LG Electronics seeks tech to improve customers’ lives

LAS VEGAS ― South Korean electronics powerhouse LG Electronics vowed to exert its utmost efforts to make consumers’ lives easier and smarter with its open technologies.

“The Internet of Things is what connects everything we value with the innovations that are centered around our lives,” said Skott Ahn, LG Electronics chief technology officer, at a news conference at the 2015 International CES on Tuesday.

“At LG, we’re taking an open approach to maximize the value offered to our customers through platforms, connectivity and the overall IoT ecosystem.”

In line with this openness, the electronics firm introduced a series of new platforms ― the Web 2.0 for smart TVs and the Wellness Platform for smartphones and wearable gadgets, both of which will be connected to a wide range of services and products made by different brands.

The WebOS 2.0, an upgraded version of the WebOS launched last year, is equipped with a more advanced user experience than the previous platform model, and boasts a significantly short loading time for the platform and TV applications.

The WebOS has also partnered with hotel chains or shopping malls to incorporate the TV platform into a different types of business-to-business products, including large-screen TVs and digital signage.

The Wellness Platform fitted with bio-signal analysis technologies allows smartphone and wearable gadget users to manage their lifestyles and health. The gadgets with the platform will collect and analyze the users’ health information including sleep patterns and heart rate, and automatically set home appliances, such as air purifiers and air conditioners, based on the health status of the owners.

The automotive business will be another sector in which the Korean electronics giant will devote more resources into down the road.

LG’s connectivity solution for cars to be showcased at the CES lets drivers control smart navigation system with voice commands and receive a range of information including traffic and weather reports. The smart car solution is compatible with both Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS devices.

“Just like our phones, cars are getting much smarter. And we’re seeing an increasing need to connect our smart devices to cars,” Ahn said.

He said LG is also working with Google-owned Nest Labs, a smart-thermostat-maker, to make its home appliance monitoring system Home Chat compatible with Nest products.

On the content front, the LG CTO said that the company would further ramp up its efforts this year to expand its partnerships with content-makers including Netflix, an on-demand video streaming services provider.

Also unveiled at the conference was the curved display G Flex 2 smartphone, sporting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor, a 64-bit octa-core processor, and a tri-band communications chip.

By Kim Young-won, Korea Herald correspondent
(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)