Rubinstein teases LTE & HSDPA+, cloud service for desktops, and more 72
After Jon Rubinstein (former CEO of Palm, now SVP and General Manager of the Palm Global Business Unit) left the stage the other night at All Things Digital's D: Dive Into Mobile conference, he sat down for a more detailed interview with AllThingsD's John Paczkowski. Although Ruby did not reveal too much more than the little we've heard in recent appearances, there were a few tidbits scattered in the interview that were of interest.
First, in response to a question about bandwidth, Ruby all but confirmed that there will be 4G devices coming from Palm:
I am very excited to [be] getting to LTE and HSDPA+ (two faster cellular networks). We have some really interesting visions on where webOS can go as you get more and more bandwidth.
There was also a fair amount of discussion about cloud services, no surprise given webOS' deep integration with the cloud, but it wasn't just about webOS devices. Paczkowski asked Rubinstein, "A lot of data is going to be on laptops and desktops. Do you need to build a cloud device to have webOS talk to them?" Rubinstein's cryptic (but intriguing) response? "Stay tuned," his usual answer for products and services that are coming but may not be ready for announcements.
Ruby gave a nice shoutout to the new generation of webOS developers (like these fine young men):
We have a lot of really interesting ways to develop for webOS. It’s very easy to develop for and people like developing for it. We are getting a whole new generation of developers.
We had this developer conference in New York. If you look at the audience, a lot of them were under 17 and they were making enough money selling applications to come from wherever they were–they weren’t from New York–to bring one of their parents or both of their parents to come to the developer conference.
He also directly addressed questions and concerns about Palm's staffing in the wake of the HP acquisition:
Since we closed the deal we have hired over 70 people. Two hundred-plus people from HP have joined us and other divisions at HP are busy working on helping us make webOS successful. So while yes, we lost a few people along the way, we gained a lot of people.
There's more from Ruby via the source link below. Here's hoping we don't have to "stay tuned" a whole lot longer for some real information.
Source: AllThingsD's Mobilized Blog
72 Comments
BFD, since I'm with Sprint, this means squat to me right now. Further evidence that HP doesn't give a crap about the original Pre owners.
Proof that you have crap for brains. Sprint doesn't want WebOS devices, as evidenced by their choice not to carry the Pre2. HP has no reason not to offer devices to Sprint and we know for a fact that HP has offered them in the past and Sprint passed.
No, I think you're wrong on that as well. Sprint didn't want the Pre2 re-hash without wimax. If HP Palm would be willing to put a wimax radio in it, then maybe.
And I also think that applies going forward. Sprint sees wimax as it's major differentiator right now, and is looking to have it on all it's top-of-the-line smartphones.
Of course, Ruby didn't mention Wimax. I'm not going to read too much into that. It's really simple to me: If Palm doesn't offer wimax, Sprint won't carry them; If Sprint doesn't carry Palm then I won't be carrying Palm. But that's down the road, and for now, I firmply believe that a wimax enabled Palm device is coming to Sprint in the near future.
EDIT: And, BTW, Sprint and HP have a great relationship. Just because Sprint has never offered HP phones in the past (the iPaqs were GSM ONLY) doesn't mean they won't in the future. Sprint buys A LOT of it's network components from HP.
I talked to a local sprint rep/webos addict today for 20mins trying to coax new hardware news. He said the palm rep he interrogates at work gave him the impression pre2 is coming but it's all NDA hush-hush type statements. I said it's prolly new hardware they don't want to be hassled about till it's ready to roll. He said palm rep didn't deny that either :). N they're getting a web os tablet.
maybe hp thinking of buying sprint when they get low enough.
of course I am psychic-lite n had this story in my head for a while now. Time to invest my grocery $ in hp n more sprint stock so I can quad my $ in 3mos like last time. I suggest you all do the same.
I love seeing how angry brendilon gets over bad Palm news. I can see his thought process being like "if I act like a dick to everyone, they won't notice just how dismal things are for my favorite company."
+ 1,000.... that guy is a real character....
Perhaps Sprint learned their lesson with the original Pre and Pixi. Don't sell a Palm phone that is going to be trumped by a newer Palm phone that is going to be released to Sprint's competitors. Sprint got the Pre and 6 mos later Verizon got the Pre+. Suddenly, the Pre has been outdated. Six mos after that, was there any new phone for Sprint? No. So, why on earth would Sprint agree to sell the Pre 2...a tweener that shows up 18 mos after the Pre and a year after the Pre+? Palm isn't even committed to the Pre 2, or at least it doesn't seem so. Considering that no US company is selling the Pre 2, either Palm isn't pushing to sell or more than just Sprint said no. If I were Sprint and I had any interest in selling future Palm phones, I certainly wouldn't pick up the Pre 2 especially considering that my existing Pre customers (at least most of them) still have 6 mos on their contracts. What is the likelihood of those customers upgrading their phones now?
*sniff* no palm love to sprint :( GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! PALM YOU MUST GIVE US LOVE....NOW
Sprint is trying to force HP to build a Wimax phone and passed on adopting an LTE program about five weeks ago. Sprint doesn't care about its Palm owners, they passed on the Pre2.
PAAAALM! Where's my new Sprint phone? Put out your 4G device already. My Pixi is old.
Sprint Pre- here, I agree
Agreed. He mentioned LTE and HSDPA+ specifically and omitted WiMax. This does not warm the cochles of my cold, black heart :(
ooo im sure he didnt say wimax just cuz he didnt want to give too much away. imagine the explosion of comments if he said that? people would automatically think sprint is getting the next hpalm phones. god forbid he gives us a ray of hope
A chunk of Sprints customer base have locked into a two year deal for Evo and Epic, so how many Palm/Wimax's can they sell? One, two million at best? Better to focus on EVDO and LTE and HSDPA which have wider appeal and millions more potential customers. They can make a Wimax phone later when they have the popular formats covered. Just not SOON. Pre2 is ready today, go ask Sprint about that.
HSDPA+
(my daughter has the G2 with this and its really fast, here in NY)
Does this mean a WebOS device on T-Mobile, finally?????
:)
It would be the first Palm phone on T-Mobile since the Treo 650
I don't care what Palm brings to T-Mobile. By the time anything is release "in the coming months", I'll already have my new MyTouch 4G.
Could be AT&T as well, but since they will be pushing their LTE in a few months, you are probably correct. At least, I hope they release phones for all of the major carriers including the American Deutsche Telekom.
LC, Maybe. And ATT has HSDPA too.
This happened a long time ago. Get with it, PC.
HP will need 4G to sell phones.
WiMax isn't really 4G, though it may be the fourth generation from Sprint. LTE isn't even technically 4G, though is clearly the next generation when it comes to what it can provide in terms of bandwidth.
7.2mbps service is consider 3.5G by many people, with the move to 10mbps or beyond being a clear improvement over normal 3G speeds. LTE has the capability to go quite a bit faster, and as a result can be considered 4G, even if carriers run it slower. This is similar to most broadband cable having the capacity to provide 100mbps speeds but being set at 8, 10, or 15mbps for the normal consumer. Since the protocol can handle much higher speeds, all the provider has to do is flip a switch to increase speeds to the consumer.
"We have a lot of really interesting ways to develop for webOS. It
No WiMAX= No Sprint? WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember when Palm's slogan was "Life moves fast"? Now it's "Stay tuned...in the coming months"
"Life Moves Fast" as in: too fast for us, we couldnt keep up
LOL!!! Too True!
Sprint CEO Dan Hess (or whatever his last name is lol) has said that supposably they will be able to go over from WiMax to LTE if necessary..
Still, mentioning wimax would've given Sprint users hope. Mentioning LTE does not.
He backed away from that. They are all guns on Wimax now.
While I commend the "youthful" programmers (some 14-17 year olds) trying to make some money and learn along the way, I am very cautious with these new apps. Realize that many of these "young" programmers will not consider security in their programming. Much of the security experience programmers receive is in the field and also through training - be it corporate or specialized. I can't see how teenagers are really going to take this into account, especially with rigorous corporate policies. They simply just won't know them.
Again, this isn't a knock on young programmers - I think it's great programmers in the US are coming back, but something needs to be done to help them with the security aspects.
After hearing that it's teenagers writing the apps, that does it for me. Android, here I come. LOL!!
way cool! take care, Jay
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Well, he will just need to understand that when (and if) they release new products that people may purchase them "in the coming months".
What a loser -- he has no concept of the credibility he has lost in the industry -- certainly from the consumer side. He so wants to be a "Steve Jobs" or an "Eric Schmidt", but unfortunately he really is a "Homer Simpson".
You know who else is interested in LTE and HSPDA+? Everyone.
You know who else has interesting visions on where their software can go as you get more and more bandwidth? Everyone.
You know who's going to beat HP to market and realize these visions first? Everyone.
As Jezer29 said, Sprint will support whatever standard it becomes for 4G. It's basically a software upgrade process from going from WiMax to LTE. The point is if Verizon is on LTE and they are the bigger opportunity for HP then they will support that. Yes, it sucks so far for Sprint users, however I don't think it will make that much of a difference, since we Sprint users are only on the Palm Pre 3G service and waiting for the next HP WebOS device better than the Pre2. Hopefully announcements in January.
For HP/Palm to survive in the smartphone world, they need to get more users and compete against the big names like Apple, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG and Blackberry. By releasing better smartphones and faster more valuable updates they can gain marketshare, but they have to do it with the existing service providers. Verizon is the big fish here.
Agreed, but Sprint has invested quite a bit in WiMax and has two very sucessful phones that use it. So Sprint may eventually have to go to LTE (although they have resisted the obvious benefits of GSM vs CDMA so maybe not), but not anytime soon.
No WiMax means no 4G Sprint webOS phone in the near term, which means hello Android for me.
I totally agree. My next phone is with Sprint, and if anything, Ruby just confirmed that Sprint is not on the list of adopters for a new device. A pad device, maybe, but a phone seems out of the question.
Not sure about buying a pad device if that is released for Sprint, but ill until Palm can show that it has better dev support than it does now.
Reread his comments. Ruby did not say anything regarding specific carriers or devices. He was merely talking about new wireless data technologies. Nothing was "confirmed".
The mere mention of 4G is the phrase 'LTE, HSDPA' and not WiMax raises concerns for me. Then again... Rubie sometimes misses his mark. Here's to hoping...
what a bunch of CRAP!!!!!! I guess i'm going to have to weigh out my options on Sprint, and its not looking like webOS is one of them :(
Wait a minute... WebOS is dependent on a bunch of teenage developers? That is who's writing the apps?? That explains it. Palm is doomed. On to T-Mobile and a MyTouch 4G or Sprint for an EVO....
Most developers are going to be sub-40s.
And a good chunk are likely to be sub-30s.
Your concern should be the fact that this guy can never say anything beyond "just wait"
If you're going to jump to T-Mobile why not get the Nexus2? As for me, I couldn't take this BS anymore and moved on to the EVO. I seriously doubt I will be looking back now.
I think you looked back when you posted on this blog.
Yep, but not looking back because you think you made a mistake. Rather it is like slowing down and looking at a really bad car accident. And that is what Ruby is guiding HP webOS into ... a really, really bad car accident.
One must not forget the merger rumors betwen T-Mobile USA and Sprint - this all depends on Sprint's possible move over to LTE from WiMax, where T-Mobile has expressed thier future interest, as well.
If this happens, Sprint will have both GSM and CDMA pohone coverage accross the US, with HDSPA+ (4G like speeds) and LTE (real, full fledge 4G) in a year or two.
Just sayin...
I love that rumor. Sprint/Nextel part II. Competing technologies, almost no economies to be reaped other than combining sloppy customer services and mailing out bills.
After reading your comment, I went and looked at Sprints financials today (I don't track them regularly 'cuz I don't own any, for the reasons I am about to describe) and UGH!!! Way too much debt, and they just got downgraded today to BB-; getting awful close to junk status. Yeah, there's some slaes growth there, but not enough to offset the expenses they keep incurring.
Sprint's not buying anyone. No wonder they are trying to upgrade, and/or sell(kill) off their Nextel assets. Too bad we can't just go back in time and undo the whole Nextel deal. Someone needs to go to jail for that.
Of course, I now have the seed of the nightmare which is the eventual VZW/Sprint merger that may come...but that is far, far, far in the future. =/
The talk was never of Sprint buying T-Mobile. It was the other way around. People in the US, always think of T-Mobile as the small guy, because they are here--not in Europe. T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telecom--who is easily the size of AT&T or Verizon, if not bigger. T-Mobile buying Sprint would give them a strong hold in the US.
It does, however, sound like a nightmare of technologies. Since Sprint still has Nextel's branding, they would have three different technologies, GSM, CDMA and iDEN.
My big wish is that T-Mobile's HSDPA+ network wasn't on such strange frequencies (T-Mobile: 1700/2100 MHz, AT&T: 1900/850 MHz). It doesn't make sense that Deutsche Telecom's US division would have frequencies where their phones don't play well with the frequencies they use in Europe.
jon Rubinstein:"I am very excited to [be] getting to LTE and HSDPA+" no wimax= no sprint, thank u palm for forgetting the sprint beta tester, great job. ps F.U. too, I'm getting a LG Optimus S
I'm paying for 6-8mbps download speeds!!! who cares if its called 1.5G... its was faster than what we have now with "3G"
don't ppl know that 4G is really 3G. 4G is not really 4G and while you may think and pay more for 4G.It is really 3G.So I don't know why ppl are begging for 4G. Here's the link.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/01/technology/4g_myth/index.htm?cnn=yes&hpt=C2
they might take down this article after awhile.
don't ppl know that 4G is really 3G. 4G is not really 4G and while you may think and pay more for 4G.It is really 3G.So I don't know why ppl are begging for 4G. Here's the link.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/01/technology/4g_myth/index.htm?cnn=yes&hpt=C2
they might take down this article after awhile.
That article is so incorrect in so many ways I had to close the page.
First off, there isn't a standard for 4g yet, so I'm not sure why they claim it.
Second, WiMAX has a "theoretical" speed of 1 gbit, which is the fastest of the three standards [lte, hspa +, Wimax so I'm not sure why they're saying its only 20 mbps
Just ugh on that article.
Believe me I don't want it to be true myself but I figured I would post it so ppl can decide for their self. But I guess your an expert and they are'nt. They are saying it's only 20mbps because maybe it is. Why don't you show me facts like in the article to back up your claim.
Ive read that article too and I remember reading aan article about WiMAX updating to allow 100mbps download... This isn't the exact same areticle that I read before (I want to say it was on engadget once) but it goes over their upgrade and how by 2012 the should have 100mbps average download...
http://www.maximumpc.com/sites/maximumpc.com/themes/maximumpc/wow.php?ba...
bob wondeful hit the mail on the head.. Look 4g and Wi-max run hand in hand.. Sprint has already said time and time again that the industry standard will be what they live by.. But truth be told I have people with the EVO and EPIC and I must say on 3g Those devices run circles around 98% of all smart phones.. The other 2% isn't available in the u.S. Market.. Check speed test iphone 4 vs Evo.. But the fact of the matter is PALM has to play BULLY NEXT YEAR.. Because I have had my pre from the 1st launch day on sprint.. I am on my 6th one and I to this day check preware twice a week to keep my phone doing as much as possible.. And I am overclockin it to 1ghz.. I can live with the 2.0 Update until we get an Evo-ish PALM SMARTPHONE.. But truth be told I have waited this long, a couple more months want kill me.. But I must say I need at least 3.8 inch screen front facing camera and the slide out keyboard.. This DEVICE will be the top of the crop when it comes out, I just hope they don't wait until NO-ones left on the PALM BANDWAGON TO RELEASE IT..
Sprint users like me can be happy. Seriously, taking WebOS out of your life is prbably for the best. In a few years when it is dead and HP finally removes it from their 3 printer models it came on, you'll be on a platform that has evolved well beyond anything WebOS is today.
Seriously, do you really want to be the person with the phone that can do stacks, but without a decent mail app or any 3rd party apps used by the rest of the planet? If it was going to happen for Palm, HP, or whatever commercially for this product, it would have. Boat has sailed. Put on your big girl panties and go get yourself a good phone.
In a few years? Palm gonna be dead in the coming months.
That's ok... HP will still be around.
Who do you think is killing Palm?
I LOVE LAMP!!! - Brick Tamblin
I LOVE LAMP!!! - Brick Tamblin
Every time I read these releases it sounds to me like HP/Palm is going after RIM not Apple, IOW enterprise solutions. After all, that's HP's business. I get the feeling that most of us here are no longer the primary target of their endeavors.
Yes, they are aiming at RIM. They'll take collateral interest if they can get it, but its all about business users. They're ready to clean-sheet it like Palm did with the Pre.
Yes. HP's sticking with their strengths- enterprise. So they can continue selling products without the whims of consumer interest and so they don't have to clash with Apple. Smartphones is a side interest for HP. They are trying to dabble in it like Dell is. If webOS phones don't take off, HP will still be fine. HP wants to control its own os-webOS. If smartphones and consumer products don't get popular, HP will still use it for its products. So webOS won't die, it'll live on in HP toasters, printers...
I liked Rubenstein's interview. All except the 17 year old programmers. It's ok to mention the kids, but you don't want people to think your primary app developers are high schoolers.
W H E N????????????????????????????????????????
why is it that every picture i see of rube it always looks as though he is or looks like stephen hawking
lol
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I checked out some wp7 phones, and the screens and the speed were beautiful, and the slider on the Optimus was so solid. Made we want to spend my money. But if Palm is going to get hardware like that, it is going to be an awesome experience with webos. I want to wait. And I will try, but it might be difficult. - Gord