HTC Pull Out Of Palm Purchase Talks; Only Lenovo Left?

After speculation that HTC were considering picking up Palm, the company has apparently decided against a deal after realising "there just weren't enough synergies to take the deal forward."  That's what a source "with direct knowledge of the matter" is saying, with the implication being that only Lenovo are now left holding clandestine negotiations.

Neither HTC nor Lenovo would comment on the record, and Palm are yet to respond.  While an HTC acquisition was a popular possibility among the tech community – the company have been responsible for some of the more alluring smartphones of recent months – some analysts say they were right to be wary.  "It's a good thing that HTC is dropping it because Palm has been losing money for a while now," said Macquarie Securities analyst Lu Chialin, "and when you look at the two companies, they share such a similar profile."

Both Huawei and ZTE had also been tipped as potentially considering a Palm acquisition, but were later discounted.  A Huawei source apparently claimed that talks with Palm "had stalled", while ZTE "had not been approached for a deal."  Meanwhile Palm are pushing ahead with their own webOS roadmap, telling SlashGear earlier in the month that they would consider a licensing deal for the innovative platform.