HP will not be launching the PalmPad, as its called the TouchPad. HP’s Palm WebOS-based tablet is finally official and it’s got a different but equally boring name.

Features:

• 9.7-inch device
• 1.2-GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor
• 16- and 32-GB models
• 1.3-MP front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi  b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Gyroscope, Accelerometer and Compass

The TouchPad will be available in Wi-Fi only at first and will hit the market this summer. 3G and 4G models will follow.

• HP Touchpad Tablet Available to Buy in USA July 1st and Europe Days After – June 12, 2011
• Worlds First Hands On with HP webOS TouchPad – June 2, 2011
• Scobled: Video Review of the HP Touchpad – February 12, 2011
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HP Announces Palm WebOS Tablet Called the TouchPad originally appeared on: Crenk
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That’s a question that’s been asked time and time again. For awhile many of us have been saying “this is the year that Palm will close down,” yet year after year, somehow, they stay afloat. Palm is not necessarily the first name you think of when you think if innovation. In the past they’ve been known to put out some quality products, and die hard fans are loyal to them without question, but competition in today’s world has drastically changed. No longer the leader in PDA’s and smartphones, Palm had to drastically change things up when their market share started to slip. They never quite made it back to the top of the mountain, and even their most recent big release, the Palm Pre has fallen into the shadows of obscurity. An iPhone killer it was not.

Nevertheless, Palm has once again appeared at CES and just when you thought they were done, they make announcements that truly raised this geek’s eyebrows. Their new phones, to be released on the Verizon network, will offer capabilities that currently no phone offers. Once again leading the charge in user interface and interactions with the technology, Palm has announced that both their Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be WebOS-based handsets that will act as mobile  hotspots. Essentially these phones using the Verizon network will act as mobile hotspots allowing connectivity of up to five devices. The concept is very similar to a Verizon product called the MiFi 2200, which offers the same functionality. The idea of using your phone to tether is not new, but the extent of which these two phones allows is.

A couple of other new features will be the ability to record and edit video straight on your phone, as well as upload to your favorite video sites to share with your network. New partnerships with game developers will put games like the Sims 3 and Need for Speed Underground on the systems adding to their library of apps.  The incentives they also announced for developers for most downloaded and most sold apps, both free and pad, opens up the field for developers to create quality content for the platform.

Palm is definitely not going down without a fight. I look at Palm and I’m reminded of a similar scenario in the video game industry when Sega was on it’s last legs. The company didn’t go down without a fight, but ultimately the competition proved too great and the iconic company pulled from the hardware market and remained in the software development industry. Will something similar happen to Palm, is the software it creates good enough to endure when it has to pull away from the hardware market? Only time will tell.

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Underdog, Palm, Showcases Innovation at CES originally appeared on: Crenk
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Sprints CEO, Dan Hesse shot down claims by Verizon that Verizon would be getting the Palm Pre sooner than expected. Sprints CEO, who was due to launch the device the next day on his network made firm comments about their exclusivity deal concerning the Palm Pre phone.

He said that “they need to check their facts” and “That just is not the case. Both Palm and Sprint have agreed not to discuss the length of the exclusivity deal. But I can tell you it’s not six months.”

If Verizon go ahead with their aspirations to have the Palm Pre on their network by 2010 then indeed it won’t be six months. It will be seven.

It should come as no huge shock because both carries operate using the same technology and thus they both are ideal to carry the Palm Pre which is seen as one of the main competitors to Apple’s iPhone in the US.

However, I think that Sprint really does need this phone on their network. Thy have developed a bad reputation for poor quality service and bad connections and have worked tirelessly to fix the problem. This phone could be their one shining light. Hesse said “We are very different company than we were 12 months ago,”. “And the Pre is the coming-out party for the new Sprint that shows off our fantastic data network and rate plans.”

• Samsung Illusion 4G – November 18, 2011
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• New Blackberry Curve’s 9350 – 9360 – 9370 – August 23, 2011
• Verizon Launch Three New Smartphones: LG Revolution, HTC Trophy and Motorola Droid X2 – May 26, 2011
• Infographic: RIM vs the World – May 17, 2011

Palm Pre Wars: Sprint And Verizon Dont Play Nice Over Palm Pre originally appeared on: Crenk
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You know the mobile device kings from long ago, yep, they are still around. Palm has attempted many times to reinvent itself with new products, and over time they’ve had a few hits every now and then. I remember when the Z22 came out, I bought one for my wife. When the Centro came out, I got one for a friend as well. But in the grand scheme of things Palm has remained relatively unknown in the battle of the three giants, Apple, Blackberry, and now Google, in the mobile device wars.

The Palm users I have met are adamant users of the product and will defend it despite its lackluster performance as a whole over the years. Despite the ups and down Palm is now on the verge of becoming a player in the online software arena.

Last night Palm released an online software store in an effort to not get left behind. The interesting moved was launched for all of its devices on both the Windows Mobile and the Palm OS platform, which will enable the company to reach out to a wider market, especially with their inclusion of the Windows Mobile users.

Can Palm remain relevant? Every time I think they are going down, they seem to jump right back into the fray. There’s definitely something to be said of an underdog like Palm. We’ll have to see how this works out for them.

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Palm Fights to Stay Relevant originally appeared on: Crenk
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