Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung’s Gear Fit may arguably look the most appealing of the three wearables the company announced yesterday, but Tizen was sacrificed in order to make it happen. Launched alongside the … Continue reading

Over the last few months there have been a lot of rumors about Tizen smartphone. Samsung is believed to be one of the first vendors that will launch a Tizen smartphone, but so far the device has not materialized. It was rumored late last year that it might be unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2014 but there’s no sign of it as yet, Samsung’s event tomorrow may solely focus on the Galaxy S5. So what about the Tizen phone then? Tizen Association Chairman Ryoichi Roy Sugimara says that it will be launched later this year, but doesn’t give any specific details about the OEM and the time frame.

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Tizen Association Chairman Expects Phone To Be Released Later This Year original content from Ubergizmo.

There’s not a whole lot that’s new about Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2. It’s take two of a product that wasn’t that great on the first go-round. But underneath, the Gear 2 isn’t just another gadget; it’s a defiant shot across Google’s bow. It’s a trial run where Samsung can practice seceding from the world of Android.

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Samsung is taking a completely different approach to its next-generation Galaxy Gear smartwatch, according to a new report from USA Today – that means eschewing Android altogether on the on-device OS. The Galaxy Gear launched last year ran Android, Google’s mobile OS, but that piece of wearable tech didn’t light any fires under consumers or critics, so why not go back to the drawing board?

To replace Android as the OS for its new smartwatch, Samsung is said to be using Tizen, its in-house mobile OS that appears to be nearing release on its first Samsung smartphone device. USA Today reports that ian HTML5 version of Tizen will ship with the new Galaxy Gear, and that both will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress this month in Barcelona.

Samsung is hosting an event at MWC called ‘Unpacked5′ February 24, where it seems likely to unveil its next Galaxy S flagship device. There’s also a chance we’ll see the Gear at the show, as has been reported previously by other outlets.

Tizen on the smartwatch would be a significant shift for Samsung, but moving to an HTML5-based platform on the device might make it easier for developers to craft simple partner apps for software resident on the phones themselves, and it could also help with things like improving battery life. Qualcomm’s Toq smartwatch, for instance, runs a “lightweight” OS that contributes to its five days of battery life, vs. around two days at best for the Galaxy Gear.

Another reason Samsung is eschewing Android for this generation of smartwatch, according to USA Today, is to keep more control over the device and platform in its own hands. The company’s Tizen efforts seemed stalled for a long time, but Samsung recently signed up a score of new high-profile partners. Investing in Tizen on the Gear probably can’t hurt that device’s chances – with wearables, there’s little reason yet for any consumer to choose one platform over another, and the initial version of the Galaxy Gear didn’t sell enough to create anything like lock-in for existing users.

Hopefully this next Gear isn’t just the same device with Tizen subbing in for Android, and the new watch offers many more improvements besides. In any case, if rumors are true, we should find out either way next week.

Samsung may bring more than one new smartwatch to Mobile World Congress next week as part of its Galaxy Gear wearable refresh, reports suggest, with the wrist-worn companion devices said … Continue reading