In 1996, Palm was acquired by 3Com. As the technology continued to evolve, Palm phones gradually transformed into smartphones and became one of the most popular cell phone brands on the market at the time. In 2001, due to fierce competition in the market and management issues, Palm was split into two separate companies: PalmSource and PalmOne.
PalmSource was the company responsible for developing the operating system, while PalmOne was responsible for manufacturing and selling the hardware devices. In 2005, PalmOne decided to rebrand its products as Palm and bring its smartphone line back to market.
In 2009, Palm was acquired by Hewlett-Packard due to competitive pressures and declining sales. In 2011 Hewlett-Packard announced it was stopping development of new Palm devices and decided to open source its WebOS operating system.
Palm phones were originally made by the American company, but underwent several changes and transfers of company ownership over the course of their development. While the Palm brand isn't as popular in the marketplace as it once was, there are still many people who harbor deep affection for its classics.