Bada: An ocean of opportunity

Samsung does not consider the Android taboo. The Korean company has also experimented with Symbian and Windows on some of its phones. But it seems the company thought it was time it had an operating system of its own for good measure. Hence, the bada — meaning “ocean” in Korean — Samsung’s “driving force in accomplishing its vision of a smartphone for everyone”.

The Samsung Wave runs on the bada.

“The bada has a specific role. It is not for competing with other platforms, but for providing the value of smartphone to more customers. This means that, unlike other platforms that typically require high specification of hardware, bada is positioned to be adopted for a wide range of devices, from high-end to mass market models that can be affordable even for students. Based on our accumulated expertise in developing advanced mobile phones, the company will enable users to enjoy ultimate smartphone experience through their superb features,” explains Ruchika Batra, General Manager, Samsung South West Asia. 
So what is unique about the bada? Well, the first thing has to be the user-interface, based on Samsung’s signature TouchWiz UI. The new platform provides an easy, simple, and intuitive UI without compromising on efficiency. To enhance creativity and user interactivity, Samsung bada provides flash control, web control, motion sensing, fine-tuned vibration control, and face detection. It also supports sensor-based, context-aware applications. By using accelerometers, tilt, weather, proximity, and activity sensors, application developers can easily implement context-aware interactive applications.
Then, the bada supports various service-centric features such as social networking, device synchronisation, content management, location-based services, and commerce services – all supported by back-end servers. “These ground-breaking developer-friendly features support developers to implement various services with minimal effort,” adds Batra.
The OS also enables developers to take full advantage of mobile device capabilities to create applications. “The applications can use device functions to make phone calls, send messages, or access the contact list. Also, various service applications can share information such as personal profiles, social relations, schedules, or contents with a simple user confirmation to provide services with greater personal relevance,” says Batra.
The Samsung Wave, launched in June, is the first phone to feature the bada. “We have received an overwhelming response for Wave and intend to widen our bada range in India. A couple of new smartphones based on the platform will be launched over the next few months.”