WebOS headed to HP printers, tablets

In April, giant computer manufacturer HP agreed to purchase the struggling smartphone maker Palm for $1.2 billion in cash, including assuming Palm's debt.

Along with the purchase, HP was given full rights to Palm's patents and their WebOS operating system, which many argue is the best smartphone operating system available.

This week, following a strong quarterly earnings report, HP CEO Mark Hurd said the company plans to use WebOS in a variety of products, including tablets and Web-enabled printers.

In response to the deal, Hurd also added (via EW): "[The proposed deal] isn't precisely a smartphone play, as I've seen some people write. It is, for us, strategically broader. We expect to leverage WebOS into a variety of form factors, including �slates� and Web-connected printers."

"Slates" relates to the former working name for their highly-anticipated tablet, which was recently scrapped.

The first WebOS HP product is expected to be the "Hurricane" tablet, which should be somewhat like the "Slate" would have been, except running a streamlined WebOS variant.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 May 2010 0:14

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7 comments

KillerBug

As if what they put on their printers now isn't bad enough?

20.5.2010 00:17 #1

DXR88

Originally posted by KillerBug: As if what they put on their printers now isn't bad enough? i can see a WebOS printer, printing all the pages at night while the house sleeps... it will print [color=blue]LOL[/color]HAX[color=yellow]ORS[/color]

20.5.2010 00:50 #2

KillerBug

Yeah, but it will still go into "maintanance" every 5 pages, even when you have 20 pages lined up. And it will still reset it's own display in the middle of typing a fax number, and the drivers will still be 200MB...oh, and it will still stop printing black and white if it thinks one of the color carts is half-empty.

20.5.2010 02:54 #3

Mordhom

Since they got these cool ideas for printers I wonder if they will eventually stop ripping us off with ink prices? Or will that practice continue still so we can basicly throw out the printer when it run out of ink.. since ink for some reason cost 2/3's of a new printers price lol!

Anyways HP in the Cel Market hmmp.. I'm going to guess it might not be a smart idea to run out and buy their stock strictly based on this move lol!

From the land of Maryland, where everyone always has a reason or season to be drunk! Its the Milk and Honey in our State! ;)

20.5.2010 11:15 #4

KillerBug

To be fair, the best product they ever made was a mobile device called the iPaq...it was nothing special, and it cost too much...but it was still the best thing HP ever did, other than merging with Palm and Compaq...HP is slowly eating up all the worst brands so that it is easier to avoid them...I wonder if they could afford to buy nintendo.

WTF...that started as a defense of HP!

21.5.2010 00:24 #5

shaffaaf

as much as i am glad HP will put effort behind webos, on printers i just dont see it. why the hell does the argubally top mobile os end up on a printer. gimmie the hurricane asap though. and knowing HP, they will charge you to not just refill ink, but number of cards you can use aswell.

21.5.2010 10:38 #6

Mr-Movies

Originally posted by KillerBug: Yeah, but it will still go into "maintanance" every 5 pages, even when you have 20 pages lined up. And it will still reset it's own display in the middle of typing a fax number, and the drivers will still be 200MB...oh, and it will still stop printing black and white if it thinks one of the color carts is half-empty. Absolutely on the nut. It might be a good idea if it was any other company than HP as they do NOTHING right these days.

Their old iPaq PDA's were nice but not great, I have one, but they use to make good printers and OK servers. Hardware was their forte but software never was. Now they have even gotten worst with software and their hardware solutions s@ck.

And as to their customer support, it is so bad I won't even go further then that.

21.5.2010 15:30 #7

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