It's (almost) official: HP's WebOS tablet will be named PalmPad

It’s (almost) official: HP’s WebOS tablet will be named PalmPad

Despite early evidence that Research in Motion’s upcoming tablet would bear the awkward moniker of “BlackPad,” this week the company announced a device with a slightly better name: BlackBerry PlayBook. I’m still not sure why you’d use the word play when describing a device that you want to promote as a tablet professionals can use to get work done, but I suppose RIM is also working on revamping its image to convince users it can be as hip as Apple and provide you with hardware that can handle multimedia, games, and other apps.

HP/Palm, on the other hand, appears to be taking more direct aim at Apple, by calling its upcoming tablet the PalmPad. You know, like the iPad, but with Palm instead of umm… i?

We’ve been hearing rumors that the company’s new tablet would run a version of the WebOS operating system that powers the Palm Pre and Pixi smartphones and be called the PalmPad. But for the first time, an HP executive yesterday refered to the upcoming tablet as the PalmPad.

Speaking to analysts yesterday, HP vice president Todd Bradley said the “webOS-powered PalmPad” will launch in early 2011. A lot can change between now and early 2011, but it certainly looks like the company is at least thinking of calling the tablet the PalmPad.

Of course, I’m much more interested in learning how well it works and how much it will cost than what it will be called. But I’ll take what I can get for now.

via PreCentral

Posted on Wednesday, September 29th, 2010, 11:09 am by Brad Linder | 10 Comments

Anonymous

PalmPad – even the name says, “Me Too!”
JPA

Terms like “Pad” and “Tab” are probably going to thrown around a lot on different devices that run mobile operating systems. It indicates a lite device whereas “Slate” sounds more heavy duty and will probably have a full desktop operating system.
aftermath

PlayBook was pretty clever. It brings in the concept of “play”, which RIM desperately needs to invoke in the spirit of relevance to the “mall rats”. However, PlayBook is a pretty professional sounding term. Lots of businesses have what they call “play books”, and of course its a direct reference to a tool used by coaches, which implies that you’re taking your competition seriously rather than just playing around. Moreover, it follows the “book” suffix of notebooks and netbooks, probably in the hopes of cashing in on some of the power/productivity equity built up in those names.

PalmPad is what I guessed the name of this device would be from HP. It underwhelms. It does have a little alliteration in there that’s reminiscent of PalmPilot. That’s probably the best thing going for it.

The naming comparisons to Apple are ridiculous. It’s OK to buy your computer at the mall, but don’t get your knowledge about computers there. The “pad” suffix predates Apple. Apple didn’t innovate it. They didn’t steal it. They just used it, and now HP is too. Like everything else that Apple gets involved with, the take something pre-existing and try to make it “popular”. Pad is a reference to the slate form factor, and manufacturers have been using it for a long time. Do your research. The only thing worse than pointing at a manufacturer and accusing them of “me too” is to actually appropriate the ignorance of the least educated people in the tech consuming audience and stamp your “me too” on their misconceptions. If you want to whine about derivations than mock Apple for usurping the lineage: Mintpad, Simpad, Netpad, Airpad, etc. For that matter, doesn’t everybody think that Apple looks pretty stupid for calling their portable computers MacBooks. Clearly, that wasn’t just an indication that it was a Mac incarnation of the notebook form factor. It was blatant “me too!” shouting in order to confuse the marketplace and cash in on the shine of more popular computers.
Javajolt

If it is going to look like this HP is in deep trouble.
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http://twitter.com/AureusofSolis Ian M Perkins

The only naming convention with technology anymore seems to be that there is no convention. One day, there may actually be a compelling device in a tablet form factor (iPad included). I may even live to see it.
http://liliputing.com/ Brad Linder

Alright, I’ll stop complaining that companies are using Pad just because the elephant in the room is a product called the iPad if you stop complaining that people are using Tablet and Slate interchangeably. Last time I checked, both terms predate computers altogether, so who’s to say that a tablet needs to have a keyboard or active digitizer?
Pingback: HP’s WebOS tablet has the name PalmPad
Jeff28

Palm web os is winner, its just as good or better than the apple os. I pumped to get a palm pad.
JIMMY

I really want a stylus tablet just like palm.The function is suit for business and student.No QWERTY touch screen.

It’s (almost) official: HP’s WebOS tablet will be named PalmPad

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