According to some hedge fund analysts on CNBC, Palm could be Lenovo’s ticket to the US smartphone market if the company buys out Palm. Lenovo had a smartphone division previously in Asian and overseas market, which the company had spun off and is now re-acquiring to take the smartphone business back in-house. A takeover of Palm would help Lenovo gain expertise and perhaps differentiate itself from other smartphone players using the Android or Windows Mobile operating system with Palm’s webOS as a key intellectual property, though hedge fund analysts make no mention of webOS.

Palm has been under rumors for outside acquisition for some time now, and the company’s low stock prices make it a good target for a leveraged buy out. The latest round of rumors with Lenovo being the buyer sent Palm’s stock up. It’s yet to be seen whether Palm’s big investor, Elevation Partners, will want to dump the company’s offerings. Despite sluggish sales, the company does have a unique operating system and is a recognized brand in the PDA/smartphone world.

(via: Electronista)