Is Amazon trying to buy WebOS from HP? Tweet

Who will save what’s left of Palm from HP’s bumbling? It could be Amazon, as the online retailing giant is in serious negotiations to snap up Palm from HP, VentureBeat has learned.
A well-placed source tells us that HP is currently looking to rid itself of Palm as soon as possible, and that Amazon is the closest to finalizing the deal, among a handful of contenders.
Indeed, after yesterday’s announcement of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, no other company seems as fitting a home for Palm and its webOS software. It’s worth noting that former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, who now holds a vague “product innovation” role at HP’s Personal Services Group, joined Amazon’s board late last year.
When asked for comment, an HP spokesperson said the company doesn’t comment on rumors and speculation. We’re still waiting to hear back from an Amazon representative.
The Kindle Fire is powered by Android, but it’s been heavily customized by Amazon to the point where you can barely tell. By purchasing the remnants of Palm, Amazon would have free rein to redesign webOS to its own liking, and it would be able to further differentiate its Kindle devices from the slew of Android tablets in the market.
And even though HP has given up entirely on its webOS hardware business after the TouchPad tablet failed spectacularly, there’s still plenty of potential for webOS to power a successful device. Palm’s mobile software was praised for its slick multi-tasking capabilities, which could allow future Kindle Fire tablets to juggle games, movies and media with more finesse than Android.
It also appears that HP has been eyeing Amazon for some time as a potential webOS partner. In an interview with This is my next in July, Rubinstein revealed quite a bit about having Amazon use webOS in its future tablets:
So, we’d like a partner that would allow us to expand the webOS ecosystem… There’s a variety of different sets of a characteristics to qualify as a good partner. I would say Amazon would certainly make a great partner, because they have a lot of characteristics that would help them expand the webOS ecosystem. As to whether there’s been discussions or not… that’s obviously not something I’m going to comment about.
HP paid $1.2 billion for Palm in 2010, but Amazon will end up spending a fraction of that if the deal goes through. Given just how badly the TouchPad failed, HP will likely offer what’s left of Palm at a major discount, especially since Amazon woudn’t be interested in resuscitating now extinct webOS hardware.
Personally, I’ve never had much faith in HP’s ability to effectively manage Palm and webOS. Amazon, with its commitment to long-term planning and innovative consumer devices, seems like a much better fit. And in a way, it seems fitting for the company that released the first widely-available $200 tablet to snap up the company that made PDAs, the precursor to the smartphone, a phenomenon.

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Palm promises a number of interesting proposals next year Tweet

Thus far in the company HP they are occupied with reflections above the fact how to in the best way use that freshlyd-purchase Of palm, in its depths stormy activity also boils. In this case it is worthwhile to also note that to this moment the discussion dealt with the most diverse devices on the basis of the operating system of webOS - from the plane-tables to the printers. But not about the communicators or another [smartfonakh]. It became today known that unknown representative Palm reported at the seminar for the workers AT&T a certain information, also, on this type of devices. Of any [konkretiki], but fact itself confirms that the company continues developments.

“Me it is not permitted to speak about concrete [roadmape], especially in light of the fact that we are located on the stage of absorption NR, so that I cannot say. But yes, we have [roadmap]. We work at future devices. And by the new version of operating system. So that, I think, you will find the following year by interesting”, reported representative Palm. It is understandable that the competitors also will not during the year stand on the spot, but the fact that after the developments Of palm from now on they can stand money NR, then it is possible to calculate that Palm Of pre Of plus and Pixi Of plus, will be obtained worthy successors.

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Palm Agrees to Settle Stockholder Class Action Lawsuit Tweet

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) announced that it and the other defendants in a Delaware putative stockholder class action lawsuit have entered into a memorandum of understanding with the plaintiff to settle the lawsuit, which was filed on May 5, 2010 in connection with the proposed acquisition of Palm by Hewlett-Packard Company. As part of the settlement, Palm today filed definitive additional proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose the settlement and to supplement the disclosures in Palm's definitive proxy statement filed in connection with the acquisition on May 26, 2010. For further information, please refer to those definitive additional proxy materials and the other information filed by Palm with the SEC in connection with the proposed acquisition, which are available at www.sec.gov or by going to Palm's Investor Relations page on its corporate website at www.palm.com.

About Palm

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and usable ways. The company's groundbreaking Palm(R) webOS(TM) platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy(TM), which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels, and at the Palm online store (www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at www.palm.com.

Important Information for Investors and Stockholders

In connection with the proposed merger, Palm has filed a definitive proxy statement on May 26, 2010 with the SEC. On or about May 28, 2010, Palm began mailing the definitive proxy statement to Palm stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 24, 2010. Palm and HP have also filed, and intend to continue to file as necessary, additional relevant materials with the SEC. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS FILED WITH THE SEC AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS.

Palm and HP and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed merger. Information about Palm's directors and executive officers is set forth in the proxy statement for Palm's 2009 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on August 13, 2009. Information about HP's directors and executive officers is set forth in the proxy statement for HP's 2010 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on January 27, 2010, and in HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009, which was filed with the SEC on December 17, 2009. Additional information regarding these persons and their interests in the merger is included in the definitive proxy statement, as amended, relating to the merger that has been filed with the SEC. The definitive proxy statement, any additional proxy materials and Palm's other SEC filings are, or when filed will be, available free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, by going to Palm's Investor Relations page on its corporate website or by contacting Palm's Investor Relations department by e-mail at teri.klein@palm.com, by phone at (408) 617-7000, or by mail at Palm, Investor Relations, 950 West Maude Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94085.

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Exclusive: Palm Loses Mobile Design Guru Matias Duarte to Google Tweet

Looks like Palm is suffering a bit of post-acquisition talent drain.

Mobile user interface master Matias Duarte has left Palm and evidently hired on at the most obvious of places: Google.

Duarte, who led development of Palm’s webOS UI as the company’s senior director of human interface and user experience, has jumped ship, Palm (PALM) confirms. And while the company refuses to tell me where he’s going, multiple sources say it’s Google (GOOG), where he’ll presumably be working on Android, the company’s open-source platform for mobile devices–noncompete clauses permitting, of course.

Duarte’s departure is a significant loss for Palm and new owner Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), which has said it plans to “double down” on webOS. His prowess with user experience and information design is well known in the industry. Before Duarte landed at Palm in 2007, he was design chief at Helio. And prior to that, he led the team that created the Danger Hiptop mobile device. When Palm announced the Pre at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2009, it was Duarte who introduced the design of webOS.

So, as I said, a real loss for Palm as it heads to its new home at HP. And a bittersweet moment for Duarte, who had great hopes for Palm’s reinvention. As he wrote in a 2009 blog post: “When I started in this field, the Palm V was the unquestioned leader in mobile devices. To this day I believe it represents one of the best consumer electronic products ever created. I always aspired to match Palm in simplicity, usability and design–so now that I’m here, I feel like a kid who’s just been handed the keys to Daddy’s convertible.”

Looks like you’ve got the keys to the Segway now, my friend.

Google and Duarte have not yet responded to requests for comment. I will update here if they do.

UPDATE: Google confirms that Duarte has joined Google as User Experience Director for Android. The company declined further comment.

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HP: [netbukov] from webOS it will not be, but will be HP Of slate in October Tweet

Official communication, that the company Of hewlett-Packard plans to inject the operating system of webOS to the plane-tables and even printers was. But here that, who expects it on [netbukakh], it is necessary either very it takes a long time to wait or and to completely forego the similar to idea. At least, To [monti] [Vong] (Monty Of wong), which is been the Vice President of the regional department of company NR in Taiwan, reported that in the nearest plans of any [netbukov] from webOS the company does not have any. Reason to that is simple: contemporary [netbuki] in larger degree of [rodstvenny] to valuable computers than to [smartfonam] and KPK and to adapt [smartfonnuyu] OS under them does not have a sense. To so that develop this direction NR will not be. Then it will produce [planshetnik] NR Of slate.

From Mr. [Vong]'s words, it is possible to understand that the discussion deals not about the plane-table from webOS, but with that plane-table itself with Windows 7. in this case the resource Of digiTimes, which published its words, designated writing Slate (plane-table) precisely from the capital letter, which can mean that HP Of slate - official name of model. On the market it must appear the in October present year and immediately with the large number of programs and applications for it. Which also tells in favor in OS Windows 7, since applications for webOS not so there are many.

If plane-table from Hewlett-Packard will work under control Windows 7, then this will refute the previously passed rumor about that which from the use of an operating system Of microsoft was decided to refuse, by in favor acquired together with Palm operating system of webOS. In any event, it will become finally clearly at the end July, when HP completes the absorption Of palm - after Mr. [Vong]'s this according to, will be reported the details of the development OS of webOS.

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HP Faced Tough Competition in Palm Bid Tweet

Palm was hardly without suitors before HP came along with its $1.2 billion bid, according to a proxy statement Palm filed with the SEC. The statement shows that 16 companies expressed interest, six entered non-disclosure agreements and three gave Palm a serious run for its money.

New details have emerged regarding Hewlett-Packard’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm. While the smartphone maker may have been financially struggling, it was hardly an unnoticed wallflower before HP came along, according to a proxy statement Palm filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The statement reads a bit like a novella, detailing the advancements, negotiations and refusals that occurred in the weeks leading up to HP’s April 28 announcement.

According to the statement, 16 companies expressed interest in Palm between Feb. 25 and April 1, and six — HP included — entered into nondisclosure agreements and met with Palm and its advisers to review private information. HP is the only company directly named in the statement, with the others referred to as Company A, etc.

On April 13, HP made its first move for Palm, offering $4.75 per share, or approximately $1 billion, and requesting a 30-day period of exclusive negotiations. Company A followed by offering $600 million in cash, while Company B proposed a stock-for-stock transaction that “did not specify the value of the proposed consideration,” according to the statement.

Following the offers from companies A and B, Palm told HP that it wouldn’t consider an exclusive negotiating period unless HP upped its offer. On April 17, however, HP reaffirmed its proposal for $4.75 in cash for each share of Palm.

Offering its respects to A and B, Palm declined both deals, and on April 18 a Company C offered $6 to $7 cash per share, with the stipulation that a deal take place within 14 days. The next day, Palm sent both HP and Company C draft merger agreements.

On April 20 and 21, senior management at Palm, HP, Qatalyst Partners and Goldman Sachs met again, and on April 22 HP increased its offer to $5 per share, with the request that “Palm agree to up to a 28-day period of exclusive negotiations with HP with an objective of entering into a merger agreement as soon as practicable.”

Company C countered with a reduced offer of $5.50 per share and the request that “Palm agree to a period of exclusive negotiations lasting until April 26.”

Courted from both sides, Palm looked to sweeten the deal. On April 24 it told HP that “to remain in the process, HP must improve its offer significantly and immediately.” That same day, HP financial advisors responded with an offer of $5.70 per share and the request of a five-day exclusivity period. The following day, reports the statement, “HP delivered a letter confirming this proposal with a target announcement date of close of business on April 27 and sent a draft exclusivity agreement covering such period on April 26.”

On April 28, the two made their big announcement.

"We anticipate that with the webOS [Palm's proprietary mobile operating system], we'll be able to aggressively deploy an integrated platform that will allow HP to own the entire customer experience, to nurture and grow the developer community, and provide a rich media experience for our customers," Tom Bradley, executive vice president of HP’s Personal Systems group, said in a Webcast that day.

While the comment suggested that the Palm purchase could offer HP a way into the exploding smartphone market, it’s rumored that HP additionally has plans to relaunch its cancelled Slate tablet, which was to run Windows 7, as the HP Hurricane, a tablet running webOS.

Since the launch of the Apple iPad, the tablet market has been rejuvenated, with Sony the most recent electronics maker to admit it’s considering joining the fray and research firm BCG reporting that within the next three years, its expects 50 to 75 percent of consumers to purchase a tablet-style device.

While the identities of the Palm suitors may remain a secret, thanks to Palm’s discretion, a company referred to in the statement as Company D contacted Palm on March 18 to “discuss an intellectual property transaction but did not make a proposal to acquire Palm.” Further, says the statement, “Company D did not enter into a nondisclosure agreement,” which means new details — or at least the identity of Company D — may yet still emerge.

Immediately following the mid-April news that Palm was available, HTC, Lenovo, Motorola and Nokia were all named as potential purchasers.

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Palm Pre Plus Arrives on ATandT, Day After App Catalog Bogs Tweet

The Palm Pre Plus went on sale May 16 on the AT&T network, the day after the Palm’s App Catalog store was felled by technical difficulties. The problem was said to be resolved in time for the Pre Plus’ big debut.

The Palm Pre Plus is now available on the AT&T network.

As promised, the Pre Plus is priced at $149.99. While that’s $100 more than Verizon charges for its version of the smartphone, the AT&T package includes the Palm Touchstone — its neat-o charger that, like an electric toothbrush, charges through induction — free overnight shipping and a waived activation fee.

The Pre Plus’ details include a 3.1-inch touchscreen, a slide-out QWERTY keypad, backlit keys, 3G and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, firmware that updates over the air, 16GB of internal storage and world phone capabilities.

There’s also mobile email support, including Microsoft Direct Push, a 3-megapixel camera with video capture, text and instant messaging, a Web browser, a music player and of course the well-liked webOS operating system.

Pre Plus users also have easy access to the Palm App Catalog — though some may have had an awkward introduction to the app store, which experienced some technical difficulties over the weekend.

“If you’ve experienced any issues downloading or updating apps from the Palm App Catalog recently, rest assured that Palm is actively working to remedy the situation,” Joe Hayashi, Palm’s product manager, posted to the Palm Blog May 15.

“If you’ve purchased an app, the transaction has been properly recorded and as soon as this issue is resolved, you’ll be able to access all apps you’ve purchased (or, in the case of free apps, requested to download),” Hayashi continued. “We believe the situation will be resolved soon, although some apps may begin working properly again sooner than others.”

The post was updated later that day to say that the App Catalog is once again “fully operational.” According to MyPre.com, there are now about 1,700 apps in the App Catalog — which trails well behind Google’s Android Market, at approximately 38,000, and Apple’s App Store, with its 185,000-plus offerings.

The Pre Plus’ arrival on the AT&T network marks its third official launch — it’s additionally available on Verizon and Sprint — though Palm says you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

“We’re just getting started. As noted at the unveiling of the Palm webOS platform at the 2009 CES, this platform was designed to evolve and scale to drive at least the next decade of innovative mobile devices,” Jon Zilber wrote on the Palm Blog May 16. “But as Abraham Lincoln noted, ‘The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." So if you’ve been waiting for the day you could pick up a Palm webOS phone on AT&T, the future arrived today.”

Palm is in the process of being bought by Hewlett-Packard for $1.2 billion.

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ATandT to Begin Selling Palm Pixi Plus June 6 Tweet

AT&T will join rival Verizon Wireless in offering the Palm Pre’s younger sibling, the Pixi Plus. The Pixi, which features webOS and a $49.99 price tag, will go on sale June 6.

The Palm Pre Plus won’t be on the AT&T Wireless network without the Pixi Plus—its less-expensive, non-sliding younger sibling—for very long. According to the carrier’s site, the Pixi Plus will make its AT&T debut June 6.

The June 6 arrival will make AT&T the third network to offer the smartphone—Sprint and Verizon Wireless were the first two, though in fairness Sprint offers the original Palm Pixi, minus the Plus.

At either rate, however, users get a 3G-running, WiFi-connecting smartphone running Palm’s webOS—which was said to be a major incentive for HP’s recent purchase of Palm. The OS features perks such as the ability to multitask between multiple applications and calls; a universal search feature that will hunt through phone contacts, apps and even online sources such as Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter.

The Pixi Plus also pairs its full QWERTY keypad with a 2.63-inch multitouch screen with a 320 by 400 resolution. GPS is built in, as is a 2-megapixel camera with flash, geo-tagging and video capture. The Pixi Plus supports multiple types of e-mail accounts, including Microsoft Exchange, Direct Push technology and POP3/IMAP accounts, such as Gmail and Yahoo. IM, SMS and MMS are also supported, along with multiple audio and video players, and there’s an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor and an accelerometer.

On board are 8GB of memory, and on the AT&T network users can expect 5.5 hours of talk time—versus 5.2 on Verizon. A 3.5mm stereo headphone jack is also built in, and the device weighs 3.26 ounces and measures 2.17 by 4.37 by 0.43 inches.

Also like Verizon Wireless, AT&T signed on with the then-struggling Palm to try and get the Pre Plus into more hands than Sprint managed with the original Pre. Shortly ater posting a terrible fiscal third quarter March 18, Palm went looking for a buyer, and on April 28—after considerable negotiations—Hewlett-Packard announced it was acquiring the smartphone maker.

AT&T customers can sign up to receive a reminder when the Palm Pixi Plus officially goes on sale.

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HP CEO Hurd Sees Palm WebOS in Printers, Other Devices Tweet

During a conference call to announce strong quarterly earnings, HP CEO Mark Hurd said that the goal of HP’s proposed $1.2 billion acquisition of ailing Palm is the company’s mobile operating system, WebOS, which HP plans to spread throughout its stable of connected devices, including Web-enabled printers.

Hewlett-Packard has plans for Palm’s WebOS mobile operating system that go well beyond smartphones and tablet PCs, such as Web-connected printers.

During a conference call with analysts and reporters to announce fiscal second-quarter 2010 results May 18, HP President and CEO Mark Hurd said that while he certainly wants to grow Palm’s smartphone business, the real key to the proposed $1.2 billion deal is Palm’s WebOS.

"[The proposed deal] isn't precisely a smartphone play, as I've seen some people write," Hurd said. “It is, for us, strategically broader.”

HP offers a wide range of connected devices that would benefit from having a common operating system, he said.

“We expect to leverage WebOS into a variety of form factors, including ‘slates’ and Web-connected printers," Hurd said.

HP had been developing a tablet PC called Slate that was set to run on Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system and challenge Apple’s popular iPad. However, once HP announced its intentions to buy struggling Palm, the industry soon heard that the technology giant had ditched the Slate in favor of creating another tablet, dubbed Hurricane, which will run on the widely praised WebOS platform.

Reports have said that a WebOS-powered Hurricane could hit the market as early as the third quarter. Hurd said that HP’s intention is to be a player in the tablet market, and that he saw a space that would not be dominated by a single product, but rather it will be a robust space with a number of alternatives from different vendors.

As the world becomes more mobile, there will be a wide range of preferences in what customers want from their devices. They will demand choice, he said.

Hurd said that despite the change of direction in HP’s tablet plans, Microsoft is still an important partner for HP.

"Microsoft is probably one of the best relationships we've got in our company, and they're still extremely important to us," he said. "There are a couple of form factors, though, that are very attractive for us, and these small form factors are where we think the IP can be very additive."

Hurd said the real driving force behind the Palm acquisition is WebOS. With so many connected devices in their product portfolio, HP officials believe it’s important to have a common operating system on which to run them, he said.

“It really has more to do with the intellectual property and the fact that when you look across the HP ecosystem of interconnected devices, it is a large family of devices and we think of printers, you’ve now got a whole series of Web-connected printers, and as they connect to the Web, [they] need an OS,” he said.

He also hinted that HP could use Palm’s app store for the printers and other devices.

The Palm acquisition, which is still pending, was one of several deals that were topics of discussion during the earnings call. Hurd noted that HP’s $2.7 billion deal for networking vendor 3Com closed in April 12, and that since that time, 3Com had added about $50 million in revenue to HP’s bottom line in the second quarter.

He reiterated that a key benefit is that by combining HP’s ProCurve products and VirtualConnect technology with 3Com’s portfolio, HP will have a strong presence not only on the edge of the network, but also in the data center.

Hurd also countered a question from an analyst who suggested that HP’s $13.9 billion acquisition of services company EDS is not working out as planned, as growth in services is not as fast as in other divisions. He said that EDS—now called HP Enterprise Services—gives the company a stronger services arm.

“We feel really good about the services business,” he said.

Cathie Lesjak, HP’s chief financial officer, suggested that HP’s acquisitions won’t end with Palm.

Overall, HP had a strong quarter, earning $2.2 billion in profits on $30.8 billion in revenue, significant jumps over the same time last year, when the worldwide recession was in full swing. During that quarter, the company earned $1.7 billion on $27.4 billion in revenues.

HP saw a 28 percent jump in profit and 13 percent increase in revenue.

Hurd said the strong performances were felt in each segment of HP’s product portfolio, and in each region.

The strong numbers also convinced HP to up its revenue targets for the year, to 8 to 9 percent over 2009. For the current quarter, HP is expecting revenue of between $29.7 billion and $30 billion.

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HP Taiwan confirms plans for WebOS-based mobile devices Tweet

HP will adopt the WebOS platform in smartphones and tablets, according to Monty Wong, vice president of personal computing systems group at HP Taiwan, adding that since netbooks are more similar in functions with traditional computers, the company will not offer such WebOS-based devices.

HP will announce more details after the completion of the Palm acquisition at the end of July, Wong said.

The HP Slate will hit the market before the end of the fiscal year ending in October, and consumers could see a wide range of software and application support at launch, he added.

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Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus Available Soon for O2 Customers in the UK Tweet

LONDON -- Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) announced that the Palm(R) Pre(TM) Plus and Palm Pixi(TM) Plus phones will be available in the UK on O2 from 28 May. They will be available from free, depending on tariff, in all O2 stores and online at www.o2.co.uk.

"We are excited to bring Pre Plus and Pixi Plus to the market for O2 customers," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. "With the choice of these two new Palm webOS phones, customers across the UK can stay connected, so they never miss a thing."

With a slider keyboard, a larger touchscreen and a high-performance processor, Pre Plus is Palm's full-featured Palm webOS(TM) phone. It's designed for people who want an easy-to-use phone with advanced features to help manage the different aspects of their lives, both personal and professional. The keyboard makes for quick and easy typing, while the unique gesture area provides a sleek look and intuitive navigation. Customers also get 16GB(1) of storage (~15GB user available) for applications and media. Pre Plus comes with the Palm Touchstone(TM) Back Cover, so it's compatible out of the box with the revolutionary inductive Touchstone Charging Dock (sold separately).

As Palm's thinnest phone to date, Pixi Plus fits easily in your hand or pocket and offers a host of powerful features. It's great for social communicators and first-time smartphone buyers who want an affordable phone with a full QWERTY keyboard instantly accessible for messaging and web content. With the color Palm Pixi Touchstone Back Covers and the Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers, which are compatible with the Touchstone Charging Dock, you can easily switch covers to suit your mood and style (all will be sold separately at www.palm.com/uk).

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus showcase the defining features of Palm webOS, including the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them; the power of Palm Synergy(TM), which brings customers' information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view; unobtrusive notifications; and universal search.(2) Palm webOS also has a unique model of over-the-air software updates that delivers new features and performance improvements directly to a user's phone. Past updates have included support for 3D games on Pre Plus and video recording, allowing webOS customers to use their phones in fun, new ways.

A significant advantage of Palm webOS applications is that they can be integrated into the core webOS experience, including linked contacts, layered calendars, notifications and GPS, providing a rich catalog of innovative and unique offerings for Palm webOS users. The growing Palm App Catalog offers some of the best apps in the market, such as rich 3D games like "Need for Speed(TM) Undercover" and "James Cameron's Avatar(TM)." E-commerce is available for the Palm App Catalog for Europe, allowing end users to purchase applications using a credit or debit card.

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus include the following features and specifications:

* Palm Synergy, a key feature of Palm webOS that brings your information from all the places it resides - including Outlook(3), Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and LinkedIn - into one logical view that links your contacts and calendars, so accessing them is easier than ever
* The ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them
* Unobtrusive notifications
* Universal search
* Over-the-air software updates delivered directly to a user's phone
* High-quality applications from the Palm App Catalog
* High-speed connectivity
* Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
* Full QWERTY keyboard
* High-performance, desktop-class web browser
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
* Integrated GPS(4)
* Robust messaging support (combining IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
* Multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, a camera with LED flash and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
* Email, including EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) and personal email support (Google Mail push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP)
* Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
* USB mass storage mode
* Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
* Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touchscreen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
* Light sensor, which reduces power usage by dimming the display if the ambient light is dark
* Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
* Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
* Removable, rechargeable battery

A complete list of features and specifications for each phone is available at www.palm.com/uk

Availability and Pricing

The Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be available from May 28 on O2's range of smartphone tariffs which all offer unlimited data(5), unlimited public Wi-Fi at The Cloud and BT Openzone and unlimited texts as well as a range of included minutes to suit every pocket.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and usable ways. The company's groundbreaking Palm webOS(TM) platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy(TM), which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

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Touchstone Unboxing for AT&T Palm Pre Plus Tweet

Here's a look at the touchstone charger for the Palm Pre Plus, which comes free from AT%T.

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HP 'Hurricane' Tablet with webOS Coming Soon: Report Tweet

Goodbye, Slate, hello, Hurricane! HP is expected to release a webOS-running tablet called the Hurricane, as soon as the third quarter of this year. While a challenge to the iPad, the Hurricane could be more of a threat to Microsoft.

Hewlett-Packard could be releasing a tablet running the Palm’s webOS operating system as soon as the third quarter of 2010, according to a report from The Examiner, which attributes the information to “an insider at HP.”

The tablet, according to the report, would be called the HP “Hurricane.”

The news follows recent rumors that HP has canceled its planned HP Slate, a tablet that would run the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Whether or not the Hurricane would be a Slate with its innards replaced is unclear — though what is known is that HP had every intention of putting webOS to work for it.
Resource Library:

HP acquired the highly-praised webOS platform in its recent purchase of smartphone-maker Palm, and stated outright an expectation to deploy it on various devices.

“The combination of HP’s global scale and financial strength with Palm’s unparalleled webOS platform will enhance HP’s ability to participate more aggressively in the fast-growing, highly profitable smartphone and connected mobile device markets,” HP said in an April 28 statement on the acquisition.

That HP should release a tablet was expected too, with analysts such as Chris Schreck, with IMS Research, writing in a May 3 report, “[WebOS] uses standard development languages already common among PC developers. If HP can create a compelling tablet offering that people are willing to buy, the barriers to entry might be fairly minimal."

Still, a third-quarter tablet launch is a faster turn-around time than many expected.

“Third quarter is pretty fast,” analyst Roger Kay, with Endpoint Technologies, told eWEEK. “That schedule seems to imply that the project was already underway when the deal was announced. HP was very circumspect two weeks ago at an analyst day held in Cupertino.

While, thanks to the Palm technology, an HP webOS tablet could best Apple’s iPad in the multitasking department, it is HP’s longtime partner Microsoft that’s expected to most intensely feel the effects of such a device.

"Microsoft itself is finding the tablet PC market more complicated than expected," Technology Business Research Analyst John Spooner wrote in an April 30 research note. “In the end, we believe a webOS tablet will be better received than a Windows tablet, which may lead to adoption of webOS tablet PCs in the enterprise."

No details about pricing, or potential carrier partners, for the Hurricane have emerged.

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HP Hurricane webOS tablet may be released in 3rd quarter Tweet

We first speculated that since HP bought out Palm, they would come out wth a webOS tablet. According to many industry insiders, this appears to be more of a reality now. An insider at HP tells us that a webOS tablet under the code name HP Hurricane could be released the third quarter of this year.

Not too long ago--actually, only three weeks back--HP was still bragging about its HP Slate, a Windows 7 based tablet that was supposed to become the new iPad killer. However, early reviews suggested that the HP slate should just kill itself and that's exactly what appears to have happened.

"It is a really interesting device, but runs as slow as a turtle," says Los Angeles industry analyst Paul Mueller. "I think they could have had something with a faster processor, but that would have led to less battery life than the Slate already had." Like us, Mr. Mueller looks forward to the HP Hurricane. "If rumors of this tablet are true, this can be a killer device--webOS is an outstanding operating system for a tablet."

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Email: iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, WebOS Tweet

This is an email comparison between the four major smartphone platforms.

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HP Expected to Pursue Tablets with Palm WebOS, sans Microsoft Tweet

Hewlett-Packard, following its acquisition of Palm, is expected to use WebOS to gain new leverage in the tablet market, even though it would leave HP without the investment and marketing backing of longtime partner Microsoft.

Palm's WebOS mobile platform was said to be a list-topping asset, when the smartphone maker went shopping for a purchaser. And indeed, following the April 28 announcement that HP will acquire Palm for $1.2 billion, analysts are agreeing that WebOS was a major factor in the decision, particularly as it could potentially help HP compete more effectively in the growing tablet market.

Additionally, while a tablet running WebOS would diversify HP's mobile offerings and arouse new interest, it could potentially strain the PC leader's longtime relationship with Microsoft—with which it has previously developed tablet PCs.

"We believe at the end of the day this deal is about Palm's WebOS operating system. While there are only about 2,000 applications supporting WebOS, it is considered to be an easy platform for developers to create new applications," several IDC analysts wrote in an April 28 report. "Additionally, WebOS' similarities [to] Linux-based PC distributions [make] it a much easier transaction for PC-focused developers to get into mobile apps—something that as the leading PC maker HP should be able to capitalize on and galvanize support for."

Ovum analyst Tony Cripps agreed in an April 29 report, saying, "WebOS could indeed become a major asset for HP and obviously has scope for use on devices such as tablets—Palm's engineers and designers clearly put a lot of time and effort into creating a very slick user experience."

Despite the April 23 resignation of Palm's senior vice president of software and services, Mike Abbott, the continued presence of current Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, as well as other members of WebOS team, has also been pointed to as a coup for HP.

IDC, too, has said it believes that WebOS is positioned well for a "relatively easy migration" to media tablets—a space that IDC expects to grow to 7.6 million units by year's end, and to approach 50 million units by 2014.

"However, unlike in the PC business, [HP's] investment and marketing will not be shared with Microsoft; it will be HP's alone to bear," IDC said in its report. "This acquisition will stress HP's relationship with Microsoft, but given the company's scale and likely continued support of Windows 7 Mobile, it will not seriously damage it."

On April 29, however, TechCrunch, citing "a source who's been briefed on the matter," reported that HP intends to kill its planned "Slate" tablet with Microsoft and to release the device later in 2010 with an adapted version of WebOS. HP has offered no such information.
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While Apple, with its newly released and so far successful iPad, has breathed new life into the tablet form factor, Technology Business Research analyst Ken Hyers said he believes the space is still wide open for competition.

"[The] tablet computing space has not yet been well defined by any single manufacturer or OS, giving HP, with its extensive PC manufacturing expertise, a chance to become a key player in the new market segment," Hyers wrote in an April 29 report.

The Palm acquisition gives HP leverage to compete against Apple, Hyers added, in Apple's effort to use the iPad "to redefine the tablet PC space in the same way that it did for digital music players and smartphones."

That said, HP will still have its line of enterprise-geared tablet PCs with Microsoft, as well as a number of iPaq handsets, not to mention PCs, which together should keep the Microsoft-HP relation

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Palm Pixi Plus Available Soon for Vodafone Customers in Spain Tweet

MADRID -- Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) announced that the Palm(R) Pixi(TM) Plus phone will be available in Spain with Vodafone on May 10.

"We are excited to bring the Palm Pixi Plus to Spain for Vodafone customers. Consumers will be able to benefit from the unprecedented power and ease of use afforded them with the award-winning Palm webOS experience," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "With Pixi Plus, customers across Spain will be able to get more done by staying connected and never missing a thing."

"This agreement with Palm is a great opportunity for Vodafone Spain. Our customers will now have a wider range of smartphone models that provide mobility solutions for their professional needs but also allow them to leverage the advantages of the phone's leisure features," said Ignacio Román, Mobiles Business director, Vodafone Iberia.

As Palm's thinnest phone to date, Pixi Plus fits easily in your hand or pocket and offers a host of powerful features. It's great for work and also for social communicators who want an affordable phone with a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard instantly accessible for messaging and web content. With the Palm Pixi Touchstone(TM) Back Covers and the Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers, which are compatible with the Touchstone Charging Dock, you can easily switch covers to suit your mood and style (all sold separately at www.palm.com/es).

Pixi Plus showcases the defining features of Palm webOS(TM), including the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them; the power of Palm Synergy(TM), which brings customers' information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view; unobtrusive notifications; and universal search.(1) Palm webOS also has a unique model of over-the-air software updates that delivers new features and performance improvements directly to a user's phone. Past updates have included support for video recording, allowing webOS customers to use their phones in fun, new ways.

A significant advantage of Palm webOS applications is that they can be integrated into the core webOS experience, including linked contacts, layered calendars, notifications and GPS, providing a rich catalog of innovative and unique offerings for Palm webOS users. The growing Palm App Catalog offers some of the best apps in the market.

A complete list of features and specifications for Pixi Plus is available at www.palm.com/pixiplus.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and usable ways. The company's groundbreaking Palm webOS(TM) platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy(TM), which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

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NR did purchase Palm exclusively for webOS? Tweet

To the referring to given carried out press conference the Internet- resource Of boy Of genius Of report reports that taken place on this week acquisition by the company NR of the producer of the cell phones Of palm was dictated predominantly by the desire to secure the operating system of webOS and to include products on its basis in its ecosystem [po]. Here are the basic moments, on the basis which was made this conclusion: In the statements was done the support for the combination of financial possibilities HP with the possibilities of further development of webOS;

* Investments into the platform for the developers, which will make it possible to more effectively create applications for OS;
* Increase of the investments in R&D and marketing of webOS;
* Conclusion of webOS for the market for user and commercial proposals by introducing of [smartfonov] and plane-tables on its basis;
* Representative NR were not indicated the specific periods of the modification of webOS for the use on the apparatus platforms of company - transaction must at first completely be completed;
* John Rubenstein and its command will continue the work on webOS;
* Is unknown the fate of the communicators of iPAQ on Windows Of mobile. Decision on this question will be accepted later;
* webOS will be key component of complex mobile ecosystem NR, which will be built on the basis of the interrelation of all devices of company;
* Company NR will become not the creator of [kontenta], but by the means of access to it. In this case as yet there is no unanimous opinion about that, will be created infrastructure similar iTunes, by the represented company Of apple.

Nevertheless, also it should not be forgotten, that the purchase Of palm " presented” TO HP and huge amount of patents, which only adds pleasant moment into all future plans.

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HP to develop WebOS for IT services and tablet PCs, say Acer chairman and Digitimes analysts Tweet

Acer chairman JT Wang said in a recent interview that he believes Hewlett Packard's acquisition of Palm is not purely for smartphone development, but to also strengthen its push into back-end IT services for MIDs (mobile Internet device). The US$1.2 billion acquisition is a huge investment and the actual effects remain to be seen, Wang added.

Digitimes Research senior analyst Mingchi Kuo pointed out that WebOS is one of the very few platforms that enable smooth multi-tasking, and it is suitable for both smartphones and MIDs. With the deal, HP is likely to make a strong move into the 10-inch and under MID market, he said.

HP is currently using Windows 7, Android and Meego in the development of its line of Slate tablet PCs, but all three operating systems have their weaknesses – Windows 7's fast battery consumption, Android's low resolution, and Meego is not market ready, Kuo said, and hence it's logical for HP to want to build a platform of its own.

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Company HP buys Palm. Officially, but there are questions Tweet

The company Of hewlett-Packard officially declared about the acquisition of the producer of the cell phones of the company Of palm. This event did not become complete unexpected contingency, although HP into the number of basic aspirants to the inheritance “sick person” was not registered. By main potential buyers were called Taiwan company HTC and their Chinese competitors from the corporations Of lenovo and Huawei. Nevertheless HP, precisely, hp let out official press release about the acquisition Of palm. The sum of transaction are evaluated at 1,2 billion dollars or $5.70 per share. Transaction was approved by the boards of directors of both companies simultaneously. Its end takes place on July 31, 2010, when for HP ends the current block.

To this transaction attention already was meanwhile drawn both from the side of the market, which reacted by the corresponding increase in the stock price Of palm (+26.13%) and from the side of the owners of actions. The greatest interest appeared the group Of elevation Of partners, which put in the middle of 2007 into Palm $460 of mln. and it can obtain now to 485 millions from HP. Meanwhile law firm Finkelstein Of thompson LLP studied the explanation of the adequacy of the price of the real market value of company proposed. According to their data, in September last year one action of the company Of palm was evaluated at $17.46, but at the present moment - about $14. last figure however is not indisputable, since it is undertaken from information of those given by the unnamed market analyst. Very fact of the investigation Of finkelstein Of thompson LLP cannot lead to the disruption of transaction, but it can demonstrate they acquired or by losses at sale Of palm its shareholders.

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