This has been in the back of my mind for a while now, ever since I started reading about how cool Palm’s new WebOS is. Then followed by their hardware design (that Pre slider is awesome). Then followed by stories of how sloppy their hardware build quality was and finally about how difficult it has been for Palm to get to move from CDMA from GSM (jair-broken or not, have you SEEN a Palm WebOS device in India yet?).
And today’s editorial on engadget about Palm and HTC as possible merger or acquisition target (acquired by HTC, that is) just hits the right spot.
Some interesting points that I hadn’t considered on my own are addressed:
1) Palm has a decent patent portfolio put in place long before the iPhone was a figment of Steve Jobs’ imagination. So Apple can go around a sue everyone, but daren’t touch Palm (or whoever acquires Palm’s patent portfolio)
2) HTC itself needs an OS of it’s own.
Samsung and HTC (ok, Motorola too) seem to amongst the few large phone manufacturers that do not have a stable OS to call their own. Between Win 6.5, Win 7 and Android , HTC is getting thrown around by the OS owners.
My take on it…
Even if an acquisition of merger does not fully happen, the least these two companies should do is LICENSE the WebOS and related technologies for HTC devices to depend on.
I know, it still leaves HTC running an OS that it does not fully own. But licensing it from a Palm, that is desperate for profits and marketshare is a smarter move (more desperate = less aggressive) than depending on entrenched companies that are less willing to consider HTC’s requirements.
An outcome I would like…
Get me a WebOS device and a decent App Store for use in India.