HP backtracks, says it's in the smartphone business after all

During a conference on Wednesday, HP CEO Mark Hurd made a few comments suggesting that, despite purchasing Palm, the computer manufacturer wouldn't enter the smartphone market. Hurd reportedly said that HP wouldn't "spend billions of dollars trying to get into the smartphone business; that doesn't in any way make sense." He also stated that HP "didn't buy Palm to be in the smartphone business."

Apparently, neither of those remarks are true – or are at the very least ambiguous and misleading – because HP pressed the big red "damage control" button last night. It seems what Hurd actually meant, was that HP looks forward to using webOS on various small form factor Web-connected devices, and smartphones are only a part of that effort.

The company issued a statement saying that, "webOS can become the backbone for many of HP’s small form factor devices." HP also said it expects to "expand webOS's footprint beyond just the smartphone market, all while leveraging our financial strength, scale, and global reach to grow in smartphones."