HP had plenty of news for its users today about upcoming hardware and expanded availability of recently-released devices, but what of the the original Pres, Pre Pluses, Pixies, and all? Users have been waiting patiently for a webOS upgrade to version 2.0 for these devices, with an early 2011 release seeming probable. That possibility is looking very unlikely now, as upgrades have clearly taken a back seat to the current roster of HP’s smartphones. The company revealed at today’s event that those phones will never get webOS 2.0 over-the-air, though tethered upgrades remain a possibility.

Disappointing, yes, but maybe this news isn’t the end of the world. Passive users may miss the update altogether, but we can live with having to hook up a USB cable in order to update our Palms. This is assuming, of course, that HP comes through with preparing the upgrades for its existing hardware in the first place. It stated today that it would be developing a website where its customers could find “a path to 2.x.”

As PreCentral points out, that’s not necessarily a path towards a software update, and it could be something more along the lines of a trade-in program. Even if updates are made available, some phones may get them while others are left behind; it hasn’t been the best day for existing Palm owners.

Source: PreCentral