HP has declared that it’s deep in talks with a mystery third party over a deal to share the WebOS phone and tablet operating system with other devices. While the company won’t disclose who it is, rumblings from Bloomberg claim that the lucky beneficiary is Samsung.
According to a source close to the discussions, Samsung is keen to get on board with HP so that it take a step back from Android. Google is bringing in new measures to prevent manufacturers from fiddling about with Android too much, whereas Samsung would be able to customise WebOS to its heart’s content.
Samsung’s history with operating systems has had mixed success. It’s Android Galaxy phones are currently riding higher than the iPhone 4 in the UK charts, but its foray into Bada – a Samsung-produced OS – met with poor sales.
Is this a move that might really threaten Android? Or will Samsung merely be toying with WebOS to add strings to its bow? Let us know on the Gadget Helpline Twitter feed.