There’s another mobile operating system to add to the mix that includes Windows Mobile, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, Palm’s webOS, Apple’s iPhone, Symbian and Google’s Android. On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics announced the launch of its own open mobile platform, called bada.

The Korean company said the new OS “enables developers to create applications for millions” of Samsung phones, providing a “rich smartphone experience to a wider range of consumers across the world.”

Limitless Variety

Samsung said it chose the name bada, which means ocean in Korean, to “convey the limitless variety of potential applications which can be created using the new platform.”

The company said the new OS will be an open platform, which presumably refers to the open software development kit and the ability of developers to create applications for devices running on bada. Third-party applications are becoming an increasingly urgent factor in purchasing decisions, with online markets for thousands of applications for phones using operating systems from Apple, Microsoft, Palm, Android and others.

Samsung emphasized that its new platform will be “simple” for developers to build on, including a “groundbreaking” user interface. The company additionally said the platform will be easy to integrate so wireless operators can offer “unique and differentiated services” to customers.

In addition to bada, Samsung said its mobile application ecosystem includes the Mobile Innovator program, which gives developers access to the company’s Virtual Device Lab, the Application Seller Site, and the Application Store.

‘Betting on Every Horse’

Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said it isn’t clear yet precisely what bada will offer. That didn’t stop him, however, from relaying an associate’s observation that there might be a very catchy, Soprano-esque grade name whether bada is someday merged with Microsoft’s Bing search engine.

Nonetheless, he noted that “Samsung has realized that the market has shifted from hardware differentiation…

[Source] dhiram