| webOS | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Developer | LG Electronics, previouslyHewlett-Packard &Palm |
| Written in | C++,Qt[1] |
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open-source,source-available |
| Latest release |
|
| Marketing target | Embedded devices |
| Supported platforms | ARM |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux kernel) |
| Default user interface | Graphical (Luna) |
| License | Apache License,proprietary |
| Preceded by | Palm OS (phones) NetCast (smart TVs) |
| Official website | Open-source website Developer website |
webOS, also known asLG webOS, is aLinux kernel-basedmultitaskingoperating system forsmart devices, such assmart TVs, that has also been used as amobile operating system. Initially developed byPalm, Inc. (which was acquired byHewlett-Packard), HP made the platformopen source, at which point it becameOpen webOS.
Theoperating system was later sold toLG Electronics, and was made primarily asmart TV operating system forLG televisions as a successor toNetCast. In January 2014,Qualcomm announced that it had acquired technology patents from HP, which included all the webOS and Palm patents; LG licenses them to use in their devices.
Various versions of webOS have been featured on several devices since launching in 2009, includingPre,Pixi, andVeersmartphones,TouchPadtablet, LG's smart TVs since 2014, LG's smart refrigerators and smart projectors since 2017.
Palm launched webOS, then calledPalm webOS, in January 2009 as the successor toPalm OS. The first webOS device was the originalPalm Pre, released bySprint in June 2009. The Palm Pixi followed.[2]
In April 2010, HP acquired Palm. The acquisition of Palm was initiated whileMark Hurd was CEO, however he resigned shortly after the acquisition was completed. Later, webOS was described by new HP CEOLeo Apotheker as a key asset and motivation for the purchase. The $1.2 billion acquisition was finalized in June. HP indicated its intention to develop the webOS platform for use in multiple new products, including smartphones, tablets, andprinters.[3]
In February 2011, HP announced that it would use webOS as the universal platform for all its devices.[4] However, HP also made the decision[5] that the Palm Pre, Palm Pixi, and the "Plus" revisions would not receiveover-the-air updates to webOS 2.0,[6] despite a previous commitment to an upgrade "in coming months."[7] HP announced several webOS devices, including theHP Veer andHP Pre 3 smartphones, running webOS 2.2, and theHP TouchPad, a tablet computer released in July 2011 that runs webOS 3.0.
In March 2011, HP announced plans for a version of webOS by the end of 2011 to run withinWindows,[8] and to be installed on all HP desktop and notebook computers in 2012.[9] Neither ever materialized, although work had begun on an x86 port around this time involving a team inFort Collins, Colorado; work was scrapped later in the year.[citation needed]
In August 2011, HP announced that it was interested in selling its Personal Systems Group, responsible for all of its consumer PC products, including webOS, and that webOS device development and production lines would be halted.[10][11][12] It remained unclear whether HP would consider licensing webOS software to other manufacturers. When HP reduced the price of the Touchpad to $99, the existing inventory quickly sold out.[13]
The HP Pre 3 was launched in select areas of Europe, and US-based units were available only through unofficial channels (both AT&T and Verizon canceled their orders just prior to delivery afterApotheker's (HP's CEO at the time) announcement.[14] Notably, these US Pre 3 units, having been released through unofficial channels, lacked both warranties and carried no support obligation from HP; as a result parts are nearly impossible to come by. HP announced that it would continue to issue updates for the HP Veer andHP TouchPad, but these updates have failed to materialize for the former, and the latter saw a final, unofficial release called "webOS CE" that contained only open-sourced components of webOS meant for what remained of the developer community rather than a conventional, user-centric update to the operating system. The last HP webOS version, 3.0.5, was released on January 12, 2012.[15]
In December 2011, after abandoning the TouchPad and the proposed sale of the HP Personal Systems Group, HP announced it would release webOSsource code in the near future under anopen-source license.[16] In August 2012, code specific to the existing devices was released aswebOS Community Edition (CE), with support for the existing HP hardware.[17] Open webOS includes open source libraries designed to target a wider range of hardware. HP renamed its webOS unit as "Gram".[18][19]
In February 2012, HP released Isis, a new web browser for Open webOS.[20]
TheHP App Catalog was anapp store for apps for the mobile devices running webOS.
On June 6, 2009, webOS launched on thePalm Pre with 18 available apps. The number of apps grew to 30 by June 17, 2009,[21] with 1 million cumulative downloads by June 27, 2009;[22] 30 official and 31 unofficial apps by July 13, 2009;[23] 1,000 official apps by January 1, 2010;[24] 4,000 official apps September 29, 2010;[25] and 10,002 official apps on December 9, 2011.[26][failed verification]
Subsequently, the number of available apps decreased because many apps were withdrawn from the App Catalog by their owners. Examples include the apps forThe New York Times andPandora Radio. After a Catalog splash screen on November 11, 2014, announcing its deprecation, the HP App Catalog servers were permanently shut down on March 15, 2015. The number of functional apps remaining at that time is unknown but was probably much lower due to the imminent abandonment of the project.[27]
On February 25, 2013, HP announced that it was selling webOS toLG Electronics for use on its web-enabledsmart TVs, replacing its previous NetCast platform.[28][29] Under the agreement LG Electronics owns the documentation, source code, developers and all related websites. However, HP would still hold on to patents from Palm as well as cloud-based services such as the App Catalog.[30] In 2014, HP sold its webOS patents to Qualcomm.[31]
As well as its use as an OS for smart TVs, LG has expanded its use to variousInternet of things devices. As a starting point, LG showcased a LG Wearable Platform OS (webOS) smartwatch in early 2015.[32]At CES 2017, LG announced a smart refrigerator with webOS.[33]
On March 19, 2018, LG announced an open-source edition of webOS.[34] This edition would allow developers to download the source code for free as well as take advantage of related tools, guides, and forums on its new open source website to become more familiar with webOS and its inherent benefits as a smart device's platform. LG hopes that this will help its goal of advancing its philosophy of open platform, open partnership and open connectivity.[35]
In April of 2020, LG announced that they would be expanding the webOS software to cars, known as webOS Auto. It first saw use inKia andHyundai SUV models, and has been used ever since, more recently in the Kia EV3.[36]
On February 24th, 2021, LG announced that they would expand the webOS software to other TV manufacturers. Among the list of TV manufacturers were RCA,Konka, and Ayonz. In addition, webOS was also backed by technology partners such asRealtek,Nuance, andUniversal Electronics.[37]
The webOS mobile platform introduced some innovative features, such as the cards interface and the gesture navigation, that are now standard in mobile operating systems such asiOS,Windows Phone, andAndroid.[38][39]
| Feature | LG webOS | Open webOS | HP/Palm webOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multitasking interface | Line cards | Cards | |
| Gesture interface | Magic Remote | touch screen and physical keyboard | |
| App store | LG Content Store | No | HP App Catalog |
| Over-the-air updates | Yes | ||
| Service discovery | Connect SDK | No | zeroconf / Touch to Share |
| Open source | Partial[40] | Yes | Partial[41] |
Navigation usesmulti-touchgestures on thetouchscreen. The interface uses "cards" to managemultitasking and represent apps. The user switches between running apps with a flick from left and right on the screen. Apps are closed by flicking a "card" up—and "off"—the screen. The app "cards" can be rearranged for organization. webOS 2.0 introduced 'stacks', where related cards could be "stacked" together.
Palm referred to integration of information from many sources as "Synergy." Users can sign into multiple email accounts from different providers and integrate all of these sources into a single list. Similar capabilities pull together calendars and alsoinstant messages andSMS text messages from multiple sources.[42]
The OS can be updated without docking to a PC, instead receiving OS updates over the carrier connection.
The notification area is located on the bottom portion of the screen on phones, and on the top status bar area on tablets.
On phones, when a notification comes in, it slides in from the bottom of the screen. Due to the resizable nature of the Mojo and Enyo application frameworks, the app usually resizes itself to allow unhindered use while the notification is displayed. After the notification slides away, it usually remains as an icon. The user can then tap on the icons to expand them. Notifications can then be dismissed (sliding off the screen), acted upon (tapping), or left alone.
By default, data sync uses acloud-based approach rather than using a desktopsync client. The first version of webOS shipped with the ability to sync with Apple's iTunes software by masquerading as an Apple device, but this feature was disabled by subsequent iTunes software updates.
On HP webOS, officially vetted third-party apps are accessible to be installed on the device from the HP App Catalog.[43]
As HP webOS replacedPalm OS, Palm commissioned MotionApps to code and develop anemulator called Classic, to enable backward compatibility to Palm OS apps. This operates with webOS version 1.0. Palm OS emulation was discontinued in WebOS version 2.0.[44] MotionApps disengaged from Classic in 2010, citing HP Palm as "disruptive."[45]
Another source ofapplications ishomebrew software.[46][47] Homebrew apps are not directly supported by HP. Programs used to distribute homebrew webOS apps include webOS Quick Install (Java-based sideloader for desktop computers) and Preware (a homebrew webOS app catalog, which must be sideloaded). If software problems do occur after installing homebrew programs, "webOS Doctor" (provided by HP) can restore a phone back to factory settings and remove changes made by homebrew apps and patches.[48]
Developer mode allows for developer access of the device and is also used for digital forensic investigations. It can be accessed by typingwebos20090606 on the device's keyboard, or on some devices typingupupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart (a reference to theKonami code) on the cards view. Once in developer mode, data on the system partition can be accessed freely, even if the device was locked.[49][50]
LG has redesigned the UI of webOS, maintaining the card UI as a feature called "Simple switching" between open TV apps. The other two features promoted by the company are a simple connection (using an animatedClippy-like character called Beanbird to aid the user through setup), and simple discovery. Bean Bird is only found in the initial webOS setup versions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 4.5 versions. Bean Bird was removed from webOS since version 5.0 and replaced by an AI assistant. Bean Bird is also absent from LG Signage TVs using webOS, with the initial setup, but without Bean Bird.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2018) |
Underneath thegraphical user interface, webOS has much in common with mainstreamLinux distributions. Versions 1.0 to 2.1 use a patched Linux 2.6.24kernel.[51]
The list of open-source components used by the different releases of webOS, as well as the source code of and patches applied to each component, is available at the Palm Open Source webpage.[51] This page also serves as a reference listing of the versions of webOS that have been publicly released.
In 2011,Enyo replaced Mojo, released in June 2009, as thesoftware development kit (SDK).[52]
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| webOS version | Type | Device | Release date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP/Palm webOS | Phones | Palm Pre Pre Plus | June 6, 2009, January 25, 2010 | [53] |
| Palm Pixi Pixi Plus | November 15, 2009, January 7, 2010 | [54] | ||
| Palm Pre 2 | October 22, 2010 | [55] | ||
| HP Veer | August 18, 2011 | [56] | ||
| HP Pre 3 | August 18, 2011 | [57] | ||
| Windsor, WindsorNot | Cancelled | [58] | ||
| Mako | [58] | |||
| Tablets | HP TouchPad | July 1, 2011 | [59] | |
| HP TouchPad Go | Cancelled | [60] | ||
| Sapphire | [58] | |||
| Twain | [58] | |||
| LG webOS | Televisions | LG smart TV models | Varies | [61][62] |
| LG smart laser projector | [63][64] | |||
| FOX TVs (Serbia) | ||||
| Refrigerators | LG smart fridge models | [65][66] | ||
| Watches | LG Watch Urbane LTE | April 27, 2015 | [67][68][69] | |
| LG webOS HUB | Televisions | Hyundai smart TV models | Unknown | [70] |
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