Samsung had unofficially announced that they were back in the OS-making game with the release of their budget handset, the Z4, which ran the Tizen OS, that Samsung is proud of. Recently the company officially unveiled a new update for the OS that is commonly used also for the company’s many appliances like TVs and IoT devices. The Tizen 4.0 is here, and it is going to give Android a run for its money, well not yet, but soon enough.
The company is determined to match Android’s eco-system with its own, by releasing many IoT devices compatible with Tizen OS. Samsung will aim on expanding its open-source software as it took the floor with Tizen at the focus in this year’s Tizen Developer’s Conference in San Francisco held recently. Samsung revealed that the Tizen OS is the most successful Linux-based embedded OS in the world. This fact majorly owes towards Samsung’s Smart TV applications and its presence in IoT.
Tizen will not only be covering smartphone OSes and TVs, but will also be a part of low-specification applications like bulbs, thermostats and so on, through the OS’s feature – Tizen Real Time. Samsung is collaborating with Microsoft to develop tools to allow for developers to create Tizen apps. This means that using Visual Studio, developers can create unique applications for the platform, which has been seeing a drought of late. This move will allow for Samsung to have a more connected eco-system that can control not only appliances like the TV and IoT but also various other home functions.
Samsung has also announced new modules for Tizen-based functions such as the ARTIK 053. The chip is the first Tizen RT OS module that can be embedded in low-specification devices like bulbs and thermostats, scales and other IoT devices. The ARTIK 053 claims to be lightweight, affordable and is capable of real-time processing as well as advanced performance and security. The chip will be a part of the next generation of Tizen-powered products, especially in home appliances, healthcare devices as well as industrial automation. Samsung is not stopping there, however, as the company will be partnering with numerous chip-makers across the world, in order to create more advanced and functional modules for different uses.
The main changes made to the Tizen OS update, has mainly to do with developer support than customer interfacing. The OS will offer an environment that can be tweaked to match different kinds of smart devices. At this rate, Google and Amazon should be worried.
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