All of the big news in the technology industry seems to be occurring in the mobile space. There are a few big players now, Android, iOs, RIM and Windows Phone 7. Recently HP has stepped into the foray with its purchase of Palm and WebOS. I've always been a fan of WebOS as an operating system. Unfortunately, I don't think that the hardware has really been up to par and has led to WebOS falling flat in the market. However I do think that if HP plays its cards right, it could easily take the place of RIM in the Marketplace.

RIM right now is the king of the mobile enterprise market. While Android and iOS have started eating some of RIM's pie, there is still no denying that if you think business, a suit with a Blackberry is usually the image that comes to mind. However, if you look outside the mobile space, and look at computers as a whole, HP has huge share within enterprises.  If they can leverage this properly, I think many companies could switch over to WebOS and drop the Blackberry entirely.

With the mention that WebOS will be integrated into future HP computers, it means that it will be easy for companies to get used to having WebOS in their workflow.  It also means that it will be a familiar platform for new users since it will remind them of what they are used to working with on their computers.  The ability for companies to save money by only purchasing from one supplier for their technology needs would not be quickly dismissed by many companies, despite brand loyalty to RIM.

HP should begin by making WebOS a loss leader in the enterprise market.  Sell the phones to corporations at a margin so low, that they will not make much money off it to begin with, but it will begin to develop interest in the product.  This means that it would be very enticing for companies to drop blackberry support in favour of the cheaper, and in my opinion friendlier, system.  From there WebOS could begin to develop enough share in the market that it could pick up outside enterprise with consumer support.

I don't think that WebOS has the mindshare currently to take over as a dominant player in the consumer market, but if they can make the push into enterprise, it could be enough to get a foothold and make people to want to bring their work phone home with them.