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Samsung Gear 2 smartwatches coming in April with Tizen OS and better battery life
Even in an industry known for evolving at an impossibly quick pace, it's rare for a product to be replaced in just five months. If you've read our review of Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch, however, it probably makes sense why the manufacturer would want to antiquate it as soon as possible -- while an interesting concept, the wearable was clearly half-baked. This morning, Samsung is starting off Mobile World Congress by announcing the Gear 2 (shown above, right) and the camera-less Gear 2 Neo (above, left), both of which (the company hopes) will address most of its predecessor's pain points when it arrives in stores worldwide this April. The absence of Galaxy branding is no typo, by the way; the new Gear will run on the Tizen operating system, a platform which Samsung has been investing large amounts of money and resources into. It's not the company's first device running that OS -- that honor goes to the NX300M camera -- but regardless, it's hard to know exactly how different the user experience will be on a Tizen-powered smartwatch instead of an Android-based one. According to Samsung, we can expect a battery life of 2-3 days (two to three times better than the first Gear's one-day life), an "enriched application ecosystem" and some sweeping changes to the external design. Check out the gallery below and join us after the break for more details.
Samsung's new Galaxy Gear might run Tizen instead of Android
Sure, the Tizen Association just welcomed new members, but the mobile platform is still having a tough start overall -- a Japanese carrier even canceled a Tizen smartphone release in January. So, Samsung (the platform's biggest backer) is reportedly taking matters into its own hands and loading Tizen on one of its upcoming devices: Galaxy Gear 2.0. According to USA Today's sources, the South Korean company is slated to launch an updated smartwatch running the HTML 5-based Tizen OS at the Mobile World Congress a few days from now. Samsung is reportedly dropping Android in favor of the fledgling platform due to a number of reasons, including its hopes to gain greater control (and revenue) from associated software and services. Also, the company's apparently concerned that the Android flavor Google's developing for wearables may not be as open as the other versions. Whatever Samsung's reasons are, we just hope the new Gear has a longer list of compatible devices than its predecessor does.
Open source OS Tizen gains 15 more allies; Sprint rejoins the list
In the world of mobile platforms, Tizen's but a new entry that's been through some tough times since its inception. The circle of 36 companies (aptly called the Tizen Association) backing up the open source OS is putting up a good fight, though -- it even just welcomed 15 new members to its number. These include some big names you might recognize, such as Chinese search engine Baidu, Japanese carrier Softbank, hardware manufacturer ZTE and weather app AccuWeather. The most intriguing addition to the list, however, is Sprint, which first joined the association in 2012 before leaving it in 2013... only to join up yet again. We'll find out later if these companies are in any way connected to the Tizen devices to be previewed at Mobile World Congress -- and if they help the OS finally become a legit Android competitor.
Japanese carrier says it's 'not the right time' for Tizen OS smartphones, delays launch plans
Tizen is trying to make all the right moves when it comes to getting its Tizen mobile OS off the ground and into people's hands. However, to the surprise of... not many people (probably even Samsung), it's going to be a struggle. NTT Docomo has canceled its plans for launching a Tizen smartphone early this year, citing timing as the issue. A spokesperson, talking in a briefing yesterday, told Engadget Japanese that its smartphones sales hadn't increased substantially since the year before (despite this being the first year the carrier has started selling iPhones), stating that there wasn't space for three mobile OSes in Japan's current smartphone climate. It's not ruling out the eventual arrival of Tizen hardware, however. Maybe Docomo is waiting on those new handsets promised to appear in Barcelona. MWC is just a month away.
Tizen ready to unveil its newest devices in February at Mobile World Congress
Tizen is a relatively new operating system which will be featured on a wide range of devices, from smartphones and tablets to automotive computer systems, but it's been pretty quiet thus far, only getting into the hands of developers and just a couple of cameras available for general consumers. That's all about to change, as Tizen has sent us an invitation to check out the first set of devices running the OS on February 23rd in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress. It doesn't specifically mention that smartphones will be included in this lineup, but it's a pretty safe bet -- especially since the first handset with Tizen was supposed to be coming out at the end of 2013. As always, we'll be on the lookout for more details as they trickle in.
Samsung's NX300M smart camera is its first to run Tizen OS
Samsung's refreshed NX300M smart camera has already been on sale for more than a month in Korea, but only now is one of its features coming to light. At a recent developer summit, the company confirmed that the 20.3-megapixel shooter is actually running a camera-focused build of its open-source Tizen software. Samsung has relied on Android for some of its cameras so far, but has also quietly released Tizen-powered developer tablets and ported the OS to the Galaxy S4, showing off what it can do without Google's help. To that same end, Nokia announced today it will power "maps-related functionalities" in future Tizen devices, giving Samsung (and its partners) a chance to further reduce its dependency on Google services.
First Tizen tablet launches in Japan, caters exclusively to developers
Despite absorbing MeeGo, learning to run Android apps and pushing through a significant UI overhaul, devices running Tizen are notoriously hard to come by. Developers eyeing the platform in Japan, however, just got one more option: the Tizen build kit, from Systena. It's a package that includes developer tools, manuals and technical and consulting services from Systena, but the real star of the kit is the included 10.1-inch developer tablet. Packing a quad-core 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage underneath a 1,920 x 1,200 display, this slab offers a Tizen 2.1 experience built specifically for app development and product demonstration. The company hasn't publicly posted a price for the kit, but interested developers can request more information through the company's website. The rest of us will have to settle for flashing our own devices. [Image Credit: S-Max.jp]
Tizen 3.0 UI allegedly spotted running on a Galaxy S 4
Tizen, the progeny of MeeGo, LiMo and Bada, hasn't exactly set the world on fire. But even if manufacturers and consumers aren't clamoring for yet another smartphone platform, that doesn't mean Samsung and Intel are simply going to let the OS wither and die. In fact, version 3.0 of the UI is well on its way, and it appears to be up and running Galaxy S 4 hardware. The new look is flatter, squarer and much more inline with current design trends. Gone are the slightly cartoonish and round elements that have now been adopted by Mozilla for Firefox OS. The bright and varied color palate remains, however, giving Tizen a much more whimsical appearance than Android or Windows Phone. Though the images at the source link are hardly a thorough tour of the new UI, you can see that there are detailed lockscreen alerts and you can get a quick glance at the music player. Now it's just a waiting game to see if Samsung will actually release a high-end Tizen phone based on the S 4 to consumers... but we're not exactly holding our breath. [Image courtesy of Tizen Indonesia]
Samsung offers $4 million bounty to populate Tizen app store
Samsung has over $4 million up for grabs to entice would-be developers toward its Tizen mobile OS. If you're feeling crafty -- and who isn't futzing in the garage these days? -- you have until November 1st to submit an app based on the South Korean giant's upstart ecosystem. Games take the lion's share of the prize, with the top title walking away with $200K out of the category's $340K. The winning non-game application (music, social networking, et cetera) takes home $120K, and the 10 best HTML 5-based apps each net $50K. While we've seen this sort of stunt before, the end results typically speak for themselves.
Project Anarchy, Havok's mobile game development suite now available at no cost
Havok -- the physics middleware engine used by almost every big console and PC game -- announced its start-to-finish mobile game development suite will be available at no cost to developers. Project Anarchy has tools for everything: visuals, physics, artificial intelligence and animation. We say "no cost" instead of free for a reason: Havok expects a few things out of its users in return. It wants to co-market some finished games and for clients to become part of its development community. Currently, that dev community includes folks programming for iOS, Android and Tizen. Microsofties may not be left out, however, as Havok has "flexible business models" for Windows Phone if you ping its sales team. Full details in the links below.
Intel's supposed 'Obsidian' UI for Tizen gets leaked, swiped and doubted
The pure version of Tizen 2.0 is far from finalized, yet there already seems to be an alternative skin designed to sit on top of it. While Intel's chips are currently capable of powering the new open source OS, the chip company is reportedly working on its own overlaid UI, known as Obsidian. Ars Technica got its hands on two videos of it in action, featuring notably flat and square icons compared to the circular ones we've seen in the pure version. There's a consistent bottom strip of three soft keys for calls, messaging and contacts, and a tilt action for icons and contacts when a notification in an app is received. According to Ars, Intel may also bring the aesthetic to Android, surprising as that may sound. You can get a detailed look at its present state at the source link, while we scratch our heads asking "really?" and "why?"
Samsung GT-i8800 smartphone makes an appearance running Tizen 2.1
Samsung's relationship with Google seems solid enough for now, but the company is still hedging its bets with Tizen should things turn sour. Several devices running the alternative Linux-based OS are due to launch this year, and the GT-i8800 looks like it might be one of them. If this image from Tizen Greek Community is to be believed, then what you're looking at above is codenamed "Redwood". The phone runs Tizen 2.1 (an update on the version we last played with), packs S-Voice and sounds a lot like the the GT-i8805 we found out about yesterday. With over 900 million Android devices now in the wild, Samsung will not have an easy time trying to peddle its new OS, but we're curious to see where this goes. Click the source for more shots of the phone in action.
Samsung web profile shows GT-i8805 sporting Tizen and mid-tier specs
Samsung committed to launching Tizen devices almost as soon as 2013 began, but there has been little to show for its promise outside of a developer phone. To our relief, there are signs of sustained interest in the project: Techtastic has spotted a Samsung user agent profile for the Tizen-toting GT-i8805. The web code suggests that the company is playing it safe with its first wave of hardware for the OS, however. While the i8805 appears to support LTE, mentions of a 720p display and an older ARM Cortex-A9 chip probably won't have technofreaks regretting their Galaxy S 4 purchase. Even so, the sighting should give hope to those who've been waiting months on end for Bada's spiritual successor.
Mobile Miscellany: week of April 15th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought a possible arrival date of the Lumia 521 to T-Mobile, our best look yet at the Lumia 928 for Verizon and news of a new Android compatibility option for Tizen. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of April 15th, 2013.
The Daily Roundup for 02.26.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Hands-on with Tizen 2.0 on Samsung's developer handset (video)
Shuffle along, shuffle along, because this couch is about to get crowded. Alongside the big four, we now have Ubuntu, Firefox OS and the latest version of Tizen all elbowing each other for room. Tizen has one particularly strong backer, Samsung, who built the reference device we play with in the video after the break, and whereas Firefox OS is destined only for the low-end, Tizen seems far more ambitious -- at least judging from the 720p resolution of this developer handset. Since the introduction of version 2.0, the OS is designed to run both native and HTML5 apps, or apps which mix the two layers -- such as the Vimeo app you'll see in the video, which has a web-based interface but accesses the hardware for the purpose of video acceleration. Huge swathes of the interface are remarkable only by their familiarity: a home screen with a grid of apps; a single navigation button to take you back to this screen or alternatively to a multi-tasking screen by way of a long press; and a top-to-bottom pull-down for notifications and quick access to settings. It's basic, but it represents pretty much what all these new operating systems are supposed to be: ways of getting functionality that is at least close to Android but without all the licensing costs associated with running Google services. Beyond that, however, Tizen at least seems capable of delivering smartphone fundamentals like a fast camera (with burst mode, incidentally). Tizen's mostly likely rival will be Ubuntu, at least once that other Linux-based OS progresses beyond entry-level phones at some point in 2014. From the sound of it though, Tizen is about to beat it to the punch.
France Telecom-Orange will release Tizen 2.0 devices from Samsung this year, maybe Huawei too (updated)
Tizen's holding a posh little shindig here at Mobile World Congress to officially launch the Tizen 2.0 OS, which was recently released to developers (but not on phones you can actually buy). In addition to showcasing the operating system, which we just got hands-on with, the company announced a bit of news: France Telecom-Orange will sell Tizen 2.0 handsets this year, with devices from Samsung and possibly Huawei. Unfortunately, we don't have any more specifics to share, but we have to say, that was fast! The folks at Tizen don't play, do they? Update: While France Telecom-Orange has confirmed it will carry a Samsung device running Tizen 2.0, it has not confirmed it will sell a Huawei-made Tizen phone; the carrier has only said it is considering adding a Huawei Tizen device to its lineup.
Bada to be retired, will see its best features absorbed by Tizen
It's been over a year since rumors and statements suggested Samsung's Bada OS was due to be terminated, but that some form of it would live on within the open-source Tizen OS. Now, Samsung exec Won-Pyo Hong has confirmed as such with Korean news agency Yonhap. Rather than a complete fusion of the two, Tizen will select only the best qualities of the featurephone-friendly Bada for assimilation. Samsung's Tizen 2.0-based handsets arriving in 2013 will put the final nail in Bada's coffin, but out of respect for its fallen comrade, Tizen will obligingly run apps designed for the retired OS. Like some kind of mobile software Highlander, Tizen is now drawing power from several perished peers, and has even set its sights on the mighty Android. There can be only one.
Tizen 2.0 SDK and source code emerge from alpha, bring slew of new features
Sure, an early version of Tizen 2.0 Magnolia may have first emerged last September, but now the SDK and source code have dropped the "alpha" designation for a proper release. After a few months of incubation, the open source OS has been laden with enhanced support for HTML5 and a beefed up Web UI framework that enables full-screen and multi-window features. Developers can now leverage new hardware APIs for Bluetooth and NFC support, and access a device's call history, calendar and messaging "subsystems." Support for background applications, text-to-speech and IP Push have also made it into the operating system along with reference applications including the likes of a calendar, gallery and phone app. In addition, a native IDE and a spruced up web development environment have been released with the latest code. Hit the source link for the full skinny and appropriate downloads. [Image credit: Tizen Project, Flickr]
Samsung confirms multiple Tizen phone launches in 2013
Talk of Samsung building a Tizen phone for non-developers has existed almost since the platform got started, but the company was silent on any definitive plans throughout 2012. It's speaking up this year: Samsung has confirmed to Bloomberg BusinessWeek that there's multiple "competitive" Tizen devices in the pipeline for 2013. While the firm unsurprisingly won't say what's involved, it's willing to say that the lineup will grow "depending on market conditions" -- in other words, it's watching early sales like a hawk. Does this mean a Galaxy S III with Tizen? A refined version of the developer device we saw last spring? At this stage, it might not matter when just having a major smartphone maker onboard is big news for a fledgling platform.
