LG buy WebOS for Smart TVs

LG have bought the webOS operating system from Hewlett Packard and will be using it in upcoming television sets, commercial displays and perhaps even cars. They said they won't be using it in tablets or smartphone however.

LG's CTO Skott Ahn said “The open and transparent webOS technology offers a compelling user experience that, when combined with our own technology, will pave the way for future innovations using the latest Web technologies.”

LG said that smart TV's are constantly connected to the internet so they are great partners for an HTML5 web based operating system. The user interface on the upcoming televisions will be “very complementary to the current webOS user experience.”

LG not only get WebOS, but they get the team behind it, an experienced group of people based in Silicon Valley. This addition will help LG become a force for software, rather than just hardware.

Ahn added “Integrated with LG, this team will be the heart and soul of the new LG Silicon Valley Lab, focused on bringing innovative technology solutions to market through the most popular platforms for sharing and consuming content and experiences.”

LG have a very ‘open' strategy for the WebOS platform, and they won't stop third parties developing WebOS ports for phones and tablets.

LG are keen to point out however that they aren't ditching Google TV. They will be supporting two smart TV platforms, giving the customer a wider choice of options. They are still focused on Android for phones and tablets in the near future.

Kitguru says: The first WebOS television from LG will appear in the near future, although no confirmed date has yet been released.

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