LG's webOS TV will debut next month at CES

Almost a year after purchasing the remnants of webOS, LG is gearing up to debut a TV running its interpretation of the defunct smartphone OS. Speaking at a semiconductor event in Seoul, Korea, LG researcher Hong Sung-pyo revealed the company's first webOS product will be a new TV set for a CES reveal next month. The webOS-powered TV will apparently run a 2.2GHz dual-core processor with 1.5GB of RAM, which will allow for multi-tasking features.

"A gamechanger."

It's unclear what form webOS will take when it emerges from its three-year hiatus; last February, LG said it was revamping the interface used by Palm and HP for phones and tablets, adding that it will be "a gamechanger." The operating system is famous for introducing the "cards" multitasking system that's since been aped by Android, Windows Phone, and iOS, and despite the reported interface revamp there's still a chance we'll see cards make their way to LG's new TV in some form.

At today's Seoul event, Hong also said LG is going to revive Palm / HP's Enyo development efforts. Enyo is an open-source JavaScript framework for cross-platform applications, and it appears that LG will ask third parties to develop applications using Enyo.

As to why LG feels the need to develop a brand new smart TV operating system, Hong says that, despite improvements to LG's TV current operating system, Netcast, many users aren't fully utilizing the smart functionalities of their televisions. It's hoped that webOS will offer a better experience and encourage people to use LG's software over a third-party box like an Apple TV, Roku, or Chromecast. CES takes place at the beginning of January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we'll be there bringing you news about webOS TVs and more.

Hyunhu Jang contributed to this article.

• ViaZDNet Korea
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