The most recent WebOS-based smartphones from Palm have re-energized the company, and while there is a lot of finger pointing about what could have been done differently, sources are confirming to Fudzilla that Palm is seeking a buyer. Whispers suggest that both HTC and Lenovo are said to be kicking the tires to see if it is a match.

Prior to the launch of the Palm Pre and its innovative WebOS architecture, it was thought that Palm was on the right track for a return, but even with the release of the lower cost Pixi, sales have been lukewarm at best. While the Pre did get off to a good start in North America with Sprint, many have criticized the length of the exclusive, the problems with initial Pre hardware, and the inability to attract significant development to the platform quickly.

One analyst we spoke with told us that Palm’s inability to sustain momentum after a strong CES showing and good initial launch of the Pre really hurt Palm. While the long exclusive with Sprint only in North America didn’t help, the ground lost to the iPhone because of a lack of features and software has hurt the Pre’s ability to compete. Palm needed to compete in the hip market space where the iPhone was, and they didn’t do themselves any favors with that strange advertising campaign that they were running.

While some are reporting that Dell, Nokia, Microsoft, Motorola, and Nintendo have been reported as those that have looked at Palm, our sources suggest that none of these companies will find Palm the right kind of fit for them. One of our sources told us that actually Lenovo makes the most sense. They have done well with the ThinkPad brand and could put the company in a position to compete with the use of the Palm branding, which could be leveraged going forward. HTC is a bit of a long shot, as the company has committed the majority of its resources to the Android OS going forward; owning the WebOS could be a fit, but would require a significant shift in strategy.

Form what we have been able to gather, Palm is said to be valued at around $871 million. At that price it is ripe to be purchased, according to analysts we have spoken with. As we told you previously, Palm does have a lot of inventory on hand, which is a big issue right now; and because of this fact it is unlikely that the company will come out on the other side of this without a sale.