WebOS itself, actually, garnered , even from the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg. It's also just recently been found to run on an iPad 2. This isn't a technology to throw away.

In fact, there are many ways this situation could unfold that could turn WebOS from a tragically wasted opportunity into a market-altering advantage for someone else. After all, now that we have Googlerola--not to mention the potential implications of the Oracle lawsuit--the future isn't quite so clear for Linux-based Android.

Any mobile competitor other than Apple has some choices to make. Let's look at just a few of them.

1. HTC

If WebOS is to be kept a closed and proprietary system, my vote for best-favored purchaser is HTC.