[mrkalel]

This was recently tweeted by HPInstantOn's account:

http://ow.ly/4lJUr

From my understanding the crowd was shown webOS on a PC, and apparently it Toggled instantly with Windows 7.

Seems pretty exciting...especially if HP is starting to show it off already....

"Seeing webOS demonstrated on a PC and how it instantly toggles with Windows 7 was a real coup for many in the audience. Highlighting that this operating system would be shipped on 100 million devices (PC’s and printers) in 2012 suddenly makes it extremely relevant."

[Cantaffordit]

I wish I knew what "toggles" meant.

[fxspec06]

I'm imagining something like a WebOS button or a keyboard shortcut that switches with a WebOS like animation. Think 'Spaces' on OS X, but more WebOS'y.

[Stevesrjr86]

Hmmmm... I build my own computers, so I wonder if HP will some how allow people to install WebOS on their own computers instead of buying a new HP model. Allowing consumers to do that will bring the growth of their new ecosystem to a whole new level.

[alvaro_qc]

Hmmmm... I build my own computers, so I wonder if HP will some how allow people to install WebOS on their own computers instead of buying a new HP model. Allowing consumers to do that will bring the growth of their new ecosystem to a whole new level.

I don't think that will be the case. HP will get more profit from webOS for computers as a unique feature of their computers, and also this will make the HP computers different from the competition.

[spare]

I don't think that will be the case. HP will get more profit from webOS for computers as a unique feature of their computers, and also this will make the HP computers different from the competition.

They can have HP pc's better integrate with webos, like how android phones better integrate with g-apps, but still available on other platforms.

[deesugar]

Going off the Engadget interview with Rubinstein where he says "it will run in a window on a PC" I ask myself how is this going to be different then development kit that runs WebOS in a virtual environment in a MS window?

I don't need to run WebOS apps in a window on my PC which is what Ruby said it could do. I will not be using WebOS browser over my PC browser. I will not use any of the office apps over MS Office on my PC and I certainly won't be playing any WebOS games over the ones I can play on my PC.

I was honestly hoping it was just going to be a Synergy hook where stuff I'm doing on my PC can share with my WebOS devices over the cloud and vice versa. Web pages I'm looking at on one device can switch over like Touch to Share. But I don't need a WebOS UI running in a window on my PC to do these things.

Would running iOS in a window on a MacBook Pro be useful? I think people would find it redundant and silly. But having a communication stack running in the background to share and control all my other iOS devices would be cool.

Maybe they are planning on doing both, I dunno but I hope to God there is something more compelling in their plan to put WebOS on PC's then just because they can.

[nappy]

Yeah, after watching to Rubinstein's interview, I find myself wondering why anyone would want to do this. He mentioned Synergy, but we have access to all that stuff in our browser anyway. I'm starting to think the only practical reason for virtualizing webOS on Windows is so HP can say "hey, we've shipped 100 million webOS devices."

[HelloNNNewman]

I could more see it working at full speed with a larger catalog in the future. If you are working in an app on your phone, you could put it on the touchstone, have your document hit the cloud and continue your work seamlessly on your computer. It could be a specialty app, or even a game like Angry Birds where your screenstate is saved into the cloud and you pick up on your computer where you left off.

The point I see in this is what Ruby was saying - it's designed around really using the cloud. Instead of having to save and email or transfer a document to your computer that you are working on, you could simply access that document in the cloud with the same app on your computer.

Yeah, there are a lot of different possibilities in the future... but knowing HP, they have a specific target in mind to hit for this capability and will expand it from there. Will be interesting to see where it goes.

[Cantaffordit]

Yes, think "Neato! for documents, Neato! for movies, Neato! for phone calls."

[Lonestarsharker]

Hmmmm... I build my own computers, so I wonder if HP will some how allow people to install WebOS on their own computers instead of buying a new HP model. Allowing consumers to do that will bring the growth of their new ecosystem to a whole new level.

id like them to offer it on non HP PCs, but i doubt they would.

Think about this for a second, many PC companies including HP are shipping laptops and "all-in-one" PCs with built in webcams and integrated mics, and also bluetooth chips.

with webos on the PC, HP will be able to enable both video calling and i assume audio only calling, along with notifications on the PC. I would imagine this kind of integrated connectivity would be difficult to implement on computers HP didnt build.

Im not a software engineer or a PC builder, but i am a thinker. so i could be wrong.

[nappy]

I could more see it working at full speed with a larger catalog in the future. If you are working in an app on your phone, you could put it on the touchstone, have your document hit the cloud and continue your work seamlessly on your computer. It could be a specialty app, or even a game like Angry Birds where your screenstate is saved into the cloud and you pick up on your computer where you left off.

The point I see in this is what Ruby was saying - it's designed around really using the cloud. Instead of having to save and email or transfer a document to your computer that you are working on, you could simply access that document in the cloud with the same app on your computer.

This stuff is possible now, though. Without having to virtualize a custom OS on the desktop.

[deesugar]

HelloNNNewman I understand what you are saying but I have a feeling trying to shoehorn WebOS on a PC so you can finish a doc on a WebOS window on your PC won't be as satisfying to the user as having that same document come up in MS Word.

Size of screen, functionality and features will be lacking if you try to force people to synchronize their stuff to WebOS in a PC window rather then native apps on your PC. This to me would be a step backwards from the roots of Palm when Jeff Hawkins Palm devices synced to a PC format allowing your PC applications manipulate and drive the content.

As I said before I was hoping for a Synergy back end that seamlessly allowed my PC and WebOS devices to communicate. Like an invisible and continuous running Hot Sync Manager but much better and more advanced. I thought WebOS was all about "The Cloud" not virtualized OS's? I just don't get why you'd run an actual version of WebOS inside another OS, I don't see any benefits other then Nappy's comment on being able say you've shipped WebOS on xxxx number of devices?

[RoverNole]

I wonder if some here doubted Apple when they introed the Ipad? Point is, why not let HP's vision at least mature and come to market, rather than doubting every move and any information they give us.

Maybe HP should just stop mentioning any future plans so some can again start complaining about them not sharing any plans or vision.

[berdinkerdickle]

I wonder if some here doubted Apple when they introed the Ipad? Point is, why not let HP's vision at least mature and come to market, rather than doubting every move and any information they give us.

Maybe HP should just stop mentioning any future plans so some can again start complaining about them not sharing any plans or vision.

Great post.

[deesugar]

I wonder if some here doubted Apple when they introed the Ipad? Point is, why not let HP's vision at least mature and come to market, rather than doubting every move and any information they give us.

Maybe HP should just stop mentioning any future plans so some can again start complaining about them not sharing any plans or vision.

The problem is Palm/HP doesn't have Apples track record of successes. People who've been with Palm a long time remember all the past problems with mergers/acquisitions, OS's, phones and the Folio. Maybe that's why we are more pessimistic and cringe more easily when we hear questionable news. We want Palm to succeed, we haven't given up but sometimes it's like an old parent driving a car and you feel like you have to scream because you're not sure if they are going to see that ditch in the road ahead and hit it like last time or safely go past it.

Just my .02

[nappy]

I wonder if some here doubted Apple when they introed the Ipad? Point is, why not let HP's vision at least mature and come to market, rather than doubting every move and any information they give us.

Maybe HP should just stop mentioning any future plans so some can again start complaining about them not sharing any plans or vision.

I remember many people here doubting the iPad when it was first announced.

I think part of the reason people are questioning how webOS will work on a PC is because it just doesn't make sense. It's just redundant functionality running on top of a more capable platform. Like deesugar said above, what makes more sense: booting up webOS in a VM, loading QuickOffice and opening a Word document or just loading the document in Word?

[berdinkerdickle]

I think it's so all you do on your phone is right there always on your PC - expanding synergy.

[berdinkerdickle]

The problem is Palm/HP doesn't have Apples track record of successes. People who've been with Palm a long time remember all the past problems with mergers/acquisitions, OS's, phones and the Folio. Maybe that's why we are more pessimistic and cringe more easily when we hear questionable news. We want Palm to succeed, we haven't given up but sometimes it's like an old parent driving a car and you feel like you have to scream because you're not sure if they are going to see that ditch in the road ahead and hit it like last time or safely go past it.

Just my .02

Oh boy has it been a ride. And we're still here hoping.
I guess a balanced healthy hope would be ideal. One where we don't constantly find fault, and one where we don't constantly make excuses.

[berdinkerdickle]

I know we're all still speculating here, but..
I don't see it as cumbersome to have webOS running as a VM on my PC.
I already have two machines running on my Mac.
Now that might be the missing puzzle that HP has in mind; right now, if I'm working on a doc through my VM, it's actually on the Host machine.
Everything I do on the host machine is updated in the guest.
So maybe you don't have to work on the doc within the VM, but rather all is done on the host, and live in the VM.
I'm working on a doc, a client calls, nothing needs to be copied/saved/emailed. I just grab my phone and go, because the doc is already on my phone.