PALM Rises on HTC Buyout Chatter

Posted By: Ryan Kairer Friday, April 9, 2010 10:27:33 AM

Treo Pro HTC ODM Shares of Palm are leading the tech sector higher today, as it is up over 12% in early friday morning trading on very high volume. As was the case earlier this week, another round of buyout speculation is fueling the rise once again.

This time the chatty mouths on Wall street would have you believe that Taiwan based HTC is now interested in acquiring Palm Inc. According to MarketWatch an unnamed Chinese newspaper is said to be the source. The article has some humorous quotes from analysts over the recent round of M&A chatter. HTC is not commenting on the rumor and a US based HTC spokesperson is quoted by Reuters as saying "To the best of my knowledge this is just a rumor."

"Every day there is a different rumor about who is going to buy Palm," said Kevin Hunt of Hapoalim Securities on Friday. "I could make a list of eight companies who could buy it. But would they buy it for more than $1 billion? I just don't know."

Just a few days ago a similar rumor about Lenovo Group sparked a 20% bounce for Palm shares. HTC and Palm have done business in the past as HTC was the contract manufacturer for a number of Treo smartphone models.

UPDATE:
PALM closed Friday at 5.16 a share, for a gain of 11% on the day.

Article Comments

 (27 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Start a new Comment Down

patents again

hotpaw4 @ 4/9/2010 10:46:45 AM # Q
HTC is reported to be involved in some sort of patent infringement controversy, so they might be interested in whatever patents Palm/Handspring might be holding. Potentially useful for counterclaims and cross licensing negotiations.
RE: patents again
mikecane @ 4/9/2010 10:50:26 AM # Q
HTC is being sued by Apple as a proxy against suing Google and Android.

What's interesting today is Lenovo delaying its Smartbook:
http://carrypad.com/2010/04/09/more-smart-delays/

That was to have a vanilla Linux OS. It'd be a hell of a thing if Lenovo bought Palm and put webOS on it.

RE: patents again
jimn367 @ 4/9/2010 10:56:15 AM # Q
Now that would be a Foleo worth owning!
RE: patents again
mikecane @ 4/9/2010 11:10:22 AM # Q
It wouldn't be an iPad or tablet, but it would be interesting. I don't know if it could actually *sell*, though. A tablet could.
RE: patents again
2klbs @ 4/9/2010 11:58:43 AM # Q
hotpaw4 wrote:
HTC is reported to be involved in some sort of patent infringement controversy, so they might be interested in whatever patents Palm/Handspring might be holding. Potentially useful for counterclaims and cross licensing negotiations.

HTC and Palm already have access to each-other's patent holdings through prior sale and membership fees to RPX Corp.

http://www.rpxcorp.com/facts.html
Not "Pre-verted"- Android Assimilation?

RE: patents again
CFreymarc @ 4/12/2010 6:55:16 AM # Q
I see may be of the following in the order of most likely first.

1) They are in serious trouble and looking for a buyout to save the brand and portfolio for the stockholders.

2) This is a ruse to bump up the stock price and attract other investors.

3) Third party market manipulation.

No matter what, a very good buy at the opening bell this morning.


Reply to this comment

Maybe more

jimn367 @ 4/9/2010 10:50:31 AM # Q
HTC might want have a little more control over it's destiny by actually owning an OS - and WebOS is a pretty good OS, to be had for a pretty good price right now.

Who knows WebOS might just become the HTC special sauce on top of Anroid...

RE: Maybe more
LiveFaith @ 4/9/2010 10:57:03 AM # Q
By the time Moto, M$FT, RIM, & Nokia all kick the tires, this baby will be at $50/ share. Go loooong baby!
Pat Horne
RE: Maybe more
e_tellurian @ 4/9/2010 3:20:23 PM # Q
One must thank the employees at Palm for creating a product that people want that is enhancing the stock. Perhaps with more value will come more development by way of a Palm Classic. At $50 per share Palm would have to be in a good position to accomplish both creating a Palm Classic and remain a North American enterprise. :-(lol) one could really feel the love then.

It would be nice to know at what value Palm's stock must stay at to build a Palm Classic and remain an independent North American enterprise. Though a company must be open to change at any price. It would be best if Palm could remain a North America pioneer while building the best of Palm past, present and future.

E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

RE: Maybe more
jca666us @ 4/10/2010 1:31:42 AM # Q
Dude, you're a broken record.
RE: Maybe more
e_tellurian @ 4/10/2010 11:35:37 AM # Q
The phrase "broken record" and is older than i am. We used "dude" when i was a kid. Lets try and grow up and use terminology that encourages progress rather than spending so much time in the past. True we can learn from the past, however, we need to be thinking of the future too.

A Palm Classic will encourage future thinking while embracing and including the best of Palm past, present and future.

So while some are still in the past others are focused on the present and future.

How do see the Jetsons interacting with commerce in 2062 do they still have analog currency or have they evolved to keep up with their changing world?


E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

RE: Maybe more
jca666us @ 4/10/2010 3:02:19 PM # M Q
Dude, the best way to encourage progress would be for you to take your meds.

You'd sooner see a dodo bird then you will a Palm classic - whatever that is supposed to be.

Palm is nearly done - unless they get bought out.

If neither Lenovo not HTC purchase them, you will soon be able to pick up a Pre Plus at a landfill.

RE: Maybe more
e_tellurian @ 4/10/2010 9:03:38 PM # Q
jca666us what my health has to do with Palms success or not one can only speculate ... though i see no connection.

Some people have too big an ego and that is a choice or perhaps a consequence.

Insulting people is the first sign of a lack of contribution. It is easy to insult people if that strokes ones ego or makes one happy that is an individual choice. As some have said before the demise of Palm has been speculated for many years yet Palm still lives.

For years people have been insulting me for my thoughts that is their right just as it is my right to defend my thoughts. Innovation is a North American tradition of excellence and our friend and allies have been supporting such peaceful endeavors since the inception of North America.

While some choose to insult, others choose to seek innovative ways to solve problems and enhance our planet peacefully.

Thanks for your thoughts.

E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

Reply to this comment

the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...

ssid12 @ 4/10/2010 5:24:47 PM # Q
Despite the doom and gloom, looking across the boards (not PIC of course), the only thing Palm needs to do is sort out some solid hardware. Even on Gizmodo (which is very down on Palm), the majority of comments say that WebOS is excellent. Put some solid hardware behind it this summer and maybe everyone here will be singing a different tune.

On a separate note, some clever guys over at Precentral have managed to put Openoffice onto a Pre and suggest that it will be possible to put other X11 apps onto the Pre. If you are looking for an open access platform and a truly advanced mobile OS, WeOS is the way to go.

If hardware is the only "issue", as so many of you claim, then using HTC as a partner maybe the solution not necessarily a buyout...

RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
e_tellurian @ 4/10/2010 9:12:12 PM # Q
ssid12 you make some excellent points and agree there is always room for improvement no matter how good. Improving hardware may require a larger budget and have suggested a Palm Classic would have enhanced hardware with the best of Palm past, present and future applications and features.

Thanks for your thoughts too.

E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
LiveFaith @ 4/10/2010 10:04:16 PM # Q
Palm is over $5.00. That puts them on the radar screens for more institutional investors. Watch out folks, your pension fund and 401(k) could be loading the wagon Monday. :-)
Pat Horne
RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
nastebu @ 4/11/2010 5:14:59 AM # Q
As far as I can tell, the issue is that Palm is not selling enough phones. Better hardware may help, but that's a guess, not a solution.

The deeper questions, as far as I understand it, are whether Palm as a business is going to be have the chance to gamble more money on more products, and whether investors are willing to fund that gamble.

"The end is nigh" means one thing if a spaced-out guy with a sandwich board is saying it. It means something quite different if a phd with a stack of charts and figures is saying it, especially if in the background you can hear a volcano rumble.

What we have here is a noisy volcano and a phd.

RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
mikecane @ 4/11/2010 5:11:10 PM # Q
>>>Even on Gizmodo (which is very down on Palm), the majority of comments say that WebOS is excellent.

Now wait one minute here. I've never said webOS was crap. It might lack some features and be on underpowered hardware, but I've always said it could kick Android's ass if it was ever given a real chance.

And it'd get one hell of a chance if Asus would buy it. Lenovo, second place.

RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
ssid12 @ 4/12/2010 12:16:07 AM # Q
Hey Mike, looks like you just might get your wish. Precentral is reporting that Bloomberg says that Palm is up for sale.... HTC and Lenovo appear to be interested.... Despite HTC's track record in phones I think Lenovo would be a better match... I would love to see WebOS scaled up to a real tablet!

Of course I am assuming that both companies are interested in developing webOS and not just in patents....


RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
jca666us @ 4/12/2010 4:01:58 AM # M Q
Actually Palm is putting itself up for sale:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=13770

Any bets on who the buyer ends up being?

I'd say either Lenovo or Dell

RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
jca666us @ 4/12/2010 4:28:17 AM # M Q
Dell's out - guess Palm's finances are a much bigger mess:

"Taiwan's HTC Corp. and China's Lenovo Group Ltd. have looked at the company and may be potential bidders, said the people. Dell Inc. also looked at Palm, though it decided against an offer, according to two of the people."

HTCInfocenter or LenovoInfocenter????

RE: the end is nigh.... I have heard that for the last 6 years...
SeldomVisitor @ 4/12/2010 6:37:45 AM # Q
I don;t think the rumors (the enhanced one naming names) are true at all.

And, of course, Palm's sale to carriers just fell off a cliff - what carrier would buy a Palm product now until the truth REALLY comes out? And even afterwards...

Reply to this comment

So that's it

legodude522 @ 4/10/2010 9:35:27 PM # Q
So that's it. That's what Palm comes down to. Just Intellectual Property. Virtual goods.
Palm m125 > Palm Zire 71 > Tapwave Zodiac 1 > Palm Zire 72 > Sharp Zaurus SL-C1000 > Palm Tungsten T|3 > HTC Universal > ETEN Glofiish M800 > 16gb Apple iPhone 3g S (jailbroken)
RE: So that's it
LiveFaith @ 4/10/2010 9:57:39 PM # Q
LD, it's not that bad. I understand there is a glut of LED cradles remaining, monaural mobile audio chips, a virtual smorgasbord of company logos, loads of SDIO WiFi cards for OS4, bootlegged copies of OS 6.0 & 6.1 ready for redistribution, a small warehouse 1/2 full of 2.5mm audio jacks, and closet with a couple of nice gold pinstriped suits? It's not like they are broke.
Pat Horne
RE: So that's it
jca666us @ 4/11/2010 3:37:52 AM # Q
you forgot to include - several copies of beos!
RE: So that's it
SeldomVisitor @ 4/11/2010 5:08:27 AM # Q
I wonder if they have any of the hats left?

http://www.treocentral.com/images/admin_uploaded/1168460186.gif

RE: So that's it
hkklife @ 4/11/2010 8:54:52 AM # Q
I wonder of these boyz come along with the excess inventory:

http://blog.palm.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/01/img_00181.jpg


Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro

Reply to this comment
Start a New Comment Thread Top

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass:

Latest Comments

  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST((SELECT/**/CASE/**/IS_SRVROLEMEM
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST((SELECT/**/CASE/**/IS_SRVROLEMEM
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST((SELECT/**/CASE/**/IS_SRVROLEMEM
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
  • My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000