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It goes without saying that funerals are a downer, but we all deserve a proper sendoff, -- unfortunately for Palm.com, there will be no tearful goodbyes. We reported just a few months ago that Palm was on its way out, and now HP's unceremoniously given the brand's URL the boot. You can still find the Palm logo at a number of related URLs scattered about the internets -- the brand's support page, twitter account, and official blog are still up and running -- but try typing Palm.com in your address bar, and you'll be swiftly redirected to HPwebOS.com. And here we thought our aunt Pearl moved on quickly. PreCentral Hpwebos.com

We just wrapped up our liveblog of HP CEO Leo Apotheker's appearance here at D9, and while he certainly spoke far too frequently about printers, there was one nugget that we just couldn't overlook. When speaking casually about the future of webOS on non-HP handsets, he noted that the firm was looking to license webOS to various other hardware manufacturers. Granted, the bulk of these are likely to be wrapped up in the enterprise, but he's not tossing out the idea of using webOS on other mobile devices. When asked if he'd consider licensing webOS to a company like HTC, he confessed to being very willing to having that conversation should the scenario present itself -- a stance that's quite different than the one held by the "old HP." It's hard to say if he's just shooting the breeze or if there's already a company or two behind the scenes looking to do just that, but either way, you can bet we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any webOS cre...

Here's something to add to your long list of webOS-related rumors: OfficeMax may be getting the HP TouchPad this July. If the above document is to be believed, HP's new 9.7-inch tablet will be available at the retailer on July 17th in both 3G  and  4G versions -- which is a bit puzzling, considering the company hasn't made any mention of WiMAX or LTE compatibility. As for that earlier Walmart gossip, another tipster provided  PreCentral  with a screenshot of the big box's database (after the break), which corroborates the $600 price tag we've been hearing about for the 32GB model. If this proves true, it'll be another month before we find out whether the slate truly lives up to HP's exceedingly high expectations. Update : We received a note from a reliable source inside Office Max that not all details in the above sheet are correct -- specifically the talk of 3G / 4G versions are a little unreliable, given the sheet currently lists a 4G version of t...

HP's expectations for its new TouchPad tablet are running pretty high -- so high, in fact, that they can only be expressed with a make-believe number. During a recent press conference in Cannes, HP's Eric Cador boldly declared that his company's new slate won't just be the best on the market, it'll be the bestest . Cador explained: "In the PC world, with fewer ways of differentiating HP's products from our competitors, we became number one; in the tablet world we're going to become better than number one. We call it number one plus." A spokesman later confirmed that the device will launch in the UK with apps from the  Guardian , Sky and Last.fm, but promised that "thousands" of other apps are on the way. The metrics might sound a bit optimistic, but the message is clear: HP thinks the TouchPad will annihilate the iPad and blow our minds to smithereens. We'll just have to wait and see whether it's as explosive as advertised. Th...

HP's Jon Rubenstein told us that his company wanted to veer in a new direction, and veer it surely did -- the HP Veer 4G will arguably be the smallest fully-functional smartphone on the market when it goes on sale May 15th. In a nutshell, it's a Palm Pixi Plus in the guise of a Pre, only in a delightfully downsized package with webOS 2.1 and thoroughly modern functionality. What does it feel like to Just Type on its tiny keyboard or throw app cards across its itsy-bitsy 2.6-inch screen? How is it as a pocketable HSPA+ hotspot, and will that extra G decimate its miniscule 910mAh battery? These are the questions that drove us when playing with the Veer 4G this week, and you'll find the answers shortly after the break. HP Veer 4G unboxing and hands-on Design When first we saw the HP Veer, it was a miniature Pre 2 in most every appreciable way -- deep black coatings, soft-touch plastics and buttons in all the same places. AT&T's new white version, however, ...

Last month, a device (model number HSTNH-F30CN) that we surmised to be a Pre 3 hit the FCC rocking AT&T band GSM radios. Now, its brother HSTNH-F30CV is seeking federal approval to ride CDMA (850 / 1900 MHz), UMTS (900 / 2100 MHz), and GSM (850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 MHz) wireless waves. With that "V" tagged on the end of the model moniker and its Verizon-friendly innards, it sure looks like the Pre 3 will be the next handset to wear a checkmark on its front. Additionally, those world wide bands tell us that a webOS device will soon be joining the Androids and Blackberrys in Big Red's rather limited lineup of global handsets. Skeptical about our smartphone Spidey Sense? Hit the source link and see for yourself, Sherlock. Wireless Goodness FCC

The percentage shift in the chart above tells most of the story here. According to Comscore's latest report, Android's share of the US smartphone market grew an impressive six percent in the three-month period ending in March to land at 34.7 percent, and RIM took the biggest hit as a result, slipping 4.5 points to a share of 27.1 percent. That's still enough to keep it ahead of Apple, however, which held its own with a slight gain to 25.5 percent. Both Microsoft and Palm / HP slipped just under a percent each to land in a distant fourth and fifth place, respectively. As for mobile OEMs, things stayed almost identical during the three month period, with Samsung, LG, and Motorola occupying the top three spots, and only Apple seeing any significant gains thanks to the Verizon iPhone launch -- although that still wasn't enough to push it above RIM for the fourth spot. Hit up the source link below for all the numbers. AFP Comscore

We suspected HP's diminutive webOS 2.2 smartphone might be on its way to AT&T, and now a handful of leaked photographs rocking a panda-like color scheme have further confirmed our suspicions. As you can see from the image above, the little guy's working the carrier's logo in the upper left-hand corner of its 2.6-inch display. The photos of HP's smallest webOS smartphone first appeared over at  Pocketnow  on Friday, just days before the Veer's May 2nd launch party is scheduled to pop off in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we still don't know  exactly  when the Snapdragon-packing device will be available for purchase, or how much it will cost when it lands, but we're hoping to have more on that after tomorrow's alleged event. Until then, you can always live vicariously through our hands-on with this little multi-tasking wonder. Now, isn't that just precious? Brighthand Pocketnow

You don't have to be a coder to appreciate the wonders that a software development kit can contain, especially when there's a nice emulator tucked in there to give an early taste of things to come. That's exactly what can be found within the webOS 3.0 SDK, and that SDK is exactly what's been leaked to the world, giving anyone who wants it the ability to play with the OS that'll make the HP TouchPad tick. PreCentral.net  took the emulator within for a heck of a test drive, providing a lengthy textual overview of everything from keyboards to calendars, along with the video that's embedded below. Sure, clicking and dragging in an early emulator isn't nearly as much fun as tapping and swiping on some beautiful hardware, but it sure does cut down on the smudgy fingerprints. It's cheaper, too. PreCentral.net

Our good friends over at PreCentral have just received a couple of juicy scoops, even for this time of the day. According to their proven tipster, what we're looking at here is an upcoming webOS phone sans keyboard -- a first for Rubinstein's crew, as many of you might already know. While there's not much detail to go with this pic, it appears that this here slate's just slightly bigger than the Pre 3, and that the little spot above the screen could be either a front-facing camera or merely a proximity sensor. Following PreCentral's logic, this could very well be the Stingray that showed up in the list of codenames back in November -- the similarly sized Pre 3 is Mantaray, whereas the smaller Veer is Broadway, leaving Stingray and Windsor unclaimed. But of course, we wouldn't place our bets just yet. Speaking of the Pre 3, the same tipster also sent in a spyshot of said phone connected to Verizon. While we already know that this slider packs both CDM...

You probably don't know who Joe Hayashi is -- well, unless you skimmed his bio immediately above -- but he just departed one company that you might care about, and went to another one. Hayashi was VP of webOS product development at Palm / HP, and now he's become the VP of marketing at Numenta, also known as the place where Palm's founder (and two former CEOs) decided to stay after the Folio tanked. Numenta's kept fairly quiet during its six years of operation, except to describe a concept called "hierarchical temporary memory" which could lead to a form of artificial intelligence based on human learning schemes, but we imagine if it needs a marketing guy, the company's about ready to actually create something. For its part, Numenta agrees -- it's publicly stated that we'll see the technology in some sort of product later this year. PreCentral Numenta , @ddubinsky...