Palm webOS
Encyclopedia
HP webOS is a mobile operating system
based on a Linux kernel
, initially developed by Palm
, which was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard
. Palm, HP, and most commentators and sources write the name webOS, as shown in the adjacent logo, and in HP resources, rather than "WebOS".
webOS was introduced by Palm in January 2009. Various versions of webOS have been featured on several devices, including Pre
, Pixi
, and Veer
phones and the HP TouchPad
tablet. On February 9, 2011, Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's personal systems group, announced that they would be making webOS the universal platform for all of their devices. However, on August 18, 2011, HP announced that it would discontinue production of all webOS related hardware devices. On October 21, 2011, Bradley announced that they would make a final decision about the future of the webOS platform in 'a couple of months'.
maker Palm Computing (later renamed Palm, Inc.) owned and developed the Palm OS
software platform. In 2002, Palm created a wholly owned subsidiary, PalmSource
, which was later spun off as an independent company. Palm licensed Palm OS and Windows Mobile
as it developed webOS as a new platform to replace both.
webOS was introduced by Palm in January 2009 as the successor to Palm OS
. The first webOS device was the original Palm Pre
, released on Sprint
in June 2009. The Palm Pixi followed. Upgraded Plus versions of both Pre and Pixi were released on Verizon.
In April 2010, HP acquired Palm; webOS was described as a key asset and motivation for the purchase. The $1.2 billion acquisition finalized in June. HP indicated its intention to develop the webOS platform for use in multiple new products, including smartphones, tablet computers and printers.
In February 2011, HP made the "difficult and, frankly, painful decision" that the Palm Pre, Palm Pixi, and their "Plus" revisions, would not receive over-the-air updates to webOS 2.0, despite a previous announcement of an upgrade "in coming months." HP announced several new webOS devices, with various versions of the operating system, including the HP Veer
and HP Pre 3
smartphones, running webOS 2.2, and the HP TouchPad
, a tablet computer
released in July 2011 that runs webOS 3.0.
In March 2011, HP announced plans for a version of webOS by the end of 2011 to run within the Microsoft Windows
operating system, and to be installed on all HP desktop and notebook computers in 2012.
On August 18, 2011, HP announced that it was interested in selling its Personal Systems Group, responsible for all of its consumer PC products, including webOS, and that webOS device development and production lines will be halted. It was unclear whether HP would consider licensing of webOS software to other manufacturers. When HP reduced the price of the Touchpad to $99, the existing inventory quickly sold out. HP is reported as still wanting to rollout webOS on PCs and printers, but a date is unknown. The HP Pre 3
will be launched in selective areas. HP has announced that it will continue to issue updates for the Veer
and HP TouchPad
.
, released June 6, 2009, on the Sprint network, the Palm Pixi
, released on November 15, 2009, on Sprint
, as well as "Plus" versions later issued on Verizon Wireless
and AT&T, and some international carriers.
webOS version 2 runs on Pre 2 phones released since October 2010 in France by SFR, 2010 December by Rogers in Canada, and 2011 February on Verizon in the U.S.
Additional webOS versions and devices were announced by HP in February 2011, including the Touchpad
, the Pre 3
and the Veer
. The HP Veer
was launched on AT&T
on May 15, 2011, and is available in two colors.
HP TouchPad
was released in the United States on July 1, 2011. Reviewers and purchasers have noted software performance problems that HP has addressed with an over-the-air update released August 2, 2011. Document editing, other than via Google Docs, was not enabled at launch.
design was led by Matias Duarte
for use on devices with touchscreen
s. webOS uses multi-touch
gestures to navigate on the touchscreen. The interface uses "cards" to manage multitasking
. The user switches between running applications by a flicking gesture from left and right on the screen. Applications are closed by flicking a "card" up—and "off"—the screen.
, Yahoo!
, Facebook
, LinkedIn
, and Microsoft Outlook
(via Exchange ActiveSync
) and integrate all of these sources into a single list. Calendars from multiple sources can be viewed together or one at a time. For messaging, Synergy combines all conversations with each contact into a single chat-style window. For example, instant messages and SMS
text messages are viewed together.
layout engine
.
approach rather than using a desktop sync
client, but various third-party sync clients are available.
webOS was a completely new platform. To enable backward compatibility to its former Palm OS
, Palm commissioned a developer, MotionApps, to code and develop an emulator
, called Classic, that operates with webOS version 1. PalmOS emulation has been discontinued in webOS version 2.0. MotionApps disengaged from Classic in 2010, citing HP Palm as "disruptive".
Another source of applications
is known as Homebrew. Homebrew is not directly supported by HP.
, webOS has much in common with mainstream Linux distribution
s. Versions 1.0 to 2.1 use a patched Linux 2.6.24 kernel
.
The list of open source components used by the different releases of webOS, as well as the source code of and patches applied to each component, is available at the Palm Open Source web page. This page also serves as a reference listing of the versions of webOS that have been publicly released.
In 2011, Enyo replaced Mojo, released in June 2009, as the software development kit
(SDK).
Mobile operating system
A mobile operating system, also known as a mobile OS, mobile software platform or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device or information appliance—similar in principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux distributions that controls a...
based on a Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
, initially developed by Palm
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
, which was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
. Palm, HP, and most commentators and sources write the name webOS, as shown in the adjacent logo, and in HP resources, rather than "WebOS".
webOS was introduced by Palm in January 2009. Various versions of webOS have been featured on several devices, including Pre
Palm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
, Pixi
Palm Pixi
The Palm Pixi and Pixi Plus are multimedia smartphones, developed by Palm, which was purchased in 2010 by HP. The device is viewed as a successor to the Palm Centro smartphone and was Palm's second webOS device, after the Palm Pre....
, and Veer
HP Veer
The Veer is a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device uses webOS, is powered by a Snapdragon processor, and has a 2.6-inch screen. The smartphone is notable for its credit card-sized dimensions...
phones and the HP TouchPad
HP TouchPad
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia....
tablet. On February 9, 2011, Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's personal systems group, announced that they would be making webOS the universal platform for all of their devices. However, on August 18, 2011, HP announced that it would discontinue production of all webOS related hardware devices. On October 21, 2011, Bradley announced that they would make a final decision about the future of the webOS platform in 'a couple of months'.
Background
From 1992 to 2002, personal digital assistantPersonal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
maker Palm Computing (later renamed Palm, Inc.) owned and developed the Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
software platform. In 2002, Palm created a wholly owned subsidiary, PalmSource
PalmSource
ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. is a subsidiary of ACCESS which develops the Palm OS PDA operating system and its successor, the Access Linux Platform, as well as BeOS...
, which was later spun off as an independent company. Palm licensed Palm OS and Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
as it developed webOS as a new platform to replace both.
webOS was introduced by Palm in January 2009 as the successor to Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
. The first webOS device was the original Palm Pre
Palm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
, released on Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
in June 2009. The Palm Pixi followed. Upgraded Plus versions of both Pre and Pixi were released on Verizon.
In April 2010, HP acquired Palm; webOS was described as a key asset and motivation for the purchase. The $1.2 billion acquisition finalized in June. HP indicated its intention to develop the webOS platform for use in multiple new products, including smartphones, tablet computers and printers.
In February 2011, HP made the "difficult and, frankly, painful decision" that the Palm Pre, Palm Pixi, and their "Plus" revisions, would not receive over-the-air updates to webOS 2.0, despite a previous announcement of an upgrade "in coming months." HP announced several new webOS devices, with various versions of the operating system, including the HP Veer
HP Veer
The Veer is a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device uses webOS, is powered by a Snapdragon processor, and has a 2.6-inch screen. The smartphone is notable for its credit card-sized dimensions...
and HP Pre 3
HP Pre 3
The HP Pre 3 is a touchscreen slider smartphone manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. On February 9, 2011, the phone was announced by HP at a webOS special event held at the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco alongside the HP Veer and Touchpad. It was commercially released in the United Kingdom on...
smartphones, running webOS 2.2, and the HP TouchPad
HP TouchPad
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia....
, a tablet computer
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
released in July 2011 that runs webOS 3.0.
In March 2011, HP announced plans for a version of webOS by the end of 2011 to run within the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system, and to be installed on all HP desktop and notebook computers in 2012.
On August 18, 2011, HP announced that it was interested in selling its Personal Systems Group, responsible for all of its consumer PC products, including webOS, and that webOS device development and production lines will be halted. It was unclear whether HP would consider licensing of webOS software to other manufacturers. When HP reduced the price of the Touchpad to $99, the existing inventory quickly sold out. HP is reported as still wanting to rollout webOS on PCs and printers, but a date is unknown. The HP Pre 3
HP Pre 3
The HP Pre 3 is a touchscreen slider smartphone manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. On February 9, 2011, the phone was announced by HP at a webOS special event held at the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco alongside the HP Veer and Touchpad. It was commercially released in the United Kingdom on...
will be launched in selective areas. HP has announced that it will continue to issue updates for the Veer
HP Veer
The Veer is a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device uses webOS, is powered by a Snapdragon processor, and has a 2.6-inch screen. The smartphone is notable for its credit card-sized dimensions...
and HP TouchPad
HP TouchPad
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia....
.
Devices
webOS version 1.4.5 runs on the Palm PrePalm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
, released June 6, 2009, on the Sprint network, the Palm Pixi
Palm Pixi
The Palm Pixi and Pixi Plus are multimedia smartphones, developed by Palm, which was purchased in 2010 by HP. The device is viewed as a successor to the Palm Centro smartphone and was Palm's second webOS device, after the Palm Pre....
, released on November 15, 2009, on Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
, as well as "Plus" versions later issued on Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
and AT&T, and some international carriers.
webOS version 2 runs on Pre 2 phones released since October 2010 in France by SFR, 2010 December by Rogers in Canada, and 2011 February on Verizon in the U.S.
Additional webOS versions and devices were announced by HP in February 2011, including the Touchpad
HP TouchPad
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia....
, the Pre 3
HP Pre 3
The HP Pre 3 is a touchscreen slider smartphone manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. On February 9, 2011, the phone was announced by HP at a webOS special event held at the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco alongside the HP Veer and Touchpad. It was commercially released in the United Kingdom on...
and the Veer
HP Veer
The Veer is a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device uses webOS, is powered by a Snapdragon processor, and has a 2.6-inch screen. The smartphone is notable for its credit card-sized dimensions...
. The HP Veer
HP Veer
The Veer is a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device uses webOS, is powered by a Snapdragon processor, and has a 2.6-inch screen. The smartphone is notable for its credit card-sized dimensions...
was launched on AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
on May 15, 2011, and is available in two colors.
HP TouchPad
HP TouchPad
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia....
was released in the United States on July 1, 2011. Reviewers and purchasers have noted software performance problems that HP has addressed with an over-the-air update released August 2, 2011. Document editing, other than via Google Docs, was not enabled at launch.
Interface
webOS's graphical user interfaceGraphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
design was led by Matias Duarte
Matias Duarte
Matias Duarte is a Chilean-American computer interface designer, and currently the Director of Android operating system User Experience at Google where Android 3.0, was the first release with a major element of his design influence....
for use on devices with touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
s. webOS uses multi-touch
Multi-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
gestures to navigate on the touchscreen. The interface uses "cards" to manage multitasking
Multitasking
Multitasking may refer to any of the following:*Computer multitasking - the apparent simultaneous performance of two or more tasks by a computer's central processing unit...
. The user switches between running applications by a flicking gesture from left and right on the screen. Applications are closed by flicking a "card" up—and "off"—the screen.
Synergy
webOS uses a feature, Synergy, to integrate information from many sources. Users can sign in to accounts on GmailGmail
Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well via POP3 or IMAP protocols. Gmail was launched as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though...
, Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
, and Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
(via Exchange ActiveSync
ActiveSync
ActiveSync is a mobile data synchronization technology and protocol developed by Microsoft, originally released in 1996. There are two implementations of the technology: one which synchronizes data and information with handheld devices with a specific desktop computer , and another technology,...
) and integrate all of these sources into a single list. Calendars from multiple sources can be viewed together or one at a time. For messaging, Synergy combines all conversations with each contact into a single chat-style window. For example, instant messages and SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
text messages are viewed together.
Web browser
The webOS web browser, simply named "Web," uses the WebKitWebKit
WebKit is a layout engine designed to allow web browsers to render web pages. WebKit powers Google Chrome and Apple Safari and by October 2011 held over 33% of the browser market share between them. It is also used as the basis for the experimental browser included with the Amazon Kindle ebook...
layout engine
Layout engine
A web browser engine, , is a software component that takes marked up content and formatting information and displays the formatted content on the screen. It "paints" on the content area of a window, which is displayed on a monitor or a printer...
.
Synchronization
By design, webOS uses a cloud-basedCloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
approach rather than using a desktop sync
Data synchronization
Data synchronization is the process of establishing consistency among data from a source to a target data storage and vice versa and the continuous harmonization of the data over time. It is fundamental to a wide variety of applications, including file synchronization and mobile device...
client, but various third-party sync clients are available.
Third-party applications
Officially vetted third-party applications are accessible from the device for wireless download by using the App Catalog.webOS was a completely new platform. To enable backward compatibility to its former Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
, Palm commissioned a developer, MotionApps, to code and develop an emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
, called Classic, that operates with webOS version 1. PalmOS emulation has been discontinued in webOS version 2.0. MotionApps disengaged from Classic in 2010, citing HP Palm as "disruptive".
Another source of applications
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
is known as Homebrew. Homebrew is not directly supported by HP.
Version history
| webOS version | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
1.0.1 |
RTM | The 1.0.2 OTA update was already available on the first day of sale. Some Pres required this OTA update from 1.0.1 to 1.0.2 while others already had 1.0.2 pre-loaded. |
1.0.2 |
5 June 2009 | |
1.0.3 |
19 June 2009 | |
1.0.4 |
29 June 2009 | |
1.1.0 |
23 July 2009 | First release for Bell Canada |
1.1.2 |
RTM for Palm Pre from O2 | 1.2 was already available in the United States when the O2 phones were released with 1.1.2. The 1.1.3 update was already available for European OTA update when the phones were available for sale. |
1.1.3 |
13 October 2009 | OTA update released only in Europe for GSM Palm Pre. Available on launch day. When released, 1.2 was already available in the United States. |
1.2.0 |
28 September 2009 | This was the first release said to support paid apps from the App Catalog. |
1.2.1 |
2 October 2009 for Sprint, 6 October 2009 for Bell Canada | |
1.2.9.1 |
Pixi RTM | This was a Pixi-only release. Version 1.3.1 was already available for OTA update when the Pixi was released |
1.3.1 |
14 November 2009 for Sprint and Bell Canada 22 November 2009 for O2 Europe For European carriers, this was the first OTA update following 1.1.3. |
|
1.3.2 |
2 December 2009 | This was a Pixi-only release |
1.3.3 |
Not Released | Appears on the Palm Open Source Packages page as a release, but was never released on any known carrier. |
1.3.5 |
28 December 2009 | Only available on Sprint. |
1.3.5.1 |
4 January 2010 for Sprint, 5 January for Bell Canada, 25 January for Verizon | Only released in North America |
1.3.5.2 |
12 January 2010 | Only released in Europe |
1.3.8 |
Pre-Release | This appears to be a pre-release version used when testing the AT&T Pre and Pixi. |
1.4.0 |
26 February 2010 for Sprint, O2, Movistar, 28 February 2010 for Verizon, 4 March 2010 for Bell Cananda, 5 March 2010 for Telcel Mexico | This is the current version released for Telcel Mexico Pres. |
1.4.1 |
31 March 2010 in Europe, 1 April 2010 in Canada | Released only in Europe and Canada |
1.4.1.1 |
31 March 2010 for Sprint, 29 April 2010 for Verizon | Released only in the United States |
1.4.1.2 |
Pre-Release | Seen on a reviewer pre-production Vodafone Pixi Plus phone, presumed to be functionally equivalent to 1.4.1.1. |
1.4.1.3 |
RTM for O2 Pixi Plus | Released only on the O2 Pixi Plus, supposed to be functionally equivalent to 1.4.1.1. |
1.4.2 |
RTM for AT&T Pre Plus | Only on the AT&T Pre Plus, supposed to be functionally equivalent to 1.4.1.1. |
1.4.3 |
RTM for AT&T Pixi Plus | Only on the AT&T Pixi Plus, supposed to be functionally equivalent to 1.4.1.1. |
1.4.5 |
14 July 2010 | The update was made available for different devices over several months starting 2010 July with the last device to receive this update, the ATT Pixi Plus, receiving it in 2010 October. Some carriers (notably Telcel Mexico) never deployed this update. This is the final update for Pre and Pixi, and so far Pixi Plus phones, with some carriers releasing further updates for the Pre Plus and others not. |
1.4.5.1 |
9 May 2011 | For the original Pre and Pre Plus devices. Some bug fixes but has no new features. http://news.softpedia.com/news/webOS-1-4-5-1-Update-Now-Available-No-New-Features-Just-Bug-Fixes-199137.shtml. Current for Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, and Pixi Plus. |
2.0.0 |
22 October 2010 | This is an RTM release for the Pre 2. Many webOS phones used by consumers currently still use 1.4.0 or 1.4.5 and may be left on those versions indefinitely. |
2.0.1 |
19 November 2010 | This is an RTM release, for Pre 2 phones or unlocked devices. |
2.1.0 |
8 March 2011 | Available on the Pre 2 through an OTA update and the Pre Plus for O2 Germany and Vodafone Europe through a USB-tethered "doctor" update. |
2.1.2 |
15 May 2011 | This is an RTM release for the HP Veer. |
2.2 |
August 17, 2011 | This is an RTM release for the HP Pre 3 HP Pre 3 The HP Pre 3 is a touchscreen slider smartphone manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. On February 9, 2011, the phone was announced by HP at a webOS special event held at the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco alongside the HP Veer and Touchpad. It was commercially released in the United Kingdom on... http://forums.precentral.net/hp-pre-3/291615-pre3-arrived-any-questions-2.html#post3069852. |
2.2.3 |
September 28, 2011 | This is an OTA release for the HP Pre 3 HP Pre 3 The HP Pre 3 is a touchscreen slider smartphone manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. On February 9, 2011, the phone was announced by HP at a webOS special event held at the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco alongside the HP Veer and Touchpad. It was commercially released in the United Kingdom on... http://forums.precentral.net/hp-pre-3/291615-pre3-arrived-any-questions-2.html#post3069852. |
3.0 |
July 1, 2011 | Initial version of webOS for HP TouchPad HP TouchPad The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia.... . |
3.0.2 |
August 1, 2011 | Update for the HP TouchPad. |
3.0.4 |
October 18, 2011 | An OTA update for the HP TouchPad. Ability to pair non webOS phones with the HP Touchpad. New Camera app for photos and videos. Support for playing Ogg Vorbis and FLAC FLAC FLAC is a codec which allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed such that file size is reduced without any information being lost... lossless music files. |
Platform
Underneath the graphical user interfaceGraphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, webOS has much in common with mainstream Linux distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
s. Versions 1.0 to 2.1 use a patched Linux 2.6.24 kernel
Kernel (computing)
In computing, the kernel is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources...
.
The list of open source components used by the different releases of webOS, as well as the source code of and patches applied to each component, is available at the Palm Open Source web page. This page also serves as a reference listing of the versions of webOS that have been publicly released.
In 2011, Enyo replaced Mojo, released in June 2009, as the software development kit
Software development kit
A software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
(SDK).