While there’s been all sorts of rumors out there, like RIM or Google buying up Palm, of the more recent findings we’ve heard Lenovo might have some interest in purchasing the company. Right now though, there are grumblings of HTC staking some interest in the house that built webOS. According to the report, Peter Chou — CEO of HTC — has been sitting down in some high-interest meetings at CTIA, discussing how the smaller phone manufacturer could fit into their company profile, and future plans.

While HTC is keeping mum on the whole ordeal, it sounds like Jon Rubinstein — CEO of Palm — isn’t being so quiet anymore. He has apparently come forward and said something along the lines of: “If it’s reasonable, we’ll consider it.” That basically comes down to if HTC, or any other company for that matter, comes to the table and brings a reasonable offer to Palm, the board of directors will have a sit-down and pow-wow about getting acquired. It wouldn’t be hard for HTC, as Palm is currently worth a tenth of HTC, and therefore HTC could very well just purchase Palm with “some” cash. Is it worth the money they’d have to invest in bringing up Palm from the depth? They would get their hands on upwards of 1,600+ patents for their upcoming smartphones, so maybe it would be.

[via WMPowerUser]

The Palm Pre has already been on sale in various European countries for several months now, though unconfirmed rumors suggested that consumer demand had been less than impressive.  So far carrier O2 has been Palm’s partner of choice, offering the Pre in the UK, Ireland, Germany and elsewhere, and it remains to be seen whether Palm continues that exclusivity or – maybe more likely – look to get the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on as many networks as possible.

[via Unwired View]

webOS is a very young platform, but Palm seems to age it very well within a short period of time. As Mobile World Congress 09 starting soon, many anticipated Palm would be announcing the GSM version of Pre.

[via precommunity]

Be sure to check in regulary for new developments on this story, and also check out our new sister site, Pre Community – a community for everything Pre.

Here are a few interesting tidbits from the writeup.  First off, Palm went on the record to say that, while their OS wouldn’t be a wide open free-for-all, they would be “flexible”.  When asked about a possible Palm OS emulator, Palm stated that, while they had no plans to develop one themselves, they’d allow a third party to do so.

Palm had nothing to say when asked about YouTube or Flash support on the Pre.  They also would not confirm the supplier of their touch panel.  Palm conceded that they could have gone with a larger display – however, they wanted to maintain the device’s one-handed operation.

The entire writeup is an interesting read, and I personally can’t wait to see the video, which is expected to post sometime soon.  To read the rest of the article, jump over to Pre Community.

[via Pre Community]

The Palm Pre comes with 8 GB of flash memory, which some would argue isn’t enough.  However, the Pre is a web-centric device.  Palm’s WebOS is built for constant web connectivity, so your data, such as your contact list, is constantly synching with Sprint’s servers online.

It was also learned that Pre users will have access to a special Sprint App Store.  App stores are all the rage, nowadays, so it’s very wise for the Pre to hop on the bandwagon.  When Sprint’s exclusivity with the Pre ends, Palm has said it will help other carriers create their own custom app stores.

There are a bunch more pictures as well as a video of the Palm Pre in action.  To check it out, head on over to Pre Community.

[via Pre Community]

In fact, we’re all excited about the Pre here at SlashGear, and to prove it, we’re launching Pre Community.  We invite all past, present and future Palm users to join us and help us build a thriving community of Pre fans.  Whether you’re an ex-Palm user, a current Palm fanatic or someone who might be interested in getting a Pre, we welcome each and every one of you to discuss the Pre, make friends and, most importantly, have fun.

Come check out Pre Community, and from everyone here at SlashGear – welcome!

Palm needed something big out of this press conference, and judging by the reactions of those in attendance, it looks like they delivered. The Palm Pre appears to be the first smartphone that challenges Apple on the same playing field – one totally touchscreen, web and media-centered device that aims to connect your life in every way possible.

The Pre comes packing Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and a “fast processor”.  There’s a 3.1 inch touchscreen with a display resolution of 320×480.  For you messaging types, there’s a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out, placing the buttons at the bottom of the device.  The Pre also comes with a 3.0 megapixel camera, which uses an LED flash.  And who could forget music?  There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack built into the side, meaning your current pair of headphones will work just fine with the Pre.  As far as storage goes, the Pre has 8 GB of it.

The operating system is what seems to have a lot of people really impressed.  There are touch-activated icons on the lower portion of the screen.  There’s also a “gesture area” underneath the screen.  To access the Pre’s menu, all you have to do is start in the gesture area and slide your finger up.  The Pre’s developers really seem to have focused on a good multi-tasking experience, as well, and it shows.

The demonstrated calendar application seems very easy to use.  To add an event, simply tap on your free time and you can immediately start entering information.  Messaging was also demoed – all conversations are threaded, meaning your texts and IM messages to your friend are all listed in the same thread.

The development platform should have a lot people excited – it’s easy and it’s open.  CSS, HTML and Javascript will be the name of the game.  A few partner names were tossed out, such as Pandora, Google, Amazon, SplashData and TeleNav.

The Pre’s initial wireless provider was also announced – the device will debut on the Sprint network.  Sprint’s CEO, Dan Hesse, touted Sprint’s network as the fastest 3G network in the country and referenced Gizmodo’s national 3G test during his time on stage.

Unfortunately, no price for the Pre was mentioned, not even a ballpark.  The release date given – first half of this year – isn’t that firm, either.  We’re wondering how long Palm’s exclusive partnership with Sprint is good for, and so far, they haven’t commented.  I’m sure there are folks on other networks who are itching for a GSM version of the Pre, but no word on that, either.