Broadband Developments

HP is building a touchscreen according to the Wall Street Journal. For all those guys like me who worked at HP in the 80s remember that HP had a touchscreen computer.  HP had the early technology back in the day…. Lets see if they can take their leadership in PCs to get us a nice touchscreen.  Lets hope that HP can get the form factor very low for mobile.  The project is being head up by Phil McKinney - I thought that he left HP.

Here is a short summary from WSJ. …

The computer giant is now developing a consumer notebook machine with a touch screen that will debut before year end, said people familiar with the matter. It will include special H-P software that supports the touch screen, but other details, such as pricing, remained unclear.

The new laptop is the latest in a series of touch-oriented devices, including an upcoming line of cellphones, that will become a priority of H-P’s consumer strategy as it tries to differentiate itself from rivals such as Dell Inc., these people said.

H-P began promoting touch screens last year with a big-screen desktop computer called the TouchSmart. The Palo Alto, Calif., company introduced a revamped TouchSmart this year, with new software and a new external design and has recently ramped up its effort to market the computer.

The touch-sensitive screens allow PC users to move items around, surf the Web or open files with their fingertips, replacing functions normally performed by a mouse and keyboard.

Roger Kay, a PC-industry analyst with Endpoint Technologies, said H-P is trying to create a new market with its focus on touch, since there’s no established market for such products other than Apple Inc.’s iPhone. Tablet PCs, or touch-screen laptops, “haven’t done that well” in the past, he added.

H-P’s touch-screen effort is being led by executives such as Phil McKinney, the PC division’s chief technical officer. Mr. McKinney has been working on PC software that masks Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system, and has hired the design company Frog Design to help develop new touch software and hardware. The TouchSmart desktop was the first result of that project.

To capitalize on netbook growth, H-P is planning to introduce a new netbook with a 10-inch screen this year, said people familiar with the matter. The netbook won’t feature a touch screen. H-P has been selling a smaller netbook geared toward schools since earlier this year.

While H-P started selling a touch-screen laptop last year, Mr. Kay said the company put relatively little effort into marketing it. People familiar with H-P’s current plans said the company will be more aggressive with its new products.

These people said H-P is also working on a line of consumer cellphones that feature touch screens and the first such phone will be introduced in Europe this year. H-P plans to start selling the phones through a U.S. cellular carrier within the next year or so, they added.