Samsung will soon take its frenemy relationship with Google and Android to the next level. The company reportedly plans to launch its first Tizen smartphone early next year and while its efforts with this new platform will initially be local to the Far East, Samsung undoubtedly hopes it will grow into something more — and reinforcements will definitely help. Headed by both Samsung and Intel, the Tizen Association announced this week that it has added 36 new partners from “all segments of the mobile and connected device ecosystems” to help bolster the platform moving forward. New additions to the Tizen camp include eBay, Konami, McAfee, Panasonic, Sharp and TrendMicro, and the Association’s full press release follows below.
TIZEN ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES PARTNER PROGRAM WITH 36 NEW MEMBERS AIMED AT ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE TIZEN OPERATING SYSTEM
Companies from All Segments of the Mobile and Connected Device Ecosystems Become Tizen Association Partners to Collaborate on the Ongoing Development of the Tizen Project and Platform
Seoul, Korea-November 11, 2013 – Today the Tizen Association announced the launch of a partner program aimed at broadening support of the Tizen Platform across a more diverse set of connected device manufacturers, operators, application developers and independent software vendors (ISVs). The Tizen Association is an industry consortium that supports the development of an open source software platform and operating system – Tizen. Tizen supports a wide range of connected devices. The program launched today at the Tizen Developer Summit in Seoul, Korea with 36 new members. Each of the new members has the potential to join relevant Tizen Association Working Groups and to participate in Tizen Association meetings, giving them more insight and potential input into the development of the Tizen Operating System (OS).
“The Tizen OS is attracting support from all segments of the connected device ecosystem, with manufacturers, operators, developers and ISVs joining to add their voice and expertise to the development of this open and collaborative platform,” said Ryoichi Sugimura, a Tizen Association Board Member from NTT DOCOMO. “One of the biggest benefits of Tizen to partners is the absence of application or feature mandates, allowing the OS to be customized based on what it is best for the end customer. This allows operators and some device manufacturers to select the provider of features and services that makes the most sense given the type of device, the location of the customer and the most popular use cases for that device. By democratizing this portion of the product development, Tizen is driving increased innovation and competition in the industry.”
The 36 new members, alphabetically, are:
- 11 Bit Studios
- ACCESS
- appbackr
- AppCarousel
- ArtSpark Holdings
- Celsys Inc.
- Citymaps
- Crucial Tec
- eBay
- F@N Communications
- Goo Technologies
- HERE, a Nokia business
- HI Corporation
- Igalia S.L.
- KeyPoint Technologies
- KONAMI
- Konantech
- McAfee
- Mobica
- Monotype Imaging Inc.
- Mutecsoft
- Neos Corporation
- NTT Data MSE
- Open Mobile
- Panasonic
- PCPhase
- Quixey
- Reaktor Fusion
- Sharp
- Symphony Teleca
- Systena
- The Weather Channel
- Tieto
- TrendMicro
- TuneIn Radio
- YoYo Games
“The Tizen OS promises to be the most open and comprehensive software platform available for those companies wishing to target the consumers of connected devices,” said Trevor Cornwell, Founder and CEO, appbackr inc., a Tizen Association Partner. “The Association’s commitment to support HTML5 applications, combined with their vision that extends beyond the smartphone and tablet ecosystem to a wider array of other connected device segments, makes it attractive to all types of companies. We look forward to collaborating with the Tizen Association to ensure that all stakeholders can contribute to the development of a platform for this growing market opportunity.”
Other companies interested in joining the Tizen Association Partner Program can visit http://www.tizenassociation.org. New partners are approved on a rolling basis and the Association welcomes all applications.
