So, HP puts on a little show, have a little leak, and then lets everyone know that they are basically killing the Palm as a brand. After the Palm buyout, HP decided to stock up on promises, do a little R&D, and here is the first batch of the new WebOS based HP powered devices: Veer, Pre 3, and TouchPad.
Everyone needs a little something to fill up his (or her) shiny new Alumawallet(tm), and the economy has turned cash into an endangered species, why not a nifty new HP Veer? This absolutely tiny device sports a nifty 800Mhz Snapdragon, and even has a slide out keyboard. Other goodies include: Bluetooth 2.1, HSPA+, WiFi, and an all-encompassing 2.5 inch screen. That two and a half inch screen is nearly the entirety of the device’s size too, making the Veer one of the smallest cell phones in some time.
The next phone to be previewed, is the Pre 3. A direct competitor to the iPhone and Droid, the Pre 3 adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard to it’s touchscreen, making a more organic experience. With it’s 1.4Ghz Qualcomm processor, it has enough processing power to satisfy any apps that will appear on the device. Again, the Pre 3 supports WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, etc. Also, the Pre 3 has a 5MPXL camera and can record 720p video. Can you say, “Viva la YouTube!?”
Saving the best for last, the new Palm TouchPad, sans the Palm, is a nifty new entry into the tablet wars. Anyway, the TouchPad will be entering the arena to square off against the iPad, and it is interesting to note that it is the only competitor so far that isn’t Android powered. Honestly, things could get really interesting should the TouchPad build a little steam under the power of WebOS. The unit is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and will have optional storage capacities (At the time of this writing it will be either 16GB or 32GB of flash memory). Other things of note is the rebirth of Touchstone wireless docking station, video chat (camera & microphone), and a big fat 9.7 inch screen.
The press conference where this was all released to the public also revealed a few possible extras that are currently behind the HP Veil. WebOS powered HP printers? Yes, HP indicated that they were at least investigating the possibility (I’m willing to bet we are going to see this at least). There were a few drops of tidbits regarding PC level implementations of the WebOS, but without much of any indication as to what such a thing could or would be. With a slew of promised spring and summer releases of the new HP/Palm devices, things could get really warm in the mobile device industry.
Veer:
Operating system
HP webOS
Network specs3
HSDPA 7.2/HSUPA 5.76
Quad-band GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900
GSM/GPRS/EDGE
Display
2.6-inch multitouch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color, 320×400 resolution
Keyboard
Slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard
Email4
Microsoft® Exchange email with Microsoft
Direct Push Technology
POP3/IMAP (Yahoo!® Mail, Gmail™, AOL, Hotmail®, etc.)
Messaging5
Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS
GPS6
Built-in GPS (A-GPS)
Digital camera
5-megapixel camera with extended depth of field, geotagging, and video capture
Audio
Speakerphone; dual-mic for noise cancellation for quieter calls.
Sensors
Accelerometer, ambient light, and proximity
Media formats supported
Audio formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
Video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
Wireless connectivity7
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication; Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support; Wi-Fi router functionality for up to five devices using HP mobile hotspot.
Memory8
8GB (~6.5GB available)
USB mass storage support
Battery9
910 mAh (non-removable); up to 5.0 hours of talk time or 300 hours of standby time.
Connector
Charger/magnetic connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Headphone jack
Magnetic connector with 3.5mm stereo headset adapter included
HP Touchstone10
Compatible
Processor
Qualcomm MSM7230, 800Mhz
Dimensions
Width: 54.5mm (2.15 inches)
Height: 84.0mm (3.31 inches)
Thickness: 15.1mm (0.59 inches)
Weight
103 grams (3.63 ounces)
Pre 3:
Operating system
HP webOS
Display
3.58-inch multitouch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color, 480×800 resolution WVGA display
Keyboard
Slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard
Processor
Qualcomm MSM 8×55 (1.4 GHz)
Email2
Microsoft® Exchange email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology
POP3/IMAP (Yahoo!® Mail, Gmail™, AOL, Hotmail®, etc.)
Messaging3
Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS
GPS4
Built-in GPS
Digital camera
5-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, HD (up to 720p) video recording, front VGA
Audio
Mono speakerphone; dual-mic noise cancellation
Sensors
Accelerometer, ambient light, proximity, and compass
Media formats supported
Audio formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
Video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
Wireless connectivity5
Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n 5GHz) with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication;
Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support; A-GPS;
Wi-Fi router functionality for up to five devices using HP mobile hotspot
Memory6
512MB RAM; choose from 8GB or 16GB internal storage
USB mass storage support
Battery
1230 mAh
Connector
Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Headphone jack
3.5mm stereo
HP Touchstone7
Compatible
Dimensions
Width: 64mm (2.52 inches)
Height: 111mm (4.37 inches)
Thickness: 16mm (0.63 inches)
Weight
156 grams (5.5 ounces)
TouchPad:
Operating system
HP webOS
Display
9.7-inch XGA capacitive, multitouch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color, 1024×768 resolution display
Keyboard
Virtual keyboard
Email1
Microsoft® Exchange email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology
POP3/IMAP (Yahoo!® Mail, Gmail™, AOL, Hotmail®, etc.)
Messaging2
Integrated IM and SMS
GPS3
A-GPS (3G models only)
Digital camera
Front-facing 1.3-megapixel webcam for live video calling4
Sensors
Light sensor, accelerometer, compass (magnetometer), and gyroscope
Media formats supported
Audio formats: DRM-free MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
Video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
Wireless connectivity5
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication;
Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
Memory6
Choose either 16GB or 32GB internal storage
Battery
Rechargeable 6300 mAh (typical) battery
Connector
Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Headphone jack
3.5mm stereo headset/headphone/microphone jack
Speakers
Internal stereo speakers and Beats Audio™
HP Touchstone for TouchPad7
Compatible
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-CPU APQ8060 1.2GHz
Dimensions
Width: 240mm (9.45 inches)
Height: 190mm (7.48 inches)
Thickness: 13.7mm (0.54 inches)
Weight
Approximately 740 grams (1.6 pounds)