LG Electronics told the press on Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Microsoft to jointly develop products for the Internet of Things (IoT). Top executives of both companies, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, met on Wednesday in the Intercontinental Hotel to discuss their plans.
According to a report by the Korea Times, LG Electronics plans to take advantage of Microsoft's patented cloud computing platforms and release compatible products for both the consumer and corporate sectors. Some of these devices are expected to be revealed during CES 2015 in January.
"All of the things in the Internet were dedicated devices such as PCs, laptops and mobile designed to help users to communicate and form a network to share information. These benefits of networking and sharing information led to the rapid growth of the Internet. We hope to gain initiatives and believe the expanded partnership with MS will pave the way to achieving the goal," an LG executive said.
There's also speculation that LG Electronics may be teaming up with Microsoft to produce Windows Phone devices including "phablets" and smartphones. That could mean LG Electronics may introduce new Windows devices in April 2015 as part of the Windows 9 "Threshold" rollout. Microsoft is expected to reveal Windows 9 on September 30.
LG Electronics released a Windows Phone 7 device back in 2010, and so far it has yet to produce a smartphone with Windows Phone 8. However, @evleaks revealed back in May a product shot of an LG phone sporting Windows 8.1, the LG Uni8. Based on a leaked image, the phone will have a virtual shutter, on-screen navigation buttons and plenty of room for live tiles of all sizes.
The unnamed LG Electronics rep confirmed with the Korea Times that there's a good chance the company will launch another Windows-based mobile device. However, the project LG Electronics and Microsoft agreed to could be altered if the market conditions change.
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