Time to time, we’ve heard of Samsung‘s plan to merge its homegrown OS Bada and Linux-based open-source OS Tizen. The South Korean electronics giant is seeking an alternative to Google’s Android and sees potential in Tizen-Bada merger. However, the company still isn’t sure whether it should move on with the merger or not.
At the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012, Samsung SVP Tae-jin Kang had said that the work to combine both Tizen and Bada had already begun. Now it seems like Samsung is having a second thought over the decision and has stopped the merger for now. Samsung has issued a statement saying a final decision regarding a merger hasn’t yet been made.
“Samsung and other members of Tizen Association have not made a firm decision regarding the merge of Bada and Tizen. We are carefully looking at it as an option to make the platforms serve better for customers,” the statement read.
Samsung further stressed that Bada still remains an important part in its mobile ecosystem and it would continue “democratizing the smartphone experience in all markets.” This more or less hints that Samsung would continue to use Bada in its low-end smartphones. This means premium models of Samsung smartphones would be powered by Tizen.
Back in September, some reports were circulating that Samsung is considering making Bada an open-source OS. Samsung wants to expand its use into more devices like Smart TVs and in-vehicle infotainment devices. Tizen, an open-source OS, is also meant for expansion into different device categories like tablets, netbooks, in-vehicle infotainment devices and smart TVs. So, a merger of the two platforms sounds perfect fit to Samsung’s plans.
Samsung’s plan to merge the two platforms is not limited to this. One of the many reasons is that Samsung pays out royalties to Google for every Android device it produces. However, for devices running Bada, Samsung don’t need to pay any royalty to anyone. This effectively cuts down the manufacturing cost of the device. A Bada-Tizen union will provide Samsung and other hardware vendors with a viable alternative to Android. But then, its all about Samsung to go ahead with the merger. Till then, Bada and Tizen remain two separate mobile OSes.
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