Motorola Wanted PalmSource, Too
The Palm OS took a step into the sunset last month when Japan’s Access bought PalmSource (followed by another when Palm said its next Treo would run Windows Mobile). Strangely, though, Motorola wanted to buy PalmSource, something confirmed by its decision to sue PalmSource because it hasn’t paid an $8.7 million termination fee. Apparently Moto thought it had done deal, then Access came back with a offer $1.50 per share higher, and PalmSource hasn’t ponied up the fee like it was supposed to. AllAboutPalm’s analysis of the proxy statement says another European company was in the bidding as well, but Palm had dropped out without bidding. It’s hard to fathom what would have been worth $300 million to Motorola, but not $325 million, though the company may have just been trying to cover all the bases in its wireless OS strategy that’s seen it previously embrace Symbian, Linux and Windows Mobile.
