Are Intel and Samsung Teaming Up Against Google?

Once upon a time, Intel created a mobile OS called Moblin. At the time, Nokia was also creating a mobile OS it called Maemo. Intel and Nokia then merged their resources and built MeeGo, the unified answer to both mobile operating systems. After delays and a completely unenthusiastic release of the one and only Nokia MeeGo phone, the Nokia N9, MeeGo was usurped by Tizen, which, as you may remember, is a new mobile OS venture by Intel that incorporates MeeGo technology. Now, Tizen is going to be merging with Samsung’s mobile OS “bada.” So, now what?

A tip of the hat goes to Forbes, which reports that Samsung wants to merge bada with Tizen. If you’ve never heard of bada, that’s okay, because it’s not used in the United States. Samsung, a Korean-based company, built the custom smartphone OS as an alternative “for everyone,” and has seen mild success with it. Forbes reports bada has held 2 percent of the global smartphone market, which remarkably is more than Windows Phone 7 currently has.

So why the merge, and why now? Forbes suggests that Samsung is looking to conglomerate its swath of support for multiple mobile operating systems. That  could be true based on rumors that Samsung was thinking about buying webOS. But I suggest that Samsung and Intel are looking to take on Google Android. Now that Nokia is married to Microsoft, Intel needs a new OEM vendor to build a platform on. I have long suspected that Intel is irked by ARMs dominance in the mobile space and support for Android on x86 CPUs is just maturing now. Intel may want to be more aggressive in the mobile market, and controlling the OS and the CPU and the phone may be a unique way for Samsung and Intel to provide a vertically integrated smartphone experience that rivals Android.

But why now? CES 2012 showed there was a lot of love for a lot of fragmented Android devices. And if users are coming to understand variations and similarities in mobile OSes, now could be a perfect time for Intel and Samsung to strike, especially if bada already has better market share than Microsoft’s product. Yes, it’s speculation, but no, I don’t think it’s too crazy. Intel has been persistent in developing its mobile strategy and it has the resources to continue to do it. Since both bada and Tizen developers will be able to build the same apps with the same SDK, it shouldn’t be too hard to gain support from either side.

Stay tuned. The ballad of Tizen and bada has yet begun.