Tizen 2.0 Magnolia – Is It The Android Killer?

During the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, ​​Tizen finally gets rid of the “alpha“ denomination that it had been carrying since November 2012. Development kit and source code of the operating system are indeed available for download, which will no doubt be to the delight of mobile developers everywhere.

Tizen is an open source, standards-based software platform supported by leading mobile operators, device manufacturers, and silicon suppliers for multiple device categories such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, in-vehicle infotainment devices, and smart TVs. Tizen offers an innovative operating system, applications, and a user experience that consumers can take from device to device.

The particularity of this mobile operating system, is its openness like other platforms. Indeed, Tizen provides three types of applications, EFL native applications , web applications (without browser), and Android. Development is directed by Intel and Samsung, and financed by the Tizen Association which is in turn part of the Linux Foundation.

Tizen 2.0 Released

Tizen 2.0 has many additions that make it a little bit different from other mobile OS’s like Android. For example, an environment using the latest HTML5 API, with improved web UI and the optimization of the multi-windowed and full screen displays. It also adds improvements to bluetooth and NFC communication systems which enables Tizen devices to interact with each other extremely well.

Tizen Magnolia includes more key applications such as calendar, photo gallery, settings, video player, and a wizard for creating projects or background application support and call/messaging logs. Also announced are new components which add features such as IP Push or Text-to-Speech. You can download the SDK to start developing your applications.

The best still to come

Apparently, the community around this new mobile OS has a grudge against the tenors of the sector. In fact, a new version (2.1) is announced in the second quarter of 2013. It will include many bugs fixes and will bring a new graphical look, as well as new features such as the multiple profiles, applications installation service (AppStore), performance optimizations and security enhancements.

Smartphones have been announced for the MWC, from Samsung, and Huawei. And if you are interested in adventure, a Developer Conference will be held at the Hilton Union Square  in San Francisco, between May 22 and 24 this year.

Are you considering replacing your Android device for a Tizen? Or maybe an Ubuntu Phone OS device? Well us your thoughts in the comments section…