Webos

Webos

Open WebOS is a mobile operating system based on a Linux kernel, initially developed by Palm, which was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard and then LG Electronics. The official name is webOS, uncapitalised, but WebOS is also used. Palm launched WebOS in January 2009, then called Palm WebOS. Various versions of WebOS have been featured on several devices, including Pre, Pixi, and Veer phones and the HP TouchPad tablet. The latest version, 3.0.5, was released on January 12, 2012.

After the failure of the HP TouchPad and the proposed sale of the HP Personal Systems Group, HP made the platform open source, and it became Open WebOS. Code specific to the existing devices was released as WebOS Community Edition (CE), with support for the existing HP hardware. Open WebOS includes open source libraries designed to target a wider range of hardware.

As of February 25, 2013 it was announced that HP is selling WebOS to LG Electronics, who plan to use the operating system for its "smart" or Internet-connected TVs. However HP will still hold on to patents underlying WebOS as well as cloud-based services such as the App Catalog.