The TouchPad may be dead, but the tablet market goes on. In the wake of the HP TouchPad’s untimely demise, other stories concerning tablets from Sony, Lenovo and HTC were making news.
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No, HP, you’re off the mark
Oh nooo. That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I began to read Jon Zilber’s post on HP’s company blog. Quoting Mark Twain? Oh no he didn’t. In a nutshell, Zilber’s intent was to correct the world’s press, which collectively played Taps while standing over webOS’s grave this past week. ”To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports about the demise of webOS have been off the mark,” Zilber wrote. ”HP has made these tough decisions to ensure that our efforts with webOS remain tightly focused. Far from burying webOS, our goal is to ensure the platform’s evolution as a robust operating system for an increasingly mobile and connected world.” OK, time to set the record straight. Read on for more.
We did not misunderstand HP’s comments when it drove the knife into webOS’s back. We were all on the earnings call from start to finish, trying figure out whether to laugh or cry as the knife was repeatedly twisted. We heard HP’s plan, or lack thereof, and we read the company loud and clear.
WebOS is dead.
The beauty of the tech world, however, is that ghosts are real. Just ask Apple. HP has murdered webOS, make no mistake about it. But now that its body has been lowered into the earth and covered with six feet of unsold TouchPads, HP will embark on a new journey in an attempt to resurrect it. Truth be told, though, I believe these efforts will be short-lived.
Who will license HP’s webOS in the current mobile landscape? And why? WebOS couldn’t break into the market with the world’s No. 1 PC vendor, millions of dollars, teams of bright minds and a massive ad campaign behind it. What company will try its hand with the OS after that colossal failure? What developer will stick around and wait, betting on some other significant player to come make a massive investment in a platform that not even HP’s millions could sell to consumers?
If HP gave up on webOS devices after just 16 months, I don’t see how the company can expect any other major player to even consider taking the platform seriously.
Unless a company with the capability to truly resurrect the OS comes along and licenses it, yes, webOS is dead. But who might come to the rescue? Android is free — sort of — and it’s ripping through the market right now. Big boys like Samsung and HTC have made massive investments in Google’s mobile platform, and they already have Windows Phone as a solid No. 2.
So who else is there? ZTE, Huawei and other companies that fall into the “others” category on market share charts? Why bother; Android is free and these vendors are actually doing pretty well with the platform right now. Dell? No, Dell is too busy laughing at HP. Motorola? Yeah, probably not. Nokia? That ship has sailed. RIM? It’s not going to happen. RIM is investing tons of resources in QNX and you know what? QNX is a pretty great platform. With RIM’s history and carrier relationships alongside support for the Android app ecosystem, I think RIM likes its chance right now. Truth be told, I like them too.
Who does that leave? Maybe HP will finally toss webOS onto printers. Maybe Kenmore will stuff webOS into a few smart refrigerators or toasters — though with Android out there as a free and open option, I’m not sure what the appeal would be.
My unsolicited advice, HP: shut up and take your shots. You spent $1.2 billion on Palm 16 months ago, and you’ve already given up on selling webOS devices. To make matters worse, you’re now financing a fire sale on TouchPads and further tarnishing your brand in an attempt to shove dead-end devices into consumers’ hands just so you get some nominal return. Shame on you.
So now, you’re going to get ripped up over it. Deal with it.
If some company comes along to license webOS for huge money and then uses the platform to revolutionize the deli meat slicer industry, fine, we’ll all eat crow. I’ll eat crow with a giant smile on my face, I might add, because I’ve always been a huge fan of webOS. Until then, however, sit back and take your shots like a multi-billion dollar corporation that just screwed the pooch should.
In Depth: Top 10 best social apps for OS X
Whether you want to manage your Flickr uploads more easily, chat across different instant messaging systems or manage social networks such as Facebook and Twitter in a single app, there’s a program to help you do it available for your Mac.
We took a look at what’s on offer for social types at the Mac App Store and here are our favourite apps.
01. flickery – £5.99
Eternal Storms Software
If you’re a regular Flickr user, then you’ll be aware of how frustrating and time-consuming it can be when managing photos through its online interface. Thanks to flickery, though, you can kiss that frustration goodbye.
The flickery app enables you to manage photos from your desktop, and there’s even an add-on for iPhoto integration, so you can quickly drag photos between Flickr and your Mac. It’s every Flickr user’s dream!
02. Trillian – Free
Cerulean Studios
Instant messaging – how we love it so. In fact, there’s nothing better than repeatedly having your attention distracted by little windows that appear without warning, pointing you to a video of a cat wearing a beret, or a tap-dancing ferret.
If this sounds like your life, then Trillian can bring all your accounts (such as AIM, ICQ, Google Talk and so on) under one roof, and you can send and receive messages across multiple platforms. Yay!
03. Twitter for Mac – Free
Twitter
Twitter has been through a hectic year of acquisitions, and has rolled much of the intellectual property it has acquired back into its official apps across a number of different platforms. Twitter for Mac – the official client available via the Mac App Store – is a prime example, taking a single column approach, so it can sit on your screen at all times.
The client includes multiple accounts, auto-complete, URL shortening, and – naturally – has no API limit. Oh, and it’s completely free. If you think that means it’s not up to scratch, think again.
04. Courier – £2.99
Realmac Software
Like Socialite, Courier helps you deal with time drain by keeping your social streams up to date, but it concentrates on one specific area – uploading. As the name suggests, Courier helps you deliver files to a host of destinations (including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Flickr and more). But where Courier really stands out is in its user experience. Each delivery of a file is represented by an envelope, onto which you drag a stamp. You then drag and drop files into your envelope and hit ‘Deliver’. Best of all, it’s fun!
05. Face Tab – Free
FIPLAB Ltd
Although some of us spread our lives across multiple social networks, there’s no denying that it’s Facebook that gets most attention from users across the web. Constant development of its site and mobile apps make it easier than ever to access Facebook, but for some that’s still not enough.
If you want to stay connected to all your Facebook goodies at all times, then Face Tab is the tool for you. It sits in your menu bar and offers quick access to your profile, updates, messages and more.
06. Socialite – £12
Apparent Software
As more and more social services attract our attention, updating and monitoring them can often feel like a full-time job (and for some people, it is). But, thanks to developers like Apparent Software, we now have the tools to make sense of the social noise that can so easily overwhelm us.
In Socialite, you have a tool that enables you to add a host of social accounts via one interface. These accounts – Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Google Reader, and RSS links – appear in the left-hand column, with the option to access specific parts of each account (Messages, Retweets and so on), get an overview of all account activity, or – for information junkies – see new items across ALL accounts (to be used with caution). A great app.
07. Echofon – Free
naan studios
This is the second Twitter client we’ve featured, but it comes with some nifty features that may be enough to pull you away from the official app. Firstly, Echofon is a client that you can also get on the iPhone, and with so many people accessing Twitter via mobile, the apps can sync between your Mac and iPhone (so there’s no going over old ground). Also, you can use keywords to highlight tweets in your stream.
08. Social Lite – Free
GrandSoft Ltd
Like Face Tab, Social Lite is a tool that sits in your menu bar and enables you to access Facebook without the need to open a browser. Unlike Face Tab, though, you can also access your Google and Twitter accounts.
Both tools essentially use iFrames to present the web content; as such, neither will win any design awards, but they are both handy ways to get quick access to your social networks of choice. Plus it’s free, so why not give it a try?
09. FlipToast – Free
W3i
It’s an odd name for a Facebook app, but get past that and what you’re left with is a simple dock that enables you to quickly send updates, share images, and view notifications, and all independently of the browser you’re using.
Limitations include the lack of viewing options, and the fact that the dock stays locked to the top-right of your screen, but it’s worth a look for lovers of the Facebook, especially coming at no cost at all.
10. Printful – £5.99
Alberto Garcia Hierro
Printful is one of a batch of new apps aimed at presenting web-based articles in a more comfortable manner for extended reading.
On the iPad and iPhone it’s Instapaper that rules the roost, but if you’re looking for a way to manage RSS feeds on your Mac desktop, to read articles without web clutter, and to share stories via your social networks then – despite still being a little buggy – this is the app for you! (Note that you must sign up for an account to use Printful.)
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