Android may be free, have a large app store and hold 50% of the smartphone market share worldwide, but it can’t afford to rest on its laurels. iOS and Windows Phone OS have been rivals for a couple of years now, but a new entry may have more clout than most accredit it with – Tizen.
Tizen, the new mobile OS from Intel and Samsung can be referred to as a half brother of Android, both being open source, Linux based and having a similar UI. Tizen is expected to mimic Android’s most notable features like the low price tag and cross-compatibility between markets, and will also be allowing regional customization and partnership with a wide range of content providers. The operating system is expected to be available in devices shipped by Samsung later this year.
Asian markets are completely different from North America and Europe. Where Google dominates in the US and Europe; Baidu, Naver, and Yahoo Japan are household names in terms of search engines and web services in Asia. Google products are not available everywhere. Even if they are, there are others which are more locally popular. Many Asian smartphone and tablet manufacturers have opted for Android for its free availability, but have not been able to offer the level of customization consumers desire in such regions.
Tizen’s logo is a pinwheel, a toy that spins in the direction of the wind, representing adaptability. Not just Samsung and Intel, many other Asian telecom companyes like Huawei, KT Corporation, NTT Docomo and SK Telecom have been responsible for its development. The idea behind the platform started with Google leaving China in 2010. Most of its services were blocked, including Google Play, which is the company’s most direct revenue source.
Third-party app stores and apps usually found pre-installed on Android handsets in these regions are usually buggy, badly made and also malware-prone. As a result, Chinese smartphone vendors are not able to strike deals with local companies which focus on these particular markets only. In spite of Samsung products having a huge market in China; Android is throwing a spanner in the works due to high demand for localized services not supported on Google’s mobile platform. Shifting away from Android seems to be the best option for Samsung now, at least in Asia.
