Hewlett-Packard hasn't confirmed the carrier for its new WebOS devices, but it appears to be AT&T. Here's why.
At the launch of the HP Veer, Pre3, and the Touchpad at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the two phones were characterized as operating on HSPA+ networks. In the U.S., that means that they'll run on either AT&T or T-Mobile. Historically, Palm's phones have only appeared on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, although the Pre2 is an unlocked GSM device.
Fortunately, following the presentation, reporters were allowed to perform hands-on tests of the Veer, and limited examination of the Pre3 and the Touchpad. The Veers were connected to the network; Web pages and other data could be downloaded, and the phones could place calls.
I used a Veer to call my own phone, which is on the Verizon network. I then retrieved the Veer's phone number from my phone log.
To check the carrier, I used two methods: an AT&T registration page for online account management. If a user enters a non-AT&T number (like my Verizon number, for example) the page returns the following error message: "R300: The wireless number you entered is not found in our records. Please check that the wireless number is entered correctly."
Entering the Veer's number, however, took me to a signup page where I was asked for my username and password.
I also entered the Veer's number on T-Mobile's account page in an attempt to "sign up" for online services. I received an error message, and asked to input the "correct T-Mobile phone number" and password.
Between the three sites, I think I can say that there's a good chance that an AT&T SIM card was in the phone.
I checked my conclusions with Jonathan Oakes, director of product management at HP's Palm global business unit. "It could be a SIM card that we're testing inside the phone, you know," he said with a smile. "Good job, though. Good work."
Disinformation? Spin? The truth? Maybe so. But for right now, my money's on AT&T.