Samsung announces Bada OS for smartphones

Samsung has unveiled its Bada smartphone platform in the UK, showing off the Bada SDK to journalists in London today.

Bada is, according to Samsung, a vision of a "smartphone for everyone," which really means that it's a feature-rich platform that the company hopes consumers will want to get their paws on.

The user interface of Bada is based on Samsung's signature TouchWiz UI, and the OS itself features some nice little touches like Flash compatibility, motion sensing, vibration control and face detection.

Making sense

Samsung is hoping developers will bring some brand-new sensor-based, context-aware applications to Bada that make use of the system's intuitive features.

As it's open platform, Samsung is hoping that app developers have a field day with Bada and create apps that make use of device functions to make phone calls, send messages, or access the contact list.

Alongside this, expect a load of social-networking features to launch with the platform.

"In creating Samsung Bada, I believe that Samsung will become a true leader in the mobile industry; offering a wider range of smartphone choices for consumers," explained Dr Hosoo Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics.

"At the same time, Samsung bada presents a powerful opportunity for developers to get their applications onto an unprecedented number of Samsung devices across the world."

Games and movies

A number of games manufacturers have announced they are to develop games for the Bada, including Gameloft, Capcom and EA Mobile. And there's likely to be a movie-related outlet too adding to the Bada fun, with Blockbuster signing up to the service.

Samsung has certainly talked up the platform, but has Bada got enough clout to tempt people away from the lure of Google Android? We'll be taking to the folks at Samsung shortly to find out more.