Microsoft, LG Partnering On The Internet Of Things

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.

"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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Kevin Parrish
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

  • lpedraja2002
    First smartphone I owned was an LG Optimus 7 but from what I read on a ton of XDA forum posts they came with a defect that will eventually get them to be stuck on boot mode. It happened to me after almost 1 year 8 or so months of use, so I 'm a little sketchy with LG phones. Currently I'm using an LG G2 so I hope that lasts if not it will be my last LG product.
    Reply
  • theyeti87
    I'd buy another LG phone. I've had a WP7 LGc900 since it came out several (4ish) years ago. Been through total submersion and everything lived and works today. I use it for a camera and mp3 player since the S3 camera is no longer functioning after a different submersion.
    Reply