We’ve been tracking this story for weeks, ending in a discussion last Friday with senior Palm execs. This Microsoft/Verizon deal is obviously the second stage in a major (and potentially dangerous) departure from the company’s long running strategy of building Palm OS devices. First, Palm sells off its operating system for what is the corporate equivalent of chump change and next, turns around and offers a Pocket PC device. While Palm tells us they have no intention of abandoning either their Palm OS business or the Palm OS itself, if we were Palm OS developers, I’d certainly start looking for a new mother ship. Obviously, we’re not seeing Palm’s long-term strategy, but with all the machinations we’ve seen coming out of this one company, it’s not clear anyone (including Palm’s own management) is seeing Palm’s long-term strategy. For consumers, the question is: will the device be good? Frankly, that’s anyone’s guess. Stay tuned. We’ll have more to say on this very bizarre story.