Verizon Reportedly Launching Palm-Branded Android Smartphone In 2018

It seems that Verizon Wireless is going to sell a new Android phone made by Palm, a brand you probably have not heard referenced in quite some time. There are not many details to go on, other than the fact that TCL is working with Verizon to bring the Palm-branded handset to market, which could hold some nostalgic appeal. Whether TCL and Verizon play up that angle remains to be seen.

While details of the actual handset are pretty much non-existent, Android Police says an unnamed "trusted source" indicated the Palm device will launch on Verizon sometime in the second half of this year. Verizon is a logical partner, both because it is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, and it was longtime partner of Palm back when webOS handsets were still a thing.

Where does TCL come into play? TCL bought the rights to the Palm brand in 2015, acquiring it from HP, which itself bought Palm and the company's patents for $1.2 billion in 2010. It wasn't long after that HP decided to shut the door on its smartphone business under the guidance of then-CEO Léo Apotheker, HP ended up making webOS an open-source project before selling it to LG in 2013.

So there is a bit of history on Palm's later years. The brand is now in the hands of TCL, which also licenses the BlackBerry brand. TCL has a thing for defunct and dying brands, making Palm a natural fit. The trick will be converting nostalgia into sales as it pertains to Palm, though that alone is not likely to be enough. It will be interesting to see what the actual hardware configuration looks like, and what (if any) innovations TCL might have in store. Stay tuned...

Thumbnail and Top Image Source: Flickr via Mike Mozart