[marcedhk]

Whoa! And here we were thinking we'd have to wait until 2016....

LG unveils first 4G smartwatch, based on WebOS software - CNET

[Misj']

LG unveils first 4G smartwatch, based on WebOS software - CNET

Or does it?

LG's 'luxury' Watch Urbane LTE doesn't use Android Wear | Company says it isn't webOS, either | The Verge

CNET: The smartwatch doesn't run on Google's Android Wear software, but instead on what the Korean electronics conglomerate calls its LG Wearable Platform operating system. The LG Wearable Platform has its roots based on the WebOS operating system, according to a person familiar with the product. It's the same platform that powers the company's line of smart televisions.

Verge: LG tells The Verge, however, that the Watch Urbane LTE is not a webOS device and has no relation to the Audi prototype. It seems odd that the company would develop a completely new smartwatch OS alongside its Android Wear and webOS projects, but there we have it.

So....

[Nonononoki]

Well, if it is neither Android nor WebOS... WHAT COULD IT BE? FirefoxOS? Some sort of Linux? Tizen? Or a brand new OS?
Can't wait 'till the announcement

[HelloNNNewman]

How about a story from our sister-site too:

LG Watch Urbane nabs LTE connectivity and NFC-based payments, loses Android Wear | Android Central

[Preemptive]

This is weird. LG making a third mobile OS? I wonder if they are deprecating the term 'webOS' and calling it 'LG system' or whatever. It wouldn't surprise me, although it would mess up any brand awareness they've built. Remember the confusion on the TVs that are webOS, but also Smart+...

I'm getting the impression that LG are just throwing everything at the wall to see what will stick. This is not necessarily a bad strategy - especially in a new market sector, but that was Samsungs approach with phones and they suffered once the market matured. I think phone manufacturers are tending to produce a limited range these days: a flagship, mid-range & budget version perhaps instead of something for every user.

The problem of course, is eco-system. You get that with Android, but you also get Google - a guest who arrives laden with gifts who then stays forever, empties the fridge and seduces all your friends away.

If they go with webOS, the eco-system is small and needs building, but new system X will need even more work - unless it also runs Enyo...

It can't be Tizen...

...it doesn't make much sense, but we'll see what is revealed at MWC.

[Herrie]

This is weird. LG making a third mobile OS? I wonder if they are deprecating the term 'webOS' and calling it 'LG system' or whatever. It wouldn't surprise me, although it would mess up any brand awareness they've built. Remember the confusion on the TVs that are webOS, but also Smart+...

I'm getting the impression that LG are just throwing everything at the wall to see what will stick. This is not necessarily a bad strategy - especially in a new market sector, but that was Samsungs approach with phones and they suffered once the market matured. I think phone manufacturers are tending to produce a limited range these days: a flagship, mid-range & budget version perhaps instead of something for every user.

The problem of course, is eco-system. You get that with Android, but you also get Google - a guest who arrives laden with gifts who then stays forever, empties the fridge and seduces all your friends away.

If they go with webOS, the eco-system is small and needs building, but new system X will need even more work - unless it also runs Enyo...

It can't be Tizen...

...it doesn't make much sense, but we'll see what is revealed at MWC.

Enyo can run on pretty much anything, so that shouldn't be a problem. Building a complete new OS doesn't make sense, especially since they already have the (Open) webOS version as well. It might be a slightly different version with another name maybe, but I suspect it will have webOS in it's core still. A 3rd OS just really wouldn't make much sense at all...

[Wayenberg]

Imho it's one of the best designs whatever the Os it runs on
But it's waaay too thick on a wrist, and in the same time waaay too small to read on

[homer14z]

interesting. one article mentions the LG "wearable platform"..i'll coin the term "WearOS"...(you heard it hear first). so this is based on WebOS, but is not not WebOS.. it looks like the CES watch, but another article mentions it is not related. Many of us guessed that 2016 would be too little too late, I guess they heard us!

It would seem odd to have 3 (or more accurately 2.5) OS's in their lineup. What would be the purpose of not using/calling it webos? maybe they want a proprietary software that is not open source? app availability is what's its about, but a new os would not seem to be a wise move.

with the apple announcement coming next month and the pebble announcement earlier this week, they better hit it out the park..hopefully it is webos based or is at least compatible. I'd be on this before the pebble or apple offerings.

you can make calls...surely a phone is next up?

[akitayo]

IMHO that is a WebOS BETA smartwatch and LG don`t want to get risks in case the URBANE LTE has some bugs at the start.

LG might be waiting to get a WebOS full tested and finished for early 2016 and just called with a different name LG Wearable Paltform until then. Sort of....

Or maybe wants to develope a collection of WebOS smartwatches and they are taking enough time for that.

Perhaps LG have some agreement with AUDI with WebOS smartwatches and chaged the name of the OS.

Are saying it looks like the same model exhibited at CES 2015 by AUDI made by LG. ???

Let`s wait MWC 2015 starts to know more about it. Sure someone of mobile nations will come out with the real deal.

[monday206am]

This is weird. LG making a third mobile OS? I wonder if they are deprecating the term 'webOS' and calling it 'LG system' or whatever. It wouldn't surprise me, although it would mess up any brand awareness they've built. Remember the confusion on the TVs that are webOS, but also Smart+...

I'm getting the impression that LG are just throwing everything at the wall to see what will stick. This is not necessarily a bad strategy - especially in a new market sector, but that was Samsungs approach with phones and they suffered once the market matured. I think phone manufacturers are tending to produce a limited range these days: a flagship, mid-range & budget version perhaps instead of something for every user.

The problem of course, is eco-system. You get that with Android, but you also get Google - a guest who arrives laden with gifts who then stays forever, empties the fridge and seduces all your friends away.

If they go with webOS, the eco-system is small and needs building, but new system X will need even more work - unless it also runs Enyo...

It can't be Tizen...

...it doesn't make much sense, but we'll see what is revealed at MWC.

...Google - a guest who arrives laden with gifts who then stays forever, empties the fridge and seduces all your friends away.

Haha...got a laugh out of that comment.

[paisley99]

Or does it?

LG's 'luxury' Watch Urbane LTE doesn't use Android Wear | Company says it isn't webOS, either | The Verge

Verge: LG tells The Verge, however, that the Watch Urbane LTE... has no relation to the Audi prototype.

So....

Well that f'g sucks.I was so darn excited. . Oh well, $350 saved i guess. FK!

Strike that $350 comment, the LTE version is gonna be $$$$. I didn't realize that the regular Urbane is definitely running androidyuckness.

[goto187]

Well that f'g sucks.I was so darn excited. . Oh well, $350 saved i guess. FK!

Nothing's clear so far. Maybe you can be excited after all, MWC will show. The German site inside-handy.de confirmed that LG will present the watch in Barcelona.

LG Watch Urbane LTE : Smartwatch mit neuem Betriebssystem, NFC und LTE [MWC]

I believe the Urbane LTE runs with webOS because it has the same features as the LG Audi watch (3 buttons, microphone, NFC, etc.).

IMHO I'd have been more excited hearing something from the LG Audi watch itself, but I also take this one^^

(only if it runs webOS, of course!)

[homer14z]

saw a pebble tonite for the first time. a friend had it. he loved it, but it looked more like a toy imo. the LG watch is better looking for sure, but he said he got about 2 weeks battery out of the no frills pebble.

[tesla]

People have mentioned app availability, but how many pre-existing apps can you usefully run on a watch-sized device? Surely starting from scratch isn't that much of a disadvantage?

[marcedhk]

People have mentioned app availability, but how many pre-existing apps can you usefully run on a watch-sized device? Surely starting from scratch isn't that much of a disadvantage?

Yes, I completely agree - especially since it can make calls and do messaging on its lonesome and isn't dependent on a phone, this is the most level playing field one could hope for. The key thing is to entice developers to make apps for this and not just stick to Android wear and Apple watch. In my opinion, that requires 3 things from LG:

1) Long term commitment and focus. You need to be able to convince developers that this is a multi-year commitment from you and that you're going to stick with the platform even if sales are slow initially. If they feel you're going to do an HP and wig out at the first sign of adversity then very few developers will bother investing their time in it. I think it would be an easier sell if this is actually a webOS watch, because LG is clearly committed to that on the TV side so that would bode well. This whole idea of it being a different OS seems to be a big negative to me - can LG really develop 2.5 operating systems concurrently and give each the attention it needs to compare well with competing OS's from Apple and Google? I think many will be skeptical about that.

2) Good documentation and Developer Support. It's incredibly easy for an experienced programmer to learn to develop for iOS and Android - there are tons of books, resources, good official support and huge communities of other developers willing to assist newbies. Obviously LG can't match that for scale, but they can match it for quality by writing a few good books and online resources and putting together a knowledgeable team whose fulltime jobs will be to assist developers learning the ropes. If they get the core right then enthusiasts can volunteer to put flesh on the skeleton to expand the reach.

3) An "open" platform. Not saying open source, but the more API's you can open up to developers to allow them to create innovative apps and interconnect with other devices on the market the more they will be drawn to the platform. No more of that "this will only work with LG Bluetooth headsets or LG's camera" NONSENSE. Give them the tools that'll allow them to work with whatever they would like to, and the API access to do stuff Apple never will allow. This is a whole new category of devices, so the more freedom individual developers have the more creative ideas they will be able to come up with that will set LG's product apart from the competition.

Just my two cents....

[bbito]

" 1) Long term commitment and focus. You need to be able to convince developers that this is a multi-year commitment from you and that you're going to stick with the platform even if sales..."

I really agree with you, but how do you convince someone that you won't pull an HP when HP was ALL IN until Hurd got booted. I even seem to recall a teaser photo of Hurd with a webOS watch.

[bluenote]

Our first look at LG's new webOS and Android Wear smartwatches | The Verge

The verge says the lte one is webos , powerful and bulky too with its own cell plan. Will only come out in Korea for now. The wifi one is android and will come out in u.s,
Sounds like they need to refine design still

Edit: probably smart to downplay and then see if viral marketing takes off so the carriers would decide they want it based on demand. The only carrier now is one with an lg ownership stake in Korea

[paisley99]

LG Watch Urbane LTE Preview - CNET

Cnet also says, big, most beautiful but still has a lot to prove. : ). I'm still glad though, can't wait til they work through everything and bring the wearable webos to the Urbane/US.

From what little I saw software looks beautiful...or has potential. I hope they end up getting rid of Android wear on their watches one day and moving everything over to web os/wear os/or anything else that isn't android quite frankly.

[paisley99]

More of the software shown here.

[paisley99]

Oh, also, I vote for a sub forum for the Urbane LTE, since it's now no longer rumored. : ). The question i want to ask is in that forum is, will developers be able to write apps for it? It would be a lot of fun seeing the developers here be able to help the ecosystem develop and then HOPEFULLY webos wearable will succeed enough that LG can bring it to the U.S., then I can have an Urbane webos wearable instead of ... bleh.