4 ms·

Palm Said to Put Itself Up for Sale; Bids May Come This Week

57 points by jasonlbaptiste 17y ago

heyrhett 17y ago
I remember when palm was worth more than 3com, even though 3com owned 95% of palm.
jackowayed 17y ago
Hmm. I could see something great coming out of HTC buying Palm. Palm seems to make decent hardware (with some cool features like the builtin mobile hotspot). HTC makes wonderful hardware. I also hear WebOS is very nice, though it hasn't gotten much traction. I'm not sure exactly what they'd do, but it definitely has a potential. I can tell you one thing: I'm currently on the fence between getting the 4th-gen iPhone and a Nexus One. If I could get a Nexus One with a builtin mobile hotspot (and no extra monthly charge for that), I'd do it in a second, and I'd even be fine with switching to a network I like less like T-Mobile or Verizon.
- randall 17y ago
  Honestly, if HTC hardware meets WebOS, I'd be in heaven. I'm a Palm Pre owner, and the hardware is really weak. The OS is exclusively gesture based, which I find as really intuitive, and combine that with HTC's hardware prowess, and you've got a really good device.
barrkel 17y ago
I wonder if it would be worth it for HTC for patents etc.
- mortenjorck 17y ago
  Given the bargain price of Palm right now and how much it could cost fighting a legal battle for years, HTC could probably end up saving a lot of money simply by buying Palm right now. Apple was deterred enough by Palm's portfolio that they made little noise even as Palm launched their platform with features clearly covered by Apple patents. Engadget had a really good look at both arsenals last year: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/28/apple-vs-palm-the-in-depth-analysis http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/28/apple-vs-palm-the-in-dept... If HTC suddenly had those onboard, I think we'd see Apple drop their suit in pretty short order.
jsz0 17y ago
I think Dell or Lenovo are unlikely simply because neither has previously shown any interest in developing their own operating systems. Both are probably more comfortable selling Windows Mobile/Android handsets. HTC makes sense as a company with experience developing their own software but I wonder how WebOS fits into their crowded line-up of Android & Windows Mobile devices. I wouldn't be surprised to see RIM get involved. They seem to be struggling to modernize BBOS. Hasn't hurt their sales too much yet but you gotta figure eventually it will. They're probably one of the companies most capable of quickly absorbing Palm. Time is a major factor given the growth of Android, continued strong iPhone sales and WM7 lurking around the corner. I could see RIM getting squeezed if they don't make a move.
megaduck 17y ago
Whoever buys Palm is getting a real prize. First of all, they get the entire Palm patent portfolio, many of which Apple is infringing upon. Palm's been doing the smartphone thing longer than almost anybody, and they've built up quite a bit of IP along the way. Palm also has sales channels with the three biggest US carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint), as well as carriers in Europe like SFR and O2. Bell (Canada) gets tossed in for flavor. Finally, there's WebOS. While WebOS launched rather immature, it's been developing incredibly rapidly. The OS in its current state is incredibly capable, and a joy for both developers and users. It's more usable than Android, more capable than the iPhone (even after OS 4), and blows Blackberry out of the water in almost every respect. What Palm's missing is solid hardware and enough runway to get developers online. They won't have all their developer tools up until this summer, and it's questionable whether they've got enough cash to get past fall. I hope that whoever acquires them doesn't kill WebOS. I'm an extremely satisfied Pre owner, and I dread the prospect of having to jump to Android or the iPhone (shudder).
- mark_h 17y ago
  Is WebOS honestly that good? The last I heard that I was paying attention to was jwz giving up on his for performance reasons (http://jwz.livejournal.com/1108212.html http://jwz.livejournal.com/1108212.html) I know there's a lot to like about it; I loved (in my brief exposure) the cards metaphor, and I imagine that development could be quite nice, but have they solved the issues he refers to? [disclaimer: I have had a brief play with a Pre, but you can't get them in Australia. I would have considered getting one].
  - megaduck 17y ago
    JWZ had a Pre when WebOS was kind of half-baked. They've made significant gains in responsiveness since then, and solved most (all?) of the things he complained about. That being said, the system doesn't feel as 'instant' as the iPhone or a fast Android phone. However, you can often get things done faster than competing platforms because the workflow is so streamlined. Moving to a 1Ghz processor like the Snapdragon would probably bring responsiveness up to parity with other systems.
mbreese 17y ago
HTC is one of the obvious buyers, but they are so in bed with Google and Android, I wonder if HTC could pull the trigger on that one. On one hand, HTC is trying to position itself as a top tier manufacturer, independent of carrier branding. On the other, it has Android and WinMo handsets already... is it going to try to add WebOS to the mix? I doubt it. If HTC goes for Palm, it will be a patent play. However, what if Google bought Palm for WebOS interface? I've always seen Android's interface as a little clunky. And Palm has some great design people... so if you married Android and Palm, then you'd have a better chance of unseating the iPhone. If it was just HTC, then I fear you'd just get a jumbled mess of handsets.
- enjo 17y ago
  A Google/Palm marriage makes to much sense to actually happen:)
- feverishaaron 17y ago
  Has anyone considered that Apple is also a potential buyer, if just for the patent portfolio?
  - dagw 17y ago
    Given how aggressive Apple has been in the mobile phone patent space as of late, that would actually make a lot of sense.
smallhands 17y ago
I am never a big fan of Microsoft.But i think it make a lot of business sense if they buy plam.It is a lot better competing in that market than fight google in search market.i think the only company that can compete with google in search is facebook!
- billybob 17y ago
  WebOS is certainly better than Windows Mobile. Microsoft has utterly failed to make a good mobile OS. Maybe they should just buy one. The problem is, they wouldn't have the vision to isolate the solid WebOS development team from the rest of MS. They would tangle it up in departmental meetings and company-wide politics and cross-market product ties ('search your phone emails with Bing Mobile Edition Professional Basic!'). And then, besides being the underdog, it would also suck.
- mustpax 17y ago
  I think Microsoft is understandably hesitant to buy another creative cellphone design shop after the "synergies" failed to materialize after their acquisition of the maker of the Sidekick, Danger Inc.
- patrickk 17y ago
  Microsoft buying Plam may not make a whole load of sense given they have an exciting new mobile platform coming on stream soon. It's a similar play to them buying Yahoo to compete better with Google in the search space. I don't see exactly how Facebook competes in search, all I see it as is an increasingly spammy social network that I could easily live without. Google on the other hand, is indespensible. The very sight of Bing makes me want to punch the monitor (when I'm not using my own PC).
halo 17y ago
I doubt there are many buyers who would want to enter the smartphone business as the underdog with a custom OS at this point. One big exception would be RIM, whose own software is looking increasingly dated. They might see Palm as a way of getting a whole new OS on the cheap, together with the talent and patent portfolio to go with it.
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- mikepurvis 17y ago
  I would love to see RIM adopt WebOS—the current BlackBerry OS is a disaster, especially in the apps layer. How would this work out with the QNX acquisition, though? I don't know enough about QNX, but is it primarily the kernel?
mrkurt 17y ago
There aren't enough words to describe the happiness I'd feel if HTC bought Palm and made more WebOS phones.
javery 17y ago
Maybe Adobe will buy them and give Flash a true mobile outlet (and maybe use some of those patents to work out a deal with Apple).
jbrun 17y ago
Frankly, RIM should buy them. The blackberry is getting woefully outdated and WebOS could help it jump into the 21st century.
- samuel 17y ago
  What about Nokia? They smartphones also sucks, and they have already sued Apple for IP infringement.

I remember when palm was worth more than 3com, even though 3com owned 95% of palm.

Hmm. I could see something great coming out of HTC buying Palm. Palm seems to make decent hardware (with some cool features like the builtin mobile hotspot). HTC makes wonderful hardware. I also hear WebOS is very nice, though it hasn't gotten much traction. I'm not sure exactly what they'd do, but it definitely has a potential. I can tell you one thing: I'm currently on the fence between getting the 4th-gen iPhone and a Nexus One. If I could get a Nexus One with a builtin mobile hotspot (and no extra monthly charge for that), I'd do it in a second, and I'd even be fine with switching to a network I like less like T-Mobile or Verizon.

randall 17y ago
Honestly, if HTC hardware meets WebOS, I'd be in heaven. I'm a Palm Pre owner, and the hardware is really weak. The OS is exclusively gesture based, which I find as really intuitive, and combine that with HTC's hardware prowess, and you've got a really good device.

barrkel 17y ago

I wonder if it would be worth it for HTC for patents etc.

mortenjorck 17y ago
Given the bargain price of Palm right now and how much it could cost fighting a legal battle for years, HTC could probably end up saving a lot of money simply by buying Palm right now. Apple was deterred enough by Palm's portfolio that they made little noise even as Palm launched their platform with features clearly covered by Apple patents. Engadget had a really good look at both arsenals last year: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/28/apple-vs-palm-the-in-depth-analysis http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/28/apple-vs-palm-the-in-dept... If HTC suddenly had those onboard, I think we'd see Apple drop their suit in pretty short order.

jsz0 17y ago

I think Dell or Lenovo are unlikely simply because neither has previously shown any interest in developing their own operating systems. Both are probably more comfortable selling Windows Mobile/Android handsets. HTC makes sense as a company with experience developing their own software but I wonder how WebOS fits into their crowded line-up of Android & Windows Mobile devices. I wouldn't be surprised to see RIM get involved. They seem to be struggling to modernize BBOS. Hasn't hurt their sales too much yet but you gotta figure eventually it will. They're probably one of the companies most capable of quickly absorbing Palm. Time is a major factor given the growth of Android, continued strong iPhone sales and WM7 lurking around the corner. I could see RIM getting squeezed if they don't make a move.

megaduck 17y ago

Whoever buys Palm is getting a real prize. First of all, they get the entire Palm patent portfolio, many of which Apple is infringing upon. Palm's been doing the smartphone thing longer than almost anybody, and they've built up quite a bit of IP along the way. Palm also has sales channels with the three biggest US carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint), as well as carriers in Europe like SFR and O2. Bell (Canada) gets tossed in for flavor. Finally, there's WebOS. While WebOS launched rather immature, it's been developing incredibly rapidly. The OS in its current state is incredibly capable, and a joy for both developers and users. It's more usable than Android, more capable than the iPhone (even after OS 4), and blows Blackberry out of the water in almost every respect. What Palm's missing is solid hardware and enough runway to get developers online. They won't have all their developer tools up until this summer, and it's questionable whether they've got enough cash to get past fall. I hope that whoever acquires them doesn't kill WebOS. I'm an extremely satisfied Pre owner, and I dread the prospect of having to jump to Android or the iPhone (shudder).

mark_h 17y ago
Is WebOS honestly that good? The last I heard that I was paying attention to was jwz giving up on his for performance reasons (http://jwz.livejournal.com/1108212.html http://jwz.livejournal.com/1108212.html) I know there's a lot to like about it; I loved (in my brief exposure) the cards metaphor, and I imagine that development could be quite nice, but have they solved the issues he refers to? [disclaimer: I have had a brief play with a Pre, but you can't get them in Australia. I would have considered getting one].
- megaduck 17y ago
  JWZ had a Pre when WebOS was kind of half-baked. They've made significant gains in responsiveness since then, and solved most (all?) of the things he complained about. That being said, the system doesn't feel as 'instant' as the iPhone or a fast Android phone. However, you can often get things done faster than competing platforms because the workflow is so streamlined. Moving to a 1Ghz processor like the Snapdragon would probably bring responsiveness up to parity with other systems.

mbreese 17y ago

HTC is one of the obvious buyers, but they are so in bed with Google and Android, I wonder if HTC could pull the trigger on that one. On one hand, HTC is trying to position itself as a top tier manufacturer, independent of carrier branding. On the other, it has Android and WinMo handsets already... is it going to try to add WebOS to the mix? I doubt it. If HTC goes for Palm, it will be a patent play. However, what if Google bought Palm for WebOS interface? I've always seen Android's interface as a little clunky. And Palm has some great design people... so if you married Android and Palm, then you'd have a better chance of unseating the iPhone. If it was just HTC, then I fear you'd just get a jumbled mess of handsets.

enjo 17y ago
A Google/Palm marriage makes to much sense to actually happen:)
feverishaaron 17y ago
Has anyone considered that Apple is also a potential buyer, if just for the patent portfolio?
- dagw 17y ago
  Given how aggressive Apple has been in the mobile phone patent space as of late, that would actually make a lot of sense.

smallhands 17y ago

I am never a big fan of Microsoft.But i think it make a lot of business sense if they buy plam.It is a lot better competing in that market than fight google in search market.i think the only company that can compete with google in search is facebook!

billybob 17y ago
WebOS is certainly better than Windows Mobile. Microsoft has utterly failed to make a good mobile OS. Maybe they should just buy one. The problem is, they wouldn't have the vision to isolate the solid WebOS development team from the rest of MS. They would tangle it up in departmental meetings and company-wide politics and cross-market product ties ('search your phone emails with Bing Mobile Edition Professional Basic!'). And then, besides being the underdog, it would also suck.
mustpax 17y ago
I think Microsoft is understandably hesitant to buy another creative cellphone design shop after the "synergies" failed to materialize after their acquisition of the maker of the Sidekick, Danger Inc.
patrickk 17y ago
Microsoft buying Plam may not make a whole load of sense given they have an exciting new mobile platform coming on stream soon. It's a similar play to them buying Yahoo to compete better with Google in the search space. I don't see exactly how Facebook competes in search, all I see it as is an increasingly spammy social network that I could easily live without. Google on the other hand, is indespensible. The very sight of Bing makes me want to punch the monitor (when I'm not using my own PC).

halo 17y ago

I doubt there are many buyers who would want to enter the smartphone business as the underdog with a custom OS at this point. One big exception would be RIM, whose own software is looking increasingly dated. They might see Palm as a way of getting a whole new OS on the cheap, together with the talent and patent portfolio to go with it.

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
mikepurvis 17y ago
I would love to see RIM adopt WebOS—the current BlackBerry OS is a disaster, especially in the apps layer. How would this work out with the QNX acquisition, though? I don't know enough about QNX, but is it primarily the kernel?

mrkurt 17y ago

There aren't enough words to describe the happiness I'd feel if HTC bought Palm and made more WebOS phones.

javery 17y ago

Maybe Adobe will buy them and give Flash a true mobile outlet (and maybe use some of those patents to work out a deal with Apple).

jbrun 17y ago

Frankly, RIM should buy them. The blackberry is getting woefully outdated and WebOS could help it jump into the 21st century.

samuel 17y ago
What about Nokia? They smartphones also sucks, and they have already sued Apple for IP infringement.