Hewlett Packard’s CEO, Mark Hurd, told a financial analyst in an earnings report teleconference this week the company was readying a consumer printer that would run Palm’s WebOS a touch enabled operating system.
HP’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm last month comes at a time when most consumer electronics and PC makers are investigating the use of small footprint operating systems, such as those developed by the company’s new subsidiary.
Palm’s WebOS—which supports touch computing interface technologies may be a tongue and groove fit HP’s plans to introduce multiple slate computer products and touch interface enabled printers.
Hewlett Packard has a long history with touch interface computing. Its first touch enabled products were monitors introduced in the 1980’s and today the company has two portable convertible computers that support touch interfaces as well as numerous all-in-onP isn’t the only PC maker with touch interface computers; Acer-Gateway, Fujitsu and Lenovo have all adopted this interface technology for use on convertible notebooks, slate and all-in-one desktop computers.
HP’s acquisition of Palm provides access to a deep base of touch interface design as well as an existing slate device that was developed but never released by Palm.
HP, however, is among the first consumer electronics makers to move touch interface to its internet accessible printers, an action that could speed the adoption of this technology to products made by other vendors.—Jim Forbes on 05/20/2010.
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