Tizen vs Android: New OS Phone Samsung Z to be Sold in the Fall
A visitor looks at a Samsung Electronics Galaxy
S5 smartphone at a showroom in Seoul on April 29, 2014. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty
Images)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)
— Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it will begin selling a smartphone
that runs on its Tizen operating system in the third quarter of this year,
advancing the company’s plans to reduce dependence on Google’s Android
software.
Samsung, the world’s top smartphone maker by sales volume, said in a statement that the smartphone calledSamsung Z will go on sale in Russia first. It said there are plans to sell the phone in other countries but didn’t name them.
Tizen is already used in a few Samsung products including a smartwatch but has not been deployed in a mass produced smartphone until now.
Unlike Apple Inc. with its own operating system, Samsung’s popular Galaxy smartphones and tablets use Google’s open source Android platform, a reliance that prevents Samsung from challenging the dominance of Apple’s App Store and Google Play in the lucrative market for smartphone apps.
The Tizen phone will have preinstalled apps and users will have access to additional apps through Tizen Store.
Samsung has been encouraging the development of Tizen apps but the numbers available are likely to be small in comparison to the App Store and Google Play.
The South Korean company said the Tizen smartphone has a 4.8-inch high definition display, a fingerprint sensor for security and a “slim, angular” design.
It said the operating system will allow users to browse the Internet faster and utilize applications more effectively.
Superficially, users may not perceive much difference from the Android operating system because it and Tizen share Linux as the underlying framework.
The Samsung Z will be shown at a Tizen developer conference in San Francisco this week.
Samsung, the world’s top smartphone maker by sales volume, said in a statement that the smartphone calledSamsung Z will go on sale in Russia first. It said there are plans to sell the phone in other countries but didn’t name them.
Tizen is already used in a few Samsung products including a smartwatch but has not been deployed in a mass produced smartphone until now.
Unlike Apple Inc. with its own operating system, Samsung’s popular Galaxy smartphones and tablets use Google’s open source Android platform, a reliance that prevents Samsung from challenging the dominance of Apple’s App Store and Google Play in the lucrative market for smartphone apps.
The Tizen phone will have preinstalled apps and users will have access to additional apps through Tizen Store.
Samsung has been encouraging the development of Tizen apps but the numbers available are likely to be small in comparison to the App Store and Google Play.
The South Korean company said the Tizen smartphone has a 4.8-inch high definition display, a fingerprint sensor for security and a “slim, angular” design.
It said the operating system will allow users to browse the Internet faster and utilize applications more effectively.
Superficially, users may not perceive much difference from the Android operating system because it and Tizen share Linux as the underlying framework.
The Samsung Z will be shown at a Tizen developer conference in San Francisco this week.
AP: Samsung envisions wearables using common
system
NEW YORK (AP) — Health sensors and devices can get better if rival
companies work together, Samsungexecutives said Wednesday.
The South Korean company pushed for a common system so that different manufacturers — from startups to established companies — can interchange key components such as the wristband. It would be similar to how different computers are built using the same processors and memory chips, some of which Samsung makes. The company believes developing such building blocks will speed innovation and get products to market more quickly.
The system would also include ways to exchange and analyze data. Samsung believes that could help detect heart problems and other medical conditions sooner. Third-party app developers could also tap that data, with a user’s permission, to recommend exercise and diets, for instance.
Samsung expects to make “beta” test versions of its Simband wristband and SAMI data service later this year. It has been partnering with scientists from the University of California, San Francisco and other institutions to test its devices and offer suggestions.
Samsung Electronics Co. presented its vision for wearable devices at a San Francisco event Wednesday, ahead of next week’s developers conference by rival Apple Inc. There’s widespread speculation that Apple has been working on wearable devices, and its products tend to use proprietary technologies.
But an open system would be a departure for Samsung as well. Its Gear wristwatches and fitness devices currently work only with Samsung phones. Smartwatches from Sony and other manufacturers tend to work with a wider range of Android phones.
Young Sohn, Samsung’s president and chief strategy officer, described the Gear devices as a second-generation product. The first generation consisted of fitness-tracking apps downloaded on smartphones. Future devices, he said, would be able to collect more vital signs and send you to a doctor before you get symptoms.
He compared them to cars embedded with sensors to warn you of low air pressure and other troubles.
Samsung is also trying to improve usability by allowing users to recharge the Simband while wearing it. With current devices, users typically have to remove their devices for recharging every few days.
The South Korean company pushed for a common system so that different manufacturers — from startups to established companies — can interchange key components such as the wristband. It would be similar to how different computers are built using the same processors and memory chips, some of which Samsung makes. The company believes developing such building blocks will speed innovation and get products to market more quickly.
The system would also include ways to exchange and analyze data. Samsung believes that could help detect heart problems and other medical conditions sooner. Third-party app developers could also tap that data, with a user’s permission, to recommend exercise and diets, for instance.
Samsung expects to make “beta” test versions of its Simband wristband and SAMI data service later this year. It has been partnering with scientists from the University of California, San Francisco and other institutions to test its devices and offer suggestions.
Samsung Electronics Co. presented its vision for wearable devices at a San Francisco event Wednesday, ahead of next week’s developers conference by rival Apple Inc. There’s widespread speculation that Apple has been working on wearable devices, and its products tend to use proprietary technologies.
But an open system would be a departure for Samsung as well. Its Gear wristwatches and fitness devices currently work only with Samsung phones. Smartwatches from Sony and other manufacturers tend to work with a wider range of Android phones.
Young Sohn, Samsung’s president and chief strategy officer, described the Gear devices as a second-generation product. The first generation consisted of fitness-tracking apps downloaded on smartphones. Future devices, he said, would be able to collect more vital signs and send you to a doctor before you get symptoms.
He compared them to cars embedded with sensors to warn you of low air pressure and other troubles.
Samsung is also trying to improve usability by allowing users to recharge the Simband while wearing it. With current devices, users typically have to remove their devices for recharging every few days.
0 comments: