Rumours have already suggested that HTC and Samsung could buy HP’s webOS. You can now add Amazon to the list of potential suitors according to a VentureBeat.com report. A “well-placed source” is indicating that HP wants to get rid of webOS as quickly as possible and that Amazon is “the closest to finalizing the deal.” The report adds that there are other (unnamed) contenders as well.
Amazon would likely use webOS in future Kindle devices. Owning its own operating system would allow Amazon more flexibility in customizing it to its specific needs. The just announced Kindle Fire uses a heavily modified version of Google Android.
HP bought Palm for US$1.2 billion in 2010 and launched its HP TouchPad earlier this year. After only months on the market, HP made the surprising decision to get out of the webOS hardware business in late August. Since then, webOS’s future has been unclear.