HP snubs Windows, plans to integrate webOS into PCs

Hewlett Packard had a historic day today. First it announced several new devices and then dropped a bomb: it plans to integrate WebOS into its printers, PCs, and notebooks, giving it one universal platform for all its devices.

Today, HP has shown that it plans to stand behind Palm’s WebOS in a monumental way. After announcing three new WebOS products–the HP Veer, Palm Pre 3, and HP TouchPad tablet–and reaffirming its dedication to WebOS, HP dropped a bomb; the world’s largest computer manufacturer will be putting WebOS on its printers, laptops, and desktop PCs next year.

“I’m excited to announce our plans to bring the WebOS to the device that has the biggest reach of all: the personal computer,” said Todd Bradley, head of HP’s clients group. “Do the math on two PCs per second. You easily exceed 100 million devices with WebOS deployed annually. That’s the start of something pretty big.”

HP claims it has 1 billion computer customers worldwide and sells 2 PCs every second, which means more than 170,000 HP PCs are sold per day. The company claims it is about “delivering experiences” and will modify WebOS for the personal computer and begin shipping it, presumably, on all or a majority of its laptops.

HP made no mention of Windows or if the company will still sell Microsoft’s operating system, which is a vital resource for many businesses. Though many consumers could switch operating systems on a dime, most businesses cannot. It’s likely that HP will continue selling Windows in some fashion, for the time being.

HP Touchsmart 9300 and 610 recline the touch PC

HP has unveiled the Touchsmart 9300 Elite and 610, two touch PCs capable of reclining up to 60 degrees, allowing a more natural feeling touch experience on the desktop.

Who says desktop PCs are dead? Today, Hewlett-Packard unveiled the TouchSmart 9300 Elite, a business-class touch PC that can recline up to 60 degrees, tilt forward 5 degrees, and swivel 180 degrees to make touch gesturing much more ergonomic for users. The PC has a 23-inch LED backlit widescreen, multitouch capabilities, and a 1080p HD display. Its consumer PC counterpart, the Touchsmart 610, will also have an upgraded recline. HP describes its new line of PCs as a “revolutionary” leap in touch technology.

The 9300 Elite will replace HP’s current touch PC, the 9100, which has a 30 degree tilt. Under the hood, the desktop can pack as much as 16 GB of RAM. It runs on Windows 7, has up to a 1TB hard drive, an optional 160GB solid-state drive, and Intel’s latest generation of Core i3-i7 processors. Unfortunately, both run on an integrated Intel graphics card, meaning that if you were hoping to do some gaming on the devices, think again. HP has also partnered with Dr. Dre’s Beats Audio to offer an upgraded sound experience on the 610 line, which also has a built in HDTV tuner and access to HP’s apps library, while the 9300 will come with the ability to be easily mounted on the wall, enabling a wider range of business use scenarios. Both computers have a Blu-ray Combo Drive, SD card reader, a dual microphone array, and 2MP webcam.

The HP Touchsmart 610 will be available beginning Feb. 9 for prices starting at $899.99. No pricing information has been released for the Touchsmart Elite 9300, but it will be modestly more expensive from what we gather. It will be available in the United States by the end of May. HP will unveil its newest line of notebook PCs tomorrow.

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