One of the first people that we saw at Samsung’s Unpacked event last night was their mobile chief, JK Shin. After giving us the first official look of the Galaxy S4, Shin left the event up to their paid performers, but the Wall Street Journal caught him for an interview afterwards and grilled him on all sorts of things. When asked about their growing Android dominance and Google, Shin said, “ We like Android and we plan to continue our good relations with Google. I don’t think it’s correct to say that there’s friction.” 

With Samsung growing so huge in the Android market, many speculated that Google might be worried if they had intentions on possibly leaving. With these new words, Shin somewhat reassures us that leaving is not currently their intention. When asked if their many legal struggles changed how Samsung designed their phones, Shin mentioned Air Gesture and that their engineers worked to “develop unique features internally.”

The WSJ also asked Samsung the question we were all thinking – why develop a phone with Tizen as an OS when you have Android? Shin replied that it’s always been Samsung’s plan to work with multiple software companies, saying, “There are different needs from our customers and the market for third-party OS.”

All in all, I think it’s safe to say we don’t have to worry too much about Samsung going anywhere. They seem pretty invested in this OS.

Via: WSJ

Samsung’s JK Shin Says There is No Friction Between Samsung and Google is a post from: Droid Life

Attendees of MWC are getting another close look at Tizen, a new mobile operating system that Samsung has taken an extreme liking to. So much in fact that the reference device for Tizen was made by Samsung, sporting their iconic home button while looking much like last year’s flagship, the Galaxy S3. 

The interface is extremely straight forward so far. With no app drawer, each installed app sits on your homescreen, much like you would see on Apple’s iOS devices. This is a preview of the OS, so no confirmation whether it will continue to look like this once further development takes place. The OS is designed to run both native and HTML5 applications, which is good news for developers that would look to jump onboard upon release.

On a side note, you might recall yesterday our story on Google’s thoughts towards Samsung and their increasing marketshare. With Samsung helping Tizen get off its feet, folks had better keep an eye on this relationship. And in regards to this OS, boy does it look boring. Circular icons are neat, but nothing here stands out as anything that would make me do the switch-a-roo.

Thoughts?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via: CNET | Engadget

Upcoming Tizen OS Previewed at MWC, Samsung is a Huge Backer is a post from: Droid Life