Tag: webos

Samsung Following LG WebOS’ Footsteps to Make Tizen the Next Big Thing for TVs

LG’s WebOS inclusion in TVs brought out revolutionary products. It marked the beginning of the era of smart TVs. The WebOS was well received by the tech community, and the reason is it’s snappy, engaging and a simple operating system. It seems like Samsung has understood the popularity of the WebOS and is going the LG way.

Meanwhile, Tizen OS on TV is the mini version of WebOS. Just like WebOS, Samsung’s Tizen-based TVs feature a panel at the bottom of the screen that depicts apps. The LG’s WebOS is advanced and highlights the screen shot of the ongoing programme. The Smart Hub on Tizen OS allows for seamless navigation and throws recent apps on one screen. The content can be shared from the TV to different devices, enabling users to have a multi-screen integrated experience. It provides easy and seamless navigation across videos, games and the web. Whereas on WebOS, there’s a Launcher Bar to optimize the menu and everything is right in front of you. Through the Magic Motion remote control, users can point, click, and scroll your way through the interface.

At the Samsung Thailand Forum 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand

WebOS is the heart of the TV’s user interface and with Tizen entering the game, it will take some time to make a concrete ground for itself. Samsung is leaving no stone unturned and is embedding electronic equipments with the Tizen OS. The company has announced that all forthcoming smart TVs will pack its own OS. Samsung Z1 is already running on Tizen OS, and the Korean producer has confirmed to launch Tizen-powered electronic products like refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machine in the coming future.

We will see the Tizen OS on the new SCurve TV by Samsung. If Samsung does the significant alterations, it can draw a considerable audience to its Smart Tizen TV; becoming the second favorite OS after WebOS. Samsung is, presently, showcasing its newest innovations at the Samsung Forum 2015 in Bangkok.

February 16, 2015
CES 2015: LG Unveils a WebOS Powered Smartwatch That Unlocks an Audi

The year 2014 was the year the smartwatch gained prominence in pop culture. Samsung, LG, Motorola along with Asus and others brought their models in the market. On the operating system front, most of the watches have gone for the Android Wear OS. Samsung has gone with its own Tizen OS for its smartwatch lineup; the only exception is the Gear live which was unveiled last year at Google I/O. Now LG has unveiled a prototype of new smartwatch that runs on webOS.

LG’s new Smartwatch almost looks like the G Watch R that it released last year. It has a circular display which is more wrist and eye-friendly than the rectangular clock faces we have seen in the market. The patterned leather along with the machined crown and buttons give the watch a premium look.

The circular UI does look user friendly. (Source: TheVerge)

But the real revelation is what is on the inside. Observing a few demos, it is quite clear that the WebOS running on the device is user-friendly. It was Palm that originally developed the OS and later sold it to HP that subsequently sold it to LG. LG has inducted the OS in its Smart TV line-up making it quite easy to use and navigate. Even on this prototype smartwatch the OS seems to perform quite efficiently.

The menu options are presented in a circular dial fashion where all icons can be rotated around. Unlike the Moto 360 where the edges of the display gets slightly cropped, this smartwatch has an OS that is tailored for a round display. The device also packs a phone dialer. The feature that might help it find a lot of premium consumers is its ability to unlock an Audi door lock using NFC. The company plans to bring a webOS powered smartwatch lineup by next year.

Overall this prototype webOS smartwatch looks like a good effort on the part of LG. Android wear is still in its initial stage and considering the massive support it has from Google, it will stand as a formidable opponent to any OS in the industry. Apple Watch too is bound for the market in a few months. It seems like the Smartwatch market is finally ready to shed its infancy and ready to be recognized as a valid consumer technology.

January 8, 2015
LG to Roll Out World’s First 4K OLED Display

The battle of pixels just reached a major extreme. LG will become the first company to sell a 4K OLED TV in the world. These TV’s are massive; they come in 65 and 77-inch variant. These monstrosities have a pixel resolution of 3840X2160.

The 4K OLED TV’s would be first sold in LG’s homeland of South Korea. The company plans to sell the 65-inch variant at a price of 12 million Won ($11,766) that is a huge amount of moolah, but the prices will, of course, come down over time.

The OLED TV’s are capable of producing better blacks, fix flickering and blurring, and reproduce colors more efficiently. LG’s 4K OLED TV will also have audio system that has been designed by Harmon Kardon. The operating system on the TV is WebOS, which is really easy to pick up and makes browsing around the options fairly simple.

The 4K OLED’s were introduced at CES 2014

The main issue with these TV’s is the availability of content that will do justice to such a massive high-def screen. 4K has gained steam in the past few years, but there is a shortage of content for both 2K and 4K. 2K screens have percolated down to mobile devices and have found home in devices like Oppo Find 7, LG’s G3 and the upcoming Note 3. But even here there is a serious lack of content in terms of multimedia and apps. Most importantly, there aren’t enough content delivery mechanisms like discs or USB devices out there for 2K or 4K master quality.

The only option currently is to access the little amount of content available on the internet. But even here, the streaming options are limited by the internet speeds. Even the ISP’s don’t have the capability to handle the massive resources that 4K requires. Currently, 4K content can only be streamed in America, so LG could have introduced them in USA first, but guess they wanted to unleash the pixel powered brilliance to their compatriots first. The TV’s will arrive soon to North American and European markets.

August 25, 2014
HP is ready to make WebOS open source, we want to reverse engineer

HP decided to make WebOS, the controversial OS, open source to serve the community. The iGyaan team has decided to go the reverse engineering way. People have been putting Android on HP Touchpads (including us) we have decided to port WebOS as a build to go on Android devices as a second boot OS. Of course we are not the only ones who have though of this and there are others out there who will be doing it. We aim to contribute a good chunk of our time in either developing or helping develop a build that could go on Tablets and smartphones that support the OS.

Here is the original memo from HP CEO and read the press release below.

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]

From: CEO – Meg Whitman
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 2:03 PM
Subject: webOS to be contributed to the open source community

Meg Whitman
CEO

TO/ All Employees

SUBJECT/ webOS to be contributed to the open source community

Today, we announced that HP will contribute our webOS software to the open source community and support its development going forward. We believe that this is the best way to ensure the benefits of webOS are accessible to the largest possible ecosystem.

Since we announced the discontinuation of our webOS devices last August, the executive team has been working to determine the best path forward for this highly respected software. We looked at all the options in the market today and we see a clear need for a platform that is both open and has a single integrated stack.

webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected, and scalable. By providing webOS to the open source community and other hardware vendors we have the potential to fundamentally change the landscape.

HP engineers, partners, other developers and hardware manufacturers will be able to contribute to the development of webOS. Together, we have an opportunity to make it the foundation of a new generation of devices, applications and services to address the rapidly evolving demands of both consumers and enterprises.

I would like to thank the webOS team for continuing your efforts under very difficult circumstances during these last couple of months. Your dedication is very much appreciated.

This is a very positive move for the development of our people, our software and HP overall.

We strongly believe that the best days for webOS are still ahead.

Best,

Meg

[/box]

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]HP to Contribute webOS to Open Source
HP to enable creativity of the community to accelerate the next-generation web-centric platform
PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 9, 2011 – HP today announced it will contribute the webOS software to the open source community.

HP plans to continue to be active in the development and support of webOS. By combining the innovative webOS platform with the development power of the open source community, there is the opportunity to significantly improve applications and web services for the next generation of devices.

webOS offers a number of benefits to the entire ecosystem of web applications. For developers, applications can be easily built using standard web technologies. In addition, its single integrated stack offers multiplatform portability. For device manufacturers, it provides a single web-centric platform to run across multiple devices. As a result, the end user benefits from a fast, immersive user experience.

“webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices.”

HP will make the underlying code of webOS available under an open source license. Developers, partners, HP engineers and other hardware manufacturers can deliver ongoing enhancements and new versions into the marketplace.

HP will engage the open source community to help define the charter of the open source project under a set of operating principles:

– The goal of the project is to accelerate the open development of the
webOS platform
– HP will be an active participant and investor in the project
– Good, transparent and inclusive governance to avoid fragmentation
– Software will be provided as a pure open source project

HP also will contribute ENYO, the application framework for webOS, to the community in the near future along with a plan for the remaining components of the user space.

Beginning today, developers and customers are invited to provide input and suggestions at http://developer.palm.com/blog/.[/toggle]

December 14, 2011
HP will Shut Down WebOS , HP Wont Shut Down WebOS : Who Cares

After successfully acquiring and killing an operating system(WebOS) and a company (Palm), in less than six months, HP continues to wonder what it can do with the remains. HP earlier this week issued a statement that it will shut down all remaining operations of the division. This news didn’t come as much of a shocker to us as HP had already clarified its plans to shut down the operations on WebOS devices.

Yesterday HP’s Todd Bradley, went on Bloomberg to clear the air, and called the report about the shut down an “unfounded rumor.” He said

“Accolades for the operating system are broadly known and that the company is focusing on how to effectively utilize that phenomenal software.HP will weigh all the data and information before making the right decision.”

October 30, 2011
Cyanogen Mod 7 Comes to Touchpad in Alpha Build

The folks over at Rootzwiki and the Touchdroid team (whatever is left of it anyway) has finally managed to get CM7 running on the Touchpad, worth noting. The device looks be be running pretty smoothly with most of the aspects working well including Skype calling.

Note that the build is still alpha and while most things work there is a high chance that things can go wrong. Head over to the link below if you feel like doing it anyway.

[RootzWiki]

October 13, 2011
Amazon looking to buy remains of HPs WebOS and Palm Acquisitions.

Palm, The company that was killed due to lack of intelligent structuring by HP, remains as one of the biggest loss-outs in the mobile acquisition history. Palm was the first after Apple to offer an OS capable of interacting with touchscreen devices, and one that was also limited to their own devices. Not that Palm had not been doing that from the day it launched, it somehow managed to user in the post iOS era when apps and the APP Store were just very young.

Hp after buying out Palm flat out for 1.2 billion dollars, on August 19th 2011 announced that it will abandon the WebOS and its devices. Now Amazon seems to be the forerunner in the race to buy out the company from HP.

HP is looking to dump what’s left of Palm and webOS as quickly as possible, and Amazon is nearing a deal to make the acquisition. Amazon recently revealed the Kindle Fire tablet which runs on a highly customized version on Android. Buying out a proprietary OS would not only enable the company to control the features that they want to give, but also enable innovation from the company. WebOS would cost Amazon a good amount of money and will force the company to go back to the drawing board in terms of building hardware around an entirely new platform.

October 3, 2011
Touchstone mod brings Wireless Inductive charging to the Samsung Galaxy S Plus and Epic 4G Touch

lusModders are getting it on with inductive charging mods using hardware from old PALM PREs. First it is a Samsung Galaxy S Plus. German IT student Qian Qin ripped apart a palm pre back cover and installed it on his device. The result is a physically indifferent device which now charges wirelessly. check out the video below.

Next it is the new Samsung Galaxy S2 variant Epic 4G Touch . This modder hacked his 3 day old device to charge via the dock using bolder moves. cutting open the back cover and soldering the wires right onto the board. You can check out the full systems in a step by step carving of the new device at AndroidCentral Forums.

September 20, 2011
HP’s 7 inch Touchpad Leaked, only after HP stops making them

HP recently announced that it would stop making Touchpads and other WebOS devices. Earlier known as the Touchpad G the 7inch device has come into existence on a chinese forum. A 7 inch tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio is a first by itself.

This one also has 2 cameras and an NFC chip. The funny thing however is , that we don’t know whether or not HP will actually launch the WebOS based Tablet.

[ZooPDA]

September 20, 2011
Team-Touchdroid dual boots Android on TouchPad

While we still un-package our touch pads, Team Touchdroid has managed to dual boot WebOS and Android 2.3 on he Touchpad. Since the Fire sale, touch pads are all over the place and everyones got in on the action. Especially folks trying to boot Cyanogen Mod 7 on the Touchpads. But looks like its going to be stock droid for now.

For the time being the touchscreen is not working, but expect a quick fix. If you managed to score a Touchpad this might interest you.

September 5, 2011
Samsung CEO : We will never buy WebOS

Samsung CEO during the IFA trade show in Berlin on Friday said Samsung would “never” make the purchase.

It’s not right that acquiring an operating system is becoming a fashion”

Samsung already owns a proprietary OS – BADA , and also manufactures mobile phones on various other platforms including Android, Widows Phone 7, Brew etc. Although CEO Choi Gee Sung has said that the company will not buy WebOS, sources claim that Samsung is in talks about licensing WebOS from HP for their upcoming smartphones.

September 5, 2011
HP may end PC and Laptop Business as well – Shift Focus to Tablets, Printers and Other Profitable Business

Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world’s largest PC maker, after ending WebOS, is considering spinning off its massive PC manufacturing business.

According to HP, its Personal Systems Group (PSG) is worth $40 billion in annual revenues. The PSG includes personal computers, technical workstations, WebOS-powered tablets and smart phones, as well as personal storage solutions.

The quick and steady growth of tablets, particularly Apple’s iPad, is not good for companies that have invested billions of dollars in building and selling PCs.

There are other areas where HP can invest its time and money to get a better return and higher growth rate. So it makes sense to get out of the business if that’s their rationale. Spinning it off rather than selling it is due to the fact that there aren’t a lot of buyers who have the desire and the money to take it off HP’s hands.”

-Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group.

HP CEO Leo Apotheker said, any possible spin-off of the PC business won’t happen soon, and said that the company will take 12 to 18 months to consider its options, further adding that he is “taking ownership” of all of these decisions.

Read Press Release Here

August 19, 2011
Tech Fail : HP to abandon WebOS only 8 Months after US $ 1.2 Billion Palm takeover (PR)

About 8 months ago HP acquired Palm including PalmOS for a deal of 1.2 billion US dollars. Merely months after acquisition and a couple months after launching the WebOS based Mobile devices including Touchpad and Pre 3, HP today in its press release stated that it will abandon WebOS Devices including Touchpad and Pre 3.

In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.“

Expect these devices to drop to bargain prices in the near future, Good time to buy a Touchpad if it drop and if you don’t need future software support.

[toggle title_open=”Collapse” title_closed=”Read The Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]August 18, 2011 03:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time
HP Confirms Discussions with Autonomy Corporation plc Regarding Possible Business Combination; Makes Other Announcements

PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HP (NYSE: HPQ) today commented on the recent announcement by Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU.L). HP confirms that it is in discussions with Autonomy regarding a possible offer for the company.

HP also reported that it plans to announce that its board of directors has authorized the exploration of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG). HP will consider a broad range of options that may include, among others, a full or partial separation of PSG from HP through a spin-off or other transaction.

In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

HP today announced preliminary results for the third fiscal quarter 2011, with revenue of $31.2 billion compared with $30.7 billion one year ago.

In the third quarter, preliminary GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.93 and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.10, compared with third quarter fiscal 2010 GAAP diluted EPS of $0.75 and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.08. Non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangible assets of approximately $0.17 per share and $0.33 per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, respectively.

For the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, HP estimates revenue of approximately $32.1 billion to $32.5 billion, GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $0.44 to $0.55, and non-GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $1.12 to $1.16. Non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance excludes after-tax costs of approximately $0.61 to $0.68 per share, related primarily to restructuring and shutdown costs associated with webOS devices, the amortization and impairment of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

HP estimates full-year FY11 revenue will be approximately $127.2 billion to $127.6 billion, down from its previous estimate of $129 billion to $130 billion. FY11 GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $3.59 to $3.70, down from its previous estimate of at least $4.27, and FY11 non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $4.82 to $4.86, down from its previous estimate of at least $5.00. FY11 non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs of approximately $1.16 to 1.23 per share, related primarily to restructuring and shutdown costs associated with webOS devices, the amortization and impairment of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

HP will host a conference call with the financial community today at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET to discuss these announcements well as HP’s third quarter 2011 financial results. The call is accessible via an audio webcast at www.hp.com/investor/2011q3webcast.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

Use of non-GAAP financial information

To supplement HP’s consolidated condensed financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, HP provides non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and gross cash. HP also provides forecasts of non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. A reconciliation of the adjustments to GAAP results for this quarter and prior periods is included in the tables below. In addition, an explanation of the ways in which HP management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate its business, the substance behind HP management’s decision to use these non-GAAP measures, the material limitations associated with the use of these non-GAAP measures, the manner in which HP management compensates for those limitations, and the substantive reasons why HP management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors is included under “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” after the tables below. This additional non-GAAP financial information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating profit, operating margin, net earnings, diluted earnings per share, or cash and cash equivalents prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to any projections of revenue, margins, expenses, earnings, tax provisions, cash flows, benefit obligations, share repurchases, currency exchange rates, the impact of acquisitions or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, the exploration of strategic options for PSG and the execution of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; any statements concerning the expected development, performance or market share relating to products or services; any statements regarding current or future macroeconomic trends or events and the impact of those trends and events on HP and its financial performance; any statements regarding pending business combination transactions; any statements regarding pending investigations, claims or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its suppliers, customers and partners; the protection of HP’s intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the hiring and retention of key employees; assumptions related to pension and other post-retirement costs; expectations and assumptions relating to the execution and timing of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; the possibility that the expected benefits of pending business combination transactions may not materialize as expected or that the transactions may not be timely completed; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2011. As in prior periods, the financial information set forth in this release, including tax-related items, reflects estimates based on information available at this time. While HP believes these estimates to be meaningful, these amounts could differ materially from actual reported amounts in HP’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2011. In particular, determining HP’s actual tax balances and provisions as of July 31, 2011 requires extensive internal and external review of tax data (including consolidating and reviewing the tax provisions of numerous domestic and foreign entities), which is being completed in the ordinary course of preparing HP’s Form 10-Q. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.[/toggle]

August 19, 2011
Apple Planning to Kill WebOS Wireless Sharing, With a Patent of Their Own

Looks like Apple is preparing to end HP’s “Touch to Share” in one single sweep. As the folks fro PatentlyApple found in the new patent 20110163944, the new wireless sharing feature that could allow users to quickly and easily transfer files from various iOS devices. a user might be able to “pour” the files from an iPhone onto an iPad in one single gesture or motion of the wrist.

July 9, 2011
Apple will lead as top Notebook vendor in 2012

According to a report by Digitimes, Apple will surpass HP as the largest Notebook vendor in 2012, if tablet sales are included in the projections.

Apple will ship 40 million Tablets this year out of the total 60 million tablet sales. The number of the total tablets sold in 2012 is expected to be 80 million out of which Apple iPad are expected to be around the 60 million mark. The total number of sales for Apple in 2012 are expected to be around 75 million including the 60 million iPads and 15 million MacBooks. In comparison HP will only sell 40-45 million Notebooks including the Touchpad the HP slate and various Notebooks.

July 4, 2011