Korean CE manufacturer LG has announced the beta-launch of its own mutiscreen cloud service, called LG Cloud. The company is also rolling out Google TV sets in the US in May.
LG Cloud is the first that allows users to manage and consume all types of content on “three screens” which includes Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs.
To use the service, users need to download the LG Cloud app from Google Play or LG SmartWorld app store from their Android smartphones, LG SmartWorld store from their LG Smart TVs or the LG Cloud website from their PCs or laptops.
LG’s Cloud service automatically synchronises smartphone content with the cloud server and the user’s PC and TV.
Photos and videos taken with the smartphone can be viewed and streamed to the PC or TV almost instantaneously. Videos edited on a PC can be uploaded to LG Cloud for viewing seconds later on a smartphone.
To better develop cloud services that prioritize convergence, LG created a new division called Smart Business Center to focus specifically on content and services. Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company, is also responsible for the new Smart Business Center.
“Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content,” said Kwon. “LG makes the devices that millions of people watch content on so we can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up our own cloud service. Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos and yet another cloud for their office files. In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.”
LG Cloud will be offered as both a free and paid service. Free storage space and pricing will differ market to market and will be announced separately as the service becomes available in that country.
LG also plans to launch Internet-enabled TV based on Google’s platform in the US in the week of May 21, as the South Korean firm seeks to gain a larger share of the emerging Internet TV market, a senior LG executive said on Monday, according to a report by Reuters. No details are known for roll-out in other countries.
“Production of Google TVs will start from May 17 from our factory in Mexico and US consumers will be able to buy the product from the week of May 21,” Ro Seogho, EVP of LG’s TV business unit, told a small group of reporters.
