FollowSamsung and Intel are offering cash prizes of over $4 million for developers for developing apps for the growing Tizen mobile operating system. The contest that has been started by Samsung and Intel for developing apps for Tizen is OS is called Tizen App Challenge.
The contest was launched on 9th July and it will end on the 1st of November. Intel and Samsung wishes to give away prizes to over 50 app developers. The news of the contest has come after Samsung’s recent announcement that they are planning to delay the release of Tizen powered smartphones. A popular Russian blogger had even gone to the extent of saying the Tizen OS is completely dead. Intel reacted by saying that the company is very much committed in releasing the Tizen OS.
Tizen is a Linux based open-source mobile platform OS that is developed by both Samsung and Intel. Intel claims that the Tizen will slot itself uniquely in the competitive world of mobile operating systems like Android, iOS, and Windows Phone OS. The new operating system is expected to be flexible that will let developers create and run on multiple devices.
Thanks to the Tizen Association, it is received good support from the mobile industry. The developers are also working on building an intuitive online store. The nascent OS has also received support from companies like Sprint, Docomo, Orange and Huawei.
Most of the Samsung devices are running on Google’s Android OS. The development of the new Tizen OS means that forthcoming smartphones and tablets may feature the Tizen OS and the company may slowly reduce its reliance on Android. Intel also benefits through the OS as it lets them venture into the mobile device world. Currently, the PC market is falling down and the only way Intel can expand its reach is by producing Intel powered devices running on Tizen OS.
Tizen OS will not only be used on smartphones and tablets but also on other devices like cars, smart TVs and other systems. However, the major hurdle that lies in the path of Tizen is that the market is hugely controlled by Android and Apple iOS. The remaining market is taken over by Windows Phone OS and BlackBerry OS. Even Linux based Firefox OS for mobile platforms as stepped into competition.
Intel was working with Nokia to develop MeeGo operating system. However, Nokia did not focus much on it but rather preferred to concentrate heavily on Windows. So, Intel decided to work on Tizen. The reason why Android and iOS is successful is that they have huge marketplace to get free and paid apps. So, having an app ecosystem is very important for the success of any mobile operating system. This is the reason why Intel and Samsung have started that Tizen App Challenge contest.
Interested developers can register multiple apps from July 9th to Nov 1st. The Games category which houses sub-categories like action, arcade, sports, trivia, puzzle and many more will receive highest rewards. The best Tizen app will receive $200,000. The second place will consist of two winners fetching $100,000 each. The third place will consist of three winners each winning $40,000.
The Tizen App Challenge also has non-game categories like education, music, sports, finance and so on. The first prize winner will get $120,000. The second prize will have two winners each getting $60,000. The third prize will have three winners, each getting $30,000. Also, the best ten HTML5 apps will be rewarded with $50,000 each. The judging will be done from 4th of Nov to 25th of Nov. The winners will be announced in December.
