Items tagged with Palm
Don't look now, but Palm is back! Well, sort of. A startup in San Francisco is resurrecting and reinventing the Palm brand with a new phone. Well, also sort of. The new Palm phone is being marketed as a companion device...for your phone. Say what? That may sound confusing and illogical, but the startup behind it all insists there are use case scenarios for a companion phone. It's all about the size, or lack thereof. Palm (the company) says its "making smartphones truly mobile again," and the idea behind the new Palm phone is that it's smaller and less bulky than today's enlarged handsets, particularly the ones with displays measuring north of 6 inches. Even Apple has embraced the trend with the...
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Earlier this week, we brought you the latest news on Palm's rise from the dead thanks to certifications received from both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Wi-Fi Alliance. Now, we're getting our first look at the device, which is a tiny little smartphone that clearly bucks the trend of today's ginormous-screen flagships. The phone was developed under the codename "Pepito" by TCL, and is destined to be a Verizon exclusive when it launches later this year. What's interesting is that it has a 3.3-inch display, which is even smaller than what was found on the original Apple iPhone (3.5 inches). However, the 720p display is a higher resolution than the revolutionary first-generation...
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Earlier this year, we heard rumors that a Palm-branded smartphone would making its way to Americans in late 2018. TCL, which breathed new life into BlackBerry smartphones, is also the driving force behind this Palm resurrection, having purchased the rights to the brand back in 2015. Now, we're receiving more evidence that a smartphone launch is imminent. The PVG100 smartphone manufactured by the TCL subsidiary Palm Ventures Group has been certified by both the Wi-Fi Alliance and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). One of the interesting things gleaned from its Wi-Fi Certified Interoperability Certificate is that the device only supports the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band, and not 5GHz. That's pretty...
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It seems that Verizon Wireless is going to sell a new Android phone made by Palm, a brand you probably have not heard referenced in quite some time. There are not many details to go on, other than the fact that TCL is working with Verizon to bring the Palm-branded handset to market, which could hold some nostalgic appeal. Whether TCL and Verizon play up that angle remains to be seen. While details of the actual handset are pretty much non-existent, Android Police says an unnamed "trusted source" indicated the Palm device will launch on Verizon sometime in the second half of this year. Verizon is a logical partner, both because it is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, and it was...
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Hewlett Packard's Palm patents are changing hands. Qualcomm is the new owner, having announced the acquisition of a patent portfolio from HP that not only includes Palm, but also iPaq and Bitfone patents. The patent portfolio is stuffed full with around 2,400 granted patents and pending patent applications from the U.S. and other countries. Qualcomm didn't say how much it paid HP for the patent portfolio, which covers technologies that include fundamental mobile operating system techniques. "The acquisition further enhances the strength and diversity of Qualcomm Incorporated's industry-leading mobile patent portfolio and will enable the company to offer even more value to current and future licensees,"...
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Remember webOS? How could you forget, right? The long-lost mobile operating system that was placed in an early grave once HP purchased Palm is seemingly back from the dead, with a zombie-like appearance on an upcoming LG HDTV. Rumors were flying years ago that LG was planning on producing a webOS-based television after it picked up webOS from HP, but those largely died with Palm itself. As it turns out, the gears were still turning in the LG labs, and it looks as if CES 2014 will be the launch pad for what will certainly be the TV to beat in just a few days time. The leak we see here showcases a bold, design-focused UI that sets the stage for any other Smart TV to match. The hardware design of...
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The sting of HP’s Palm acquisition and subsequent inglorious failure to do anything with it may be subsiding enough so that the company can revisit the idea of entering the smartphone market. Yam Su Yin, HP’s Senior Director Consumer PC and Media Tablets Asia Pacific (holy job title, Batman) told Indian Express that HP would indeed be getting back into the smartphone hardware game. When asked if HP was working on a smartphone, she answered, “The answer is yes but I cannot give a timetable. It would be silly if we say no. HP has to be in the game.” That’s about as unequivocal an answer as you can get. Ill-fated Palm Pre 2 Yin also stated that HP was focusing hard...
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Jon Rubinstein, the former Chief Executive Officer of Palm, was willing to discuss the company's sale to Hewlett-Packard, and to say he may regret that decision is putting it lightly. Not only was it a bad decision on hindsight, but he called it a "waste" since HP ultimately ended up wiping its hands of webOS, the main nugget in the $1.2 billion Palm acquisition. "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste," Rubinstein told Fierce Wireless. "Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really...
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Shining stars rarely fade away; they just appear in difference places. Such is life for on Jon Rubinstein, which floated from Palm to HP, and now, to Qualcomm. The man largely connected with defining webOS during Palm's comeback days feel out of the public's view lately, but now he's back in a big way. Qualcomm has announced the election of Jonathan Rubinstein to its Board of Directors. We are extremely pleased to welcome Jon as a member of Qualcomm's Board of Directors," said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Qualcomm. "His experience in creating revolutionary consumer electronics and mobile products will provide added insight to Qualcomm's board as we continue to expand...
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If you're a mobile phone manufacturer with a name other than "Apple," you probably aren't having a very good week. Shares of HTC, the second-largest phone company in Asia, fell to their lowest point in two years today, after the company announced a 58% decline in second-quarter revenue. HTC has released several well-regarded phones in the past seven months, but hasn't had a breakaway winner or a truly stand-out product. Analysts, meanwhile, don't expect the company's fortunes to reverse any time soon. "We do not see any turnaround opportunities for HTC” in the second half, Laura Chen, a Taipei-based analyst at BNP Paribas SA. “We see risk on potential product delays and competitors’...
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And just like that, he's out. The former head of Palm is leaving HP, and with webOS all but buried, it's no real surprise. HP's acquisition of Palm proved disastrous, and after Jon Rubinstein was shifted into a product innovation role after the first major blow to webOS, we sort of figured he wouldn't hang around too much longer. He was once a huge proponent of Palm, even swearing by the Veer 4G handset that most critics wrote off as too small and not nearly functional enough. Evidently, he had a 1 to 2 year contract at HP to fulfill, and now that's up. All Things D is reporting that Jon has no immediate plans, only to take some time off and breathe a little after what has clearly been a wild...
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Research In Motion has reportedly trimmed its list of future BlackBerry 10 devices down to just a single handset, The upcoming device, BlackBerry London. Up until now, RIM was working on the BlackBerry Colt, which was supposed to be the first BlackBerry OS 10 device. Betting everything on just one handset is a risky move--the company is putting all its eggs in one basket--but it might be the correct one. In this case, software is far more important than hardware. RIM doesn't need to deliver best-in-class specs half so much as it needs an operating system and product strategy that get people excited about BlackBerry phones again. RIM could give the upcoming London a major performance boost compared...
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We've discussed the fragmentation of Android and the shoddy update services of the various carriers before, but the Droid 3's situation is raising these issues again. According to pre-CES reports, Verizon is poised to end-of-life (EOL) the Droid 3 along with its entire current lineup of MiFi hotspots. The BlackBerry Curve 3G and Palm Pre 2 are also reportedly on the chopping block, but the former is low-end device that's several years old, while the latter is a bit of an anachronism. The Droid 3, in contrast, is barely six months old. It's the only Motorola phone with a physical keyboard that Verizon carries, and it's already become a poster child for the problems with the Android ecosystem....
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Hewlett-Packard spent the majority of 2011 chasing its tail and getting nowhere in the process. Maybe 2012 will be better, and in some respects, it almost has to be. On the fail scale, it's hard to top shopping your PC division when it's the biggest in the world, buying a British software firm for $12 billion as part of a shift in strategy by a soon-to-be-ousted CEO, and open-sourcing webOS after spending $1.2 billion acquiring Palm a year prior. It gets better (worse?). According to new information obtained by VentureBeat, the reason HP couldn't find a suitor for Palm is because its asking price was simply too high. Inexplicably, HP was asking $1.2 billion for Palm, the exact same price it paid...
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It's the quarter-end for HP, also known as the corporate overlord that just can't make up its mind about anything. On its second CEO this year (and third in not-too-much longer), the company's Q4 2011 earnings are nothing to scoff at. Despite the turmoil, money seems to be flowing into HP's coffers like beer out of a college keg, as the company reported net revenue of $127.4 billion, net revenue of $32.1 billion, GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.12 and cash flow from operations of $2.4 billion. Lots of "billions" in there, and remember, we're talking about a quarter. The results actually beat the street, giving newly appointed CEO Meg Whitman a nice cushion to land on during her first quarter-end....
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Hewlett-Packard's recently appointed CEO Meg Whitman already made one tough decision since taking over for Leo Apotheker, and that was whether or not to go ahead with plans to dump the company's PC division. She (wisely) chose not to, and the next big decision has to do with webOS. After meeting with company bigwigs last night to decide the fate of webOS, Whitman and the gang came to the conclusion that they need more time to think about it. "It's really important to me to make the right decision, not the fast decision," Whitman told a room full of Palm and HP employees last night, according to The Verge. Having already made one tough decision recently, perhaps HP CEO Meg Whitman should consult...
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Does HP really need a chief strategy officer? Hopefully not, because there aren't any plans to replace the current one once he leaves next month. HP has gone through an insane amount of turmoil over the past two years, with Mark Hurd getting the boot, then Leo, then webOS. What's next? Well, Shane Robison, a guy who seemed in favor of webOS sticking around even after Leo decided to kill the consumer side, is about to bolt. HP today announced Shane Robison will retire as executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer effective Nov. 1. Robison, an 11-year HP veteran, also served as a member of the company's Executive Council. In his role, he was responsible for shaping HP's...
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According to a report by VentureBeat, Amazon is in serious talks to buy/rescue Palm from HP. Apparently (and unsurprisingly, in the wake of HP’s killing off of the TouchPad), HP is trying to unload Palm, a $1.2 billion acquisition from a year and a half ago that has gone nowhere fast. Amazon, or whoever eventually ends up landing Palm, will likely paid a whole lot less than that. The acquisition would be an intriguing one for Amazon, which just announced the Android-based Kindle Fire to much acclaim. It’s possible that Amazon could retool Palm’s webOS and have itself an alternative to Android for its future mobile devices, which could be an interesting little shakeup for the...
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It shouldn't come as any surprise, but it's depressing nonetheless. With HP's webOS devices division having no new products to work on, the writing was on the wall. According to AllThingsD, HP will be cutting 500 jobs at the webOS department, now that the TouchPad, Pre 3 and the handful of webOS devices that did make it to market will be their last. HP has stated their intentions to continue supporting existing webOS customers, but that won't require an entire development staff around the platform. Tough news, indeed. According to the report, as many as 525 workers could find themselves without a job by the end of the week. When asked for comment: "As communicated on August 18, HP will discontinue...
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In the wake of HP's announcement that it intends to investigate a PC spin off, the company has discovered one of the downsides to being the market leader: It's hard to find a buyer. Samsung has recently announced it has no interest in acquiring HP's PSG (Personal Systems Group). While Samsung's own PC business is quite healthy, with ten million units shipped last year, it's dwarfed by HP's estimated 64 million unit shipments over the same period. Samsung's CEO told Wired: "Based on the significant disparity in scale with Samsung’s own PC business and the complete lack of synergies, it would be both infeasible and imprudent to even consider such an acquisition." Bloomberg TV...
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Timing is everything in life, and the timing here is particularly strange. Just a few days after HP's TouchPad launched to ho hum reviews, the company has decided to make a few major strategic changes in the ranks. Jon Rubinstein, the visionary behind webOS, came over from Palm to lead up the group. After championing the Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad, it looks like he'll be sitting in a different office by the time the last of those actually ships. HP has appointed Stephen DeWitt as senior vice president and general manager of its webOS global business unit, a post that Jon held prior. Jon will assume a product innovation role within the Personal Systems Group (PSG) at HP. It's hard to say what this...
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In the pages to come, we take a look at the HP Veer 4G and by extension webOS 2.1.2 (the OS build loaded on this phone). 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 when paired with AT&T's $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... HP Veer 4G Smartphone...
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