An Outside Palm Buyer Would Face a Tough Market

A buyer for Palm might come from outside the smartphone market, but would face stiff competition. Palm's value lies not in its handsets but in its webOS and other intellectual property. Established smartphone makers are already committed to other paths and seem unlikely to want Palm. And a buyer also faces free mobile OSes like Android.
Having failed to make a deep impact on the mobile market through the release of the Palm Pre smartphone and its successors, Palm is reportedly seeking a buyer for the company. However, the company's acquisition value may not be Palm's handsets but the software and other intellectual property that ships with Palm's phones, industry analysts say.