Samsung jumps on Mobile OS bandwagon

• 
• 
• 
• 

 1 of 4

Gallery

By Jonathan Bray

Posted on 9 Dec 2009 at 09:35

Samsung is joining the cluttered mobile OS market, as it looks to usher in "a new era of smartphones for everyone".

The operating system, dubbed Bada (ocean in Korean), will make its debut on a "flagship" smartphone in the first half of 2010.

According to Dr Hosoo Lee, the open platform is intended to bridge the gap between overcomplicated high-end smartphones and simpler "feature phones". As with rivals, Bada will offer access to its own app store.

The first Bada phone – a touchscreen device - will be available in 50 countries at launch, with a handful of other phones becoming available later in the year.

As part of Samsung's efforts to encourage the creation of applications for the platform, the firm announced the launch of a new Bada developer website and an international "Developer Challenge" with a total prize fund of $2,700,000 and a grand prize of $300,000.

Unfortunately, aside from references to a Flash-based user interface, location-based social-networking services and a few screen grabs, the OS remains shrouded in mystery. Samsung claims the OS will make developing apps easy, however, no concrete explanation of how was put forward.

Anyone hoping for something revolutionary on the UI may well be in for a disappointment. A spokesman confirmed it will simply be the next version of the Touchwiz UI (version three) seen on current consumer Samsung phones such as the Jet.

What is clear, however, is that Samsung is targeting its Bada phones firmly at the consumer end of the smartphone market.

Representatives of Capcom, EA Mobile and GamesLoft were all present at the event, while Blockbuster CIO, Neil Davis, also put in an appearance, suggesting that a Blockbuster video-on-demand catalogue would be available on Bada phones.