Palmed-off
Struggling smartphone-maker Palm has reportedly been actively fishing around for potential acquirers for a couple of weeks now, but so far nobody's biting.
One of the companies thought to have been in the running was Taiwanese smartphone company HTC, but according to sources spoken to by Reuters, it doesn't want to know having had a closer look.
So who does this leave? Probably PC OEMs. Reuters reckons Lenovo is now the front-runner, with it looking to increase its smartphone presence beyond the recently launched LePhone, which is currently restricted to the Chinese market. Palm would give it an instant presence in western market, goes the thinking.
But it's questionable how much value there is in the brand. Furthermore the hardware itself, while pioneering when it was first launched, is comprised of readily-available third-party components. Only the WebOS software is unique, and it remains to be seen what value will be put on it.
Meanwhile CEO Jon Rubenstein - who, let's not forget, was the brains behind the Apple iPod - has told the FT that he still reckons Palm can prosper as an independent company. But then again, it would hardly encourage would-be purchasers of the company if he came out and said "we're screwed!"
