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webOS in Cars and TV’s? Richard Kerris goes on record.

By: , 3/31/2011 3:29 pm | 16 comments

Mobile Entertainment sat down for a short interview with Richard Kerris, the overlord of developer relations at HP.

Of course the standard questions of “how does HP compete” came up…and Richard did a good job defending the OS.

Examples of why a developer would want to work with webOS.

Take the enterprise space. Enterprises want to extend the capabilities of their devices so fit their own ends. With some platforms that’s not possible unless you jailbreak them, which not everyone wants to do. webOS lets you do this. It’s open, it uses familiar tools.

Ours is the only platform to connect and update over the cloud. Every other OS says ‘here’s a mobile device, now connect me to a PC’. That doesn’t make sense. Then there’s Just Type and Touch To Share, which we’re really interested to see what developers can do with.

We have some ideas on discoverability around the app store too, and the way we give content providers the chance to interface directly with customers. There are some companies out there, I won’t say who, that don’t want to share information with publishers about who their own customers are. We’re not in that game. We’re working on a few ideas.

On licensing webOS to other OEMs

I can see it in TVs, in cars… There’s huge potential there, especially with something like Touch To Share giving people the power to take their content with them and easily switch it between different devices.

How cool would it be to have an address pulled up on your phone, walk over to your car and tap it to start your built-in nav system? Awesome thought right there.

As for TVs, I think there is some potential there as well.  Samsung is creating their own app catalog for their TVs. This has always seemed odd to me because the market is inherently small. However, being able to tap into an existing catalog would be pretty amazing. Obviously there would be some control hurdles to take care of, but the concept is much more interesting to manufacturers than starting from scratch.

Taking the long view

When asked how long until webOS really catches up…

It won’t happen overnight, clearly. I’d say we’ll be looking to get some kind of return on investment in 12 to 18 months.

But this is a race that’s going to be run over many many years. We’re just at the start.

It’s just really exciting. Like it did at Apple in 1999 when everyone was telling us Microsoft was too powerful and couldn’t be caught. Feels like we’ve got the band back together!

All in all, a good little interview. I am really starting to like this guy.

Source: ME

 

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About David Baxter

David is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of webOSroundup. When not toiling away at WOR he is usually with his family, at church, building a website of some kind or another, or playing a video game. @davidbbaxter
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  • Bamidele

    Hmmmm!!!

  • http://Bungie.net TheKingOfHalo

    ¿Dónde está mi Pre³? I need it now HP. Lol.

  • Greg Mair

    For webos to be in cars, they need voice commands and voice to text kinda stuff. But they should be talking to GM and get it in there with 2013 models at the latest.

    • Anonymous

      I know GM is currently working with Powermat to get their inductive charging technology built into their dashboard consoles. That kind of sucks, because Powermat is not compatible with touchstone charging.

      I sort of wish HP would buy Powermat; Palm came out with the touchstone first.

  • Raun

    The problem with a company the size of hp is not what they want or what they can do. It’s the doing. That’s what has apple out so far ahead of everyone. Until that changes, this just reminds of stuff any stoner can can up with, and we are talking about enterprise developers and not pothead programmers.

  • TJ

    There are so many ugly and pathetic user interfaces out there. Have you looked at a aftermarket hard drive stereo for your car lately? (Pioneer, Kenwood, etc). They’re horrible. Webos could be THE user interface/OS of the future if HP licenced as well.

  • TJ

    There are so many ugly and pathetic user interfaces out there. Have you looked at a aftermarket hard drive stereo for your car lately? (Pioneer, Kenwood, etc). They’re horrible. Webos could be THE user interface/OS of the future if HP licenced as well.

  • BadBoyBri

    Since HP dropped the Palm label, they should license webOS out to a cellphone manufacterer, like Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC, anybody that knows how to make cellphones QUICKLY, and not “in coming months”!! How long will we have to wait for Pre 4? Will it STILL be behind the current technology, like the Pre 3? Will it even matter? Cause MOST of is will be gone, by August!!

  • http://www.tiaotea.me Tiaotea

    我现在对于惠普最大的期待就是能解决webos的耗电问题,我爱我的pre plus但现在出差都不敢带它.

    • http://www.BargainWar.com BHumphrey

      My thoughts exactly!

  • http://www.tiaotea.me Tiaotea

    我现在对于惠普最大的期待就是能解决webos的耗电问题,我爱我的pre plus但现在出差都不敢带它.

  • http://www.tiaotea.me Tiaotea

    我现在对于惠普最大的期待就是能解决webos的耗电问题,我爱我的pre plus但现在出差都不敢带它.

  • Joseph

    I see part of our jobs as human beings as calling out occasional flagrantly false BS (when it’s clearly false.) So apologies if your webOS skin is thin but “Ours is the only platform to connect and update over the cloud. Every other OS says ‘here’s a mobile device, now connect me to a PC’. That doesn’t make sense…” is a PERFECT example of completely verifiable BS. (Separate point, are you even serious about this given the OTA situation with webOS?? I mean, not only is it “NOT” the only, but it doesn’t do OTA for 1.x to 2.x — This is the most bizarre thing for HP to draw attention to…. are they just filling the airwaves with f.a.r.t.s for NOISE…???? — sorry if I am offensive, but dudes!!!!)

    Then there’s… “I can see it in TVs, in cars… … How cool would it be to have an address pulled up on your phone, walk over to your car and tap it to start your built-in nav system? Awesome thought right there.” Sadly, and it may have been missed if you have confined yourself to webOS entirely for several years, other platforms can do this, and can do it VERY well. I travel 2 or 3 times a month to completely new locations, and if it weren’t for this type of capability on my mobile I would need considerable extra prep time on a computer and with maps (like I used to “years ago.”) The PROBLEM is, webOS can’t do it. Once again, a (softer but nonetheless verifiable) BS claim (that weboS will be the “one” to do it… hahaha.)

    OK, you can tell this article exactly hasn’t won me over by being airtight in it’s conceptualizations. In fact, these statements are more like a Southwest airframe with sudden decompression (previous 7.5 million fine for failure to inspect) than the kind of thing we should see from HP!!!!!!!

  • Joseph

    I see part of our jobs as human beings as calling out occasional flagrantly false BS (when it’s clearly false.) So apologies if your webOS skin is thin but “Ours is the only platform to connect and update over the cloud. Every other OS says ‘here’s a mobile device, now connect me to a PC’. That doesn’t make sense…” is a PERFECT example of completely verifiable BS. (Separate point, are you even serious about this given the OTA situation with webOS?? I mean, not only is it “NOT” the only, but it doesn’t do OTA for 1.x to 2.x — This is the most bizarre thing for HP to draw attention to…. are they just filling the airwaves with f.a.r.t.s for NOISE…???? — sorry if I am offensive, but dudes!!!!)

    Then there’s… “I can see it in TVs, in cars… … How cool would it be to have an address pulled up on your phone, walk over to your car and tap it to start your built-in nav system? Awesome thought right there.” Sadly, and it may have been missed if you have confined yourself to webOS entirely for several years, other platforms can do this, and can do it VERY well. I travel 2 or 3 times a month to completely new locations, and if it weren’t for this type of capability on my mobile I would need considerable extra prep time on a computer and with maps (like I used to “years ago.”) The PROBLEM is, webOS can’t do it. Once again, a (softer but nonetheless verifiable) BS claim (that weboS will be the “one” to do it… hahaha.)

    OK, you can tell this article exactly hasn’t won me over by being airtight in it’s conceptualizations. In fact, these statements are more like a Southwest airframe with sudden decompression (previous 7.5 million fine for failure to inspect) than the kind of thing we should see from HP!!!!!!!

  • Joseph

    I see part of our jobs as human beings as calling out occasional flagrantly false BS (when it’s clearly false.) So apologies if your webOS skin is thin but “Ours is the only platform to connect and update over the cloud. Every other OS says ‘here’s a mobile device, now connect me to a PC’. That doesn’t make sense…” is a PERFECT example of completely verifiable BS. (Separate point, are you even serious about this given the OTA situation with webOS?? I mean, not only is it “NOT” the only, but it doesn’t do OTA for 1.x to 2.x — This is the most bizarre thing for HP to draw attention to…. are they just filling the airwaves with f.a.r.t.s for NOISE…???? — sorry if I am offensive, but dudes!!!!)

    Then there’s… “I can see it in TVs, in cars… … How cool would it be to have an address pulled up on your phone, walk over to your car and tap it to start your built-in nav system? Awesome thought right there.” Sadly, and it may have been missed if you have confined yourself to webOS entirely for several years, other platforms can do this, and can do it VERY well. I travel 2 or 3 times a month to completely new locations, and if it weren’t for this type of capability on my mobile I would need considerable extra prep time on a computer and with maps (like I used to “years ago.”) The PROBLEM is, webOS can’t do it. Once again, a (softer but nonetheless verifiable) BS claim (that weboS will be the “one” to do it… hahaha.)

    OK, you can tell this article exactly hasn’t won me over by being airtight in it’s conceptualizations. In fact, these statements are more like a Southwest airframe with sudden decompression (previous 7.5 million fine for failure to inspect) than the kind of thing we should see from HP!!!!!!!

  • Joseph

    I see part of our jobs as human beings as calling out occasional flagrantly false BS (when it’s clearly false.) So apologies if your webOS skin is thin but “Ours is the only platform to connect and update over the cloud. Every other OS says ‘here’s a mobile device, now connect me to a PC’. That doesn’t make sense…” is a PERFECT example of completely verifiable BS. (Separate point, are you even serious about this given the OTA situation with webOS?? I mean, not only is it “NOT” the only, but it doesn’t do OTA for 1.x to 2.x — This is the most bizarre thing for HP to draw attention to…. are they just filling the airwaves with f.a.r.t.s for NOISE…???? — sorry if I am offensive, but dudes!!!!)

    Then there’s… “I can see it in TVs, in cars… … How cool would it be to have an address pulled up on your phone, walk over to your car and tap it to start your built-in nav system? Awesome thought right there.” Sadly, and it may have been missed if you have confined yourself to webOS entirely for several years, other platforms can do this, and can do it VERY well. I travel 2 or 3 times a month to completely new locations, and if it weren’t for this type of capability on my mobile I would need considerable extra prep time on a computer and with maps (like I used to “years ago.”) The PROBLEM is, webOS can’t do it. Once again, a (softer but nonetheless verifiable) BS claim (that weboS will be the “one” to do it… hahaha.)

    OK, you can tell this article exactly hasn’t won me over by being airtight in it’s conceptualizations. In fact, these statements are more like a Southwest airframe with sudden decompression (previous 7.5 million fine for failure to inspect) than the kind of thing we should see from HP!!!!!!!