HP Veer 4G Smartphone Preview

HP webOS, as the mobile operating system is now officially known, was first born in the labs of a revitalized Palm, at a time when the company was angling to take on iOS and Android and offer the world's next great mobile OS. The first real glimpse at webOS came at CES 2009, with the introduction of the Palm Pre. Unfortunately, some would say Palm took too long to ship what ultimately turned out to be a subpar piece of hardware, and webOS fell to the wayside while Android leapfrogged iOS and Apple also continued to innovate.


Then, amidst the turmoil, came more turmoil. HP's CEO was canned following a scandal, an unlikely successor was found, and Palm was sold to a company that seemed to be a strange bedfellow. Why would Palm end up at HP? Would HP seriously devote the money, time and resources in to making Palm viable again? And why would they kill the Palm branding, a brand that had once been synonymous with quality mobile products? Questions abound.

HP Veer 4G Specifications & Features

Processor and Memory	Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230 (800MHz) 8GB built-in, no expansion slot
Operating System	webOS 2.1.2
Connectivity	Tri-band UMTS, quad-band GSM/EDGE world phone( Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication A-GPS
Display	2.6-inch multi-touch display (400x320 screen resolution)
Size and Weight	2.1 inches x 3.3 inches x 0.6 inches  3.6 ounces
Cameras and Multimedia	5 megapixel camera No front-facing camera 3.5mm Stereo Headset Jack via external dongle
Additional Features	Mobile Hotspot capability
Battery	910 mAh battery
Carrier	AT&T (exclusive)
In-Box Content	HP Veer 4G Wall/USB charger 3.5mm headphone adapter Product Safety & Warranty Brochure Quick Reference Guide
Price	$99.99 with a new two-year customer agreement

HP tried to answer a lot of questions and quell fears by launching their first stable of webOS 2.x based products earlier in the year -- the first webOS launch since the acquisition. A lot was, and is, riding on it. The Veer 4G is a surprising choice for HP to launch first; the Pre 3 will come later, and the TouchPad tablet after that. Is the world's smallest webOS phone an appropriate launch device?


In the pages to come, we'll take a deeper look at webOS 2.1.2 (the build loaded on this phone), HP's new hardware direction and the overall value proposition. webOS still has a lot to prove in the smartphone world, as it currently battles BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone, MeeGo and a handful of other small competitors for that coveted third-place spot behind iOS and Android. Priced at just $99.99 on a 2-year AT&T contract (or $49.99 if purchased through Amazon Wireless), it's certainly one of the cheaper 4G smartphones on the market, and paired with AT&T's newer $15/month low-end smartphone data package, it has the makings for a nice, budget handset that'll do significantly more than make calls and send texts.