Samsung Aiming to Sell its First Tizen-Based Phone in 2013, Says Report
By Sean P. Aune | 696
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According to a new report from Japan’s Daily Yomiuri, Samsung is preparing its first Tizen-based phone for release in Japan and various other countries through out Asia and Europe in early 2013. Speculation seems to be focusing on the device making its debut at Mobile World Congress this upcoming February in Spain.
This isn’t the first time a Tizen release as seemed imminent. As recently as this past May it was said we would see devices in the second half of 2012, but as this is the final day of the year, that seems unlikely. A slop, however, to February, wouldn’t be the worst delay in the history of a software launch.
Tizen is currently being developed by NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, Intel Corp., Vodafone Group, France Telecom, Pansonic, NEC and assorted European mobile phone service companies in the hopes of making a more open operating system Currently some of the carriers are feeling restricted by Android and iOS because it is difficult to impossible to add their own music services, app stores and other potential revenue streams. The plan is for the new OS to be “truly open,” allowing anyone to work on it, and release some of the grip U.S. based firms have on the burgeoning smartphone market.
NTT DoCoMo in particular is said to be pushing extremely hard for the new OS due to it being the only one of the three major Japanese carriers to not carry the iPhone. Due to this fact, the company has been losing subscribers in droves, and just this past Nov. it saw more contract cancellations than new subscribers for the first time in five years.
The market is already crowded with operating systems – Android, iOS, Windows Phone and the upcoming BlackBerry 10 – if it can sustain another remains to be seen.
