As early as 2009, Palm has been part of big talks within the mobile industry. It was originally known as a maker of personal digital assistants (PDAs) like the Palm Pilot and the Treo 600. These are some of the first smartphones introduced to the world. There’s the Palm OS being used in several devices which was then followed by the webOS. HP purchased Palm back in 2010 and was able to release several Palm webOS products. Unfortunately, HP decided to sell the business trademark to TCL, a Chinese electronics company that works with other OEMs like Alcatel, Vertu, and BlackBerry.
Palm has been through a lot especially since Matias Duarte joined Google as User Experience Director for Android eight years ago. We noted how Amazon was looking to buy Palm but it didn’t materialize. HP did sell its mobile patent portfolio. Alcatel was also rumored to be resurrecting Palm for new markets and last year, we heard the rumor Palm OS phones were in the works and would be released this 2018. Looks like it is happening soon and with the help of Verizon.
TCL and Verizon working together sounds exciting. Its partnership dates back to the Pre 2 and other webOS devices so this doesn’t come as a surprise. There’s not much to tell about the smartphone but we believe that it’s already in the works and will run on Android. We’re assuming this will follow the path of BlackBerry and Nokia– both old brands that have finally embraced the Android bandwagon. We’re not just sure how saleable a Palm Android phone will be. Let’s wait and see.
VIA: Android Police
