When you talk about smartphones, there are very few names to discuss with Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and iOS leading the list. However, time and again we find some new operating systems being developed. Some become popular aka Cyanogen mod, some just don’t reach the glory like Palm OS but efforts go on. Today, we are going to talk about the Tizen Operating system which came to limelight in around 2013 when Samsung invested in it. Samsung has also merged its operating system BADA with Tizen OS.

Tizen is an open-source Linux-based operating system developed to work on a range of devices. No matter what the device, Tizen was built to work on it. Tizen is to service many sectors like Tizen IVI (in-vehicle infotainment), Tizen Mobile, Tizen TV, and Tizen Wearables.

Key Features

Compatibility with other platforms: Tizen apps need very little change to run on other platforms too. Thus, you can develop a Tizen app and with a little change in code, you can make it work for Android or iOS. Hey, developers out there, are you listening!!

Open source: It’s open source. So, whoever wants to use it can make changes that suit them.

HTML5 based: This feature especially is helpful in building designs that are wonderful to look at, have transitions that are smooth as silk and give an overall wonderful web browsing experience. HTML5 has many features that make creating beautiful designs easy. And it has many other features that required additional plugins in older HTML.

A wide range of devices: Tizen was developed to work in the entire device ecosystem. It works not just for mobiles and tablets but also for in-vehicle infotainment, smart TVs, cameras, printers, smart home appliances, and whatnot.

Floating browsers: Tizen provides a multi-window feature. Tizen apps can either be in full window or minimized window. Split view for an app is also available.

That familiar user interface: The user interface of Tizen OS is somewhat similar to the Android UX. And that is a good thing. Because we don’t like changes. If we get what we are already used to, then transition to the new thing is easy and less bothering.

The easily available Tizen apps: Samsung is making quite sure that there are enough Tizen apps available to avoid it being a debacle because of a lack of apps. It launches incentives, encourages developers and supports Tizen app development in many ways. And it’s working. You can find all the major apps and many famous games like Whatsapp, Facebook, MX Player, Temple Run, Cut the Rope, Opera Mini and many more, on Tizen Store.

Tizen for developers

Everything that you need to learn a new technology is available for Tizen. Whether it be the development software or support from community or code snippets, Tizen Developers has it all. Tizen Studio provides you with an IDE and emulator and other relevant documentation. You can download it here.

You can also contribute to Tizen. The entire source code is available for you. Develop what you feel is lacking and contribute to something that can be the next big thing. Download the source code for Tizen here.

The Tizen Store

When you visit the Tizen Store, you will be greeted with a beautiful website that grabs immediate attention. There are various options like top apps and best games, editor’s picks, etc. Support and inquiry are also provided by the Tizen Store. Though the number of apps is nothing when compared to Android, it’s just the beginning of a new era.

Huge efforts are being made towards making Tizen OS a big success. Let’s see how far this OS reaches. And how much does Android and other leading smartphone OS have to worry about?