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The boards of directors of Palm, Inc. and Handspring, Inc., a maker of Palm OS(R) smart phones, announced on Wednesday that they each have unanimously approved a definitive agreement for Palm to acquire Handspring to form a new, stronger market leader in mobile computing and communications. The Palm board also gave final approval for the spin-off of PalmSource, Inc.
"These two bold moves will serve as a powerful catalyst to transform the landscape of the handheld industry. The strategic choice of merging Handspring and the Palm Solutions Group of Palm will create the broadest portfolio and the most-experienced leadership team in the industry, fully capable of delivering value to customers, partners and shareholders," said Eric Benhamou, Palm, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer, and chairman of PalmSource. "And the spin-off of PalmSource will help grow the Palm Economy, attract additional licensees and unlock shareholder value."
Palm, Inc. consists of two businesses -- PalmSource, a subsidiary responsible for developing and licensing the Palm(TM) operating system, and the Palm Solutions Group, a business unit responsible for designing, making and marketing hand- held devices. Immediately following the completion of the spin-off, Handspring will be merged with Palm, and the merged company will be renamed later in the year.
The transaction, encompassing the spin-off of PalmSource and the merger of Handspring with the remaining Palm Solutions Group of Palm, is expected to close in the fall, subject to certain conditions.
Under the proposed terms of the transaction, and following the spin-off of PalmSource, Handspring's shareholders will receive 0.09 Palm shares -- and no shares of PalmSource -- for each share of Handspring common stock owned. Palm, Inc. will issue approximately 13.9 million shares of Palm common stock to Handspring's shareholders on a fully diluted basis. As a result of the merger, Handspring's shareholders will own approximately 32.2 percent of the newly merged company on a fully diluted basis, and Palm's shareholders will own approximately 67.8 percent.
The value per share to be received by Handspring shareholders will be based on the Palm share price following the spin-off of PalmSource. The spin-off of PalmSource will be completed immediately prior to the closing of the Handspring acquisition.
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