LG is working on a webOS SmartWatch

The world's favorite abortive mobile operating system, webOS, refuses to go away quietly. After being open-sourced by HP and then sold off to LG, webOS is now apparently returning to mobile devices in the form of a new LG SmartWatch. A developer website hosted by LG teases a software development kit for a webOS SmartWatch, while the familiar Bean Bird from LG's webOS TVs also shows up, this time supporting a classically styled analog wristwatch.

LG is already an active participant in the developing smartwatch market with two Android Wear models: the G Watch that inaugurated Google's wearable software platform and the G Watch R, which is going on sale later this month. Like fellow Korean manufacturer Samsung — who has adapted the Tizen smartphone OS to its Gear smartwatches — LG may be looking to ensure it has an alternative to the Android platform when constructing its future watches. Given the relative immaturity of Android Wear and competing platforms, there's plenty of opportunity for webOS to indeed be a compelling new option, provided LG's SDK is taken up and used to its full potential.

The idea of seeing webOS mobile again is undeniably exciting, however LG has rather dampened enthusiasm by telling The Verge that "there are many initiatives going on at LG at any given moment. The majority of them never see the light of day." With the chief designers of the webOS interface having recently departed for Pebble, the current status of its webOS smartwatch development appears uncertain, and the company is reluctant to shed any further light on the matter.

Update 6:23AM ET, October 2nd: LG seems to have pulled the developer website in the wake of our coverage, so here are a couple of the teaser images that were posted there.

• SourcewebOS SmartWatch (LG Developer)
• Related Items development webos wearable smartwatch webos wear LG Wearables