Report: Tizen flavored handsets from Samsung and DoCoMo to launch in 2013

Japanese mobile operator DoCoMo is the largest carrier in the country, but is also the lone major Japanese carrier to not offer the Apple iPhone. In hopes of cutting into the 90% market share that iOS and Android enjoy in Japan, DoCoMo has teamed up with Korean manufacturer Samsung to develop open source OS Tizen. The plan is to offer Tizen flavored smartphones by next year.

Earlier this year, there was speculation that Samsung would produce the first Tizen powered handset by this coming Febraury. That would fit perfectly with current talk that Sammy will have a Tizen based model on display during February's MWC 2013 in Barcelona. The rumor has Samsung releasing its first Tizen phone world-wide at the same time.

Some see a bigger commitment to the platform by Samsung as making sense since Google is competing with Samsung by helping to produce the current Nexus smartphone and by working on the new "X" phone with wholly owned Motorola Mobility. Tizen, which is based on Linux, was originally developed by Samsung, with help from Intel, to replace MeeGo. The Nokia-Intel OS was shut down in September 2011.

Last January, renderings appeared of a Tizen powered Samsung device, the GT-i9500. Recently, that model number, along with the GT-i9505, leaked in conjunction with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV.

source: TheNextWeb via TechCrunch

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