HP placed themselves in the spotlight recently, but unfortunately for them, it didn’t involve anything related to their wonderful and eclectic mix of consumers products. The abrupt resignation of ex-CEO Mark Hurd might’ve given the company some face time in the media, however, things might shift once again after news surfaced regarding a webOS powered tablet. There was an all-hands employee meeting held yesterday when Personal Systems Group VP, Todd Bradley, mentioned some interesting news surrounding a new project that’s commencing and is being referred to internally as “Hurricane.” This project is reported to be the all too knowing webOS powered tablet which will bypass the busy holiday season and make its launch some time in Q1 2011 – which we’d imagine would provide them ample time getting this fine tuned and ready for the competition. Since they’re going to miss out on the important holiday season, the bar will naturally be set a bit higher since they’re already in the process of completing webOS 2.0 – which is something that’ll hopefully breathe in some new life to the once fledgling platform.
source: Engadget via Unwired View

Regardless or not we’ll end up seeing some kind of new hardware from Palm this year, it’s not stopping developers from fine tuning and enhancing apps created for the platform. It’s evident in the most recent release of the Facebook app for webOS version 1.2.30 beta which continues to emulate the desktop experience on a mobile level. Although this isn’t a groundbreaking update, it does add some new features such as the support for selectable news feeds, toggling feed comments on/off, and the ability to clear multiple notifications at the same time. In addition, you’ll find the customary amount of enhancements and bug fixes to better the overall experience. Since it’s not yet available to download through the App Catalog, you can basically just click the source link to get yourself a copy of the update.
source: Palm via Palm’s Facebook

With the final details being ironed out between Palm and HP, some are still questioning whether or not the long time smartphone maker would even have an inkling of making another webOS powered handset in the near future. As we moved pass the anniversary of the Palm Pre’s launch with Sprint, Palm’s handset offerings are starting to look a bit stale when we see other contemporary handsets outshine the luster that once accompanied the Pre. During a developers webinar hosted by AT&T, there was a Palm rep that let slip out some interesting news regarding their plans for future devices. One would’ve imagined that HP would be in control and use their strength to bring about a handset quickly to the market, however, it would seem as though there is going to be a substantial gap between now and the time we see any new hardware come out. When asked if there were plans to release new devices this year, a Palm representative at the webinar said, “I’m not allowed to talk about future roadmaps, especially because we’re in the process of being acquired by HP, so I can’t say. But yes we have a road map. We are working on future devices. And [a] new version of the OS. So I think, you’re going to find the next year very exciting.” Naturally there would be a lot of people filled with excitement over this, but their choice of saying ‘the next year,” can dash some hopes seeing that it could be roughly a twelve month time frame before something is seen. Thankfully it doesn’t mean just one single handset is in the works as they mentioned specifically that they’re working on future devices.
via PreCentral

In an effort to continue providing webOS users the best experience, Facebook Beta version 1.2.5 for the platform is now available for the taking and fixes some issues that sometimes plague users. Naturally the arrival of notifications kept users well-informed as they casually run other apps on the platform, but for some odd reason, some users complained about problems regarding viewing photos from notifications. Thankfully the update addresses that issue and includes support to tag photos, like them, and the ability to comment them as well. Needless to say that the update may not be ground breaking, but it surely shows the commitment in fine tuning the app to provide users a simple and versatile mobile solution for their Facebook fix.
source: Facebook via PreCentral

The Palm Pre isn’t going to be the sole webOS offering on O2 UK’s web site as the Plus models have finally invaded the turf. O2 UK customers can now take part in the pleasures of owning either the Palm Pre Plus or Pixi Plus that of course offers a tad better overall experience. From the looks of it, customers won’t be looking to pay that much out of their pockets immediately as it’s available for free on most monthly plans offered by the wireless carrier. The timing is just about right as we’re closing in on that one year anniversary since the very first webOS handset by Palm was released to the world. However, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of sales O2 UK will be having with these two latest smartphones.
via PreCentral

It was back in October when we first received wind about some alternate version of the Palm Pre, dubbed back then as the Palm Pre II, heading over to O2 some time. Well, it could somehow be related to the just recently announced Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus which will be heading to O2. The timing of discontinuing the purchase of additional Palm Pre units makes sense now that these two Plus models are within grasp for O2 customers. Palm’s chairman and chief executive officer Jon Rubinstein said, “We are excited to bring Pre Plus and Pixi Plus to the market for O2 customers. With the choice of these two new Palm webOS phones, customers across the UK can stay connected, so they never miss a thing.” Set with a release date of May 28th, the day will soon be here for those customers looking at a chance to grab two of the latest devices to hit the market – still, there is no official word surrounding its pricing.
source: Palm via Tracy & Matt’s Blog

Palm webOS owners are surely getting their fix of social networking thanks to the Facebook app which was launched not too long ago, but now we’re getting treated to yet another minor update. Version 1.2.1 of the Facebook app is now available for download which essentially fixes some bugs that have arisen since the last release. So if you’ve been taking in all of the pleasures that come along with the convenient mobile app, then you’d better get yourself situated with this latest software update to iron out those kinks seen with the application – you can simply launch the Updates app to get the phone to check for the latest update.
source: Palm

Have you been seeing issues with Palm’s App Catalog recently where you have been experiencing the inability to download or update apps? For those who actually purchased an app and think that the whole transaction was botched, you can rest easily knowing that the purchase has been recorded on their end so you can download it properly once Palm irons out some of the kinks. In their statement, Palm is in the process of trying to resolve the issue and users can expect to see certain apps to work properly sooner than others – so you’ll just have to sit back a bit and try and again at a later time if it doesn’t work right now. If you really want to know all the latest updates surrounding the process, you can check out the Official Palm Blog or their Twitter account for all the latest news regarding the resolution.
source: Official Palm Blog via Phonescoop

As HP and Palm continue to figure things out, it looks like one of the first things to develop out of the acquisition is a speculated webOS powered tablet. Even though the HP Slate was unveiled back during CES without much fanfare, the recent news about it getting axed raised an eye especially after HP’s buyout of Palm went through. Now there are rumors according to an insider over at HP that a new webOS tablet, going by the code name HP Hurricane, is in the works right now and could see a launch some time during Q3 of this year – which isn’t too far away from now. There is no denying that webOS is still a decent looking and viable platform that could see a major overhaul in the next few months as things look to steady over at Palm land. Without much hesitation, it’ll be interesting to see how this will end up as we continue to see a steady stream of competition around the tablet market in the coming months. We’ll see if there is some validity to these rumors as we wait and see how things turn out between Palm and HP.
source: The Examiner

With a week left to go, Vodafone customers in Spain can expect to see the Palm Pixi Plus to officially make landfall on May 10. Generally we’d see its bigger brother, the Palm Pre Plus, accompany its release, but unfortunately this will not be the case. So for right now, it looks like the Palm Pixi Plus can soak up much of the webOS attention in Spain as it’ll be the sole offering. Katie Mitic, Palm’s senior vice president for Product Marketing said, “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. With Pixi Plus, customers across Spain will be able to get more done by staying connected and never missing a thing.” With the Palm Pre Plus clearly missing in action this time around, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of sales the Pixi Plus can muster up without its big brother taking away much of the spotlight.
source: Business Wire via Engadget