In Flop of H.P. TouchPad, an Object Lesson for the Tech Sector

Jon Rubinstein, left, and Todd Bradley, Hewlett-Packard executives, holding WebOS devices including the TouchPad.

The TouchPad tablet from Hewlett-Packard was one of the most closely watched new gadgets of 2011 — and quickly turned out to be the year’s biggest flop. The TouchPad, which was supposed to be a rival to Apple’s iPad, lasted just seven weeks on the market before H.P. killed it, citing weak sales. 

Analysts point to a long list of factors behind the tablet’s quick demise. But some of the people involved in creating the tablet’s core software now say the product barely had a fighting chance.

That software is called WebOS, an operating system built on the same technology used by many Web browsers. It promised to be more flexible and open than Apple’s tightly controlled iOS software, and more beautiful than Google’s sometimes wonky Android system. H.P. acquired Palm, the maker of WebOS, for $1.2 billion in 2010 so it could use the software in products like the TouchPad.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/technology/hewlett-packards-touchpad-was-built-on-flawed-software-some-say.html?_r=1&ref=technology

HP teases 14-inch Envy 'Spectre' Ultrabook

The idea behind so-called Ultrabooks is to take some of the advantages of tablets -- like portability and instant-on capabilities -- and combine them with the performance and convenience of notebooks. IHS iSuppli projects ultrabooks will make up 43% of global PC shipments in 2015, up from 2% in 2011 and 13% in 2012.

Pricing will be a decisive factor in the success or failure of Ultrabooks, but after an initially lukewarm reception, it looks like things could improve with the second wave devices seeing how some are already selling for around $800-$900 -- like the Toshiba Portege Z835 or HP's own Folio 13, for example. Along with lower prices, Ultrabook sales will undoubtedly benefit from the upcoming release of Windows 8 later in the year.

Source: techspot News

HP’s new Slate a case of teaching an old dog some new tricks Tech Talk NICK DELORENZO

Well, technically, that’s still true.

But nowadays, youthful competition has pushed some venerable former giants from their pedestals, forcing them to shake off the cobwebs and innovate once more.

Hewlett-Packard, or HP for short, has acquired Palm, hoping that the ailing smart phone manufacturer’s salvaged DNA will inject new life into its slumping sales.

I had a chance to use the HP Slate and it was a big disappointment. The lack of a tablet-optimized operating system essentially killed the user experience. You just can’t cram a stock version of Windows on a device that size and hope people will put up with it.

The Slate was supposed to come with HP’s (formerly Palm’s) WebOS, which can be found on the Palm Pre. But, alas, that dream was not realized.

Now, in a bold move, HP says that all of next year’s offerings will have WebOS alongside Windows. Not just their mobile devices, not just their tablets, but every HP PC will feature WebOS as well.

Why?

What’s the point of putting WebOS on every device?

Well, two reasons. It seems to me that HP wants to get people used to using WebOS. So by shipping it on all of their computers, people will acclimate to the user experience. Then, they’re very likely to buy an HP mobile device powered by WebOS.

There’s another reason.

With WebOS, HP mobile devices, computers and tablets alike will be able to communicate with one another right out of the box. Sound familiar?

If not, you’re not an Apple user.

Apple products are good at talking to one another. They don’t like anyone else very much, but that’s for another column.

By emulating Apple’s approach, HP may be hoping to capture some of the user-friendliness of the iconic brand.

My prediction: They’re doomed to failure. HP might sponsor Formula One racing, but they’re just not very good at marketing otherwise.

Apple, on the other hand, has become one of the most market-savvy companies in the world. And marketing is half the battle. 

Source

HP first-quarter earnings slightly miss expectations

by Erica Ogg

Hewlett-Packard today reported that for the first quarter of 2011, the company brought in revenue of $32.3 billion. That's an increase of 4 percent from a year ago, but slightly below what Wall Street was hoping to hear.

Wall Street analysts were expecting revenue between $32.75 billion and $33.59 billion, and earnings per share between $1.26 and $1.32. HP's earnings per share this quarter came in at $1.17 (including 19 cents per share in after-tax costs), which is a 26 percent leap from the 93 cents per share earned a year ago.

HP CEO Leo Apotheker released an upbeat statement on the earnings report: "I'm pleased with our EPS and margin expansion during the quarter. Going forward, we have the opportunity to further capitalize on our customers' demands for higher value-added solutions...HP has a powerful portfolio, including exciting, recently announced cloud and connectivity offerings. We are focused on leveraging these strengths to extend our leadership and accelerate growth."

During a conference call with reporters this afternoon, HP executives gave a couple reasons for HP's miss: the company's enterprise business didn't re-sign or land the same number of big enterprise contracts it expected, and the consumer PC market grew slower than previously anticipated.

"We had good growth in commercial sectors and we gained share in the U.S. enterprise sector. However, it was offset by continued softness in the consumer PC market," Apotheker said.

The good news coming from commercial PC sales should continue for several more quarters. Apotheker used a baseball analogy to describe the ongoing commercial PC refresh cycle, saying it's in the "mid-innings." "This market still has some legs to go," he added.

The Personal Systems Group, which makes HP's PCs, didn't fare so well overall. In total, sales dropped 1 percent for the quarter, and while desktop PC sales were up 1 percent, notebook PC sales were down 5 percent.

As a result, HP today revised its full year 2011 revenue forecast slightly downward from between $131.5 billion and $133.5 billion to between $130 billion and $131.5 billion. CFO Cathie Lesjak explained, "We continue to remain cautious about the consumer spending environment, particularly with PCs." The enterprise business, she added, will "grow behind yearly seasonality." In other words, it will be slower than HP anticipated several months ago.

Apotheker has been CEO of HP for one full quarter, and he said he now feels like "an insider."

"I feel we are positioned to lead the IT industry," he told analysts during a conference call. "It's clear we do a lot of things well. It's also clear there are isolated areas we need to improve. I'm committed to making these improvements."

HP shareholders didn't respond favorably. The company's stock was down 9.4 percent to $43.69 in after-hours trading.

This post was updated several times, most recently at 3:00 p.m. PT.

Source: c.net news

HP Envy 17

HP's Envy broad range consists of sleek and effective multimedia machines, as well as the HP Envy 17-1050ea could possibly be the most latest entry, a 17.3-inch computer powered by Intel primary i7. There's no doubt that this could be recognized like a desktop substitution with limited portability, but a mixture of great performance, an enormous definition display as well as a built-in Blu-ray generate would make this a genuinely worthy computer for movement image lovers.

The HP Envy 17's primary i7 processor provides stunning ranges of power, ideal for operating numerous intensive usages at the moment in time or actively playing games. 4096MB of speedy DDR3 storage might help every little thing to operate smoothly.

A dedicated ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5850 artwork card can be on board the HP Envy 17, with 1024MB of movement image memory. this could be among one of the most effective GPUs we've observed on the laptop, and DirectX 11 help shows the HP Envy 17 can comfortably look after the most latest fixture titles even in large detail.

Both films and fixture titles glance great concerning the HP Envy 17's high-definition 17.3-inch screen, that is as vivid and colourful since it is sharp. to create one of the most belonging toward display, HP has enclosed a slot-loading Blu-ray generate to hold out high-definition films instant away from your disc.

A plain but attractive pattern goes on to be employed for the HP Envy 17, getting a silver carry out toward rock solid chassis. Only the palm rests as well as the lid attribute a subtle textured pattern, although the lid also features a glowing HP icon that lights up once the computer is turned on.

Although the HP Envy 17's chassis is pleasingly solid, it's also weighty and at 3.3kg isn't a computer that you'll desire to hold far. We haven't experienced a opportunity to check battery life, although wouldn't anticipate a complete whole lot over a few several hours from this kind of the large and effective machine.

While there's undoubtedly a complete whole lot to adore concerning the HP Envy 17, there are also a few minor construct issues. For one, the left element belonging toward computer heats up really quickly, and is also as well warm to touch shortly after 10 to fifteen mins of use.

The HP Envy 17's touchpad also has mouse button buttons integrated in to the bottom edge, which hampers usability. Resting your fingers concerning the buttons would make the cursor jerk concerning the screen, as does pushing the buttons, that is recognized like a instead stiff action. We'd possess a terrific offer wanted separate buttons.

Still, the keyboard is nicely sized and responsive, and there's space for just about any dedicated numeric keypad for swift information entry. each and every essential protrudes up through particular holes reduce using the HP Envy 17's chassis, which might help to separate the keys and prevents crumbs on top of that to other bits infiltrating the laptop's innards.

Features are strong, using the HP Envy 17's sizeable chassis leaving lots of space for ports. VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort connections are around for attaching outside displays, in the event you desire to check out your films on the bigger screen.

There are 4 USB ports for attaching peripherals, just one of which doubles as an eSata port for speedy information send with an outside hard drive. A 5-in-1 storage card reader can be included, although the HP Envy 17's 500GB hard disk is a complete whole lot over enough to home most people's mass media collections.

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