Analyst: Verizon Wireless likely to get webOS device in 2010, possibly in first six months

Speculation that a Palm webOS-powered device could launch for Verizon Wireless is once again making the rounds, due in part to a new story at All Things Digital. Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu said in a note to investors yesterday that the firm has a "fairly high conviction" that Verizon Wireless will carry a Palm smartphone in 2010, potentially as early as the first half of the year.

Wu says that the carrier's Droid sales have been disappointing and that Verizon has expressed interest in a webOS device publicly in the past and it seems that Palm's exclusivity deal with Sprint will likely end in 2009.

The last we heard regarding a potential Verizon and Palm deal came in mid-October when Verizon's special offers Twitter account said it would be carrying the Pre smartphone in early 2010, as we reported. The information was not confirmed by the carrier. [via mocoNews]