Samsung Launches Bada Mobile Operating System

There's another mobile operating system to add to the mix that includes Windows Mobile, Research in Motion's BlackBerry, Palm's webOS, Apple's iPhone, Symbian and Google's Android. On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics announced the launch of its own open mobile platform, called bada.

The Korean company said the new OS "enables developers to create applications for millions" of Samsung phones, providing a "rich smartphone experience to a wider range of consumers across the world."

Limitless Variety

Samsung said it chose the name bada, which means ocean in Korean, to "convey the limitless variety of potential applications which can be created using the new platform."

The company said the new OS will be an open platform, which presumably refers to the open software development kit and the ability of developers to create applications for devices running on bada. Third-party applications are becoming an increasingly important factor in purchasing decisions, with online markets for thousands of applications for phones using operating systems from Apple, Microsoft, Palm, Android and others.

Samsung emphasized that its new platform will be "simple" for developers to build on, including a "groundbreaking" user interface. The company also said the platform will be easy to integrate so wireless operators can offer "unique and differentiated services" to customers.

In addition to bada, Samsung said its mobile application ecosystem includes the Mobile Innovator program, which gives developers access to the company's Virtual Device Lab, the Application Seller Site, and the Application Store.

'Betting on Every Horse'

Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said it isn't clear yet exactly what bada will offer. That didn't stop him, however, from relaying an associate's observation that there might be a very catchy, Soprano-esque brand name if bada is someday merged with Microsoft's Bing search engine.

Nonetheless, he noted that "Samsung has realized that the market has shifted from hardware differentiation to where unique software and applications are prized." He said the company has done "remarkably well," ranking as number one in units sold in the U.S. and number two globally.

But it has also seen that several of its competitors, such as RIM and Apple, have control over both their hardware and their OS. Greengart noted that there are various advantages to this synergy, like always knowing a device's screen resolution or physical interface limitations.

Even though it's releasing its own OS, Samsung remains involved with the Windows Mobile, Java and Symbian operating systems, a strategy that Greengart calls "betting on every horse." Now, he added, the company has put its own horse into the race.

But it doesn't appear that Samsung is intent on asking others to bet on its horse, since there doesn't appear to be an effort -- yet -- to create the bada equivalent of Google's Open Handset Alliance for Android.