LG to Resurrect Moribund WebOS – Look for it on Smart TVs

LG Electronics is acquiring WebOS, the once-hopeful Linux-based mobile OS, from Hewlett-Packard. However, instead of using its new acquisition on its own lines of mobile electronics, LG will be using the operating system on future smart televisions.

Per the terms of the agreement with Hewlett-Packard, LG will receive WebOS’s source code, all related documentation, engineering resources, as well as related WebOS websites. LG also gets HP’s licenses for WebOS products and associated patents HP got from Palm, the originators of the operating system.

Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

LG’s acquisition of WebOS gives the operating system a new lease on life. While the company won’t be using it on its smartphones because of its commitment to Android, deploying it on its smart televisions at least spares WebOS from the software scrapheap it had been relegated to when HP terminated its own designs to enter the mobile device market space. A neat consequence of the LG acquisition is the renewed promise of a continuation of support for Palm users.