Posted this in Off Topic as there isn't a forum for Tizen (yet).

Hot on the heels on the news of the Ubuntu Phone (which isn't due until sometime in 2014), Samsung are announcing they're now ready to start releasing phones based on the Tizen OS in the first quarter of this year. This is, they say to reduce their reliance on Android. I have no doubt it's also to reduce their patent liability.

Apparently flagship products (i.e. the Galaxy line) are staying on Android and there hasn't been any word indicating this is likely to change in the mear future, but if we see a slow down in the updates for various models, or a seeming lack of updates for the Note II, I guess we can assume the writing's on the wall. I'd say this spells the end for Bada.

Google must be a little unhappy about this, given the amount of units that Samsung ship and the clout they have in the mobile market. Also, with the Vodafone Group on board with Tizen (EDIT: and Sprint), there's already a large market to ship Tizen into with minimal effort.

Samsung's new phones will be sporting Intel chipsets and will be initially released in Japan. Pundits are saying they'll be low end phones to start with - this will no doubt help with market penetration.

What are your thoughts?