LG acquires webOS from HP

[poppeye]

on one hand, a legitimate current company will be actively developing this for an actual product. So that's good.

it sure seems the product is likely to not be very open. I haven't seen much open software tv and cable companies would endorse due to the 'risk' of protecting their business model.

but maybe they get this thing going on a smartphone anyway. The obvious news in all this is: no webos devices anytime soon.

[pgarcia]

Skott Ahn said: "It creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices".

I believe LG will use WebOS more further than just for Smart TVs...

PS: Porting WebOS to LG Nexus4 with his charging Orb, gets now even more sense =)

[frantid]

I think this should be considered a rumor until there's more sources. All the articles are citing cnet as the source.

[berdinkerdickle]

Could it be?

[HelloNNNewman]

It's well known that LG wants to get into the smartphone market, but this news doesn't mean they would use webOS for that. They were rumored to already be adapting it for use in their TV's, button them to outright purchase it from HP means they are further along in development than anyone knew... And who would want to be hitched to HP for that future?

Nice news to see! This has been one hell of a ride so far....

[Isandunk]

Originally Posted by frantid

I think this should be considered a rumor until there's more sources. All the articles are citing cnet as the source.

According to a report this morning from CNET that has since been pulled (though we have independently verified) LG is purchasing the webOS Global Business Unit from HP, including all of its patents, employees, and source code.

From the article just posted: LG purchasing HP's webOS division, licensing webOS for smart TVs | webOS Nation

[sgamao]

Originally Posted by pgarcia

Skott Ahn said: "It creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices".

I believe LG will use WebOS more further than just for Smart TVs...

PS: Porting WebOS to LG Nexus4 with his charging Orb, gets now even more sense =)

I believe the same.
Some points: LG had the chance to use open source code of webOS to build its next Smart TV platform. The fact that they are instead buying all is related to webOS from HP let me think that they might have a major plan about it. I've read something like "webOS will be heart and soul of our R&D laboratories" on one of the early news this morning.
LG is probably going to build some Firefox OS phones so i don't see the reason why they shouldn't want to try some webOS mobile hardware too.

Lately i've been asking you in this forum if it wouldn't make sense for webOS developers to choose the Firefox OS or the Tizen path for the future. But this LG's new change everything back again.
webOS could easily run html5 apps written for those OSes too and through ACL might run some Android app as well.
With LG being already on of biggest smartphones vendors there is not reason to believe they cannot do better than, let's say, BlackBerry..

By the way, what will follow remains to be seen and LG might want to try and develop the platform first for its TV business.

What is sure is that this purchase brings hope to thousands of people and that webOS is potentially so powerful that it might open up more businesses for LG. Not only Smart TVs or smartphones or tablets, but kiosk's internet stations and, why not, some hybrid-laptops Chromebook-like.
If the future is in the cloud webOS it's in the future and LG with it.

[mtiberio]

This can only be good because things couldn't have been much worse. The patent portfolio must be the real plum in all this. 20 years of PDA patents from palm are a nice bat to beat Apple with...

[geekpeter]

Originally Posted by Buddy1969

I first thought, they just bought the licenses for OWOS Pro. But "The Verge" writes explicidly, that they aquired rights and personell ...
Whatever you make of anything "The Verge" writes, but if that is true, this is an interesting development.
Somehow reminds me of the AmigaOS being handed down until nothingness...

amigaOS 4.1/4.2 still lives on and on new powerful hardware thanks to hyperion who own amigaOS.

[geekpeter]

Originally Posted by HelloNNNewman

It's well known that LG wants to get into the smartphone market, but this news doesn't mean they would use webOS for that. They were rumored to already be adapting it for use in their TV's, button them to outright purchase it from HP means they are further along in development than anyone knew... And who would want to be hitched to HP for that future?

Nice news to see! This has been one hell of a ride so far....

i thought the old rumour got quenched when a later post came out stating LG was using google again.

[geekpeter]

i suppose be it bad news for future phone/tablets or not, at least LG have the balls to do something with something different, even if they are usng it for TV's, its still innovative i suppose, more so than HP.

[sgamao]

Indeed. HP doesn't even know what they still exist for while LG Electronics is a strong growing brand and if it decided to invest on webOS even after this was looking doomed and with all alternatives are coming it means it sees in this platform some real potential and i'm excited to see what they will bring to the market.

[etphoto]

My favorite flip phone was an LG. If this is true, this is great news. Like someone else said, even if they don't put it on a phone the mere fact they bought it means they have a plan.

Sent from my HTC6990LVW using Board Express

[frantid]

LG still makes refrigerators with LCD's. I may get my wish of having my webOS calendar displayed on the fridge. My touchpad is almost always on the kitchen counter as the family uses it to track the kid's sports, music, and school activities.

[ToniCipriani]

Sad thing is I can already predict April 1 2013... Board is going to be flooded with trolls saying LG releases new webOS phones.

[sledge007]

<threads merged>

[broncot]

This gives me hope for apps, unless LG highly modifies webOS, this should either be a way to bring ACL to reality or draw devs back to webOS, which should trickle down to the TouchPad and our phones.

[MDsmartphone]

Why am I the only one who sees no hope in this?



Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX, but webOS is always in me...

[MDsmartphone]

I refuse to get off my azz to swipe a channel away on my TV!

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX, but webOS is always in me...

[sledge007]

Originally Posted by broncot

This gives me hope for apps, unless LG highly modifies webOS, this should either be a way to bring ACL to reality or draw devs back to webOS, which should trickle down to the TouchPad and our phones.

But who's to say that LG uses open webOS, and doesn't close it back down again now that they own it? If that's a possible scenario, how would those new apps work on the old webOS?

I'm honestly (and I'm willing to wager a lot of people are in the same boat I'm in), not in the market for a new HDTV. I have a decent 47" and if I wanted to upgrade it to a smart TV, it would make a whole lot more sense to me to spend $200 on a box, than a couple of $1000 for a smart TV.

I guess time will tell....still another 10 months for CES2014, which is almost inline with "in the coming months".....something we're all used to around here right?