard a number of times that HP wasn't planning to release a tablet until later in 2011, and to wait this long to simply slap webOS into the HP Slate's shell seems almost foolish. What's more, repurposing the Slate means HP either ported webOS to Intel and threw battery life out the window, or completely swapped out the Slate's Intel-based internals for an ARM chipset without changing the exterior design at all. Needless to say, both options seem like completely inefficient and muddled ways to get a tablet onto the market. On top of all that we feel obligated to point out that we've yet to receive an invitation to any sort of HP / Palm event at CES -- in past years, we've received invitations to both Palm and HP events long before the middle of December -- and we've been reliably informed that HP's floor presence at the show is smaller than in recent years. That just doesn't seem like you'd blow out a huge four-device tablet launch, does it? Rest assured that we'll clear our schedules for an HP / Palm event in a second, but something about an early January reveal just isn't adding up right now. Nilay Patel contributed to this post.
Palm webOS 'Enyo' framework paves the way for tablets and larger phones (video)
Don't expect HP's webOS 2.0 to be tied to an HVGA screen for long -- come "early 2011," the company will introduce a number of "really interesting new form factors," including tablets and phones. That was the message driven home at Palm's Developer Day this year, according to PreCentral's Dieter Bohn, and the software that's going to make that shift possible is a little something called Enyo. Picking up where Ares left off, Enyo is a Javascript app framework with native hardware acceleration and faster app load times (they're allegedly down to one second now), but the part we think you'll be most interested in is the promise of apps that natively scale to multiple aspect ratios. HP's Scott Miles demoed it earlier this week by playing around with a tiny, single-pane portrait email application in the desktop version of Chrome... and then maximized the browser window to reveal a fully-functioning three-pane landscape layout suited for a large tablet screen. Representatives stressed that the email app was a proof of concept, but Enyo's here to stay, replacing the earlier Mojo starting in 2011 and slated to be available in early 2011 via developer SDK. Get introduced to Enyo in a video after the break, and skip ahead to that email demo at 15:55 if you're running late for your rockstar developer meetup.
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.
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 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]
HP tells employees webOS tablet coming Q1 2011
We've been trying to find out when HP would launch a webOS tablet since the company first bought Palm, and we're now hearing from several trusted sources that it'll be calendar Q1 2011. We're told Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley mentioned the date during an all-hands employee meeting yesterday, and that the project is indeed known internally as "Hurricane." (We're assuming this is what that PalmPad trademark filing was for, but we can't confirm that.) Shipping a killer tablet would be one way to change the subject from ex-CEO Mark Hurd's recent troubles, we suppose -- but we're definitely wondering if HP is actually going to support three different tablet operating systems after it launches the Windows 7-based Slate for the enterprise and the Android-based Zeen e-reader tablet for consumers as well. We'll see -- Q1 could be mighty interesting.
Engadget Podcast 206 - 07.24.2010
This is an incredibly well-rounded and insightful double podcast. It is so well-rounded and insightful that it looks like it might turn into a triple podcast and is, quite frankly, the best podcast the Engadget Podcasters have ever seen. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Double Rainbow 00:02:33 - Panasonic's new Lumix lineup: LX5, FZ40, FZ100, FX700, and TS10 all official00:06:52 - Canon developing smaller DSLRs to compete with mirrorless cameras?00:07:00 - Nikon planning "new concept" mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes00:21:12 - New Xbox 360 4GB ships August 3rd for $199, Kinect standalone priced at $149, bundle coming this holiday for $29900:30:48 - webOS 2.0 coming 'later this year,' says HP's Rubinstein00:30:58 - HP Slate no longer a consumer product, will arrive for enterprise this fall00:31:24 - HP files for 'PalmPad' trademark -- a webOS tablet, perhaps?00:31:35 - HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 surfaces on HP's site00:31:54 - HP confirms that Slate is still kicking, 'next steps' being determined00:41:52 - HP CEO: Palm could end up a 'sub-brand' of the company00:46:41 - Samsung Galaxy S review shootout: Captivate for AT&T and Vibrant for T-Mobile00:48:14 - Dell Streak review redux: thoughts from the New World00:48:41 - Nexus One is sold out in Google's store -- forever00:56:32 - Motorola mini Droid slider caught by Mr. Blurrycam00:59:07 - Droid 2 being prepared for launch, set to arrive August 23rd?01:00:29 - Apple posts record $3.25b profit in first full quarter of iPad sales, says more 'amazing products' coming this year01:00:48 - Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now01:01:26 - Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won't ship until 'later this year'01:03:08 - Apple starts refunding Bumper purchases automagically01:07:45 - AT&T announces 26 percent earnings growth for Q2, $4b profit01:16:28 - Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones01:18:00 - Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue01:18:30 - Steve Ballmer feeling pressure at Microsoft for stagnating share price?01:18:48 - Kin listed as at least $240 million writeoff in Microsoft earnings report01:21:44 - Microsoft to employees: 'everybody gets a Windows Phone 7!'01:21:50 - Microsoft wants employees to code Windows Phone 7 apps 'in their spare time'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 @reckless @engadget
HP files for 'PalmPad' trademark -- a webOS tablet, perhaps?
HP's been extremely direct in saying that it plans to release webOS tablets and other devices in the future, and now that the Palm acquisition is complete, it looks like those plans are starting to move forward -- the company just filed a trademark application for "PalmPad," which certainly sounds like a webOS tablet to us. We don't know much apart from that, but it's certainly an encouraging sign -- and we can't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for a name that harkens back to the glory days of the PalmPilot. Now we're just wondering when (this fall?), how much, and -- as usual -- what this means for the HP Slate. We'll keep our eyes open.
