New webOS device codenames discovered in webOS 2.0 Doctor? 124
PreCentral member and WebOS Internals extraordinaire Destinal took a dig through the webOS Doctor (basically, the ROM image for restoring a webOS device) from SFR for webOS 2.0 and has uncovered some references to devices that we haven't seen before.
There's the roadrunner, of course, which we now know as the Palm Pre 2, but we also have a few "newer devices" for the rumor mill:
- broadway. There have been rumors of a Pixi 2 associated with this codename - as we previously reported
- windsor
- mantaray
- stingray
if ((machineType.contentEquals("broadway")) ||
(machineType.contentEquals("windsor")) ||
(machineType.contentEquals("mantaray")) ||
(machineType.contentEquals("stingray")) ||
(machineType.contentEquals("roadrunner")))
{ this.flasherLogger.logPrintln("temporarily not
restoring logs for newer devices");
Three of these are mentioned in something called the "A6UpdateStage" and having an "A6," which seems to related to some piece of internal hardware:
if ((!machineType.contentEquals("broadway")) &&
(!machineType.contentEquals("windsor")) &&
(!machineType.contentEquals("mantaray"))) {
reporter.commentOnJob(this.jobId,
"Not updating A6 firmware: no A6 on the device");While we're not quite as sure as we'd like to be about those "Mansion" rumors from earlier, it's nice to see some hints that on new devices coming - presumably with plenty of input from HP's hardware team.
Source: webOS Internals IRC Logs. Thanks Destinal!
124 Comments
C'mon HP, lets get this party started!
Correct me if I'm wrong. WebOS2.0 was in works before the buyout. IF so why would threre be names of new HP Devices in webOS2.0 code?
Pre 2s did not ship until after the buyout, so it isn't inconceivable that they updated the OS after that time, as well.
Software can change MUCH easier than hardware just before a launch.
Maybe these aren't names of new hardware. Maybe these are names of developers virtual machines
Hanging out in #webos-internals is a good way to know what's what, I hear.
I Love this ;)
Don't we always love speculations?!
BTW; I thought Roadrunner was reported seen in logs with a higher resolution
The name shown was "Roadrunner HD". Pre2 is just "Roadrunner".
yup yup
Well duh, now hp need to release em!
A6? That's 2 more than the A4 in the iPhone!
"I want the one with more gee-bees!"
I want the one with more bee-gees!
I want the white one...
Does it have the wifis?
"I don't care."
Stingray? That's a slap in the face to Steve Erwin.
Yeah, and after all the work his wife and kids did to exterminate the species from the planet, you'd think people would be more considerate and continue the ongoing removal of the stingray from all recorded history.
Wha. . .?
Gee, I had no idea he worked for Palm. How insensitive of Palm to dishonor one of their most famous employees!
Is it too soon?
It's about 18.3 years too soon.
Or the C2 and C3 Corvettes...
WTF is Steve Erwin?
Crocodile finder who was killed by a stingray while on vacation with his family.
you could have googled his name and found out instantly... and u are on a technology thread? im astonished! AND you dont even know who he is. come out from under your rock every once in awhile haha
As mentioned in the article, looks like broadway has a pixi-like resolution (320x400), so more a phone form factor than a tablet.
Also A6 may be ARM Cortex-A6 (as opposed to ARM Cortex-A8 in the pre) -- maybe a secondary processor of some kind? Of course this would indicate that if broadway is pixi2 (may or may not be) that it's significantly different architecturally from pixi.
The way I read that second block of code "broadway", "windsor", and "mantaray" do not have the A6 on the device. Therefore it would be "stingray" and "roadrunner" that do have the A6.
Notice the ! before the checks for these three model codes, it's saying: if not broadway and not windsor and not mantaray, skip A6 flashing (we don't have an A6)
Therefore, broadway, windsor, and mantaray are the only ones that currently HAVE an A6 as of this doctor release.
How about something simpler:
A6 = ASIC or an ARM v6 instruction set?
I doubt that is the case. I mean I would understand Broadway as the logs that've been seen say it is the same resolution as the Pixi (therefore making it look like it is a Pixi2). But I don't know why they'd have a second (or even third) ARMv6 CPU when that is highly dated.
yeah that processor is highly outdated and i dont know why we are even talking about it.
I was thinking the same thing. But why don't I see an A6 listed on ARM's website?
I mention processors in another posting. It dissapointed me to have this called the Pre 2 and utilize the just release Texas Instruments technology, with accomodating split-views and non-touch gesture capability, as well other new enhancements.
The phone itself is wider as well. The gorilla glass was a joke played on the company to add something unsophisticated to a sophisticate phone. There is nothing wrong with the durable plastic on this one. It was trickery 101 . Apple said they would use so Palm went out and used it. We still will enjoy it. Though even the added bulk without a screen enlargement makes the phone look ridiculous as if the 1ghz processor added to the payload. Hopefully HP will make future arrangements for the WebOS line of phones.
lol that's a nice lil image yu got there but on another note at this rate their goin to tear 2.0 apart b4 it's even released it's not gone be one piece of code left untouched lol I like that tho keep up the gud work
Interesting. I'm finding this quite encouraging. As long as some of those are on Sprint I'll be happy.
Hmm...an A6 envelope is: 4 3/4" x 6 1/2"
Kind of an odd shape for a phone or pad, IMO.
Relevant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPYb5pJmP5E#t=8m51s
I googled A6 Firmware. First hit is here: http://mp4nation.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19054
Perhaps an iPod like device running webOS?
Wonder which one is the sprint 'super phone' that WebOS World is reporting??? That they chose to skip over the Pre 2. Just waiting for that 4G!
A6 = 6-axis geomagnetic module? Maybe a WebOS device will get a compass.
that is what I thought, which is a good idea considering rod found this in WebOS 2.0:
http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pre-2/267778-pre-2-webos-doctor-availa...
it is a geomagnetic module with 6 degrees of freedom. (6 axis)
Is the A6 the keyboard?
Stingray and Mantaray ...? Slab smartphone and tablet ...?
Precisely what I was thinking. Or maybe the stingray could be a standard slab for other carriers and the manta-ray could be a big EVO-like 4G phone for Sprint. Fingers crossed! I will admit, I could not hold out with this old sprint pre and got a EVO, but I will switch immediately when they release a webOS phone exactly like the EVO(physical keyboards don't fly with me anymore, plus I love the front camera and big screen and 4G). It is tough sometimes living with android..... I have been working a little everyday trying to get webOS at least booted on the EVO......drivers....ugh....
A6=Keyboard!
Good work Watson..
So if
1) Roadrunner = small and fast bird = Pre2
and
2) Broadway = wide street = Pixi (per prior reports)
My guess of what the other codename translations may be:
Windsor = big ole castle = PalmPad
Mantaray = big flying fish = Palm's large phone (4" or more)
Stingray = stinging fish = Palm's mid-sized phone (>3.1" to
I would take the stingray please, as long as it would be close to the 4" size like 3.5-3.8
1) The Stingray has always been my favorite design of all the Corvettes.
2) I prefer the current design over the landscape keyboard design like the one that won the Future webOS Device contest.
Here's hopping Stingray=Pre style with larger screen (
i'm with you and jlcamp, I hope Stingray is the approx 3.5" phone with keyboard. Plus, it would be a good REAL name for the phone model, too!
Word from a reliable source is that windsor will not see the light of day, so that would tend to rule out it being a palmpad.
Word from a reliable source is that windsor will not see the light of day, so that would tend to rule out it being a palmpad.
I haven't really been getting too disheartened, since I still love my overclocked release day pre, but this is really exciting to finally see something that possibly looks like real deal info and not just my second brothers cousins dog told me stuff.... I think bringing out multiple form factors at different levels in a quick fashion (like android) is gonna be key to finally getthing the rest of the world to experience the amazing world of webOS.
I understand about keeping things under wraps, but I do think it's a little eccentric that we have to go to these type of lengths to get any type of info, however if it wasn't for the openness of of webOS we wouldn't get this type of info in the first place.
Um, that's the Pre 3. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris take one out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.
Thats insane!!! Word gets around fast!
I suppose when I tell someone it will be
The P|C poster x I m t c's best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris take one out at 31 Flavors last night. Must be serious.
Woo, thats a mouth full
Also, that's what she said.
Nice job. Thank you, Simone.
No problem whatsoever.
Perhaps the best post ever written.
I guess this also adds another peg to hang the earlier rumor that 5-6 devices are being manufactured for Palm on.
If all these devices are phones plus the Pre 2, thats five devices. Then add another code name for the PalmPad and we have six (I am convinced that webOS 2.0 in its current iteration is not whats going on the PalmPad, so I don't think any the code names are associated with it.)
Wow!!! OMG!!!
The tide is about to turn!
This WebOS community Rocks!!!
Patience is a virtue, and please someone send me a decal of this amazing "stingray" logo that I can stick on my "overclocked" Pre.
- I suddenly hear the 70's pop group, Three Dog Night perform their hit single, "Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the Music..." in the background.
lol
this is my first post! :D
I can't wait for some super-end phones, it could be the stepping stone to a very promising future for HP/Palm. Imagine a world where WebOS is top dog and IOS/Android are the ones catching up. I hope with these extra devices more people can see how sexy/intuitive/downright innovative WebOS is.
I know that the Palm/HP pad has been made but rumor to be called project Hurricane. Not sure what fishy details are about that. But I know that one of those codes are for a Palm/HP Pad.
Broadway may also be a landscape phone if the name is taken literally, 'cause if you think about it the Pixi is pretty narrow.
There is a place called Windsor that is famous for its giant castle. The original Pre is known as castle, and this is most likely referring to a giant "castle". So here I believe is the new high-end device.
Mantarays and Stingrays are flat. One of the animals is bigger than the other. This leads me to believe these are the tablets, which will have two sizes.
Should we really look too much into the names? If someone told you Palm was coming out with a new phone codenamed Castle, would you have ever imagined the Pre?
We had no basis to figure out what Castle was, but now that we that basis we can just speculate based on rumors and other accumulated knowledge.
I wouldn't spend more than two minutes on it though; it really could be anything.
Who was it in Palm that alluded to 6 new devices out in early 2011?
By my count, I have the 6:
Mansion
Roadrunner HD
Broadway
Windsor
Mantaray
Stingray
Of course this could be subjective as the count of phones released could also be subjective. For example: would the Roadrunner HD be considered a new device? We couldn't say without knowing our selves, anyhow, so there's a massive gray area but it lines up well.
First we got castles and mansions, now we have sea creatures. Im confuuuuused.
lol maybe they liked sea creatures better
how about the Palm Sea Cucumber anyone?
also, I think the broadway might be a toaster form factor.
sea cucumber sounds like it would be a weird phone :/
edit: what about the palm hammerhead :D
That's for when they option the Twist.
+Pi
So to take the literal look at these names would mean some deep thinking by the designers at HP. But lets look at Android for a sec. FroYo.. Translate that idea literally...
OK, but where are the devices for manatee, seahorse, or seacucumber?
And are all devices waterproof? What about fresh water devices?
Come on HP, get with it!
HaHa
Every day is one day closer he'?... to what you mite ask,.... I dunno I answer
'Doubling down on WebOS'!!!
come on....HP Palm bring it on,lets rock...CES 2011...or chirstmas boxing day surprise...we're getting closer..
Of all the countries to have a "Boxing Day" I would've thought it'd be Mexico.
If you like boxing, here's a good article about the change and future of the sport demographic:
proboxing-fans.com/the-shift-of-power-in-boxing-countries-on-the-way-up-and-on-the-way-down_103110
I always love Palm's code names better than the release names. Except for Calvin. That one wasn't too great. But all of these are way better than the somewhat pretentious and vague sounding "Pre".
The world NEEDS another Pixie. Really. Seriously.
Don't know about you, but the Manta Ray sounds like the device for me.
this is fun speculation. For all the servers I manage, I have a coupe naming conventions (differentiating between Linux and Windows). I do try to have the names be symbolic in some way, but some times I give up finding something symbolic and just choose a random one. These names might mean nothing, or they might mean everything. We just won't know anything until CES (hopefully by then!).
All I know is my wallet is ready and waiting for Palm to announce anything I can buy on either carrier I'm with (or T-Mobile because I'll gladly open an account with them again).
I'm assuming "Castle" is the Palmpad since "Roadrunner" is the pre2. Other than that, I hope these are the 5-6 devices that were contracted by foxconn and the other company (can't remember the name and too lazy to search for it).
On another note, I'm extremely excited that one of my friends now works at Verizon and audits new devices. He told me he gets devices at least a month or two in advance. I know he isn't lying to me because he knows nothing about technology (don't ask me how he qualified for the job) and he told me that the ipads are already getting prepped for verizon. Just last week he updated the software of 8 ipads.
Castle is the codename for the Palm PRE. Has been since Palm made that in 2008 or 2009.
I think I meant "Mansion."
I don't think so.
1) I doubt Mansion exists. If it was leaked to P|C, then it had to have been pretty far along, and it isn't even included here while we've never seen most of the other code names yet they're here. Hmm.
2) The rumored resolution is too small for a slate to sell well -- the iPad is 1024x768, the Galaxy Tab is 1024x600, and 800x480 isn't ever going to sell well on a tablet
3) Mansion sounds like it is more of a follow up to Castle than a whole new device, but we don't know (and check point #1)
Of course, nobody knows but HP/Palm, so we're all just giving speculation at this point (and most of the speculation is not educated guesses but rather just hopeful guesses).
Alright. You won.
Does anybody care that I am a harried executive working in a non profit with no support staff and am in need of my PAlm Pre to be able to invite folks via my calendar as it does on Outlook at my office...am I destined to be ignored becuase I am no high powered ED at some big company.....or some journalist interested in fast feeds? What happened in the world?
Nobody cares.
we all care. That is one of the features I see most in the forums. I hope palm is listening.
*gives stink-eye glance toward palm*
are the forum servers down today?
methinx yes, last post was about an hour ago.
can't help sell Palm Pre's. It's tough to sell to people when competing with Android. Hurry palm before all my customers leave me. I know alot of people waitin 4 new hardware for b4 they buy a Pre. I've converted 4 people from whatever to Palm Pre. 1 is waiting for new hardware... May jump ship to Android-Epic. Lost 1 due to lack of "cool" apps from Palm. Tsk tsk... It's hard to sell when Android's feature list and apps just out right whoop Palm's ass.
Maybe it's a wild guess, but im thinkin Mantaray is a 10" Palmpad, Stringray is a 7", but who knows. I mean think about the size difference, and similar body types, of the actual fish. Maybe I read WAY to into it, but it makes since.
Actually...
webOS 1.4's codename was Albacore, a type of fish.
From what I see, Palm uses fish names for OS codenames, and structures as device codenames.
hmm.. From what I remember, ATT launched with webOS Arak.
Only the Pre had a codename being a structure:
Pre (and Pre+): Castle
Pixi: Pixie
Pre2: Roadrunner
Notice the Pixi is a mythical creature while the Pre2 is an animal.
Also notice how these are (mostly) animals. Seems like it could be a device.
Dear HP/Palm,
There's no way I'm going to shell out for the Palm Pre 2. Overclocking my Sprint Pre with the new 2.0 will be just fine while I wait for your future super-smartphone with a big screen, front and back cameras for video calls, voice dialing, 4G, and everything that will make it an iPhone killer.
If you don't come out with it by this time next year, I will have to say goodbye to my beloved WebOS and go over to the dark side.
Thank you.
And we now return you to your regularly scheduled program of the Speculation Olympics...
This time next year. To Hell with that, I want it by the end of January. Period.
doesnt anybody know if they improved the battery life ? is the pre 2 packing the same battery? anybody got an idea ??
FCC docs said it has a 1150mAh battery, same as the current Pre.
Same battery, but the processor is more efficient and with the services not using Java anymore, the battery life should be 1.5-2x the current battery life.
yeah and its really lame that they did that... i have a 1350 mAh battery in my phone that doesnt take up any extra room than the stock one. palm wtf? that should b the stock battery.
has anyone seen the new hp advert in featuring the new hpalm webos printer series. It was on itv1... I think in the uk. It has a device with white outlines around the screen and gesture area, which then sort of flips into HP logo. WHAT IS THAT DEVICE???
heres a link
You mean this advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5s1QNfXGn4 ?
Those are android tablets/printers. I believe HP had those in development before they bought Palm.
Am I the only person who is thinking that it seems like this code might have been inserted deliberately for folks like WebOS Internals to find? I'm sure these additional devices could have been added to the code when the devices were closer to release. Either this is HP's way of 'leaking' information and building some hype among the enthusiast fanbase or it's some programmer at HP messing with us and having himself a laugh.
I believe this was deliberately left in. After the Pixi was discovered in the original Pre, it seems like they would do a search through all files source code and remove references to future devices.. unless they wanted the info public, of course ;)
The last time they were this silent they came back with like fifty articles and WebOS 2.0 and the Pre 2, soooo maybe they have something new for us to read? One can hope!
happy weekend off precentral! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
It could be that HP/Palm are in fact doing this on purpose. It'd be a great way to build hype amongst us and keep their curret user base happy.
A bit off topic, Is anyone mentioning the lack of voice dial, this is pretty basic for a smartphone. HP is doing alot but there are essentials missing all over. I wrote to the Palm Feedback center on about of a list 10 essential missing calling features. I hope they got them during the transition. For one, missed call. The last call is automatically dialed when tapping the notification. On all phones this brings the users back to the missed call log first and we can all agree you don't want your last call dialed in a list of 7. Again, this direct not even call log entry to the phone book then dial. It dials as if one missed their wifes labor call. There were about 7 others but this is the one is the most crucial. When I was writing this mention, which can been read under the same user name in the Palm community. (cooz0977) It made me realize how ridiculous it was for a Smartphone company to miss basic standards placed by tens reputable cell phone manufacturers for over a decade. I believe its important we keep these to be able to focus on the more entertaining aspect of the phones development.
I was actually banned from Palm community forums later, by a random moderator. I am working with HP Palm to resolve the issue. At this point trying to contact an administrator may have me placed to a major shareholder. There is a huge Gap in the chain of command. The post I was banned for were because they were not technical questions rather insight and input and of course it was by that other Moderator. the handle PDA-Guy says it all, complacent and uniform to a low standard. Let him know not to name his handle after outdated technology. Shouldn't he be the scared one, it is near 2010?
there is a patch for that... preware
Did anyone notice that Verizon no longer has the Pre Plus listed online? How long has that been missing?
these devices look promising...and phone arena already listed them down on the website.Coming soon...omg,can't wait
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/manufacturers/Palm
Well that seems dumb considering that those are only codenames and we know next to nothing about them.
Why would phone arena post that?
Hope they got something from the internal HP Palm...
They know nothing. They're saying the Roadrunner is going to be a slab.
Funny, considering the Pre2 IS THE ROADRUNNER.
They are idiots that just like to spread rumors.
Yup, that's the impression that I got.
@cooz9977- if i am reading your post correctly, you just need to tap to the left of the missed call notification. This will bring you to the missed call log. If you tap in the center it will call back.
Whatever they do, you know that AT&T won't get the one that threatens the iPhone. They'll get the lame one that doesn't threaten the iPhone, or the one with the smallest screen, or the one with no SD Card storage.
Windsor = Tablet
Mantaray = (Superdevice) Pre
Stingray = (Superdevice) Pixi
Broadway = Big non-physical keyboard phone
So one of the most interesting comments here is that A6 is the keyboard controller. I want to confirm that but it makes a lot of sense. A reliable source has stated that windsor is dead (either a stillborn product or an internal only codename), and since we've seen broadway has a 320x400 resolution in web logs, I'm guessing:
mantaray = palmpad
stingray = keyboard handheld device / smartphone
Broadway may be pixi2 or something else, not sure how it not having an A6 but still having such a small resolution fits (again assuming A6 is a keyboard, if not, forget all this :) ) I suppose pixi2 could have a different keyboard, but why?
Of course, if its 320x400 resolution was a lie (and it's looking more and more likely that it IS), *broadway* may be the palmpad...