HP Has Grand Plans for webOS

While it has been known for sometime that we’ll be seeing webOS connected printers from HP following the company’s acquisition of Palm, Chief Technology Officer Shane Robison is finally hinting at some of the endeavors that HP has for webOS outside the smartphone space. Specifically, we should be seeing Internet-connected printers running the mobile operating system that could print without the need for a computer. According to Robison, “”What Palm gives us is a modern, Web-oriented, connected operating system.” Additionally, the platform should give HP a consistent OS and user experience across a number of products in which webOS will be integrated into.

Other webOS products that have been rumored include a PalmPad webOS tablet, additional smartphones, and netbooks, which Robison did mention at the Techonomy Conference. Robison says that webOS netbooks won’t be replacing the Windows version anytime soon for “productivity tasks” and that security is still a concern.

Another key asset of webOS that HP would try to leverage would be the applications store created by Palm’s App Catalog. With developers being able to tap into the OS and more webOS integrated appliances and consumer electronics around the home, perhaps we’ll see smarter tech that’s customizable, programmable, and always connected and inter-connected through the Internet. We’ll have to see what HP envisions and creates for webOS.