Hewlett-Packard has purchased Palm for $1.2 billion or $5.70 per share. As Palm desperately needed a suitor, a buyout is not a surprise. The question is: will HP be able to save Palm's webOS platform?

Earlier, some thought HTC would buy Palm for its patent portfolio, for protection against Apple's lawsuit. If that had happened, most expected webOS to die. HP, on the other hand, has no such intention.

According to Brian Humphries, HP’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development, HP's intent is to "double down on webOS."

HP's presence among smartphones has been pretty much non-existent. The last phone they did was the HP Glisten which was a Windows Mobile smartphone. They also do not have (yet) an Android phone, so there's no conflict there, unlike, for example, HTC.

Palm made many mistakes in rolling out webOS devices, including tying themselves to Sprint for too long, missing a window of opportunity with Verizon, and adding no new devices since the Palm Pixi (Plus models don't count). Contrast that with the multitude of Android devices that have been released.

HP's bank vault should help in these matters. In order to save webOS, however, HP also needs to get developers more interested in coding for webOS. Palm made big mistakes there are well, not releasing a native SDK at launch.

Smartphones are really more "app phones" nowadays. We played with the HTC HD2 on T-Mobile. The device is powerful, and HTC's Sense on top of Windows Mobile corrects a lot of the missing functionality of the OS. What it does not fix however, is the fact that there's no burgeoning App Store on that platform. That is an issue HP will need to face down, as well.

Tags: Bank Vault, Functionality, Glisten, Hd2, Hewlett Packard, Htc, Humphries, Intention, Launch, Multitude, Palm, Patent Portfolio, Sdk, Senior Vice President, Smartphones, Sprint, Suitor, T Mobile, Webos, Window Of Opportunity

This is a story that should surprise no one, but the Wall Street Journal still made it "news" on Saturday: Apple's iPhone is "forbidden fruit" on the Microsoft campus.

Numerous past stories point to the iPhone being an embarrassment for those caught with it at Microsoft, at least by a senior executive. After all, Bill Gates' children can't get an iPod or iPhone, Microsoft will only pay for the data plans of Windows Mobile phones, and CEO Steve Ballmer "confiscated" an iPhone at Microsoft's annual private company meeting in September of 2009.

Long ago, before the iPhone was launched, it was poor form to be using an iPod at the campus, as well.

While the disdain of Microsoft's execs at the iPhone is well-known, what might not be is the following incident:

At a retreat last March for dozens of senior Microsoft executives at its corporate campus, someone asked about employee use of iPhones in a question-and-answer period.

According to several people present, Andy Lees, a Microsoft senior vice president who oversees development of the mobile-phone software business, and his boss, Robbie Bach, explained that Microsoft workers often use rival products to better understand the competition (yeah, right).

Kevin Turner, chief operating officer, scoffed at that explanation, these people said. Mr. Turner said he discouraged Microsoft's sales force from using the iPhone, they added. "What's good for the field is good for Redmond," Mr. Turner said, recalls one of the people who heard his comments.

Meanwhile, Steve Ballmer told a story about how his father worked for Ford, and that his family always drove Fords. Of course, let's not forget that at the time Ballmer was a child, Ford was a dominant car company globally, not like now, and let's also not forget the discount employees would get for buying from "the company."

Meanwhile, some employees have taken a "better safe than sorry attitude."

One Microsoft worker said he knows several colleagues who try to disguise their iPhones with cases that make them look more like generic handsets.

"Maybe once a year I'm in a meeting with Steve Ballmer," said this employee. "It doesn't matter who's calling, I'm not answering my phone."

In January, Bill Gates appeared on "The Daily Show," and was asked by host Jon Stewart if he can have an iPhone since leaving full-time duties at Microsoft in 2008. "I'm a very loyal Microsoft user," Gates replied.

Watch a video of that appearance below:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bill Gates
www.thedailyshow.com
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Tags: Answer Period, Bill Gates, Car Company, Company Meeting, Forbidden Fruit, Fords, iPhone, Iphones, Kevin Turner, Microsoft Campus, Microsoft Executives, Microsoft Workers, Mobile Phone Software, Mr Turner, Rival Products, Robbie Bach, S Sales, Senior Vice President, Steve Ballmer, Wall Street Journal