Hasta La Gadget!

TechCrunch reports today that Palm is working on a second WebOS device, a lower-cost follow-up to the Palm Pre.

We reported this in January. At the time, a Palm insider told us that the next WebOS phone may be a lower-cost, candybar-style model without a QWERTY keyboard. No, it wouldn’t be a “Centro 2” in that it wouldn’t have the Centro form factor, but like the Centro, it would address a less expensive end of the market where Palm has been strong recently.

TechCrunch’s story says the new WebOS phone may come out just a few months after the Pre, which jibes with our information as well; we heard that the second device could appear around six months after the Pre’s launch. That said, that could change – don’t go calling an unannounced second device “late” if it doesn’t show up by the end of the year. By not announcing the device, Palm is reserving the right to change course until they’re sure of the tack they want to take.

Palm has said for a while now that they intend WebOS to be a platform that they base several phones on. They’re actually starting out with two: the Sprint Palm Pre and the GSM/UMTS Pre, which will be sold in Europe. But as WebOS replaces Palm OS in Palm’s lineup, it makes sense that they’d want both a lower cost device and a flagship model in their stable.