What’s contained in this post is pure speculation, but intriguing.
Why would HP state that it’s going to continue webOS development when no other company has professed any interest in it?
What if HP already has a licensee but can’t say so?
Nate at The Digital Reader has a post about a new Amazon book format: Kindle Print Replica.
Just like me, Amazon must have seen that the current PDF format chews up a lot of a tablet’s CPU. I think they’ve found a different way of creating a print replica file that is more CPU-friendly for tablets.
Everyone has said that Amazon’s tablet will be based on Android. Everyone has said this because Amazon opened an Android App Store.
But what if their tablet isn’t Android at all?
What if it’s webOS?
As I’ve seen with the HP TouchPad, the standard PDF format is hell to use on it too.
So, whether it’s Android or webOS, PDF is just a pain to use on a tablet (which is true with iOS too, at least up to iOS 4.x).
Clearly, Amazon had to do something that offered PDF-like print reproduction capabilities but in a way that doesn’t chew up the CPU and battery.
As much as I’d like to think HP has a licensee for webOS and that it’s Amazon, it’s more wishful thinking than anything else.
@stroughtonsmith Android + webOS both based on same Linux kernel?—
Mike Cane (@mikecane) August 28, 2011
@mikecane 'same'? Not exactly.—
Steve Troughton-Sm… (@stroughtonsmith) August 28, 2011
@stroughtonsmith Let's say Amazon changed its mind and wanted to go from Android to webOS for a tablet. How much work involved?—
Mike Cane (@mikecane) August 28, 2011
@mikecane a year's worth? Two?—
Steve Troughton-Sm… (@stroughtonsmith) August 28, 2011
@stroughtonsmith OUCH!—
Mike Cane (@mikecane) August 28, 2011
@mikecane look at HP – it's been over a year and all they've managed to release is what Palm had already been working on—
Steve Troughton-Sm… (@stroughtonsmith) August 28, 2011
As for this new Kindle Print Replica format, I think it’s now more evidence pointing towards an Amazon tablet. Why go through all that trouble if it wasn’t going to be used to Amazon’s advantage?
I hope HP has a licensee. I know HP is more interested in the OS for the large multi laser printers they make, I still would like to see a competing tablet and phone as compettition improves all products. For example if Goodreader were to be available for WebOS like it is iOS then all the PDF problems would be history and this would force Adobe to improve if they want to compete.