Palm (NSDQ: PALM), the maker of Centro and Treo smartphones, said it is trimming its workforce as it faces stiff competition from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), Blackberry’s Research In Motion and now even Google (NSDQ: GOOG). Reuters reported that Spokeswoman Lynn Fox said the layoffs began last week, but declined to say how many jobs would be cut. Palm, which employs 1,050 workers, is in the middle of a transition and plans to launch a new operating system this year with the devices launching in the first half of 2009. Many critics have charged that the new OS will be too late, and be ineffective at helping to turn around the company. Fox told Reuters: “The goal is to consolidate resources and focus our efforts more effectively.” On Friday, the company’s stock rose 45 cents, or about 25 percent to close at $2.24 a share.