A WebOS retrospective

As HP decides to stop development of WebOS smartphones and tablets, we have to mourn the good and not-so-good devices that have come. Join CNET for a look back.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features

Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).

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Kent German

Aug. 18, 2011 6:31 p.m. PT

Farewell, to the Pre. Corinne Schulze/CNET

If you know Bonnie Cha, you know that she's not happy about today's news that HP was discontinuing support of WebOS smartphones and tablets just over a year after acquiring Palm. Bonnie was a big fan of the mobile operating system from the moment she first saw the original Palm Pre at CES 2009. And her passion continued while reviewing every WebOS smartphone, from the Pre to the recent HP Veer (Donald Bell examined the TouchPad tablet).

Related links
• HP bidding adieu to WebOS, PC business (roundup)

I'm rather sad too, even if my experience with WebOS wasn't quite as extensive. While on a level it's not completely shocking, I'm still rather bewildered by HP's decision. Like Bonnie, I don't think HP really tried to reinvent the OS and make it better. Indeed, when you look back on the WebOS devices that we've seen, HP did have fertile ground that it could sow. No, we didn't like everything about every Pre and Pixi we saw, but they remained innovative and attractive devices that enriched the smartphone landscape. We were hoping for a lot more to come (hello, Pre 3), but now it appears that we've seen it already. That's a bummer

A gallery of WebOS devices (photos)

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Mobile Guides

Phones

Foldable Phones

Headphones

Mobile Accessories

Smartwatches

Wireless Plans