Palm teases new webOS hardware with extreme close-up video (Update x2) 188
That image you see above? That's one of (presumably) four corners of some new webOS hardware. We're seeing black, rounded edges, glass, and some subtle buttons. In other words, it looks like the industrial design here doesn't seem too far from webOS devices of old. Our hunch is that this is a phone, not a tablet, but really your guess is as good as ours.
We're also seeing what looks to clearly be a ringer switch and perhaps a speaker grille next to what is presumably a power toggle switch. There's a unicorn in there as well (ok, we had to stare pretty hard to see that last one). What do you, dear reader, see?
Think Beyond is in one week. We'll be there live and we promise that we'll pan out a bit when we take our photos.
Update: Another preview video shows mainly the same details, but we have a shot of a camera. This looks like a slider mechanism and looking at the camera, this smells a little like a next-gen phone in a Pre-like form factor. Image after the break.
Update 2: They've slightly altered their tagline for the event, adding "Think Ahead" to the mix:
Thing [sic - from their YouTube video] big. Think small. Think ahead. Think beyond. February 9th, 2011
More images and the video itself after the break!
via Palm Blog
188 Comments
OK, now HP is just messing with us.
this is GOOD, they're creating the hype this platform needs. way to go!
I'd be willing to bet they know what they are doing. ;)
AWW!!! Its like trying to snatch a candy bar from a friend who just bought it for you!!! They are soo nice but sooo Mean!!! I dont know weather to be happy or angry at them.... Palm if your reading this, slap ur self in the dace right now!
That nub is clearly an antenna. Treo 650 lives!
Screw your Treo 650, I want a Treo 180g
Screw your Treo 180g... I want a Palm VII!
My Treo 90 is still working - a great PDA!
I had a pre-production VII, and it was sweet. Also had the PDQ when that came out.
naw i was thinkin silent switch
OMG that is awesome way to get attention! What a tease!
Ok.. now, this is just plain not right, on so many levels..
But, I love it!
Very nice lines!
Also the crease down the middle seems to indicate a slider.
Thats what I was thinking... but you dont tease a dog with a bone! they might bite!
yep very much what i was thinking. Sadly i'm not that fond of sliders and physical keyboards anymore. Looks to me like this is very much the same form factor as the Pre. The camera is in the same spot, the buttons seem to be in in the same spot. that said the buttons are their in on most smartphones, probably cause it caters to right handers. Curiously no flash which was actually a one of the things i liked when deciding on the pre. i think the third pick strikes me as maybe the battery cover release button.
Thats just messed up... why tease us like that?!
Well I like the rounded look, obviously (as a pre owner).
It's a slider. now here's hoping that it's portrait and not landscape.
That video is the new benchmark for a technology Cock Tease.
The five holes in the back might have something to do with the new Touchstone v2. Heck, I'm just guessing.
Dude that's exactly what I thought. It looks a contacts for a dock too though so I really don't know
Nope, its the charging port door. guaranteed.
"That's one of (presumably) four corners"
Haha. It could be a THREE corner device. Thinking outside the "box"
What if the Topaz is a 7" device... IN DIAMETER?!
sweet.
I just changed my pants. Back to work on some new apps for these new devices.
Oddly reminds me of the Xbox 360 controller with shoulder bumpers / buttons
Haha This is wrong!! I want Feb 9th!!!!
Loving the smooth look they are going for and i think we will see a keyboard!!!
What a line! I'm already in love.
But before we go further, let me see what you have inside!
OMG the new HP phone has a ringer switch!!!! And a speaker!!!! And a POWER BUTTON! .......... Show me a front-facing camera and I might care.
I don't understand the fascination with a front-facing camera. Is it so you can take pictures of yourself to post on facebook with duck lips?
it's so you can video chat
Do people really video chat that much?
I did one time on my laptop. It was kind of stupid.
Maybe not but is becoming a common place super-spec. You (super) smartphone pretty much has to have it.
Probably not without a front camera...
+1 front facing camera. same here.
not too sure I like the big bottons but hey it's still pretty cool
Any power button that's easier to press than the pre's works for me.
thats a 3d parallex slider you are seeing hp 3d baby
I would be so disappointed if they put any manpower into developing a 3D parallax display. That salary/brain could have been used for anything!
Couldn't the crease simply indicate a removable back and not necessarily a slider?
It might have a removable portrait slider keyboard. Ive always thought about having a slate with a detaching portrait kb in back whenever i need it.
I am liking the look here.
I really hope I am not let down by Sprint not offering a new phone with webOS. I had a launch-day pre, and I am on my 4 device after the originally lasting over a year. These refurbs are crap...
I just cannot see myself using android as I get extremely frustrated by the cluster F*** of a UI that is on it when ever I actively try to use my friend's or sisters.
I am not feeling optimistic for Sprint, but I hope I am shown otherwise.
+2 Android is trash. I have a Sprint Hero. I will be all over a new Sprint Palm phone!
but I hope I am shown otherwise.
you will be. ;-)
I hope your right... I need to be shown otherwise also!!!
HaHaHa, I Love The Tease. I Love The New Tone In HP / Palm. Its Good To Know That They At Least Have Enough Focus On webOS and It Product To Tease Us. I Bet All Those Who Have Been Bashing HP For The Past Few Months Are Starting To Think They Were Wrong.
Your text makes it impossible to read what you've said.
Sorry To Hear That.
I don't see how this totally cancels out the past stuff they have done to be bashed.
This isn't a teen movie where the chick takes off her glasses and suddenly she is hot and popular.
Based on the past 2 years (almost) since the Pre was released, Palm and HP (mostly Palm) failed. This is their chance for redemption.
If you are covered in crap and clean it up, that doesn't mean you were never covered in crap...just that you are clean now.
That said...I am slightly optimistic about the future based on recent events. Come on Feb 9th.
uhhhh. What?
Who said it cancels out the past? Can we just accept that this is a different way of approaching the release of a device, and it shows a knack for generating buzz?
Some people you just can't please.
I hate to insult your intelligence but if you read the thread, then you would realize that my reply was regarding this comment - "I Bet All Those Who Have Been Bashing HP For The Past Few Months Are Starting To Think They Were Wrong."
I have been very critical (some people could call it bashing) and I'm not suddenly wrong because they seem to have started to actually taken some positive steps.
If you would have read further you would have noted that I said - That said...I am slightly optimistic about the future based on recent events. Come on Feb 9th.
please find different adjectives. so tired of 'OMG' and 'awesome'...
Fan-freaking-tastic?
looks like there is no LED-Flash or something for the camera anymore...? but thats one hell of a tease. I like it.
The Flash Could Be On The Right Side Of That Mesh Next To Camera. I Hope They Didnt Remove The Flash.
I hope so, too. Used the flash as a flashlight numerous times.
yuup... honestly i dont think i would buy a phone without a flash now. that would b ridic if they removed it.
We have seen roughly 8% of the device, there is not enough info to establish what isn't there.
I just got a gadget erection
12345
OK, stop it! You are telling us something without telling us anything aren't you? Is this a clue? There are 5 'dots' in that one photo...looks sort of like a switch, but may be a special port of some kind. Come on, out with it man! We CAN handle the truth! :)
I think that's a speaker myself. that's sorta what iphone, ipad speakers look like,
please don't release a slider in a world dominated by (popular) slab devices. Now don't get me wrong, I lovemy pre and I wouldn't mind a pre 3 someday but damn. We've had the pre-,pre+ and pre 2 already. Lets face it, outside of those of us with a version of the pre. There just isn't that much of a demand of this design. I mean even RIM can't sell the design with their blackberry faithful.
slabs are weaksauce.. pre form factor has always been a win
/agree.
If sliders are passe, tell that to the new htc evo shift, samsung slider, att/BB that mimics the pre, etc. There are quite a few new sliders out and coming out.
I for one like that because you get the KB, but it's not in your face 24/7
i'm with you. i'm in the slab camp now.
- i'm with you. i'm in the slab camp now. -
...then you have plenty of choices - most of us bought the Pre because we actually LIKED the design, and we don't want a big, boring, flat slab,(IMO that's what a tablet is for),
That said, I think there WILL be a webOS slab - in addition to a tiny Pixy, and re-booted Pre.- double rainbows for everyone!!!
The problem is that not enough people bought the Pre, and I know from comments from family that one reason was the portrait keyboard. I'm sure it worked extremely well for you, but there are many who felt it was too cramped.
Curious how this comment rates a -1? Someone apparently gets hurt feelings from my family's opinions.
I wonder what kind of people like slabs. Don't they realize all slabs are like all look-alike clones ? No design thoughts enter in making these slabs. Just take a rectangular kitchen sink and throw a bunch of latest pieces of hardwares and there you have it, your latest piece of slab meat, oh sorry, a phone !
The latest design of this HPalm device could be like a flip-phone, or a folio-type folding phone, who knows! But hopefully not a meaningless slab clone.
And I want Verizon to release Pre 2 ASAP. With HP webOS 2.0.1 it can challenge any smartphone in the world on user satisfaction.
Keyword(s): User satisfaction.
My roommate just got a Pixie Plus to replace his (yes, his) broken Eris, and he loves it. I don't think he had any clue how nice the OS is.
the key to market dominance is having options. Last time i checked, there are several android sliders fairing pretty well.
the portrait slider is a tough sell, but its important to have something for everyone. Unless of course your apple; then people will alter their needs to fit the product.
Tell me how many of those sliders you speak of are of the landscape variety? You might be thinking of something like the original droid or epic 4G. Those are landscape sliders. While I agree that options will help. A sexy slab is what will be the talk of the town. The pre style slider and keyboard limits the device imho. If they make the screen 3.5" or higher and its a landscape slider. The weight of the device would be very uneven. Also if they make the keyboard larger to go with the screen. The device will be fat and long as hell. On top of that the media will kill HP if they announce anything like a pre. Imagine it, all the articles will bring up all the past faults with the original pre.
There are already dozens of slab phones on the market, another slab phone won't impress anyone. Personally I like the type-with-one-hand-without-looking vertical hardware keyboard, as well as the smaller pocket-friendly size.
But anyway I'm sure slab-fans can relax. They said they are releasing 6 phones in 2011, and I highly doubt they will all look like pres and pixis. I'd say the chances that one is a boring slab phone with a huge screen is pretty effin likely.
There are already dozens of slabs because the slab is a good design...
Is that a dedicated camera button???
Edit: Nevermind, it's a silencer switch and a power button. Nicer hardware. That's a rear camera in a Pre-like layout, says I :).
Where is the pic of the camera??? And by the pic above, that is auto-focus right?
I hope it is not a slider, hope it is slab like EVO.
They said they are releasing 6 phones in 2011. I doubt they are all sliders so you can relax. This one however is probably a slider.
Right next to the camera looks like a big speaker grill that is centered. I think this is a phone with a slider. Has to be.
Many none smartphone users hate vkbs and even many smartphone users also dont like them. I dont think they will release a none keyboard without atleast having a good keyboarded one.
I've found that on all virtual keyboards other than the Pre's homebrew one and the ridiculously bad Maemo keyboard, I am faster than on the Pre's physical keyboard. The vertical slider is a bad design due to that you don't get any more space from it than you would from just typing on the screen, and you have to push down on the keys. Unless you're not looking, a good touchscreen keyboard, on a 3.5+ inch screen is vastly superior to any hardware keyboard. I've found that even on most androids with hardware keyboards, I end up just using the software keyboard. My understanding is that the Pre's keyboard is just a responce to everyone panning the iPhone on its inception due to the lack of keyboard, and I think that to an extent, that's why it had the multitasking to begin with; to beat apple at their game.
While I have to agree on speed, my messages never have errors, as where my Evo owner friends always have awful auto-corrections because they have no tactical feedback.
Looks like a Pre 2.x. I really hope we are not going to see another small screen phone.
Also very concerned about lack of flash... Can we tell if this lens has auto focus?
That's the same corner, shot 3 different angles...
I'm really intrigued by the 5 metal spots. magnetic/touch connector for touchstone2? I'd love to see it be a nice i/o external connector akin to ipod/iphone connector that hardware manufacturers can use to develop peripherals.
That piece looks to be a solid piece imbedded in a groove, meant to slide in either direction. Fancy volume control? Other bidirectional control?
I think there is more than 1 device included in these pictures. The device in the top photo appears to have a flat back (front?). Guessing that's a pad/slate. The photo w/the camera is more likely a new phone.
Why must they tease us like that?! Good marketing ploy though!
Pre-like form factor! YES!!!
My pocket wants it that way.
As for my sofa, it wants a tablet.
*puts on his best deep 70's Unboxing Porn Voice* Yeah baby, bring it on....
cool.
Think ahead?? As in "released in the coming months..."? Please nooooo.
Thats exactly what I was thinking.. :( Sure hope not!
If they give me a badass new webOS phone to play with in the meantime, I could care less what they have baking in the oven.
Looks like a slider mechanism. Actually it all looks pretty much like a pre, just more robust I guess. That's exactly the right form factor for me. I love what I see.
Oh my gosh! I am excited... PLEASE be on Sprint!
SWEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTT!
Another river pebble? Sure looks like another smooth stone. Maybe a David/Goliath theme?
5 pins on the side: magnetic connectr for usb/charging, like the apple laptops.
When I saw the picture I said oh that can't be good, but when you mention the MagSafe like connection I immediately got excited! That would be sweet if you had the choice between Touchstone, Palm's own MagSafe, and MicroUSB for charging.
This looks like a slider, and that makes me sad. Very sad.
OK so where to I go wait in line? *rounds up camping supplies*
Thanks for the hint, HP (seriously, no sarcasm intended!) But be a slab, or die.
Ok, so where do I need to go wait in line??? *gets camping gear ready*
Oh that would be way cooler then a usb port and no worries about stupid cover thing breaking
SWEEET! can't wait.
(ps. they're laying it on thick, eh?)
SWEEET! can't wait.
(ps. they're laying it on thick, eh?)
if the new #WebOs devices are not available on @sprint... They just might lose me as a customer. I have been with @sprint since 1997 #justsayin
All I know is that camera better have a flash. It's 2011 for god's sake... otherwise pretty sweet looking so far...
a flash was one of the reasons i decided on a pre. now my tastes have changed but that was a big plus at the time. and don't forget iphone didnt' have one then.
Very true, I remember that. And that was one of the reasons I didn't like the iphone (I had several more). But I just think that in this day and age you shouldn't NOT include one. I had a BB 8530 for a while and I hated that about it. Especially coming from a 8330 that had one. For some people it's probably not a big deal but as I've started taking more and more photos with my phone I've found at least having the option makes a different. And really wouldn't it be a step backwards for it not have one? Imagine if Apple came out with the iPhone 5 and decided it didn't need a flash.
I've found that on a phone, flash is a terrible idea.
That said, having a built in flashlight is one of the most ingenious things ever. A flashlight is one of those things that I would certainly take everywhere if it weren't so darn big, and having it built into my phone, taking up maybe a cubic millimetre of space is insanely convenient, especially with the Device Menu Maxed Out Ultra patch.
It's definately worth it for that one time you're on the seventieth floor of an office building with nothing on you but your phone, and the lights go out..
Agreed. Mostly. I like having a flash on my camera phone. And I also use the flashlight on my current phone a lot more than I ever thought I would. I'm remaining cautiously optimistic...
If Apple decided iPhone 5 didn't need a flash we would still see record breaking numbers of people waiting to get one.
i would bet money that it has a flash, the image is just such a close up of the camera itself, and the flash could be well below the camera or off to the side of the speaker
I'm hoping...
Big buttons and kinda fatty lookin.. I hope it blows my socks off but idk this looks like some kind of game controller.
SWEEET! can't wait.
(ps. they're laying it on thick, eh?)
Oh hell YES I hope that is a portrait slider!!!
that nub,button looks like the kind of button on a watch worlds smallest phone maybe as stated earlier I think these pics are more than one device
all i can say is that it is a slab and has 4" display, webOS needs big screen.
Love the tease. This next week is going to take forever waiting in the 7th to get here. Please give us a different shot everyday till then.
Not a whole lot revealed but I like the even seams of the corner of device and smooth buttons. Those are the small details that cost-cutting forgets. Like sharp Pre (-) edges or wonky power buttons. Good start to new webOS devices. Next week will be great.
Where do i put the bread?
It's the Pre 2+... the same as the Pre2 except with slight changes to the outside and an extra 8 GB of memory.
Coming to Verizon in the coming months...
It's a WATCH! Look at it closer! (okay, I'm just making that up). Cool though. Oh hey look... Mr. Apotheker wanted us to think of HP as cool and I think that they're right on target. Cool tease.
6 MORE DAYS!!!! Too bad my contract expires in November...
the phone looks like another pre..if so then it's a waste. No flash? The phone looks fat as hell by todays standards.
i bet the one knob makes the slider slide out like on nokia 8110 in matrix 1.
that.
whould.
be.
it.
Dear HP/Palm employee who came up with the idea of this teaser video,
BRAVO!
This is pure marketing genius. Because the video is so short, it's going to get a ton of views on YouTube. People are going to refresh it many times trying to see the details of the new hardware. Those views are going to push the video up the YouTube Most Played list which will get HP more exposure.
Sincerely and gratefully yours,
Dan
Are we positive it is a phone?
Shiny. Want.
C'mon folks, how exciting is this?! When was the last time we webOS faithful got all giddy about new devices? I've got my snarky, "Apple-will-soon-be-scramblin'-to-catch-up" face and response ready for Feb 10th! And I haven't even begun to work on what I'm gonna do when I have these bad boys on my person.
As the ghetto hero and hairstylist, Kevin Antoine Dodson might say (and subsequently have Autotuned), "So you can run and FaceTime & Retina Display THAT, homeboy!"
It was absolutely not possible to do close ups on the Pre Classic/Minus. I looked at the hardware and it looked like cheap plastic.
If this video is really macro instead of 3d modeled, @#$%ing great news!
keybord ??
Sold!
Does anyone else think that the 5 metal pins could be something like the mag-safe power adapter on macs?
This is what I'm talking about. Get some hype going for whatever this may be. I'm already liking the HP marketing team (or whomever they're using).
This tease alone is leaps and bounds better than the entire "creepy-lady" Palm Pre marketing campaign.
Is it Feb 9th yet? :)
Now the nay sayers and doubters begin to jump back on the band wagon. Will anyone have live video coverage? Will there be videos of any type? Dieter? Derek? Someone?
I expect photos but I would to see videos if possible.
Thank you for the tease - my internal clock is counting down to the 9th. I do have one concern, however:
Today, Fox News Corp released a rather brilliant app - The Daily - for iPhone.
Android event showed partnership with CNN.
So - are we going to get stuck with an HPalm MSNBC partnership because that will be the end of my WebOS experience.
I didn't read all the comments but I'm sure someone see what I see. Another Pre? come on people can't you see it? the Cam by it self says it all...No? oh well tic toc Feb 9th can't come any sooner
Thinking outside the box here. Due to the lack of flash surrounding that lens, is it possible we're looking at a 3d camera, or one of the lenses (require 2 I think) for said 3d camera?
Good thing they put a period after "Think Beyond." For a second there I thought it said "Think Beyond February 9, 2011", as in the coming months.
Obviously a phone. What's the deal with the 5-button patch on the side that someone mentioned? Is that some way of making a capacitive USB interface? Hadn't heard about that.
Trolls will not have any effect on my thrill seeing that. Really nice to see HP doing a little viral buzz-making before the event on the 9th.
My prediction: no matter what they announce on the 9th, we'll see droid and iThing trolls (on this site dedicated to the Pre & WebOS) hollering about it not being exactly what they demanded.
Has anyone looked into how much folks use a front-facing camera? I could see it as a novelty item, or if I was a hardcore Skyper that REALLY needed to video chat while on the bus. "Hey! I'm onna bus! And you can see my face!!".
Anyway, there will be more than one device announced, and who's to say there won't be a FF-Camera on one?
True, HP's Palm does not have huge mindshare, but they've got DEEP mindshare among those happy few of us who've used their gadgets for years. Remember, this was how Apple started its march toward becoming the next IBM/Microsoft.
Kudos to HP for taking this seriously. They've got the deep pockets for it, brilliant engineers and industry connections. Long live The Company Formerly Known as Palm!
Very close tolerances in the build. Is this METAL that we are looking at? Could it really be?
I think the gap is to thin for a slider. Please give us a tablet FF phone with a big screen. Puleeeez.