Samsung Bada Getting Good Response from Operators
Samsung Electronics’ “Bada,” the company’s own mobile phone platform, is getting a good response from global mobile operators, said Kim Hyung-do, a vice president for strategic planning at Samsung in a conference call for Korean investors on Friday.
With Bada, Samsung expects to meet consumer needs with a speedier and more flexible operating system than other smartphone operating systems, Mr. Kim said. Moreover, implementing functions or features on the smartphone can be done without going thru any approvals from smartphone OS license holders.
While 40 kinds of Samsung smartphones are expected to be released this year, the world’s No. 2 mobile phone maker said it has not decided how many kinds of Bada-based smartphones will be released. The portion of smartphones by OS could be set by the end of next month following close talks with major mobile operators, Mr. Kim said.
Recently a local paper quoted internal sources from Samsung saying that the company plans to release a Bada-based smartphone through SK Telecom as early as July. Prior to a domestic launch, Samsung will release a Bada phone into the global market in April or May. Regarding this rumor, a Samsung spokesperson said to TelecomsKorea, “This has some distance from fact. But nothing to say as of now.”
For Google phones, Samsung will release a new model that adopts the latest and stable Android (version 2.1), which debuted in Google’s NexusOne during the first half of this year. Till now Samsung has introduced four kinds of Android phone in Europe and the U.S., but still has not done so in Korea.
Regarding Windows Mobile, Mr. Kim hinted to further reductions in the dependency on Microsoft. Considering the potential power and its market share with around ten percent of the smartphone market, Samsung has no plans to drop Windows Mobile, however, “we will save our resources in the MS smartphone and adopt it in selected models,” Mr. Kim said.
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Globally, there is a huge momentum away from Windows Mobile. Once a momentum is going, it is very difficult to change.
This is why Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 7 will not be a success. It is not only the handset OEMs like Samsung that have taken a step back from Windows Mobile. It is the consumers, and also the software developers.
When the developers move away from a platform, they will not move back on mere faith or promise that the next platform will be good. They will want to see clear proof of success before they make a decision. This will further prevent Microsoft from making Windows Mobile 7 a success. Microsoft’s track record with PlaysForSure and Zune (used to counter the iPod), shows it cannot compete with Apple’s product.
It is natural to see Samsung concentrate on Bada and Android. Samsung should be able to make a good handset with Bada, as it already has the experience of making a good user interface. And Android currently has the momentum, going in its favorable direction.
Where is Symbian OS phones on Samsung?
Samsung has several Symbian phones including Omnia HD. Not available in the local market.