Hewlett-Packard (HP) reported tried to sell its ailing Palm subsidiary for the same US$1.2 billion that it paid for it a year earlier.

After Hp announced that it was mothballing the division and looking for an alternative future for the Palm OS, renamed webOS, the company reportedly spoke to a number of potential buyers.

Citing a source with knowledge of the negotiations, VentureBeat reported that the company was unwilling to take a loss on the purchase and stuck to its US$1.2 billion price tag.

Potential buyers apparently included Amazon, Samsung and Intel, although it's not clear how far the talks progressed before hitting the brick-wall of an unrealistic price.

It was even said that they were laughed at when pitching the offer to Facebook.