Samsung Planning to Opensource Bada OS, Could Rival Android

In a move apparently intended to lessen its dependence on Google’s Android platform, Samsung Electronics is planning to bring out its homegrown Bada operating system into the open for the whole world to tinker with and improve on, industry sources told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) this week.

According to WSJ sources, Samsung plans to release Bada as an opensource platform next year. Sources also said that opensourcing the Bada platform will allow Samsung to expand the platform’s reach beyond smartphones and tablets. Samsung plans to use the Bada platform more widely especially for smart TVs, which are TV sets with computer-like functionality.

Releasing the Bada operating system under opensource licenses will enable programmers from all over the world to contribute code and improvements to the Bada platform and will allow other manufacturers to modify the operating system for their own devices.

After Google announced last August its plans to scoop up Motorola Holdings, device manufacturers such as Samsung have started feeling uncomfortable about possible repercussions of the marriage between Android’s creator and a handset manufacturer. Analysts have speculated that Google’s acquisition of Motorola may place the latter’s handsets higher on Google’s priority list for Android updates and support.

Some analysts, however, remain skeptical about Samsung’s plan. Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston, for instance, notes that hardware-vendor-controlled software platforms previously proprietary and later on released as opensource platforms historically did not earn much traction. He cites Symbian as a good example.

If Samsung goes ahead with opensourcing Bada and slowly switching over from Android for its future devices, it could place itself in front of Google, Android, and Motorola as a direct competitor.

The South Korean government also plans to launch a collaborative project that brings South Korean manufacturers (e.g., Samsung and LG) together to produce an opensource mobile operating system and a Web-based operating system. The project is expected to launch before end of the year and is intended by the South Korean government to help ensure that South Korean device manufacturers could keep their competitiveness against other international device makers.

What do you think of a Bada-powered Samsung Galaxy S II (or its successors)?

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Comments

uu

Great.
Does it mean samsung will not have any problems manufacturing millions of devices without using plastic? I think it is now time for them to leave hyperglazed in the dust
simpleas

Gosh I love these guys!
RarestName

They keep costs down because plastic is cheaper than other materials. Not complaining though.
Mark

Samsung rocks, I love it.

Regards
BuyCheapIndia . com
http://twitter.com/Gilles__LeBlanc Gilles LeBlanc

Please always make room for us wealthy folk aswell. Produce a premium device and charge as much as you want. Dont get all crazy with this cuting cost stuff. Loving my note 2 thanks.
- simpleas
  
  lol “wealthy folks”.. I dont think you have to be wealth to own a top tier smart phone. I do agree, Note 2 rocks!
nishantsirohi123

the comments section should be renamed as “whiny bimbos sections”

none of these people here have any knowledge whatsoever about what is being discussed in this article or what it means for the smartphone industry.

I feel this a great initiative by samsung. They could very well be taking orders from other device manufacturers as well
this is basically great from small time device makers with innovative ideas(remember yotaphone) to actually churn out devices with similar level of quality and less investment required for setting up of a manufacturing unit(of course most companies have vendors who make the devices for them)
candlelarbra5212

Why do some people think this is good thing? (besides what I beg to be sarcastic comments) More money for a company who already makes billions? Well this is just the best news ever.

What it really means is people losing their jobs, losing them fast and probably without any other job after their redundancy.

I mean you’ve got companies who pay so little to their workers in the first place but then they have to remove them completely. Hardly a shining beacon of hope to starving millions who need to get out of poverty (or even eat) one way or another.
- Dash Foster
  
  This is a really good point that you bring up. Unfortunately Samsung is not the only company that does this, most of the clothing manufactures in the Unites States still use sweat shops in developing countries. Its cool that you looked at this in a different way and realized what is really happening.
rvichar

I thought the galaxy was based on the human experience and nature. How about humans stop buying all this plastic and silicone cranked out every six months. The cycle is a vicious cycle of endless waste.
Ruzveh

I am personally not in favour of what Samsung is following. This also means that there will be job losses and many manufacturer will be forced to adopt this practise since they will face tight competition from Samsung. If little increase in price of a mobile phone can run millions of homes then why not?
LeoN N

Samsung Skynet…here it comes…get ready John Connor!
http://www.facebook.com/shi.cheeliang Chee Liang Shi

No guarantees on whether cost savings is transferred to the consumers or not… my guess is that it’s not… simply cost savings to increase their profits i guess… so how does that make this news a good thing? it is simply irrelevant except from a technological point of view…

Beside it will just give them more reasons to crank out 120 million phones which are named differently but all sport the same design…
jj

The main lesson other companies will learn is fire some thousands of workers and let their families starve.