HP is to create a new mobility business unit responsible for consumer tablets and other “segments and categories” that the company believes will offer “differentiated value” to customers, reports The Verge.

The Mobility Global Business Unit will be headed up by Alberto Torres, who was previously in charge of the MeeGo platform at Nokia, according to a memo circulated within HP by Todd Bradley, the head of the company’s Printing and Personal Systems Group that will include the new division.

However, Bradley said that the imminent launch of HP’s commercial tablet device will continue to be overseen by PC group boss James Mouton.

“With this move, we are building on our commitment to re-invest in mobility via dedicated leadership, focused research and development, amazing new products and a growing suite of applications and services,” Bradley wrote.

Torres joins HP after Nokia unveiled its plan to adopt Windows Phone as its smartphone platform – effectively abandoning MeeGo – in early 2011. Torres is currently vice chairman with Bang & Olufsen and Opera Software.

It’s almost a year since HP ended production of its TouchPad tablet and made the webOS platform that powered the device into an open source platform.