Future Palm Products to Run Linux

Palm is planning to play it both ways with its future models of smartphones and PDAs. The venerable handset maker plans to keep on incorporating Windows Mobile OS because it is so popular with many customers. But the next upgrade of the Palm OS will include Linux capabilities.

That’s undoubtedly good news for Linux fans, who don’t necessarily trust the Windows mobile environment but have been forced to work within it if they wanted to use the wildly popular Treo. It’s also good news for fans of Windows Mobile OS, who appreciate the confines of the Microsoft universe.

Palm is also planning to bring out more new products this year and next, which may or may not signal the company’s signal to stave off persistent acquisition rumors.