With the smartwatch form factor still gaining its grounding, most OEMs have a lot of experimentation to do before actually getting it right. Samsung has released quite a number from the Galaxy Fit, Gear Live, Gear Live 2, and Gear S, but none is still quite right. While some run the Android Wear platform, others run the ingrown Tizen OS. Seemingly, LG seems to be following in the footsteps of Samsung, if the current rumours are anything to go by. Apparently, LG is developing a smartwatch running the WebOS platform.
For those in the light, WebOS was one of the pioneering mobile OSes of the millennium. It was initially developed for Palm devices, but with Palm facing troubles it was sold off to HP. HP had its own share of challenges with it, and eventually made it open source. However, this did not make things any better, and it finally found its way to LG. LG has previously used it on its Smart TVs, and is now gearing to introduce it to the smartwatch arena.
For a start, LG is expected to release the SDK that will enable app development for the platform. It is worth noting that LG already has its own smartwatches in the name of the LG G Watch and the LG G Watch R. Both of these run Google’s wearable platform, Android Wear. Nonetheless, it seems that both LG and Samsung are looking to capitalize on the relative immaturity of Android Wear, and they hope to make their alternatives the mainstream platforms for smartwatches. Consumers always want products that ‘just work’, and if LG can deliver that through its WebOS ambitions, then it will surely succeed.
