In late April, HP announced it was purchasing the struggling smartphone maker Palm for $1.2 billion. The deal gave HP all of Palm’s patents and the WebOS mobile operating system, which some argue is the best mobile OS available today.
Palm had put itself up for sale in the last two months after it became clear that the company’s phones were not selling and it only had enough cash to last the next 12 months.
The ink has not even dried on the deal yet, but HP has seen its first setback, with key WebOS developer Matias Duarte jumping ship to Google, to work on the rival Android operating system.
Duarte’s move seems to imply the developer has little confidence in the future of WebOS with HP at the helm.
The developer was well known within the industry for his work on user interfaces, working on projects for the T-Mobile Sidekick and the Helio, among others. Duarte will work for Google as a User Experience Director, says InfoWorld.
HP has confirmed the move but not responded otherwise.
Result for: setback
Campbell Kan, Acer mobile computing VP has noted today that the computer company is currently developing a laptop with 3D display that will be available by the end of October.
The model will have a 15.6 inch display, and will recognize 3D movies natively. Users can also convert their standard movies into 3D. Kan was unclear about how 3D gaming would work. As with most current 3D displays, you will require stereoscopic glasses to view in 3D.
The notebook will also run Windows 7 which is set for a September release. Kan also noted there is a model being created that will not require special glasses but there is no timetable set for it as there are lots of developing setbacks.
Result for: setback
Joost, the creation of Skype and Kazaa founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, is reportedly searching for a buyer among cable and satellite providers. Time Warner Cable has apparently expressed interest in Joost, which claims it could be a provider’s online video solution. It is struggling amongst its growing competitors (Hulu, YouTube etc.), with that predicted bright future it would have nowhere to be found.
Like Skype and Kazaa, Joost was based around peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, which at the time of the launch was touted as a way to provide excellent quality video to a very large group of viewers using the software. It has been through several technology setbacks and a management shake up in the past couple of years, and it also has failed to get top TV shows and movies.
Earlier this month, Sony Pictures decided not to renew a licensing agreement with Joost, around the same time that the studio was inking a new deal with Google Inc.’s YouTube instead.
