PreDevCamp Baltimore interviews [Audio] 25
Missed PreDevCamp Baltimore? Duane (duanedude1 in our forums) didn't, and he helpfully brought his recording equipment (and sweet news reporter skills) to the even to talk to the organizers, developers, and presenters at the event. Hit up the file below to hear Duane interview all of the above, including Palm's own Ben Combee, who confirms that webOS 1.4.5 is coming very soon and will bring full-screen PDK support to the Palm Pixi.
(Speaking of, an anonymous tipster has let us know that 1.4.5 has been finalized and went out to carriers for testing and approval last week)
Anyhow, big big ups to Alice Carback for organizing the event, to the developers and presenters in attendance, and to Palm for supporting the whole shootin' match. We'll append the audio to our next PalmCast podcast.
Download it directly with this link
Thanks to duanedude1, who currently rocks a Verizon Palm Pre Plus, although he admits that he almost got a Droid instead. While the green robot's hardware and apps are tempting, he loves the way WebOS works, especially when it comes to multitasking.
Satisfied that he made the right choice, his history with Palm includes a Centro, a Treo 650, and a handful of Palm PDA's before that. He is hopeful that the HP deal will result in a great future for WebOS, one that includes even better smartphones, a robust relationship with developers, and continued awesomeness from the homebrew community.
25 Comments
iPhone 4 is out.. Come on Palm..make your move..
while I am anxiously awaiting the next larger palm device, I believe Palm has learned their lesson in NOT releasing a phone when apple releases theirs. It get's drowned out in the apple cult world... "...palm what?..."
I hope by end of summer when all the iphone hype has died down and all the cultist apple phenoms all have the device and no one else can say "hey look at me with my really cool apple 4 phone" because everyone pretty much saw it already, that's when Palm should release theirs. But I only hope they will knock it out of the park. they just can't bring it up to par with the iphone (or any other phone). they have to surpass it, otherwise it will be obsolete before the end of the year and everyone will ask themselves, "why go to palm when I can do the same with the iphone?" Sure there's carrier differences, but to be honest, I don't even know if Palm will be on Verizon again. After the last shenanigans Verizon pulled and with their full force backing of Android, I don't believe there's going to be many US carriers picking up the new device. I hope Verizon will, but if not, I will leave, even if it means going to sprint.
Yes iPhone 4 is out and now everyone including Palm and HP can make motions in a positive direction.
Can you imagine being in Palms R&D group and sizing up the competition and now being able to update their future plans?
How cool and I'm looking forward to what they bring. Sorli...
hmm.. Thinking about it.. Palm's been highly focused on software this whole year.. Maybe they'll just become a software division of HP.
hmm.. Thinking about it.. Palm's been highly focused on software this whole year.. Maybe they'll just become a software division of HP.
hmm.. Thinking about it.. Palm's been highly focused on software this whole year.. Maybe they'll just become a software division of HP.
If Palm really wanted to knock it out of the park they need to be able to announce:
WebOS 1.4.5 will come with:
Visual Voicemail
Voice Activation
Flash
(for grins... they could also incorporate a decent multitude of the existing patches to add many of the features WebOS is lacking in a real quick fashion)
And to top it off:
The Palm C40 will be released before Christmas and here are the specs!
Ahhh... if only in my dreams I suppose!
I agree palm really needs to step to the plate now. WebOS in my opinion is the best smartphone OS out right now now. Now it's time to pull out all the stops and make the best most powerfully smartphone for webOS to run on. I don't really know about flash on the phone though. Those guys have been stringing palm along for a while now. 1st we were told we would see a beta version of of flash in the fall then in the beginning of the year and now after the 1st half of the year. I have a feeling that those guys over @Adobe just can't get there sh@t togerther.
FLASH pls pls pls pls pls pls x x x x x cherry on top
Ok, so I'm gonna sound off even though this is not the article to do it in. With the releases of the EVO and Iphone 4.0, why would HP need smartphones to launch their WEBOS printers? The truth is that Iphone dominates the smartphone market and even more amazing is that they are doing from only ONE carrier..... HP has to know that trying to combat Apple for tablets and phones is futile! Palm and WEBOS is too far behind. I'm even wondering why HP would drop a tablet with WEBOS now that Iphone has a big head start and is kicking up dust with their lates OS update. I love my Pre just as much as the rest of you and have been using Palm products since my Treo 600, but when I ask myself the question, why does HP need a WEBOS smartphone, I just can't answer the question. IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT CAN TELL ME WHY IT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR HP AND WEBOS TO JUMP IN THE IPHONE AND ANDROID SHARKTANK??? These devices own the waters and it seems that WEBOS had a shot and missed! Someone pullleeez give me hope! Are most of us WEBOS/Palm faithful ex-BETAmax faithful as well???
This market is so huge there is room for multiple Smartphone companies to be successful. You don't have to be #1 in market share to be successful, you just have to make a profit.
To paraphrase an excerpt from an article: "21 percent of U.S. wireless subscribers were using Smartphones in Q4 2009. The current rate of adoption of such devices will quicken considerably in 2010, eventually surpassing feature phones in the third quarter of 2011."
source: http://www.clickz.com/3639936
Here is another more recent article entitled "Think Everyone Has a Smartphone? Think Again [STATS]":
http://mashable.com/2010/05/07/mobile-market-share-may/
The biggest reason I see for HP to make a new Smartphone and Tablet is because of their big push for "cloud" devices.
Having 1 simple to use OS (WebOS) that works on pretty much every device in your home and can be used while you are out of your home is what HP is striving for.
To have the out of your home options requires the OS to be on Smartphones and Tablets.
Now will they focus on being the #1 Smartphone and Tablet supplier... probably not. I do believe they will do everything they can to show a world/ability to have a single unified system.
So you think that we should all just walk around w/ iphones? Yes Apple is doing great with iphone. I'm very happy for them. HTC and Blackberry are also doing very well. No one is gonna just give up on making phone just because one company on one network makes a great device. There is a lot of room for a new device from Palm and I feel they have some very talented people over there. They also have a very good following. I personally think Palms bigest mistake was trying to compete with the iphone when didn't even realize that they had something far more unique. I think with HP backing Palm we will get chance to really experience the full potential of webOS on a smartphone. The smartphone makert is getting bigger everyday and there is plenty of room for more devices from Palm.
HP markets to businesses. Their reps have deep relationships with IT and business executives. A single platform that allows them to connect devices from a smartphone is a huge win for them. If they own the technolgy it gives them a lot of control.I think they will compete more with RIM than Apple or Android. Remember when Apple was bailed out by Microsoft and Android was an afterthought. Things can change quickly if you have vision, resources and the ability to execute. I think HP knows what they are doing and we will see Palm smartphones with much greater market acceptance, driven by the business market.
I agree.
Owning the OS is a big deal. Apple owns their OS, but none of the Android manufacturers own Android - they will always be at the mercy of Google, and have to fight to differentiate themselves from the rest of the Android hardware. Likewise with the Win7/WinMo vendors (including HP).
So right now, HP is a smartphone manufacturer, competing against all other platforms, and within Windows, trying to stand out. They are the number one computer vendor, yet analysts are telling them the age of the PC is dying. They own the printer market, I think, but have to adapt if they want to integrate with all the smartphones.
So they appear to have a great strategy - move into tablets, keep up the smartphones, connect their printers to the web, and on all of these, run a common OS that they control.
Free printers with purchase of Palm smartphones...
I don't know why everytime an update is announced, there is a handful of people that keep saying Palm should make Flash part of it. Flash is not Palm's product -- it belongs to Adobe. Palm did their part and made WebOS ready for Flash - if and when Adobe ever plans to release it.
You have a very valid point. It is Adobe's responsibility. However, as the old saying goes, it takes two to tango.
Adobe hinted that they are waiting for something for Palm to do (sorry, I can't find the url to the video). Palm spokespeople suggest the ball is in Adobe's court. Without really knowing the facts on the ground all we can do is speculate.
There is probably blame to go around on both sides. If WebOS was doing as well or better than Android you can be sure Adobe would find a way to get it out onto WebOS fast. That said, most people put the main responsibility on Palm as the 'general contractor' of sorts whose job is to make sure the support and relationship is well cultivated with Adobe.
Are you sure that you are not talking about Docs to Go?
Right now Flash was demoted on Palm Pre and on Android and it isn't final on any of then, for me it looks Adobe's fail
Cheers
JD
I believe that rlopin is correct. While Flash isn't complete for Palm nor Android, Android users CAN download a usable beta.
Apple has gone public stating facts. Among them are the fact that they have asked Adobe to show them Flash working well on any mobile phone ... for a FEW YEARS Apple asked for this. Adobe ignored them and sat on their asses. It would have been prudent for Adobe to get a beta out for webOS sooner than later to prove that it could be done well on a mobile platform .. and run well/not crash/etc... It didn't happen for webOS for ~some~ reason. I think Adobe had plenty of motivation to make it work for Palm.
me me me!!!!
here we go.
besides webos being the superior mobile os....
integrate webos smartphone with your tablet , printer, etc.
print docs from your phone to your office while on the go. Your secretary can file for you while your wrapping up a biz lunch. Synchronize your phone with your pc ota. Your wife inputs she needs tomatoes, pasta, a bottle of wine and a bottle of massage lotion... Into your home refrigerator... And you get the notification in on your webos phone as your wrapping up your day... With a big smile on your face. Everyone else using an iphone and droid phone will be in awe....and making it their next smartfone purchase.
do you still want the big ass evo?
go for it. In life, you have many choices. The key in my opinion..is doubling down on the rright ones. Hp, and I are doubling down on webos.
amazing possibilities...
btw @ chilli willi
and thanks to Duane for being on the front lines in the midst of this battle
Yes! The next move in computing is ubiquitous computing. All these independent devices interconnected, integrated into your life, always within reach. The phone, the fridge, the car, the tv, the tablet, the printer, the laptop, and the PC all tapping into that cloud of data and messaging and serving you on demand. That is the bigger picture. That's what HP is talking about when they talk about a backbone and WebOS being ONE of the two key technologies that define that backbone.
Imagine playing a game on your phone and then later that night picking the same game back up on your tablet or your PC, the save game sitting out on the cloud, the app in WebOS running native on the tablet or as a virtual machine from a Windows7 PC, replacing the usual HP Software Suite. Same access to the same apps anywhere you go.
This is where Apple really hasn't done anything. MobileMe has stagnated. Integration hasn't been a focus. Ubiquity hasn't been a focus. Just pumping out newer, upgraded versions of the same thing, providing high visibility but low utility features. Better specs for sure, but what I want to see is how it all gets tied together (hint iTunes is not it, what a horrible piece of software).
That's the back of my head on the left in the picture; I'm famous! All kidding aside, had a good time there; it was great to hear the presentations and meet others interested in and developing for WebOS. Much thanks goes to Alice Carback for putting it all together!
thanks to all of you for some awesome insight!!! HOPE IS STILL ALIVE, AND I DO LOVE WEBOS!