Samsung to offer open Android alternative

Taking on Google may seem a tall order to some, but it's one that Samsung clearly isn’t afraid of. The manufacturer has launched its own open mobile platform, Bada, as an alternative to Android.

The platform only allows developers to write applications for Samsung handsets, the firm said, yet is apparently "simple to use" and "developer-friendly". Coders will be able to create "a rich smartphone experience".

Pictures of the OS in action are still under wraps, so it's impossible to verify Samsung’s claim that Bada - it means 'ocean' in Korean, says Samsung – has a “ground-breaking UI”.

It’s also unclear when the first Bada-clad Samsung smartphone will be launched, but the firm has promised that the OS will provide users “a fun and diverse mobile experience”.

A dedicated Bada website has already been created - it's an "invitation to adventure", it says here.

A Bada developer conference will kick off in Blighty next month, so we'll have to wait until December to find out what application developers really think of Samsung’s assault on Android. ®