LG Breathes New Life into WebOS, Will Use in Smart TVs

LG Electronics hopes to breathe new life into WebOS as it has acquired the operating system from Hewlett-Packard (via CNET). Their intention is to switch direction: WebOS won’t be used on smartphones anymore, and instead iwill make its way to LG smart TVs.


As soon as the deal is signed by both parties – the financial terms were disclosed – LG will obtain the source code for WebOS, related documentation, engineering talent and related WebOS sites. They will also get HP licenses for use with its WebOS products and even the patents Hewlett-Packard obtained from Palm.

The news seems to contradict earlier predictions claiming WebOS was dead. HP essentially left it for dead, despite it being a promising operating system and a potential savior of Palm. HP, however, decided to stop its mobile aspirations last year, so its mobile products along with WebOS were dumped into the graveyard.

Turns out LG has noticed its potential, not in the smartphone market, but with smart TVs, as it will power future LG television sets. The deal doesn’t come as a surprise, since the manufacturer was reportedly eyeing WebOS.

“It creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices,” said Skott Ahn, president and chief technology officer of LG Electronics Inc.

LG has good news for Palm users as well: the company reassured them that it would continue to support those devices.