Topping a year of uncertainty and mostly silence from HP, Cnet has broken the story of LG's pending acquisition of the entire WebOS (former Palm) Global Business Unit, including patents, employees, and source code. Surprisingly, the rejuvenated WebOS will be used not to power any of LG's smartphones (where the company is a firmly entrenched Android supporter) or a new line of tablets but rather its expanding line of Smart TVs.

Rumors have swirled for the better part of the past six months of LG's interest in WebOS. Currently, LG offers a line of Android/Google TV-based Smart LED HDTVs as well as lower-end line of proprietary NetCast SmartTVs with the usual assortment of Netflix and other streaming apps baked into the sets' firmware.