Applications
LG buys out HP’s mobile operating system WebOS
MUMBAI: Global consumer durables and electronics maker and marketer LG has acquired Hewlett-Packard‘s mobile operating system WebOS.
As part of the acquisition, LG gets source code for WebOS, related documentation, engineering talent, related WebOS Web sites and HP licenses for use with its WebOS products along with the patents HP obtained from Palm.
The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
LG said that it intends to use the operating system in its smart televisions and not mobile phones. LG is focused on Android as its mobile operating system of choice.
WebOS is an operating system that showed promise but many feel that it was mismanaged by HP. It was supposed to be the feature that would save Palm who then sold it to HP. The operating system‘s luck seemed to flounder further when HP decided to pull the plug on its mobile initiatives in 2012.
The deal isn‘t a complete surprise, with LG already reportedly looking at the platform for use in its products. In fact, the company had been eyeing WebOS for a while.
A media report quoted LG Electronics, president and chief technology officer Skott Ahn saying that the deal “creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices.”
The report further said, “WebOS team will make up the heart and soul of the new LG Silicon Valley Lab, with its Sunnyvale, Calif., and San Francisco sites joining LG‘s global R&D locations in the Valley, alongside WebOS offices in San Jose and Chicago.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
