Samsung is planning to open source its own mobile operating system, Bada, for other hardware manufacturers to use next year, according to a report. Citing "a person familiar with the situation", the Wall Street Journal says that Samsung also has no plans to buy a software company. It had been suggested that Samsung would buy HP's WebOS or invest in MeeGo, which the company had denied. Samsung recently presented version 2.0 of Bada.

The open sourcing of Bada is designed, it is reported, to attract more developers to the platform. Another reported reason is that the move is a reaction to the takeover by Google of Motorola Mobility, producers of Android phones and other devices; it is believed that Samsung would aim to counterbalance the threat of Google preferring to work with Motorola.

Samsung spokespeople have neither confirmed or denied the report.

(djwm)