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HP dropped the ball on WebOS

I'm upset. Really, really upset.

Earlier today, HP dropped the bombshell that it was abandoning WebOS and discontinuing the production of the TouchPad and WebOS phones. True, this doesn't mean that WebOS is completely dead, as HP could sell or license the mobile operating system, but in a competitive market that's dominated by iOS and Android, it would be a hard sell.

What happens to WebOS in the future remains to be seen, but it's still a sad day. What's most upsetting to me is that HP didn't even give it a full go and simply let WebOS die a quiet death. Perhaps I should have seen the signs when then HP CEO Mark Hurd said in June 2010 that the Palm acquisition wasn't about smartphones.

"We didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business. And I tell people that, but it doesn't seem to resonate well. We bought it for the IP," said Hurd.

Still, I had hope as HP unveiled the TouchPad, Veer, and Pre 3 in February and talked of bringing WebOS to desktop computers, printers, and other electronics, including appliances and cars. When you consider how much the company talked up WebOS, perhaps you can understand why I feel betrayed and angry right now. … Read more

Windows 8 build locked down to prevent leaks?

Microsoft is reportedly locking down its latest Windows 8 build to prevent unauthorized people from installing it and leaking details about certain features, WinRumors reported yesterday.

Other purported details about the latest Windows 8 build, known as 8064, were revealed earlier this week by WinRumors, which is a Windows enthusiast site, and other sites. The new build is apparently the Windows 8 Developer Preview that Microsoft is likely to unveil at its Build conference next month.

In an attempt to thwart unauthorized users from accessing the new developer build, Microsoft has apparently set up unique product keys that are now … Read more

Amazon Student app for iPhone

Mac OS X Lion finally shows up on a USB stick, the FCC reviews San Francisco BART's decision to shut down cell phone service, and Amazon launches an iPhone app that enables students to scan barcodes and includes six months of free two-day shipping.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Amazon Student App for iPhone T-Mobile sells pre-paid at Family Dollar Mac OS X Lion shows up on USB sticks FCC reviews BART cell service shutdown Starbucks serves up free apps Follow Pres. Barack Obama on FourSquare Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | … Read more

Google to acquire Motorola Mobility

Adobe releases a new tools for designers to create websites with very little code called Muse, the San Francisco BART train service shuts down cellular phone service over fears of protestors, and Google shakes up the smartphone industry by acquiring Motorola Mobility.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Google to acquire Motorola Mobility Chrome 14 Beta gets Native Client San Francisco BART shuts down cell service Sprint drops BlackBerry Playbook Adobe debuts "Muse" for designers Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

Gartner: Windows 7 on 42 percent of PCs by year's end

Two years after its official debut, Windows 7 will finally become the leading operating system around the world by the end of 2011, says a report out today from Gartner.

Before the year is over, the current flavor of Windows is expected to show up on 42 percent of all PCs globally. Further, Gartner's latest research shows that 94 percent of all new computers shipped this year will come with Windows 7, leading to almost 635 million new Windows 7 PCs in 2011 alone.

Recent stats from Net Applications found that Windows XP was finally losing some of its … Read more

Operation: Shady RAT

AT&T will release three new BlackBerry phones running the new BlackBerry OS 7, AOL launches it own daily iPad-only magazine called Editions, and McAfee in a report in Vanity Fair reveals a new major hacking attack called "Operation: Shady RAT" that has been targeting government and private industry.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Operation: Shady RAT AT&T releases 3 new BlackBerrys Android users see rise in malware AOL releases 'Editions' iPad app Skype for iPad Twitter for iPad gets HTML5 Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) |&… Read more

iCloud gets tested and priced

Skype releases and then pulls its iPad app, Microsoft stops publishing the locations of millions of mobile and Wi-Fi devices, and Apple opens up iCloud.com for testing and reveals pricing for extra storage.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Developer coalition aims to ward off Lodsys, others

Amid the mounting pile of patent infringement cases targeting mobile application developers, one group has laid out plans to fight back by pooling resources with others.

Mike Lee, the co-founder of Tapulous, former Apple employee, and founder of Amsterdam-based development initiative Appsterdam today revealed plans to mount a defense against Lodsys and other patent holders as part of an effort he's calling "Operation Anthill." In short, it involves pooling resources to hire a technology attorney, provide money to back legal defenses in patent-related cases, and draft intellectual property legislation that would help protect developers. As it stands, … Read more

Alibaba OS-powered handset launching this month

Another mobile operating system will be launching in China this month.

Dubbed Aliyun OS, the operating system has been developed by Alibaba division AliCloud. According to the company, the mobile operating system will launch in the Chinese market on the K-Touch Cloud-Smart Phone W700 by the end of this month. Hangzhou, China-based Alibaba did not say exactly when the device will launch or how much it will cost.

AliCloud's operating system revolves around the idea of bringing cloud functionality to the mobile platform. According to the company, Aliyun will feature cloud-based e-mail, Web search, weather updates, and GPS navigation … Read more

Celebrating 30 years of MS-DOS

C:\happy-birthday.exe! MS-DOS, the cornerstone of Microsoft's software empire, is 30 years old today--so let's boot into the command line for a celebration of the OS with the mostest.

On this day in 1981, Microsoft bought what was to become MS-DOS from Seattle Computer Products. SCP has developed the system under the name QDOS. Everybody knows MS-DOS stands for Microsoft Disk Operating System, but that's actually a neat bit of corporate whitewashing from Bill Gates and co.--QDOS originally stood for Quick and Dirty Operating System.