HP is keeping webOS.

WorldWide Tech & SCience. Francisco De Jesús.

Do you remember this week PC  World originally posted about HP investigating  HP TouchPads launched with Android to three customesr? 

PC World: HP Investigates Android TouchPads.

One of the reasons might be: HP was likely testing Android on the TouchPad internally (where else would a TouchPad-enabled Android build have come from?) and a device loaded with Android was somehow returned to the customer-destined inventory. The question we have to ask then is what was HP doing with Android on a TouchPad in the first place?  Forum member: Or they were testing the hardware against official Android tablets.

  Source:  precentral

Well on the original e-mail  between Phil Robb Director - Open Source Program Office Hewlett Packard and Joe Rafferty  dated Oct 4, 2011 here and below, Phil Robb wrote:

HP believes that the version of webOS that we deliver on the Touchpad is a superior user experience for our customers, and the best development platform for today’s and tomorrow’s mobile applications and services. WebOS is where HP spends its development and support efforts.

So there is no Amazon buying or anything else at this time to make us bellieve HP webOS is not staying in.

e-mails exchange:

I got another email from HP (I sent them the same email as I sent QC), it seems odd that because they consider this distribution to be unauthorised that HP believe they are exempt from the requirements of the GPL.
 
When we have ample proof that HP distributed this edition it may be in the interest of the open source community to get the EFF involved on the behalf of a proven Linux copyright holder (oleg, im looking @ you  :)). I believe this sort of view is hazardous to the the open source community and is a bigger problem than not having a perfect android port.

from Robb, Philip J (Open Source Program Office) phil.robb@hp.com
sender-time Sent at 7:33 PM (UTC). Current time there: 7:11 PM. 
to      Joe
date Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 7:33 PM
subject RE: Potential GPL Breach
mailed-by hp.com

Hello Joe:
 
It’s nice to meet you.  I too am an open source advocate. 
 
Let me begin by saying that HP is a proud and committed member of the open source community, and the Linux development community in particular.  We take our participation and obligation to this community, and the licenses associated with its software very seriously.
 
As for the Touchpad units that have been allegedly purchased with a version of Android on them, we have begun an internal investigation on this within HP.  We have confirmed that HP never authorized the distribution of any version of Android on the HP Touchpad.  In addition, from a review of our manufacturing process, we believe that all Touchpad units have been shipped out of manufacturing with the webOS operating system only, and that no Touchpad units were shipped with Android, even by mistake.  Hence, we presently believe that some person or persons unknown may have facilitated the delivery of these Android-based units strictly against the policy and authorization of HP.
 
Regarding your specific request for source code below, I must decline at the present time.  HP has never authorized the distribution of any binaries for Android in association with the HP Touchpad.  Therefore, HP is not under any license obligation to provide any corresponding Android source code to you.  Hopefully, this doesn’t come across too harsh.  

As always, any member of the public can access all open source software source code distributions and other open source software licensing information for the HP webOS software products at any time at http://opensource.palm.com/.
 
For those of you in the development community actively working to port Android to the Touchpad, we applaud your efforts.  HP has a strong commitment to your freedoms as a developer and technology enthusiast.  It is your device and you can do with it what you want.  If you want to put Android on your Touchpad, or Meego, or one of the altered webOS kernels from webOSInternals.org, you are welcome to do so (at your own risk of course).  While HP supports your freedom to do this, we are not part of the community behind such efforts.

  HP believes that the version of webOS that we deliver on the Touchpad is a superior user experience for our customers, and the best development platform for today’s and tomorrow’s mobile applications and services.  WebOS is where HP spends its development and support efforts.
 
Thank you very much for bringing this matter to our attention.  As you know, it is a significant detriment to HP and HP’s participation in and relationship with the open source community to have non-authorized Android software delivered on HP Touchpad devices.  If you can provide any information that will help us track down who is providing these unauthorized Touchpads and where they might be coming from, I would greatly appreciate it.
 
Best regards,
 
Phil.
===========
Phil Robb
Director - Open Source Program Office
Hewlett Packard

Source: Engadget via precentral