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Bada (operating system)

From Alfawiki
Bada
Company typeMobile operating system
IndustryMobile software
Founded2010
FounderSamsung Electronics
Defunct2013
FateDiscontinued, merged into Tizen OS
SuccessorTizen
Headquarters
Suwon
,
South Korea
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsMobile operating system for smartphones and tablets
OwnerSamsung Electronics
ParentSamsung Electronics

Overview

Bada (stylized as bada; in Korean: 바다) represents a now-discontinued mobile operating system created by Samsung Electronics for use on devices ranging from mid-tier to high-end smartphones[1] as well as tablet computers. The term "Bada" originates from the Korean word "바다," which translates to "ocean" or "sea." Devices running this OS were marketed under the Wave brand, distinguishing them from Samsung’s Android lineup, which carries the Galaxy name.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]

Bada’s architecture was built upon either the Mentor Graphics' Nucleus RTOS kernel[2] or the Linux kernel. Initially, there were plans for Bada to evolve into middleware separated from the core operating system kernel, though these efforts were eventually halted. To encourage wider adoption, Samsung reportedly contemplated releasing Bada’s source code under an open-source license and broadening its compatibility to include Smart TV platforms.[3]

In June 2012, Samsung declared its plan to integrate Bada into the Tizen operating system project,[4][5] while continuing to utilize it alongside Google's Android OS and Microsoft's Windows Phone on its smartphone range. By February 25, 2013, Samsung announced the discontinuation of Bada development, redirecting efforts toward Tizen instead.[6][7] Support for bug reporting ceased in April 2014.[8]

History

File:Mer and mobile operating systems.svg
Bada and the mobile software distributions related to it

Following the introduction of Bada, the Wave S8500 became the inaugural device running this operating system. It was publicly unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2010 held in Barcelona in February 2010. Alongside the platform itself, several applications designed for Bada were demonstrated, including mobile games like Asphalt 5 developed by Gameloft. The Wave S8500 officially launched in May of the same year and achieved sales of one million units within its initial four weeks on the market.

Samsung reported that prominent companies such as Twitter, EA, Capcom, Gameloft, and Blockbuster expressed their backing for the Bada ecosystem by establishing development collaborations with Samsung prior to its release. These partnerships also highlighted their perspectives on the future of mobile applications and Bada’s role therein. This support was showcased during a global series of events throughout 2010 known as Developer Days. Additionally, during the launch event, Samsung announced an upcoming Bada Developer Challenge offering a total prize pool of $2,700,000 (USD).

In May 2010, Samsung made a beta version of their Bada software development kit (SDK) accessible to the public, following an earlier release to partners in December of the previous year, aiming to attract developers interested in creating applications for the platform. By August 2010, Samsung launched version 1.0 of the Bada SDK, followed by version 2.0 in August 2011.

Versions

The Samsung S8500 Wave debuted running Bada OS version 1.0. Shortly after, Samsung issued update 1.0.2, which addressed minor issues primarily affecting users in Europe.[9] Version 1.2 accompanied the launch of the Samsung S8530 Wave II model.[10] On February 15, 2011, an alpha release of Bada 2.0 was made available alongside the Samsung S8530 Wave II device.

The last flagship smartphone to operate on Bada was the Samsung Wave III S8600, equipped with Bada 2.0.

Bada 2.0

Unveiled at IFA 2011 in Berlin, Bada 2.0 became publicly available by late December 2011, delivering a range of enhancements and new capabilities beyond version 1.2. Key additions included:

  • Complete HTML5 integration
  • Support for WAC 2.0
  • True multitasking functionality
  • WiFi-Direct connectivity
  • Adobe Flash Lite 4 (a mobile Flash Player supporting ActionScript 3.0 from Adobe Flash versions 10 and 11)
  • Dolfin Browser 3.0 featuring a download manager
  • Dynamic smart-wallpapers
  • Text-to-speech capability
  • Voice recognition technology
  • Vocal command system powered by Vlingo
  • Push notification support
  • NFC (near-field communication) technology
  • Enhanced security policies and protection mechanisms
  • Upgraded camera management interface
  • Refreshed graphical user interface (GUI)
  • OpenAL audio library support
  • Introduction of proprietary applications and services such as ChatON (instant messaging platform), Caster (for sharing multimedia and web content with PCs), and Music Hub (a digital music store comparable to iTunes)

Samsung Apps

Coinciding with the launch of the Samsung Wave, Samsung introduced an international app marketplace named Samsung Apps dedicated to the Bada ecosystem.[11] This platform hosted more than 2,400 applications and was also accessible for Android devices as well as Samsung’s feature phones.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

For its next mobile operating system, Tizen, Samsung developed a new dedicated app store.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameTemplate:Update inline

Architecture

File:Bada architecture.png

Overview of bada architecture

The bada platform is structured into four distinct layers:

  • Kernel

This foundational layer includes either a real-time operating system or the Linux kernel, selected based on the specific device hardware configuration.

  • Device
  • Service
  • Framework

Samsung characterized bada not as a traditional operating system but as a platform featuring a kernel architecture that could be configured to utilize either a proprietary hybrid real-time operating system (RTOS) kernel or the Linux kernel. According to copyright notices on the Samsung Wave S8500, its codebase incorporated elements from FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD.

The device layer was responsible for essential functions including graphics rendering, protocol management, telephony services, and security measures. The service layer delivered service-oriented capabilities such as SMS messaging, mapping services, and in-app purchasing, managed through a component known as the Bada Server. At the highest level, the framework layer offered an application programming interface (API) written in C++ for developers to build applications.

Bada supplied developers with a variety of user interface controls and included a web browser control based on the open-source WebKit engine. It supported Adobe Flash technology—specifically Flash versions 9 through 11 (Flash Lite 4 with ActionScript 3.0 compatibility) in its 2.0 release—with both features capable of integration within native bada apps. The platform also supported OpenGL ES 2.0 for 3D graphics rendering and provided interactive mapping functionalities with point of interest (POI) features, all embeddable within native applications. It enabled user-friendly gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, tabbed browsing interfaces, as well as cut, copy, and paste operations.

Applications could leverage various input methods available on bada devices, including sensors like motion detection, vibration feedback, face detection technology, accelerometer, magnetometer, tilt sensing, GPS capabilities, and multi-touch support.

Native app development utilized C++ through the bada software development kit (SDK) alongside an Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE). The development tools included GNU-based toolchains for compiling and debugging applications. Additionally, the IDE featured a drag-and-drop interface builder and an emulator to test applications prior to deployment.

Criticism of Bada 1.x

File:Picture being taken using the Samsung Wave 525 running on Bada.JPG
Photograph captured with the Samsung Wave 525 operating on Bada 1.0

Several reviews highlighted the following drawbacks of Bada 1.x:

  • Initially, all VoIP services over Wi-Fi were prohibited, which prevented widely used apps like Skype from functioning. This restriction was lifted in March 2011.
  • The external sensor API lacked extensibility, hindering third-party developers from integrating new sensor types or unforeseen technological advancements.
  • For reasons related to "performance and privacy," Bada 1.x applications were unable to access the SMS/MMS inbox or receive notifications for incoming SMS/MMS messages. This limitation was addressed and removed in version 2.0.
  • Only a single third-party Bada application could run simultaneously in versions 1.x. Multitasking was limited to the core system applications plus one third-party app at a time. This constraint was eliminated starting with version 2.0.
  • The GPS capabilities in Bada 1.0 were subpar and saw improvements in Bada 2.0.
  • Arguably, the scarcity of popular applications significantly contributed to Bada’s decline. The shortage of developer engagement and consumer interest was not resolved by the release of Bada 2.0.

Flagship Models

  • Samsung S8500 (Wave) – The inaugural smartphone to feature Bada OS version 1.0, launched on May 24, 2010.
  • Samsung S8530 (Wave II) – The successor to the Samsung Wave S8500, operating on Bada 1.2, released in October 2010.
  • Samsung S8600 (Wave III) – Following the Wave II, this device runs on Bada 2.0 and represents the final flagship smartphone powered by the Bada operating system, released in August 2011.

Midrange devices

Introduced in October 2010, these models came with Bada OS 1.1 preloaded and received updates until Bada OS 2.0 was available.

In August 2011, new models featuring Bada OS 2.0 were launched.

  • Samsung S5380 (Wave Y) arrived in November as the direct successor to the Wave 525 and Wave 533.
  • Samsung S7250 (Wave M) was released in December, succeeding the Wave 723 and marking the final midrange smartphone operating on the Bada platform.

The Samsung Wave 533 and Samsung Wave 525 share identical specifications except for the Wave 533’s inclusion of a slide-out keyboard.

Market share

The graph below illustrates worldwide Bada smartphone sales from Q2 2010 through Q2 2013.Template:Fix/category[citation needed] Canalys, a market research firm specializing in technology, estimated that Samsung shipped approximately 3.5 million Bada-powered devices during Q1 of 2011.[12] This figure increased to around 4.5 million units by Q2 of the same year.[13]

Gartner reported that Bada experienced a growth index of +43% in Q1 of 2012, elevating its market share to 2.7%, up from 1.9% during Q1 of the previous year.[14]

In South Korea, fiscal years align with calendar years.

Fiscal year
and quarter		 Global smartphone sales
percentage		 Smartphones sold
(millions)
Template:Rh2 | Q2 2010 0.9 0.6
Template:Rh2 | Q3 2010 1.1 0.9
Template:Rh2 | Q4 2010 2.0 2.0
Template:Rh2 | Q1 2011 1.9 1.9
Template:Rh2 | Q2 2011 1.9 2.1
Template:Rh2 | Q3 2011 2.2 2.5
Template:Rh2 | Q4 2011 2.1 3.1
Template:Rh2 | Q1 2012 2.7 3.8
Template:Rh2 | Q2 2012 2.7 4.2
Template:Rh2 | Q3 2012 3 5.2
Template:Rh2 | Q4 2012 1.3 2.7
Template:Rh2 | Q1 2013 0.7 1.37
Template:Rh2 | Q2 2013 0.4 0.84


See also

References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named badaInfo
  2. ↑ Samsung Electronics' strategy to compete in the 'bada' is..., Bloter, 2009.11.18
  3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ Template:Usurped. Fiercemobilecontent.com (2013-02-25). Retrieved on 2013-12-09.
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named update1.0.2
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named S8530announce
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SamsungApps
  12. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

External links

Template:Samsung Electronics Template:Mobile operating systems

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