HP will shuffle webOS into a new division to avoid losing it along with the company's hardware business, according to internal memos that surfaced over the weekend on PreCentral. The hardware division will remain under the company's Personal Systems Group, while the software side, which includes webOS, will split off and move to HP's Office of Strategy and Technology.

The division comes about two weeks after the company announced its plans to exit the PC hardware business, as well as stop all operations related to its webOS devices. The company and third parties have specifically avoided calling webOS "dead," "defunct," or even "pining for the fjords," though the company is publicly uncertain what will happen with the operating system.

HP has suggested that a spin-off may be in the future of the Personal Systems Group, but bundling webOS away to OS&T indicates the company may want to hold onto the operating system, perhaps licensing it to other mobile manufacturers. In a press release, Shane Robison, chief strategy and technology officer, notes that the move "supports the teams’ continued efforts with over-the-air updates and the application catalog." WebOS device owners, including those who picked up TouchPads in the recent fire sale, may not be left out in the cold after all.