Come on LG...surprise us.

LG and HP announced yesterday that they have partnered with LG to take over the development and production of all things webOS related, with a few caveats. HP will keep the cloud end of the deal (App Catalog, Profile information, etc.) while LG will continue on with the operating system, both in proprietary form and OpenwebOS. All the Palm patents will stay inside the HP portfolio, but have been licensed to LG for an undisclosed amount.

LG has publicly said that this bold, new move is to replace their aging smart TV platform with the nimble web-based platform we have all come to love. CEO and President, Scott Ahn, has also stated that this is just a start and that LG will explore implementing webOS on various smart devices. Now, with a corporation the size of LG, smart devices could be mean many, many things. So, my question to LG is simply this: Why would you not make a webOS smartphone and tablet?

The market is currently screaming for something to rival Android and iOS. I know BlackBerry and Windows are both making big swings at it, but neither has knocked it out of the park yet. Android is evolving into a two man race between its “creators”, Google, and its “champion”, Samsung. Everyone else is just looking for scraps inside the profit margin. Apple is Apple.

Android still kinda sucks on a tablet. There, I said it. The UI just doesn’t seem to flow on a screen meant to be in landscape or portrait. The larger the screen, the poorer the experience. You know what works amazingly well on a tablet? webOS. If you don’t believe me, grab a TouchPad from one of your new employees and enjoy the ride. Yeah, the hardware is bland, and the apps never really made it there, but the core OS is still the best I’ve personally experienced on the tablet form factor.

Phones are harder, I know, but I still think you can succeed there as well. People still want to see a webOS phone running on Nexus 4 quality hardware. Hell, we would settle for the WindsorNot we only saw after HP crapped on us. I have never seen another OS that people were absolutely dying to get there hands on that companies are afraid to take the leap. Just do it LG.

You have stated that you will not launch your first TV running webOS until CES of 2014. I know that revamping your whole TV system will take time and resources, but couldn’t you reserve a small team to make a smart phone and tablet happen in the mean time? Give the faithful a chance to prove the OS is worth the effort.

Take the leap. Build us 200,000 webOS Nexus phones and the same in a 7 inch tablet at a reasonable price. Set the phone unlocked for $299 and the tablet at $199-250. See if they don't sell out in a week and make you scurry for more manufacturing.

LG, you have apparently seen enough of webOS to want to invest in it. All I'm asking is you reward all those that championed the software while HP drove it in the ground. This community is down, but they have not left. We lost any faith in HP to deliver, but not webOS.

We still believe, and we still want it. So, surprise us.

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Would You Buy a Chromephone? I Would.

Android is the smartphone marketshare leader. Whether you like other mobile OSes or not, that's still a fact. iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and soon Ubuntu, are all battling Android for that marketshare. However, what if Google headed in another direction all together? Or at the very least, gave its users another option for the smartphone market: Chrome OS.

Google's "other" OS is still a relatively new, but growing, contender for the desktop market. While Google is on the record for saying Chrome OS will only be for desktop/laptops, and Android for smartphones/tablets, I know I'd strongly consider a Chromephone. Why?

1) Apps - The majority, if not all, of the daily driver applications I use have a web equivalent. Google+, GMail, GTalk, Google Reader, Google Maps, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Yelp just to name a few.

2) Google Now - Google is really starting to push Google Now and its capabilities. We're seeing this in their rare, but increasingly frequent, TV ads. Google keeps adding functionality to the service that can not only deliver search results, but weather, sports, travel, appointment, nearby location, translation, flight, and transit info. The Google Now service would be the heart of a Chromephone.

3) Speed - One of the many things Chrome OS has going for itself is the speed. Boot up times for Chromebooks are roughly 10 seconds. I'd want that on my smartphone. If there's a new update, then BAM, it's there when you log into your Chromebook. Imagine Google being able to do this across its smartphones and tablets? Fragmentation be gone.

4) The Cloud - Whether you are using Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, or Evernote, you've already embraced the convenience of the cloud, home of Google and all its services. My music collection is in the cloud, and while I still keep my collection offline, it's a relief knowing it's being backed up day in and day out, and I can access it from anywhere, from any internet connected device if I needed to.

5) Costs - You can buy a Chromebook for as little as $199. Imagine how inexpensive a Chromephone could be? Not that you can't find a cheap Android phone, but I'm sure Google could flood the market with even cheaper phones. They wouldn't need the same specs and processing power. Microsoft and Apple are making attempts to converge their desktop and mobile offerings. Both are high priced options. Apple doesn't do cheap. Microsoft is charging 3 arms and 5 legs for a Surface Pro to get the full Windows 8 "experience". Google could easily beat them to price sensitive consumer wallets. Google's been trying to drive down the cost of its Nexus devices as it is.

I understand it might totally confuse things for some people. All these years of Android development might seem like a total waste if Google did this. It also wouldn't be an answer for hardcore gamers.

I think Google has an opportunity here though to serve a low cost market. To me it's just another option. It's defending its territory against competition like Mozilla. It's going where webOS should have gone, but didn't have the resources. It's bringing simplicity to the mobile market. Google's known to tinker. It's been willing to innovate and take chances on products even if they eventually fail. Why not this?

Google can justify a Chromephone the same way it justifies its Chromebooks: For no more hassles; Best of Google built-in. Cloud storage built-in. Speed built-in. Upgrades built-in. Connectivity built-in.

I'll add total compatibility with a Chromebook to that reason list which would in turn drive overall Chrome OS adoption. Google also wouldn't be competing with its Android partners, and could continue to license Android to them. Perhaps the market could be split into premium Android specked out mobile computing and budget friendly Chrome mobile devices. Either way, Google I think wins.

These are all things I'd want for my use case. What about you?

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BlackBerry should drop Android support

BlackBerry 10 is now here and the formerly Research in Motion team should be proud that they have brought their Berry-lovers the next generation of mobile. Thorsten Heins did a marvelous job of bringing the QNX-based OS to the stage this past week, and brought with it a pretty surprising amount of name-brand developer support. However, one aspect of the development front has me worried. Android apps are not the answer.

For those who don’t have a PlayBook, or lucky ones with a Z10, BlackBerry has added an Android runtime environment to the QNX system that allows for Android apps to run on the devices. While this does a decent job of allowing for quick “porting” for Android developers, it doesn’t send a clear message of how developers should approach BlackBerry 10.

BlackBerry, and 3rd party devs, have proven, on both the PlayBook and Z10, that a great native app is possible. This should be BlackBerry’s focus. Android apps are a bandaid, and a poor one at that. I cannot speak on the Z10, but on the PlayBook, while they work, the experience is not very clean.

Android apps run inside a walled environment in this situation, and is very disjointed at times. You are truly inside Android when you run these apps. The buttons, navigation, and general feel are all Android.

This is not what BlackBerry needs. The gesture-based OS has a learning curve just to use it, so while it shouldn’t be a problem after five minutes of use, the additionally confusion of the Android emulation is an unnecessary hassle. BlackBerry needs to persuade devs to build a native app ecosystem, and not one that can be “functional” in five minutes.

BlackBerry 10 shows a lot of promise and has a legitimate chance to become the number 3 platform in mobile, but after waiting this long to come to the table they have to make the experience a truly great one. Bringing the big-named apps will make a splash, but quality niche apps will make the platform succeed. BlackBerry needs to make the hard choice and drop Android support and focus on the native experience.

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Then There Were 3: BlackBerry 10 is Legit

Took me a couple of days to gather my thoughts on everything I saw at the BlackBerry 10 event a couple of days ago. I went in with an open mind, excited about the possibilities, and I came out still pumped up. Here's what grabbed me:

1) The BlackBerry Hub - BlackBerry stayed true to its core. It's a communication device first. This one feature, the BlackBerry Hub, has me geeking. Why? It's one place for all your messaging, from email to social networks, and it's easily accessible. Currently I have no less than 7 apps I have to use on Android to communicate with everyone I know. I have to open each app, and have each take up space on my phone to be able to keep my lines of communication open. If I'm going to stay with Android, I'm going to need some GUM.

2) The Keyboard - I think it's a given the BlackBerry Q10's keyboard is going to rock, however, the Z10's predictive type is what I'm anxious to give a spin. The fact that it recognizes multiple languages as well, for those of us who are multi-lingual like that, is awesome and a well thought out feature. For business users communicating with peers and clients globally, it's a godsend.

3) BBM with video AND screen share - BlackBerry could have stopped at just pairing BlackBerry Messenger with video conferencing capabilities, but decided to take it up a notch by offering the ability to share your screen as well. This proves BlackBerry can throw in some innovation besides a 4th row of icons.

4) Screen size - BlackBerry had the opportunity to follow Android handset makers into the realm of the phablet world with 5+ inch devices, but exercised restraint, at least for now. With the 4.2 inch Z10, it's nestled itself between the larger 4.5 inch+ Android devices and the smaller 4 inch iPhone 5.

5) Apps - Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Kindle, just to name a few, are some of the major apps moving forward to support the platform with many more to come. That's extremely encouraging. When Palm launched webOS, how many of those top app developers were officially onboard?

6) Carrier support - Getting a large number of carriers to support a device is a daunting task. If they don't see the demand, then might as well take your dog and pony show elsewhere. In the U.S., where carriers can make or break devices, all four major carriers are onboard to carry BlackBerry 10 smartphones. This effective strategy made the Samsung Galaxy S3 immensely successful. No matter what carrier your friends are on, they can BBM with you.

7) Last, but not least, specs - BlackBerry 10 devices are armed with the latest and greatest specifications: 2 gigabytes of RAM, dual core processors, 16 gigabytes of internal storage which can be expanded with a memory card, LTE, removable batteries (hallelujah), NFC, HDMI Ports, 8 megapixel rear cameras, 2 megapixel front facing cameras, 1080P video recording, and gorgeous 1280 x 768 resolution, 356ppi displays. Yes they can compete in 2013.

Am I switching? I don't know yet. I need to get my hands on one before I can make that final decision. For me, as I mentioned before, there are key apps that I use from Google. My gut feeling is though, if the sales numbers are there, Google will show the BlackBerry 10 platform some love as it has for iOS. The Crackberry addicts deserve that. I know if I did switch, one other thing I would definitely look forward to is consistent OS software upgrades across all devices, something iOS owners have enjoyed, and Android owners have struggled with.

So far iOS and Android have dominated the market, but there's been a strong sense that the market needs at least a 3rd viable alternative, and BlackBerry 10 has all the potential to be that. I've been an Android fan for 3 years, but there's just something about that blinking red light that makes me want to checkout BlackBerry 10 for myself.

BlackBerry 10 Devices in black and white:

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