A new mobile OS system has launched, backed by $4 million in prizes for developers creating apps on the platform - and includes a category for travel.
Supported by Intel and Samsung, the platform is in the nascent stages as a legitimate competitor to Android and iOS.
One of the most difficult areas for new mobile platforms is the app ecosystem - mobile users just will not switch or be interested in a device that doesn't have a robust spectrum of downloadable apps.
And without a significant user base, developers are much less interested in devoting resources to creating for that platform - fewer users equates to less profit.
In order to make the ecosystem more appealing to both users and developers, the contest aims to reward developers for their creations.
Tizen has opened up the platform via a new SDK that gives access to APIs and various other features of the platform.
The Tizen Association has also placed their full faith in HTML5, which not only offers developers a vivid feature set but also makes it much easier to port apps from HTML5 platforms – and thus allow more efficient use of resources.
Placing HTML5 at the core of the OS should also lead to some very engaging travel apps on the platform, allowing developers to provide in-depth functionality that could potentially push the boundaries on the mobile travel experience in advance of iOS7 in the fall.
Samsung and Intel both have a clear interest in developing and supporting a new mobile operating system.
Intel will benefit from chip sales customized for a new platform, and Samsung will be able to add a mobile platform to their portfolio, allowing them to do something that neither Apple nor Google has accomplished: full ownership of the user's content consumption lifecycle, from their smartphone to their TV.
Such an integration across home and mobile devices could also lead to the much-discussed omnichannel reality of cross-platform targeting, advertising, and integrated UX.
It's not a far stretch to imagine the depth of Smart TV/Tizen integrations down the line, should the company succeed in creating their own alternative to the mobile operating systems de jour: the ability to easily jump back and forth between home and mobile browsing, use of mobile as a remote, use of mobile to explore an on-TV product/place/experience, the ability to purchase anything quickly with a saved credit card...the possibilities are lucrative and exciting.
Developers can submit apps at Tizen for the $4 million consideration until November 2013.