ReadWriteMobile

This week, Hewlett-Packard announced the open source roadmap for webOS along with the next edition of its application framework, Enyo 2.0. As we wrote yesterday, the time for webOS to shine may lie ahead. What it comes down to is how well the open source community responds to webOS and whether or not the original equipment manufacturers will ever decide to build webOS devices.

The favorable response of the community and OEMs is not guaranteed. Many think webOS is as dead an operating system as Aramaic is a language. That may include former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein who is leaving HP after his commitment to the company elapsed. Is there still potential for webOS and Enyo or have we seen the last of the once-promising mobile operating system? That is the topic of this week's ReadWriteMobile poll.

Sencha, a provider of HTML5 frameworks and tools for developers both on desktop and mobile, has put the new HP TouchPad tablet computer to the test in terms of HTML5 browser performance, and found it somewhat lacking. "The TouchPad looks quite promising, but still seems rough around the edges," notes the company while detailing the battery of browser tests it used to determine the TouchPad's HTML5 scorecard.

Speaking at the D9 conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. today, Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker said that it is a possibility that WebOS might end up on devices other than what HP manufactures.

"It is certainly something we would entertain," Apotheker said, according to AllThingsD. About 130 miles south in San Diego, WebOS head John Rubinstein said that licensing the operating system to select original equipment manufacturers is something that HP might consider. Licensing WebOS could be a great way for HP to broaden its horizons in the mobile market and cut into the market share of Apple, Android and Windows Phone 7 while bringing dynamic new Palm smartphones to the market. Will there ever be a HP WebOS Palm phone brought to you by Motorola or HTC?