Samsung said to be trying to forge a Tizen/Firefox OS partnership

Reports suggest that Samsung is pursuing a partnership with Mozilla, hoping to bring Firefox OS together with Tizen. At a recent conference, Samsung’s Chief Secretary Wonsuk Lee, noted that a relationship between the two is possible. Not only is it possible, it’s technically feasible.

Both operating systems are HTML5 based, meaning apps written for one app can be used for the other. That also means mobile apps for Chrome could be pinched, though those are currently not optimized for mobile. Both Tizen and Firefox are currently struggling to gain adoption, and foothold, in a crowded OS market.

While both are said to be used for low-end devices, Tizen is also meant for higher-end offerings. That would give Mozilla an inroad to a market segment they previously hadn’t pursued. Samsung, however, is currently dragging their heels with Tizen devices, delaying release of the handsets often.

Furthermore, when Samsung does bring Tizen out of the closet, they are quick to point out that it’s in the early days of development. The OS doesn’t impress those that have seen it, leading many to consider it unready for release any time soon. Samsung is again touting that the first Tizen devices will be released to the world early next year, but we’ve heard that kind of talk before.

Firefox is already available in some markets, and struggles to find a foothold. A partnership with Tizen would bring a partnership that is strong in name, but perhaps limited in functionality. One is new and finds trouble with making itself useful to a world dominated by android and iOS, while the other is often delayed and yet to be tested. If a partnership does occur, don’t expect much from it initially.

Android TV once again pops up with new report suggesting it will be available next year

A new report suggests that an Android set-top box is on the way to our living rooms. Via The Verge, we learn that Google is getting ready to launch a streaming device to run right into Roku and Apple TV, offering services like Netflix and Hulu. It also confuses the space outside of mobile for Google, and convolutes a comment made earlier by Sundar Pichai.

The new device was originally said to offer a Kinect-esque movement sensor, but today’s news doesn’t mention that. It is noted to have a touchpad remote sold alongside the device, which is a strange departure. If this proves to be accurate, Google will have a Chromecast, Google TV, and this Nexus TV device all set for the living room.

When the Chromecast was launched, Google TV was called into question. Would the set-top box live on? Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai said both had a place in the living room, though few could see how — or why. Google TV has never found widespread adoption, and the Chroemcast offers everything we need at a bargain basement price. With the Nexus TV (our designation, not official), we wonder what the real plans could be, and where the breaking point is for Google’s living room efforts.

It seems the real angle here could be Android gaming. The report mentions that the device would offer a selection of games, but doesn’t note if the full library offered via the Play Store would be available. If so, the Nexus TV seems to step on more toes, as devices like Shield or Ouya try to find a home with Android gaming fans.

We should also note that this is another in a long line of reports surrounding Google’s Android set-top box efforts. Andy Rubin was said to have shown off a device of this kind behind closed doors at CES, but that was nearly a year ago. We have, to date, seen no official mention of this effort by Google. While we like the idea of an Android set-top device, it has the potential to confuse consumers beyond the one-two punch of Chromecast and Google TV.