Crazy for the Palm Pre

It’s not totally unexpected, but apparently HP is laying off some Palm staffers now that the buyout is official . We don’t know exactly how many people are being let go, or in what departments — it certainly makes sense for HP to trim away some administrative and support positions as it intregrates Palm into its larger organization — but there’s no question that Palm’s lost some key people ever since this turmoil began, and we’re definitely curious to see who’s left standing after these cuts. For what it’s worth, Palm told All Things Digital that “part of the integration strategy is consolidation of functions and operations, as appropriate,” and that “Palm employees overall are enthusiastic about having the financial stability and global scale necessary to complete their vision,” so we’ve got hope — after all, HP needs Palm just as much as Palm needs HP

It’s only been a couple short months since HP announced its intentions to buy Palm , but apparently all the investors are happy and the lawyers are rich, because the two companies have just announced that the $1.2b transaction is official and the buyout is complete — Palm is now part of HP. Yes, it’s the end of an era — Palm’s been a part of the tech landscape in one confounding way or another since 1992 — but it’s also the start of what could potentially be a webOS renaissance , as HP plans to use Palm’s ideas and OS on everything from smartphones ( phew ) to tablets to even printers

Fast Company Analysts HP Buyout of Palm Good for Both Companies ADT Magazine Still, the smartphones themselves — the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi — are well regarded in the industry. That's a solid starting point, and Gartenberg thinks ..