Samsung made a stir recently when their new Gear smartwatches were announced with Tizen instead of Android. The same may be true for some smartphones soon.
Tizen is not all that different from Android when you get down to it. It won’t run Android apps or have Google Services baked in (although it technically could), but it could be considered a distant cousin. Both are open source and Linux based. They can even share many similar UI characteristics.
One of the biggest differences with Tizen is the app framework. Tizen is meant to run web apps created in HTML5 or other similar languages. HTML5 apps could technically run most other platforms, but Tizen has the benefit of being able to run these apps outside of a web browser.
The great thing about this native support for web apps is that Tizen won’t have to face the same uphill battle of app support that Windows Phone 8 and BB10 have had to face—a hill Google has only managed to climb in the past couple years. Tizen is very developer friendly and runs any web apps that other phones can run, it just runs them natively.
Like Android, Tizen is very customizable, perhaps even more-so. Tizen has implemented “dynamic boxes” which are basically what we would get if Windows Phone’s Live Tiles and Android’s Widgets were to have a baby. They appear to be an actual part of the operating system, not a separate extremity placed on top.
Tizen is flexible beyond just the UI, too. This is very clear by the fact that Samsung just launched 3 Tizen watches and also has a Smartphone in the pipes. Tizen could run on anything and already spans several different platforms. Considering the collection of companies that participate in Tizen development range from Samsung to Panasonic and Intel, don’t be surprised to see watches, phones, tablets, washers, dryers, microwaves, cameras, ultrabooks and all sorts of other electronic items running Tizen at some point.
Android and iOS aren’t necessarily about to be unseated as the two dominant platforms, but Tizen does raise an important question as to just how relevant a mobile platform is. If your apps work on any phone, then all that really matters is where you store your data. Apple’s iCloud, Google, Microsoft One Drive, etc.
Although we aren’t likely to be liberated from our mobile OS of choice any time soon, Tizen shows a world in which your platform isn’t as relevant than what you do with it.
Source: Engadget, Android Central
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Read more on Walyou, Samsung’s Galaxy Gear May Not Need Android Anymore, Samsung Galaxy S5 is Official and Coming Soon
The global mobile operating system market is currently dominated by Android, but that’s not stopping Samsung from exploring its options.
Android is currently shipping on approximately 80% of mobile devices, so it is generally considered the go-to open source platform, but Samsung has been working on developing another open source platform, Tizen, for several years now. Samsung has been expected to ship its first Tizen smartphone for some time, but we might end up seeing it on a wearable first.
Samsung is expected to potentially launch a new Galaxy Gear smartwatch and at least one (maybe two) Galaxy S5 variant(s) during Mobile World Congress at their Samsung Unpacked event. The original Galaxy Gear was launched just a few months ago alongside the Galaxy Note 3, but the second version is on its way and might even be running Tizen.
Samsung is well known for its shotgun method of introducing new devices. The first Galaxy gear received mixed reviews and was mostly regarded as a commercialized prototype to help the manufacturer feel out the market. The original Galaxy Gear ran Android, so Samsung is planning on ditching that configuration if the rumor is true.
Since Tizen is open source and Linux based, it does make sense to test it out on something like a smartwatch. Tizen is very HTML5 focused, so it’s likely Samsung is banking on getting strong developer involvement to bring competition to other manufacturers, specifically Pebble and their newly launched app market.
If successful, this will put multiple quality smartwatches on store shelves, going a long way for legitimizing not only the smartwatch market, but also paving the way for additional wearable products down the road. Who knows, if a lot of developers start developing HTML5 apps for a Samsung Galaxy Gear with Tizen, then we can likely expect to see Tizen become much more common, although HTML5 apps will also be able to run on Android, but only in a browser, not on the native platform.
Either way, a second Galaxy Gear will definitely represent at least an iterative improvement over its predecessor. A successful launch will be essential in establishing a solid market for similar devices and we could see Pebble, Samsung, Apple, and HTC, each have a high demand smartwatch on shelves by the time we hit another holiday season.
Source: Fierce Wireless
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This video game inspired resume beats any resume that you have offered to potential employers. It is the work of designer Robby Leonardi, who wanted his C.V. to stand out from the crowd. He certainly accomplished that.
You can see it here. Just push the down arrow or spin your scroll wheel and enjoy the ride. Then hire this guy!
Awesome resume. My Mario hat is off to you Robby. I would hire you in a heartbeat just to create cool stuff like this for my own personal amusement.
[via Mashable via Nerd Approved]
ZTE is one of the few companies making a sly side-bet on Firefox OS, and next year it's planning to double-down on that initial wager with the launch of a second handset running Mozilla's smartphone platform. Speaking with IDG's Michael Kan at Expo Comm China 2013, ZTE's Executive VP He Shiyou expects the device to land first half 2014, with a larger display than its predecessor, a dual-core processor, a "revamped user experience" and, of course, a low price. The exec also said that, with approximately 100,000 units sold, demand for the ZTE Open "has exceeded supply," and he anticipates double that figure in total sales. ZTE deliberately manufactured the Open on a small scale, but is optimistic about future adoption of Firefox OS. Shiyou believes HTML5-based apps will become more relevant as speedy network technology like LTE reduces reliance on native software, stating: "In the future, the app store business model will be no more."
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: Pocketnow
Source: TechHive
Firefox has certainly taken some pretty huge steps since Mozilla initially announced its "Phone for Apps" program back in May. Still, the browser maker knows there's a lot to be done before the mobile OS becomes more of a household entity. To help it achieve that, Mozilla's launching phase two of the "Phone for Apps" initiative, offering developers a Firefox OS device -- in this case the Geeksphone Keon -- in exchange for porting their HTML5 apps to the young platform. More specifically, this qualifies devs who have "already built and shipped an HTML5 web app and have the time now to port that app to the new Firefox OS." Is this you? Then here's what's left to do: click the source below to peruse the rest of the guidelines, fill out the application and, if you're amongst the chosen group, expect a confirmation to reach your inbox sometime thereafter.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Mozilla
The TiVo Roamio platform is still extremely young, what with it only having been launched earlier this month and all. Still, the DVR maker isn't wasting any time and is now finding ways to bring as many features as possible to its new set-top boxes. With this in mind, TiVo let it be known today that it's adding support for Opera's Devices SDK and TV Store to its lineup of Roamio DVRs, providing developers an opportunity to create a variety of HTML5-based applications. TiVo's hoping the partnership with Opera can introduce a slew of apps in different categories to the platform, including entertainment, fashion, sports, business, gaming news and more. As for Opera, we can imagine it's rather pleased to get its app-creating tools used by yet another company.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD
Via: TechCrunch
Source: TiVo