The world is still waiting with bated breath for the first Tizen-based phones to appear, but Samsung is already planning the next step in that particularly quiet revolution.
Samsung Co-CEO Boo-Keun Yoon told the German publication Die Welt (via CNET) that televisions tuning in on Tizen could debut as soon as 2014.
"Tizen is going to be used on some of our smartphones just like on our TVs and on home appliances," Yoon, who's also head of Samsung's consumer electronics business, said.
"This way we create an ecosystem in which we are able to connect all Samsung devices," he continued.
So that means…
If Samsung's goal is to connect all its devices through Tizen, does that mean the Korean company's days using Android really are numbered?
Samsung already relies on its own software for its smart TVs, so a switch to Tizen there is more plausible than a complete transition away from Android on mobiles.
Almost all of Samsung's mobile business has been built on Android, and a full switch to Tizen on that front might not go so smoothly.
Considering the success that Samsung has seen with Android handsets like the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines it seems it would be counterproductive at this point to start completely from scratch with a new OS, but Samsung has made it clear that it's committed to Tizen.
Tea with Tizen
One of the most recent developments in the saga of Tizen came when Samsung delayed the release of the first Tizen smartphone until the fourth quarter of this year.
Now we're expecting the first Tizen phone to drop in time for the holidays, whereas before it was expected no later than September.
The new mobile OS, spearheaded by Samsung and Intel, may also appear at Samsung's developer conference in October.
The companies behind Tizen no doubt want to break free from reliance on Google, but will the cost be worth it? With iOS and Android so well entrenched, will smartphone, and TV, customers be willing to give an unknown a try?
