According to the rumor that was just brought to our attention, Sprint is not planning on offering any webOS devices for the rest of 2011 with the main reasons for that being the poor adoption of the platform and the devices that run it. It was hinted that the HP TouchPad might make it to the carrier’s lineup eventually, yet chances of that ever happening were slim. That being said, those of you who have been waiting to upgrade their trusty webOS handset and replace it with an HP Pre3, for example, might really have to look for it on the shelves of a different carrier, as earlier speculations have suggested.

However, if the rumor is to be believed, Sprint may not be breaking up with the platform entirely as that mostly depends on what HP chooses to do with it. Nevertheless, until the next batch of webOS smartphones hits the market, the majority of the loyal webOS fans might have already converted to a different operating system or switched to a different carrier. Wouldn’t it be too late for Sprint to embrace webOS again?

via: PreCentral Forums

A trusted source for This is my next says that the HP Pre 3 will not be joining the Sprint lineup and HP is not working on any other product for the nation’s third largest carrier. And actually, Sprint might not even care. The original Pre was a major disappointment for them despite setting a record at the time, for first day and first weekend sales. Even with the 6 month exclusive that the carrier had, Sprint soon became enamored with Google’s open source OS and the recent launch of the HTC EVO 3D reconfirms Sprint’s focus on Android.

Those Sprint customers who are hooked on webOS are going to have to switch carriers if they plan on moving up to the new Pre 3. And there are many reasons why current Pre owner should want to update to the new model. From the larger 3.6 inch screen to the 1.4GHz Qualcomm single-core processor and the front facing camera, the latest iteration of the HP Pre is a big improvement over previous builds of the phone. Pre fans out there-and they do exist-are going to want this new model, the first major update in the Pre since its initial launch, and if this source is correct, they are not going to find it at Sprint.

source: Thisismynext via everythingPre

As we near HP/Palm’s eventual event next week, where they’ll more than likely unveil some new webOS products, we’re starting to hear the faint whispers of them partnering with Sprint once again. It’s being reported that Sprint is letting their corporate customers know that they’ll be carrying new Palm products some time in the future. Not just one apparently, but we might see more this time around – possibly the Palm Pre 2 or some other unknown device. Furthermore, it sounds like some sort of Palm tablet will be making its way down to Sprint as well.

It’s fine and dandy that Sprint is giving Palm a second shot at their business, but we’ll surely know more surrounding this exciting round of speculation as we near HP/Palm’s special event next week.

source: PreCentral

Just because you’re regarded as the kid brother to the Palm Pre doesn’t mean you can compete at the same level as the big boys – and that’s exactly where we find the Palm Pixi. Thanks to a project that was started last October, the latest version of the UberKernel for the Palm Pixi enables the tiny handset to throttle itself to the speed of 806MHz. The substantial speed bump actually benefits more users than one would think over other webOS devices.

Though, you’ll have to watch the settings to find that perfect sweet spot in getting the most out of your tweaks – so it won’t melt the handset or kill battery dramatically. So if you have the itch in bulking up your Palm Pixi, you can check this process out for yourself.

via PreCentral

Three consumer versions will be on the shelves in March, with slight hardware differences from each other, and WiMAX 4G connectivity (Sprint, Clearwire). A “university” version should come later in 2011, with a slightly smaller, 8.9″ display, and HP will let educational institutions customize its aspects, both from hardware and software standpoints. Not a bad idea to out it for the fall semester, since it is a relatively untapped niche market, which has a huge customer base.

Now on with the juicy details. The PalmPad will have a 3MP main camera, and a 1.3MP front-facing snapper for video convos, both with LED flashes. HP hasn’t forgotten to cover the added value base that will distinguish it from the upcoming iPad 2, BlackBerry PlayBook and Motorola Everest – extremely formidable competitors. Palm’s slate will have a tablet-oriented version of webOS – 2.5.1, HDMI port, and will sport lightning fast USB 3.0 ports.

Sounds like a good plan, and we can’t help but agree with the source’s opinion that webOS’s card interface and tablets are a match made in heaven. We don’t know what chipset will be inside, probably something of TI’s OMAP family, so we can’t even ballpark the PalmPad cost, but we can’t imagine that HP will be silly enough to price it more than the direct competition. Besides, HP runs a very cost-optimized supply chain, and Palm’s tablet comes as a total underdog, which will take a lot of pressure off its projected sales figures and price at launch.

source: FoxNews

From a leak we feel dubious about to a leak that looks solid, Engadget has photos of webOS 2.0.1 running on a Sprint Pre. Exhibition mode is here but not fully working yet - just the clock works now, but more modes like photos, agenda view, and Facebook are in the works.

This version is "Barley" with another called "Barleywine" in the works, both codenames we've seen dropped before. Apparently the OTA update won't come until the whole shooting match is updated to 2.1, which lines up with the 2011 release rumors we've heard as well.

Looks like all the Sprint custom app are here, with one addition called "Sprint Music Plus" that we look forward to never using. Also, it looks like there is a new voice dialing feature! It looks like the feature will search for contacts as well as accept straight-up numbers for those of you who actually remember those anymore.

Source: Engadget