Ina Fried

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Another OS Bites the Dust: Samsung to Fold Bada Into Smartphone Linux Project

If you guessed that 2012 would be the year of further consolidation in the smartphone operating system market, you are already a winner.

Samsung apparently plans to merge its homegrown bada software with Tizen, which is itself the merger of multiple mobile Linux projects. An executive of the Korean electronics giant mentioned the move in an interview with Forbes last week, and on Monday confirmed the plans to Reuters.

The move means that apps written for bada (which is Korean for “ocean”) should run on Tizen, assuming that operating system finds its way onto devices. Tizen is a successor to MeeGo, an effort that was backed by both Intel and Nokia, until Nokia revamped its plans to focus on Windows Phone.

The timing for when the merger should be complete was not immediately clear, though Samsung told Forbes that the effort is already under way.

Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Samsung was working on a plan to open-source the operating system.

Though not sold on phones in the U.S., bada has gained some ground in other countries.

Update: Samsung tells AllThingsD that it is considering merging bada into Tizen, but that a final decision has not been reached.

“Samsung and other members of Tizen Association have not made a firm decision regarding the merge of bada and Tizen,” Samsung said in a statement. “We are carefully looking at it as an option to make the platforms serve better for customers. As Samsung’s essential part of multi-platform portfolio, bada will continue to play an important role in democratizing smartphone experience in all markets. Samsung will also support open source based development and continue to work together with other industry stakeholders.”

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