HP to split up WebOS business

Hewlett-Packard will break up its WebOS business, sending the software component to a different part of the company, according to a report Saturday at PreCentral.net.

The company that

The company that was formerly Palm will split, reporting to separate divisions of HP, according to the report. This comes afterwards HP announced while its August 18 revenues call that it was shuttering its WebOS hardware business, which includes its TouchPadtablet andPalm Pre phone.

WebOS, which HP has not terminated, will be pushed over to HP's Office of Strategy and Research and report to Executive Vice President Shane Robinson, the report claimed, citing internal memos from Robinson and Todd Bradley, head of the Personal Systems Group.

The WebOS platform

"The WebOS platform...continues to demonstrate its ability to improve how our clients look up information, access entertainment, and stay connected on the go," Bradley wrote in a memo cited in the PreCentral report. "With our focus on business and research strategy, OS&T will be able to provide these teams with the resources and support they need as we define the best monetization model," Robinson said in a memo included in the report.

The report speculates that extracting the software component from the PC-centric Personal Systems Group will allow HP to proceed with spinning off that business. That business, if spun off, is expected to be headed up by Todd Bradley, according to Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at IDC.

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