[tholap]

I just read an article on Engadget about Sony buying out Ericssons half of SonyEricsson.

Interesting timing.
Could be pure coincidence that this happens right after webos becomes available. I have 0 inside knowledge - this is just speculation on my part.

SE is stuck in the dumbphone part of the market. Sony buying out Ericsson means they want freedom to move ahead and they will need to make a serious push into the smartphone market.

Sure - they could use Android like almost all the others. But Sony is probably after the high margin end of the market and have something that fits their brand. Webos would be a good fit for them.

The have the money, motivation and brand to make this happen.

Just my 2 cents

-- Sent from my Palm Pre3 using Forums

[StuckwVerizon]

No. Sony is not that stupid.

[Consequence_9]

sony will go android just like everyone else. webos will continue to be to android & ios what desktop linux is to windows & mac [better in many ways, prettier & more fun to use, not without it's drawbacks & a 1-2% marketshare.. & don't forget a passionate userbase/community]

[tholap]

Neither of you provided any arguments.

Whether webos is eventually super-successful or dead soon is independant of whether Sony might now be interested in webos.

There is not that much in common between Desktop Linux and webos. That webos uses the Linux Kernel is not very relevant. So does Android. And users don't care that IOS runs on a Mach Kernel with a modified BSD userland. None of that matters to the success (or lack of of) of the various platforms.

There are good reasons for Sony to hesitate to use Android at this point.
Nokia/MS and Google/Motorola changed the landscape this year.

To be successful in this market you either need a very cheap solution (Android, Bada) to make money via mass sales and very low cost - or you need a high margin option and do it like Apple. And a big brand name like Sony are likely to want their own thing - not just yet another Android - that's controlled by somebody else, shared with the competition and threatened by Apple, MS and bas1ardized (spelling thanks to silly forum censorship) by Amazon.

Given Sonys history and range of products the high-margin route seems more likely to me.
None of this is certain in any way.
Sony could licence WP7 (but I find this unlikely after the Nokia deal) or use Android (not so certain given above reasons) or they could go crazy and come out with a totally new system (more expensive and risky than buying webos at this point).

With MS extorting protect... err ... licence fees from Android manufacturers left and right it's not as cheap as it used to be. And several manufacturers already put on their own UI layers to distinguish themselves from the competition.
For all those reasons webos would be a better fit for Sony than Android - except for one thing: App market size. But as has been shown recently - they could provide Android compatibility and embed Android apps as cards.
Alternatively MS has shown that if you are serious about establishing the platform you can get a lot of apps created in a short time.

Palm didn't have the resources to bring the ads and the hardware.
And HP is divided and confused and while having the resources they didn't have the will to succeed in this market.
Sony has the resources and the motivation and is not likely to dump the consumer hardware market any time soon.

[StuckwVerizon]

webOS failed twice on two different companies. And every webOS devices are failed miserably. Sony needs to catch up. And they can do plenty with their hardware to differenciate from other android phones on the market. They don't need another failed OS, they will go with Android and fight back the market with their pure sony design, not sony-ericsson.

[cgk]

Webos died twice in the market and even at its peak it had sold less units than one android OEM (HTC) sold in a single market (UK). I still haven't seen any analysis to support the idea that anyone wants to throw any money down tge bottomless pit that is WebOS.

Sent from my ZTE-BLADE using Tapatalk

[pogeypre]

webOS didn't fail on HP. HP didn't even give it 6 months. Veer released, Pre 3/Touchpad released, then quit. If I used the same thinking, I would have quit school halfway through Kindergarten....

[pogeypre]

That being said, however, no way Sony buys webOS from HP. Sony has taken 10 years to get out of the mess it was in when it and Ericsson joined forces.

[Suntan]

I just read an article on Engadget about Sony buying out Ericssons half of SonyEricsson.

Interesting timing.
Could be pure coincidence that this happens right after webos becomes available. I have 0 inside knowledge - this is just speculation on my part.

SE is stuck in the dumbphone part of the market. Sony buying out Ericsson means they want freedom to move ahead and they will need to make a serious push into the smartphone market.

Sure - they could use Android like almost all the others. But Sony is probably after the high margin end of the market and have something that fits their brand. Webos would be a good fit for them.

The have the money, motivation and brand to make this happen.

You make it sound like S/E don’t already have a precense in the smartphone market.

You are aware that they already have numerous android based phones? Right?

Phone Finder Results (Phone Scoop)

Plus a couple of android tablets:

http://www.androidcentral.com/sony-t...nd-launch-date

In addition they are continuing to grow their android based playstation suite initiative.

Sony reveals PlayStation Suite framework, store for Android gaming -- Engadget
http://www.androidcentral.com/playst...es-spring-2012


And locking in (limited time) game exclusives for Sony android hardware like:

http://www.androidcentral.com/gamelo...s-line-tablets
http://www.androidcentral.com/minecr...et-xperia-play


Sony isn’t looking to “get into” the smartphone market. They are already there, and they’ve already chosen Android.

I know this looks like unabashed android loving, but really these pointless, uninformed “ I think business X is going to buy webOS because…” threads are sad.

-Suntan

[laoh]

Hmmm... part of me says I would love to see Sony buy webOS. They're still market innovators even if they don't have the pizzazz like they did in the 80s and 90s. Only Sony would release a tiny netbook like Vaio P with screen so small (8") but with a resolution so ridiculous (1600x768 but things are so fine but tiny, it hurts your eyes)... no one else would dare such a thing. They're not afraid to experiment.

But then the other side of Sony... they're always trying to shove their proprietary formats down customers' throat. Bluray was really their first success... we still have the memory stick. So if they bought webOS, what would they do with it? My worry is that they'll close it up and make it all proprietary. Totally the opposite of spirit of webOS.

[mech1164]

So if they bought webOS, what would they do with it? My worry is that they'll close it up and make it all proprietary. Totally the opposite of spirit of webOS.

Well the question is have it bought and be proprietary or open and DEAD? At this point I'll take the former then the latter. It would just mean that WebOsintermals would be jailbreaking just like for Apple. I can live with that.

Besides if there is a manufacturer that knows Palm it's Sony. Could be the best fit.



Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Mikey47]

Could be pure coincidence that this happens right after webos becomes available. I have 0 inside knowledge - this is just speculation on my part.

Who says that webOS has become available? You're right on the speculation part -- that is all P|C has become. Honestly I think they should change their name from Pre Central to Speculation and Rumor Central...

[samab]

Sony is buying out Ericcson because Sony has their modified Android PSP phone --- Sony wants to use Playstation brand name alone.

[LCGuy]

Just some thoughts:

WebOS didnt fail - Palm and then HP failed WebOS, and the WebOS fans - the future of WebOS is till yet to be written - stay tuned.

There are other OS's for Sony to consider, IF they are looking to get into the smartphone market witho0ut using Android, such as Windows and Meego.

WebOS is certainly a potential acquisition for anyone in the market for a Mobile OS, at the right price, regardless of any naysayers here on PC or anywhere else - that's a fact.

The question is, though, who will eventually wind up with it, if anyone, other than staying at HP?

The OP's hypothesis has some merit, IMO, but, its a shot in the dark for actually coming to fruition, given the success of Android which can instantly bring a huge market to any manufacturer; WebOS, currently, can't match that capability.

[laoh]

Just some thoughts:

WebOS didnt fail - Palm and then HP failed WebOS, and the WebOS fans

Are you Dieter?

[SnotBoogie]

Just some thoughts:

WebOS didnt fail - Palm and then HP failed WebOS, and the WebOS fans

bollux. Nobody bought the devices. That's a failure. People have blamed everything in the book from commercials to Best Buy Sales reps. If people wanted the products they'd have bought them regardless. Nobody bought them. It's only not a failure if you want to ignore the facts.

And 100% of the time webos fans were all over this board saying every thing these companies was doing was just fine. The WebOS fans loved the crappy keyboard, the crazy tiny veer, hey nothing was wrong with a headseat dongle, the tp was NOT too thick, they claimed webos was not sluggish. Oh but now it's their fault. Wow. No way. I don't buy it. because at launch and months ago they loved the products and cheerleaded for them. The problem is WebOS fans are the only ones that wanted to buy the products. That's a failure.

[LCGuy]

bollux. Nobody bought the devices. That's a failure. People have blamed everything in the book from commercials to Best Buy Sales reps. If people wanted the products they'd have bought them regardless. Nobody bought them. It's only not a failure if you want to ignore the facts.

And 100% of the time webos fans were all over this board saying every thing these companies was doing was just fine. The WebOS fans loved the crappy keyboard, the crazy tiny veer, hey nothing was wrong with a headseat dongle, the tp was NOT too thick, they claimed webos was not sluggish. Oh but now it's their fault. Wow. No way. I don't buy it. because at launch and months ago they loved the products and cheerleaded for them. The problem is WebOS fans are the only ones that wanted to buy the products. That's a failure.

WebOS is a viable, well thought out mobile OS that is geared towards using the web to anhance productivity and connecivity.

It has succeeded in that stead, wholeheartedly, even with its imperfections. Critics that are fans and not, agree to that, across the board.

WebOS failed in the market because of the incapaibliites of Palm, and the lack of follow-through of HP, thereafter.

Them's the facts, like it or not!

[samab]

WebOS is a viable, well thought out mobile OS that is geared towards using the web to anhance productivity and connecivity.

Except that the whole world has moved on --- while webos is still sporting an IE6 era browser. In terms of speed, every other tablet browser is twice as fast. In terms of completeness, other tablet browsers are more desktop like. In terms of flash performance, other tablet browsers have smoother flash performance.

[retroblu]

Hmmm... part of me says I would love to see Sony buy webOS. They're still market innovators even if they don't have the pizzazz like they did in the 80s and 90s. Only Sony would release a tiny netbook like Vaio P with screen so small (8") but with a resolution so ridiculous (1600x768 but things are so fine but tiny, it hurts your eyes)... no one else would dare such a thing. They're not afraid to experiment.

But then the other side of Sony... they're always trying to shove their proprietary formats down customers' throat. Bluray was really their first success... we still have the memory stick. So if they bought webOS, what would they do with it? My worry is that they'll close it up and make it all proprietary. Totally the opposite of spirit of webOS.

not a huge sony fan, cause sometimes with them i feel like im just buying a name and not a quality product...did love my walkman and discman though w/ those crazy skip buffers...hehe, anway...

....sony's proprietary stuff, from what ive read memory sticks are better in how they handle data and i think they also had/have a higher write speed, and maybe the reason there stuff never really caught on was not trying to get other people(read companies/standards) involve in development, and also maybe there licensing fees where way ridiculous for people so the industry found a different solution, maybe not as good but different that the majority agreed was acceptable.

betmax was superior than vhs hands down
memory sticks have faster write speeds and usually high capacity than SD cards
bluray has higher write speeds and more data capacity than HDDVD

[LCGuy]

Except that the whole world has moved on --- while webos is still sporting an IE6 era browser. In terms of speed, every other tablet browser is twice as fast. In terms of completeness, other tablet browsers are more desktop like. In terms of flash performance, other tablet browsers have smoother flash performance.

Hence why Palm, and HP are to blame for its low market penetration (or, as others are dying to call it, "failure", but, really, it's their owner's failure; it, itself, is a flaming success with so much potential in the right hands. Imagine if Apple were to have thought of it before Palm did?)

Thanks for proving my point for me.