Though the recently unveiled Palm Pre 2 is looking like a major disappointment, and despite reports that Hewlett Packard was going to let the Palm line of smartphones die, it's beginning to appear that the company is starting to make a comeback.

At least those are the words that CENS.com, a Taiwanese economic news outlet, is using in a report that says Palm has contracted Foxconn to manufacture four to five new devices, and Commpal Communications to create one device for the beleaguered smartphone brand. The devices will all sport Palm's innovative and well-liked webOS.

Todd Bradley, executive vice president of Personal Systems Group of HP, also confirmed that the company will launch the PalmPad, a webOS-based tablet also manufactured by Foxconn, in 2011. 

The report is based on unnamed "industry sources" and no further details were given, so all facts should be gleaned cautiously, at least until the rumors can be substantiated by additional sources. Either way, this development comes as good news for Palm enthusiasts who might have been worried that HP was going to appropriate webOS strictly for its own branded devices.