Samsung Electronics Co. announced on Monday that it is delaying the launch of the Samsung Z in Russia due to a shortage of apps for the emerging platform.
The South Korean smartphone maker developed the device, its first Tizen smartphone, in a move to become less dependent on Google's Android OS. Tizen is a Linux-based OS compatible with smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, laptops and smart cameras. Samsung worked with other technology companies, including Intel, for its development. Current products running on this OS include the NX300M smart camera and Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch. The company also planned to develop other products using the OS, such as televisions, refrigerators and car dashboards.
The Russian debut was set during the third quarter of this year. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company decided to postpone the launch to "further enhance [the] Tizen ecosystem."
The Samsung Z smartphone features a 4.8-inch screen display, a fingerprint sensor and a battery saving mode that will keep the phone operational even on low-battery life. Images of the OS showed that the interface seemed similar to that of Android, save a few details. The smartphone to be released in Russia will come equipped with search engine Yandex instead of Google.
Samsung attempted to promote the new software to developers through contests and by offering direct subsidies. But Tizen encountered challenges after Japanese carrier DoCoMo and France's Orange backed out of the project. Other developers were also disappointed in the delay, leaving Tizen uncertain of its future.
"The smartphone will appear on the Russian market later, when we can offer our users a fullest portfolio of applications," Samsung said in a statement during the developers' conference in Moscow.
Samsung did not provide a new time frame, but Moscow-based analyst Eldar Murtazin told Wall Street Journal that his sources said the Samsung Z will not be released this year.
