Amazon in Talks to Buy Palm

Hot on the heels of its Kindle Fire announcement, Amazon may be about to make a big acquisition: The company is in talks to buy Palm, an insider tells VentureBeat. Palm is currently owned by HP, but the tech firm wants to dump it, and Amazon is first in line to pick it up, the source says. What’s more, Palm’s former CEO, who currently works in “product innovation” for HP, is now on Amazon’s board.

It’s a good move for Amazon, writes Devindra Hardawar: The purchase would give Amazon control of webOS. That could mean a more unique operating system for the Internet giant, whose new tablet is Android-based, like so many other devices. While HP has struggled to make the most of Palm, “Amazon, with its commitment to long-term planning and innovative consumer devices, seems like a much better fit.” After HP’s TouchPad failure, Amazon should get a good deal on the purchase, too. (More Amazon stories.)