After going through Palm and HP, webOS is now apparently being purchased by LG. The apparent plan is that webOS won’t appear on LG smartphones, but rather it will be used on LG Smart TVs. That’s the current plan, but LG isn’t ruling out the possibility that webOS could be adapted for their smartphones and tablets, too. That won’t be for a while though, as “we’ll apply this to the TV only” for the short term, said LG CTO Dr. Skott Ahn.

This also isn’t to say that LG is purchasing the entirety of webOS from Palm. It is acquiring the websites, documentation, source code and team for the client side, but it’s simply licensing other aspects like the webOS patents, apps catalog, updating system and several cloud-related components.

What’s interesting is that Dr. Ahn also mentioned that Android could be used “together” with webOS in some capacity, though he says the “cards” UI of webOS may provide a better user experience overall. Could this mean that the next skinned version of Android coming out of LG will utilize the webOS-inspired card system? And how will this be applied to the smart TV? I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.

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Decades ago, no one would have thought that the idiot box would evolve into something smarter. We are in the era of the smart TV, and companies like Apple and Samsung are already heavyweights in this segment. The latest machine to enter the market is from Lenovo, who have just launched their Android powered K91 smart TV in China.

The 55” K91, which was shown off at CES earlier this year, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s coming with facial and voice recognition, and you will get access to video on demand and the company’s Le Store. If interested, the K91 is now available along with the smaller 42” K81 and K71 smart TVs for 14,999 yuan (around $2,378) and 6,499 yuan (about $1,030) respectively.

But unfortunately it’s only available in China, the country where smart TVs have been slow to catch on because of content restrictions, and no hints about an international release.  Lenovo selected their home turf to launch the K91 as it is easier for them to negotiate content deals in China. They will certainly try to catch up with the big players in other markets, but content will be a big hurdle for them to sell smart TVs in other parts of the world.

Head here if you want to take a peek at a demo video of the K91.

The post Lenovo Android Smart TVs Now Available in China appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

A few physical keys will still be there on the remote, but that’s not a problem especially when we compare it to previous remote designs. With the touchscreen, which is located at the top of the remote, you will be able to change the settings of the TV or search the Internet.

The voice recognition feature that’s coming with the device is basically the same one that was used for the company’s ES8000 Smart TV, which was shown off at CES 2012. You just have to speak into the remote’s in-built mic to change the volume and channel. This functionality will also be very useful when logging into streaming accounts. You will just have to say your user name and login.

And to make the interaction with the TV faster, the remote uses Bluetooth and infrared at the same time.

The touchscreen remote will be available with a smart TV that the company plans to release in the coming months. It will also be compatible with different set-top boxes and media players.

The post Samsung’s New Touchscreen Remote Understands Your Voice Commands appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Verizon is widely known for its Verizon Wireless operations. But cell phone carrier  services are not all that the big V can offer to its customers. A growing Verizon FiOS network that was first deployed 6 years ago offered ultra fast Internet access, it has since evolved into a multi-functional service that includes FiOS Internet, FiOS TV, and FiOS Digital Voice.

Fiber optic cable technology employed by Verizon FiOS is famous by its so called “last mile problem” solution. In short, Verizon FiOS has fiber optic cable going to the premises to never lose on signal quality and bandwidth.

FiOS TV service consequently feeds up to 530 high quality and HD  TV channels to homes. The alliance between Verizon, Samsung and LG are to bring very high quality TV content, together with rich Internet media content, to the Verizon customers’  TV sets. Flexview DVD catalogs shown here are just one possibility. Thanks to FiOS speeds, chosen content starts playing almost instantly, that is, with no delay or buffering.

High quality multi-party video conferencing can also become a reality. When WiFi hardware under new 802.11ac standard will become available, benefits of such an alliance may show on new WiFi-connected mobile devices from Samsung and LG.

The post More On The Verizon, Samsung And LG Alliance appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Are you getting fed up with constantly searching for the remote control for your TV? If you are, welcome to the group. But the answer to our troubles appears to have arrived. With the newly unveiled Samsung Smart TV, we will be able to finally forget that old-school remote and do much, much more.

As you might remember, it was in 2008 that Samsung unveiled their first Smart TV. The latest addition into the company’s Smart TV line, which has been shown off at CES 2012, appears to be totally different from what we have seen earlier.

We are talking about a TV that will “listen, see and do what you want, without ever touching the remote control”.

The TV is coming with an integrated camera which will allow you access to video conference and gesture-based controls. And the TV’s microphone will allow it to listen to you. So the new TV is sort of like the cross between Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensor system.

Each family member will be able to sign into their personal profiles all thanks to face recognition, and you will be able to issue voice commands to control the TV.

The new Smart LED TV also comes equipped with a dual core processor which helps in multitasking. You will be able to enjoy regular TV and at the same time multitask between a Web browser and apps like Netflix and there won’t be any need to close a program.

The Smart TV has a thin bezel along with a U-shaped stand. Content can be accessed through the Smart TV Hub. New services that are coming include Family Store which will allow family members to communicate with each other, an app that will allow you to keep an eye on what your kids are watching and much more.

And best of all, the TV will learn by itself through updates. So there won’t be any need to go after new TVs for quite some time. By 2013, you will be able to play with a pluggable device called EvolutionKit that will be updating your smart TV.

The post Lost The Remote? There Is No Remote: Samsung Smart TV appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

K91 is branded as the world’s first smart TV to run Android 4.0. The “smart” part of the equation is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor running Lenovo’s skinned Android 4.0.  This apparently offers a seamless combination of  VOD, Internet applications and traditional TV programs. Its TV 2.0.

The panel is full HD IPS at 240hz with SRS TruSurround. More “smart” functions provide voice control with natural language processing and speech recognition technology, allowing viewers to use voice commands to control the remote. Video interaction is even possible with the built-in 5MP webcam, which integrates face recognition technology for security benefits and advanced parental control. With cloud support from Lenovo’s branded “Personal Cloud”, consumers can access their favorite songs and videos with ease, share files between the TV and their tablet, smartphone or PC, and even control the TV via tablet and smartphone.  Looking at these, who needs Google TV now?

Lenovo claims that K91 Smart TV is available already in China and we haven’t heard it being around anywhere else, nor is it online just yet.

The post Lenovo’s K91 Smart TV Runs Android 4.0 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.