HP says bye, bye to its webOS devices

BANGALORE, INDIA: Hewlett-Packard has announced that the company plans to discontinue its operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones.

The announcement comes soon after the acquisition of British software company Autonomy Corp for $11.7 billion.

Also read: HP unveils iPad clone WebOS tablet TouchPad        

It may be recalled that the computer giant had purchased webOS operating system from Palm in April 2010 for $ 1.2 billion and released the company's first tablet, TouchPad, powered with webOS.

HP also confirmed in a press release that it is in discussions with Autonomy regarding a possible offer for the company. HP also reported its board of directors has been authorized the exploration of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG).

Also read: HP CEO says open to licensing WebOS software

HP will consider a broad range of options that may include, among others, a full or partial separation of PSG from HP through a spin-off or other transaction, the added.

In addition, HP said it plans to continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

A tweet from Richard Kerris, vice president of worldwide developer relations for HP, hinted that while HP may be killing off its webOS devices, the company will also look to license the operating system.

HP today announced preliminary results for the third fiscal quarter 2011, with revenue of $31.2 billion compared with $30.7 billion one year ago.