HP have set a September launch date for the open source version of their failed OS, webOS.

Open webOS was announced back in September, after a few precarious months that saw the future of the OS put in doubt when the TouchPad tablet from HP, using the OS, bombed. By issuing an open source version, HP are hoping it will live on as an alternative to Android and Windows Phone 7 for handset manufacturers.

"HP is bringing the innovation of the webOS platform to the open source community," said Bill Veghte, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of HP.

"This is a decisive step toward meeting our goal of accelerating the platform's development and ensuring that its benefits will be delivered to the entire ecosystem of web applications."

A new generation of Enyo framework (the Javascript WebKit app that allows cross-platform distribution of apps) will land first, followed quickly by Enyo 2.0 and 2.1 in April. Apps built using these standards will allow them to run not only on mobile devices, but desktop browsers too.

While it's great to see the once-promising OS live to fight another day, we can't help but feel HP's handling of the software may have turned people off of it for good. It'll be interesting to see just how many developers get onboard and start tinkering with the platform once again.

Via: Developer.Palm.com

While there can be only one winner between Manchester City and Stoke during this weekend's FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, at least even the losing fans can happily know that by the end of the match they'll all be record breakers.

That's because all in attendance will be part of a record-breaking attempt to create the world's largest 360° photo.

Working with renowned photographer Jeffrey Martin from 360Cities.net, fans will be able to tag themselves the following day in a 10-gigapixel panoramic photo of the event.

It's quite a feat, and one not very easy to achieve. The process, according to the press release, is as follows:

The shoot itself is done with a professional grade digital SLR camera and long lens, and the camera-lens assembly is itself mounted on a robotic tripod head.

The robot turns, focuses and snaps photos in a continuous motion around 360-degrees until the entire inside space of the stadium has been captured. Only many years of experience and 360Cities.net' automated stitching technology can produce a high-quality image in such a short time.

Upwards of 1000 individual photographs are sorted, merged and enhanced to produce a finished image that would otherwise take days or weeks to create. That and a turbo-charged computer with more cores and gigabytes of RAM than you knew could be levered into a computer make it possible for The FA Cup Final gigapixel panorama to be online the next day, ready for people to view and tag via their Facebook accounts.

Roger Maslin, Wembley's Managing Director said: "We are delighted to be able to offer fans a special memento of their day at this year's FA Cup Final and hope the photo will be the first of many to capture the fantastic atmosphere fans bring to Wembley Stadium. We have some very special events at Wembley this summer with the Champions League Final and 8 nights of Take That's sell out Progress Live tour."

Head over to www.wembleystadium.com/wembley360 for more info.

With this morning's unveiling of the Sony NGP and Nintendo's 3DS finally getting an official launch date, we've got the first proper handheld gaming console fight since the release of the original Nintendo DS back in 2004.

Both are high-powered machines with innovative features and promising launch line-ups, but which should you be saving up for? Tech Digest lay all that is known about both devices on the table to give you a better idea of which is deserving of your cash.

Specs:

Nintendo 3DS: PICA200 GPU, 3.52 inch widescreen display / 800x240 resolution (400 pixels for each eye during 3D gameplay) top 3D screen, 3.02 inch bottom touch-screen display / 320x240 resolution, 5.3 inches x 2.9 inches x 0.8 inches in overall size, three cameras (two on rear casing, one above top screen at 0.3 megapixel), stereo speakers, motion sensor / gyro sensor, 2.4ghz / 802.11 wi-fi.

Sony NGP: ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core), SGX543MP4+ GPU, 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm overall size, 5 inch OLED display (960 x 544 ), capacitive rear touch pad with multitouch controls, front and rear cameras, built-in microphone, built-in stereo speakers, Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), three-axis electronic compass, built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, Mobile network connectivity (3G), IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode) and Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR.

Key Features

The Nintendo 3DS's headline hardware feature is its autostereoscopic 3D display, meaning you can enjoy 3D visuals from games and movies without the need for a pair of compatible 3D glasses. A slider on the console's edge allows you to adjust the effect's intensity, switching it off altogether if you prefer. Just like the DS, it's a dual-screen affair, with the top display showing 3D visuals, the lower having touchscreen controls. There's also traditional face and shoulder buttons, with both a digital pad and analogue stick as well as motion controls.

Graphics capabilities make a huge leap forward in the 3DS, sitting somewhere between the look of Gamecube and Wii titles, while the increased screen resolution (800 x 240) allows for very crisp and detailed visuals.

The Sony NGP packs in some really powerful graphics processing tech in the shape of an ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core) and SGX543MP4+ GPU. It should make it capable of near PS3-quality visuals, which will shine on the console's superb single 5-inch OLED touchscreen display (960 x 544).

Traditional face and shoulder buttons are supplemented by motion controls and an intriguing rear multitouch capacitive track pad, which, when used in conjunction with the hardware buttons, will allow for all manner of gesture based combination commands. The NGP also features twin analogue sticks, which should allow for precise camera control and intuitive accurate, movements in adventure and FPS titles.

Cameras and Augmented Reality

With both handhelds featuring front and rear cameras, taking a few snaps between gaming sessions is possible, as well as the likelihood of video chat over either 3G or Wi-Fi.

No word yet on the quality of the sensor in the Sony NGP, nor megapixel count. However, we do know that the dual-lens 3DS will be capable of taking 3D pictures, though it is clocked at a measly 0.3 megapixels.

Both will also be capable of Augmented Reality gaming thanks to these camera, though details on the implementation here are sketchy on both devices. The 3DS was demoed recently with a small cartridge which its cameras could recognise, warping whichever surface it was placed on when viewed through the device's screen. The NGP hasn't had a chance to show off its AR muscles yet, but the added GPS features give it some interesting location-aware potential too.

Connectivity, Stores and Online Platforms

Both consoles will feature Wi-Fi connectivity, though the Sony NGP is more fully equipped, throwing 3G and Bluetooth into the mix too, as well as the afore-mentioned GPS tracking capabilities. This means you'll be able to play online with pals on both consoles, as well as download games from their respective digital stores: The PlayStation Network for the Sony NGP and the eShop for the 3DS.

Playing against pals on the 3DS should be particularly easy thanks to the SpotPass and StreetPass connectivity options. SpotPass allows the console to passively access Wi-Fi networks and update console information and notifications from pals, while the StreetPass works in a similar way, informing you of nearby 3DS players waiting for a game. You'll also be able to exchange Mii avatar data using StreetPass.

The Sony NGP introduces the PlayStation Suite network, allowing games to be played across both the Sony NGP and Android tablets and smartphones too, more of which we'll touch upon in the next section.

Though neither Nintendo nor Sony have spoken of connectivity possibilities between their handheld and home consoles, you can certainly expect to see some sort of link between the NGP and PS3 eventually. The Wii on the other hand is coming to the end of its console life-cycle, so we'd expect to see the 3DS partner with whatever home console follow-up Nintendo have in mind post-Wii.

Launch Games

Traditionally, the Nintendo brand has been seen as more kid friendly than Sony, but all that may be set to change with the Nintendo 3DS. Launch titles include two gruesome Resident Evil games (Mercenaries 3D and Revelations), Street Fighter IV 3D and Dead or Alive Dimensions, all of which will certainly appeal to the hardcore gamer. 30 games in all are due to touch down over the course of the month following the console's launch.

Classic franchises such as Zelda (with the Ocarina of Time 3D remake) and Kid Icarus (with Kid Icarus: Uprising) will all fall within this window, and you can bet your bottom dollar that it wont be too long before Mario graces the console too. Backwards compatibility is promised with all Nintendo DS games, while the Virtual Console will give access to retro game downloads.

Details are slim on the Sony NGP titles, but a showreel that included Killzone, Reality Fighters, Smart As, Broken, Little Big Planet, Little Deviants, WipEout, Resistance, Hot Shots Golf, Gravity Daze and Uncharted gave a hint at what was to come.

The Sony NGP will also feature access to the newly revealed PlayStation Suite, which will provide cross-platform gaming to devices using the Android OS, be they smartphones or tablets. As the hardware limitations will vary wildly here, we expect these games to be rather simple; of the app variety rather than full retail quality.

Pricing and Launch Date

Nintendo's 3DS will launch in Europe on March 25th and the US on March 27th. It'll be available a month earlier in Japan, from February 26th. Though pricing will vary from retailer to retailer, somewhere in the region of £230 seems to be the going rate for the Nintendo 3DS pre-orders.

While it's too early to say when the Sony NGP will hit stores, safe money would be on a pre-Christmas launch, giving enough time for the hype surrounding the 3DS to die down, while also giving ample opportunity for Sony to reap in some holiday cash. As is traditionally the case with Sony hardware launches, expect to see Japanese gamers get hold of the console first.

No pricing available for Sony's console either yet, but a smartphone with similar OLED screen and connectivity options, let alone gaming capabilities, would set you back at least £250 as a conservative estimate. We're pitching for somewhere around £300 for the Sony NGP, which would be very expensive, but we're happy for Sony to prove us wrong on that count.

Not your traditional Technology Deathmatch today but when I saw this post on Wired last week my hackles were raised to the point of crowbaring the issue into my regular Monday feature and, well, here we are - camera phones: should they have to make a sound when the shutter is released, or shouldn't they?

See, the deal is that it's already the case in Japan and they're looking to make it so in the States after Republican Congressman of New York, Peter King, asked for a new bill to force all mobile phones sold in the US to have no option of a silent camera click. The idea, of course, is that you can't then take photos of people without them knowing - well, not so easily anyway.

With Mobile World Congress 2009 just around the corner, it's very easy to get caught up in all the new, exciting and utterly misjudged handsets the manufacturers are set to unveil. But before you dive in to pick up your phone, I urge you to take your time deciding which network you choose to subscribe to. After all, what use is your iPhone 3G if there's only GPRS coverage down your road?

So, today on Technology Deathmatch, I move from hardware to, well, non-hardware in the kind of sidestep to left you'd expect watching Knightmare, only this time we've a much better chance of actually getting somewhere. So, without any further ado, it's Vodafone vs Orange vs 3 vs T-Mobile vs 02...

It was just over a year ago now that netbooks first hit the scene. Of course, we didn't know them as netbooks at the time. They were Eee PCs, until the world and his wife brought their own versions out and suddenly we needed to invent a new category.

We toyed with sub-notebook for a while and you'll still see me drop it in the odd post when I'm searching for another word for netbook but this isn't the point. The point is that they're here now. The game has changed. The paradigm has shifted and now that the dust is settling is the novelty wearing off?

So, today here on Technology Deathmatch, I'm affording you an entirely subjective view on the matter with the odd bit of balance thrown in. It's George vs the Dragon, David vs Goliath, Jonah vs the Whale - yes, NOTEBOOK VS NETBOOK!

As the netbooks slip more into the public consciousness, I'm getting a lot more friends and relatives asking me if they should get one, and which one they should opt for if they do, but the trouble is that the more I use sub-notebooks (see, I did it just there), the more I grow to hate them.

I think it was liveblogging the Samsung press conference on an Asus Eee PC S101 at CES a few weeks back that was the final nail in the coffin for me - the lack of available Wi-Fi probably helped as well - but let's break it down and have a good old discussion about it until we all decide that I'm right.

Good afternoon grappling fans and welcome once again to the only show in the consumer technology universe where hardware, software and ware between the two rip each other chip from circuit board in the quest to find out who is the greatest of them all. Last week's big event saw the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Storm go five rounds trying to tear each other new recharge sockets and see who really was the smartest phone. The ringside gentry have only just managed to pick the solder out of their fur coats and the images of cracked WVGAs from their nightmares.

Today we've got a first for you as the specced-up smack down goes triple threat. We've gone three for the price of two to compete with all the other credit crunch bargain deals, not the we ever have any problem selling out the Deathmatch Arena. Yes, the -32nd floor of Shiny Towers is buzzing with anticipation this right now as we add a new twist to an age old debate.

Still half an hour before the fighters take the stage in our illegal den of high stakes and low morals but the mold soaked walls are already fit to bursting with the twice capacity crowd who've somehow pushed their ways beyond the gates and straight through our tech-tight ticketing system.

With viewing angle being of paramount importance in today's bout we steep-raked the seating on all four sides but the extra numbers have filled the two metre ringside gully and now everyone's on their feet. The back rows tell the front rows to sit down and the front rows shake their fists at the uninvited in the pit who push and bustle and shoulder and jostle to get elbows out of their ribs, heals off their toes and all for a better view of the action; a swarming sea of grey shirted arms and flat caps.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome once again to the dark, dank depths of the -32nd floor of Shiny Towers as we come to you live from the Technology Deathmatch Arena. Today's edition of the specced up smack down is a real clash of the modern day mobile darlings.

Tickets were sold out for this one long ago and the touts have been doing a fine trade standing shifty in their sheepskins as member s of the technological gentry have brushed by, heads high in LED top hats and electroluminescent tails, eyes low buried deep in devices Tweeting this carnival atmosphere for the world to read.

The middle class punters rustle in their seats, uncomfortable in their too tight too new glad rags as flustered wives quibble with irate husbands. The rest scrabble for scraps from the touts, mug the lost and unfortunate on their ways to gates and scuttle on drainpipes and scurry along ledges to secure their one-eye view of the feast to come, because tonight, tonight is the first time the undisputed heavyweight champion of the mobile world might just lose his crown.

Good afternoon grappling fans. It's taken an extra couple of weeks to have the broken glass elements swept up and the ring re-sprung after the inaugural clash two weeks ago between Nikon and Canon, but floor -32 of the sub-sub-basement of Shiny Towers is open once again for the bloodiest match-up in the world of the chipset smack down - Technology Deathmatch.

There's a chill in the mouldy air today. It's two-for-one at the arena with many of the rich, foreign businessmen abroad or in offices with their accountants assessing the damage to their stocks, but with cheap entry comes a cheap crowd: Guinness soaked mothers with their screaming children, gangs of late thirty-somethings waiting for Mecca Bingo halls to open and sacked City traders at the hollow ends of long vodka bottles just looking for a way to forget.

They cry blood, they scream, "entertain us" and that's exactly what they'll get in the 'Battle of the Mobile VoIPs'. Telecommunication giants were twitching but now it's the mobile operators that are all a-mutter with the rise of new ways to bypass their networks. There are many companies jumping in as mobile middlemen but today, going toe to toe, are two very different contenders.

In the blue corner with thinned turnbuckle pad and rusty post is the young contender from the streets of Maskina in Olso, Norwary is the Nokia favourite, the Scandinavian SIP supplier - Vyke!

Good afternoon grappling fans and welcome to the inaugural Monday afternoon beat-up smackdown that is Technology Deathmatch. Coming to you live from a grimy basement deep in the bowels of Shiny Towers, sweat drips from the dank, brown-stained walls as clamours of Far-East businessmen shake fistfuls of foreign, red bills and driving the temperature to boiling point.

Headlining the event today is the much contested, much debated, much anticipated re-match grudge match that is the battle of the cameras. Yes, ladies and gentleman today it's the big one, the shakedown, the pay off. In the blue corner with the dented spit bucket, founded in 1917, it's the Mightiest of the Macros, the Stepper Supremo - Nikon!