Samsung is demoing a few Tizen-based handsets at the Mobile World Congress, where one of the handsets running the OS was a Galaxy S4. From the hands-on images, it looks like Tizen’s user interface is very similar to what Samsung offers on its Android devices with TouchWiz. The similarities in the interface will be to Samsung’s advantage, as it can start selling Tizen-based hardware without worrying about alienating most of its target audience. Samsung has successfully managed to bring core functionalities that users demand from a mobile OS in the form of a messenger, a note taking client, a file manager, browser as well as camera and multimedia clients. The fact that these utilities look very similar to what Samsung already offers on its Galaxy series is a plus point.
The Tizen Association is also gaining momentum these days, and currently boasts 10 full-time members that include Intel, Samsung, Vodafone, NTT DOCOMO, Huawei and others. The association has also managed to add over 50 partners from around the globe over the course of the year. Samsung is one of the main contributors to Tizen in addition to Intel, and has launched its first two wearable devices that utilise the platform. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are the first devices of many that Samsung is set to launch over the coming years that run on Tizen as it looks to wean itself off Android. That doesn’t mean that Samsung will entirely shift away from Android. It is still the leading vendor of Android handsets by a country mile and enjoys a lion’s share of the market share. With Tizen, it is trying to offer its users an ecosystem that is different to what Google is doing with Android.
