HP: webOS coming to slates and printers

CEO confirms Palm operating system heading to more than just phones

19 May 2010 0:16 GMT / By Stuart Miles

HP has confirmed that the company plans to put Palm's webOS into printers (something we predicted back in April) and slates, according to comments made by the CEO mark Hurd at its latest earnings report.

“Beyond smart phones [you will see it go] into form factors such as slates and web-connected printers”, said Hurd as he laid out tentative plans of what happens next if the two companies get the go ahead to merge.

Those merger plans see HP paying $1.6bn for the company that it hopes will give it an operating system, smartphone creator, and a patent library that keeps it in the game against Microsoft, HTC and Apple.

HP has already experimented with apps for printers, last year launching a printer as part of its PhotoSmart range that ran on a Linux based OS and offered consumers a handful of apps; like the ability to print maps or news stories.

Many expect the "slate" comments to refer to HP's Slate device which, whilst getting its first outing at CES earlier this year and constantly being teased in trailer videos, is as yet to be dated for release.

We will keep you posted.

Via: twitter.com

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Cameras, Printers, HP, Tablets