Reuters is reporting that i-bankers have been brought in by Palm, Inc. to facilitate a sale of the company, possibly as early as this week. The maker of the Treo line of smartphones and progenitor of the whole handheld market a decade ago, Palm is looking to nab $20 a share, according to Unstrung.com, potentially by tying up with Nokia, Motorola, or selling to one of several private equity groups.

Reuters reports an analyst in Helsinki is pouring cold vodka on the Nokia angle, stressing its new E series handsets, but they are only a first step in the direction of a line of quality business-centric smartphones. Palm's chunky silver devices could give Nokia some additional software as well as a user base it lacks in that market. Then again, same goes for Motorola, whose Q is its main play in the smartphone arena.

Can Palm nab $2 billion and find a new parent quickly? Watch this space.