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LG WebOS TV at CES: Bringing smart-phone tech to TVs?

With CES 2014 just around the corner, a new leak from LG shows off a smart TV that weaves in WebOS.

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Casey Rodgers/Invision for LG/AP
Jay Vandenbree at LG Electronics gives consumers a look at an ultra-high definition 84-inch TV last October in Lawndale, Calif.

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014, one of the biggest electronics conventions of the year, only a few days away, leaks and rumors are flying as to what will be revealed at the conference.

For LG, it looks as if TVs will be the focus. But television is hardly the only function of its purported newest device. A leak from EVLeaks shows off what could be the interface of the new LG WebOS TV that would pack apps such as Skype, YouTube, and Facebook onto a smart TV.

WebOS is a Linux operating system, originally trotted out by Palm for smart phones and then sold to HP. However, HP decided to abandon the project and LG acquired WebOS last year not with the intention of creating smart phones, but creating smart TVs that could work with multi-platform media.

"It creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices," said Skott Ahn, president and chief technology officer of LG Electronics after the sale, according to CNET.

So far, if this screenshot ends up being correct, the interface on the LG WebOS TV looks similar to what WebOS’s displays have looked like in the past. It has a multitasking vibe, inspired by Cards – the interface used for WebOS smart phones. The bottom half of the screen displays different social, Internet, and TV apps, such as Facebook, that a user can easily flip between. It also looks like the device will include LG’s Smart Share, a service where viewers can share media (such as photos, videos, and music) between devices.

This isn’t the first time that we’re hearing of the LG WebOS TV. A spokesperson in December said the LG WebOS TV would be debuted at CES, but few details have been released since then. We do know that the TV will be powered by a 2.2GHz dual-core processor and include 1.5GB of RAM, which will be ideal for multipurpose and media use.

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