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Topic: Hardware

HP: Finally ready to get serious about Palm?

Summary: Hewlett-Packard appears to adding some management heft to Palm in what could be a sign that it may be serious about this mobile device thing after all.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Hewlett-Packard appears to adding some management heft to Palm in what could be a sign that it may be serious about this mobile device thing after all. John Paczkowski at AllthingsD reports that Ari Jaaksi, who recently left as head of Nokia's MeeGo unit, will be going to Palm. Palm is also adding Victoria Coleman, who ran Samsung's R&D center in San Jose.

These two hires indicate that the webOS and Palm may get some love. Paczkowski also notes that HP has been pulling internal expertise into the Palm orbit.

It's about time. HP has been a bit quiet about its plans for Palm. Indeed, HP announced the acquisition of Palm in April and hasn't said much since. Six months is an entire development cycle in mobile devices.

The most jarring indication that HP wasn't all that sure about Palm came at the company's big printer launch in New York City. First, HP executives gushed about a printing partnership with Apple and the iOS.  And then for good measure the printer unit features a 7-inch detachable tablet console on its high-end unit. That console happened to run on Android.

When I asked why there wasn't one mention of the webOS, the reply was that HP would integrate it at some later date. Sure, webOS tablets are allegedly coming in 2011, but there's not a lot of room for delay.  It's one thing if a silo-ed unit at HP isn't into Palm, but we haven't heard much about roadmaps for devices or the OS.

Simply put, we're still waiting for this slide to actually happen:

The smartphone market isn't exactly standing still so maybe these new hires can prime the Palm pump a bit.

Topics: Hardware, Hewlett-Packard, Mobility, Printers

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29 comments
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  • Wow, HP is slower out the gate than Microsoft

    Ouch
    BrentRBrian
    Reply Vote

    • How do you figure that?

      @BrentRBrian... HP acquired Palm about 6 months ago, it has taken MSFT 4 years to re-enter the mobile space with a decent answer to iOS and Android, and still doesn't have a decent answer for slate style tablets. So if, and I know this is a big if, they are able to release tablets running WebOS in 2011, it already puts them ahead of MSFT.
      Snooki_smoosh_smoosh
      Reply Vote

      • Not really

        but the ABMer's never really see it that way, it's allways everybody else is better.....
        ;)
        John Zern
        Reply Vote

      • I am Not an ABMer...

        @John Zern... I own 3 Windows based PC's and own 2 Xbox 360's and 1 original Xbox. I am just tired of seeing a great company being run into the ground by a no vision twit named Ballmer.
        Snooki_smoosh_smoosh
        Reply Vote

      • RE: HP: Finally ready to get serious about Palm?

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        angel tenan
        Reply Vote

      • RE: HP: Finally ready to get serious about Palm?

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        mega proyek
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      • RE: HP: Finally ready to get serious about Palm?

        @Snooki_smoosh_smoosh The one I laughed about the most was Plattner's comment about the file, edit and view menus. His remark just proves my point - He has people to do that for him, so he doesn't need that menu. <a href="http://www.kraloyun.gen.tr/kayu-oyunlari/kayu-hafiza-kartlari.html">kayu hafiza kartlari</a> <a href="http://www.arabaoyunlarimiz.gen.tr/dovus-oyunlari/3d-smackdown.html">3d smackdow</a>
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  • RE: HP: Finally ready to get serious about Palm?

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  • You seem to forget...

    Bloggers and tech sites seem to forget that a) the acquisition occurred in JULY, and b) things like brand new product launches and even cherry-picking of high-level personnel don't happen overnight. HP has always been serious about webOS and while we anxiously await the fruit of their labors, I'm confident 2011 will be webOS' year.
    vara411
    Reply Vote

    • Yes, that is a problem with large companies. They can't do anything very

      fast. Looking for some great products from HP.
      DonnieBoy
      Reply Vote

  • It would not take that much to turn webOS into a great tablet / netbook OS.

    Would love to see more competition in this area.

    I would also love to see them cooperate with Google so applications were portable between the two. That would give them both a boost.
    DonnieBoy
    Reply Vote

    • Why would they want to bother with Google

      They have WebOS, Google's nothing to HP. They've said no Android or WinPhone7 for them, webOS is their future.
      John Zern
      Reply Vote

      • webOS and Android are both based on Linux, so it would be simple to make

        applications compatible between them. That would give HP instant access to all of the Android applications, at the same time allowing them to differentiate themselves from the crowd of Android devices.
        DonnieBoy
        Reply Vote

      • Do you think Google is stupid enough to allow that?

        n/t
        Michael Alan Goff
        Reply Vote

      • goff256: Google is smart enough to realize the benefits. Open source means

        that they can not stop it either if HP chooses to do it. In the end, Google makes money off of every "iPhone like" smartphone sold with a standards based browsers.
        DonnieBoy
        Reply Vote

      • Benefits?

        -Somebody else using apps made for their product
        -Somebody likely not buying an Android Phone

        Even if they can't stop it, I don't see how you could argue that one less person buying an Android is somehow good for Google.
        Michael Alan Goff
        Reply Vote

      • RE: HP: Finally ready to get serious about Palm?

        @John Zern

        Dalvik is open source, correct? Why has no one ported it to other OSes? Would that be all that is required to get the vast majority of Android apps running on other platforms?
        x I'm tc
        Reply Vote

      • goff256: Google does not care if they sell webOS or

        @John Zern
        DonnieBoy
        Reply Vote

      • goff256: Google could care less if you buy a webOS phone or an Android

        phone. It is still one more phone with a standards based browser. Really, every webOS phone sold is more likely one less WP7 phone sold.
        DonnieBoy
        Reply Vote
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