In a statement to Phone Scoop TCL CEO George Guo stated "We are interested in the brand because we believe the brand has value," "It was once a very strong brand and there are many fans of this brand around the world, including people at TCL." TCL intends to resurrect Palm with new hardware, software, and services but not on its own.
TCL has asked the developers community to contribute ideas for potential new devices, operating systems, and apps. It will commit engineers and its manufacturing resources to the project, but hopes much of the research development will come from the developers community at large.
TCL said it hasn't worked out the details of how this community driven revival will function, but it is confident it can restore luster to the brand. "Palm was an original pioneer and we want to keep it that way. We want to attract the people who have ideas on how to revive the Palm brand in a meaningful way." Guo shot down the idea of using webOS, which is owned by LG, and ran on the Palm Pre, Pixi, and other phones. "We are open to all ideas, but probably not webOS," said Guo. "Palm built by Palm fans is the intent." TCL expects to eventually offer both Alcatel and Palm branded products in the US.
TCL said it couldn't comment on the terms of the acquisition. It will provide more details as they are developed.
