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Samsung to use a Nokia maps
kidspud
Posts: 18,341 Forum Member
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Interesting move by Samsung
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24608285
It seems an attempt by a Samsung to try and distance themselves further from Google.
Is that really the Galaxy gear watch in the picture? It seems a quite large.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24608285
It seems an attempt by a Samsung to try and distance themselves further from Google.
Is that really the Galaxy gear watch in the picture? It seems a quite large.
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Of course. Google are starting to lay down rules about how future devices must look and work when running Android, which could mean devices look the same from all manufacturers. Kinda what happened to Windows, identical laptops in the stores with the same OS running, consumers buy the cheapest!
Samsung wants to go one better than Apple, and they can't as they don't own/run their own operating system. I suspect its far to late in the game to establish a new OS (look at the sales of Windows Phone) but its an interesting move.
Tizen is doomed because developers aren't interested and Samsung just doesn't seem to care about Windows Phone.
The Nokia Maps situation is clearly Samsung's way of retaliating to Google's strategy of taking back control over Android. Samsung no longer has a platform that they control or influence which has left them in a vulnerable position.
Google has taken large steps to counter Samsung, promoting "stock" or "pure" Android on devices like the Moto G and requiring Open Handset Alliance members (which includes Samsung) to reduce the scale of their UI overlays. They have also launched Android One which will eat away at Samsung's presence in the low end. Google is also eliminating reasons for customers to upgrade quickly, they've put nearly all core Android features onto the Play Store, meaning that even 2/3 year old devices can have access to the latest feature updates and experiences. I can't imagine Samsung is happy about that.
I imagine this was Samsung's initial plan, given that they launched their own app store, messaging service and other services.
But their plan has been scuppered as those services have not taken off and just can't compete with the Play Store and App Store from Google and Apple respectively. Without their own services, a fork of Android would be a costly disaster.
Amazon was able to do it as they already had a strong ecosystem established. Samsung does not, and is still totally reliant on Google and their services, whether they want to admit it or not. They have their work cut out with a long term plan as they would struggle to go it alone.
There would be no point turning to Windows Phone, as although Microsoft would be more than happy to have them (and would probably throw stacks of cash at them), the platform is failing and it would be the same situation as they are in now, except tied to Microsoft, not Google.
They can't launch their own OS, and they would struggle with a move to Windows Phone. Samsung should play nice as Google is outsmarting them, it's looking like their only option is to stay with Android for the time being.
You've failed to take account the reasons why Samsung are making the change
Yes they might, but I am not sure it will work for Samsung. And Tizen will be yet another disaster for Samsung, like bada. It might work on watches, but I am not sure as the big issue is always developer support. If you were a developer, would you develop for bada or Tizen? Or Android and Android Wear?
Yes, it IS a big problem that there are a million and one Android devices and they all look (mostly) the same more or less, but there are ways to differentiate. The Note Edge announced today could be one way, but you also have improvements in audio quality, camera quality, battery life etc.
The smartphone market will get saturated. People will upgrade less frequently. It's happening already, and especially with tablets. Even people who buy a smartwatch might not have any desire to change it for years.
The whole industry needs to prepare for that, and the solution probably comes from releasing less products.
And I thought I was the only one who thought/thinks that Nokia's maps/here navigation apps have always looked rather poor - going right back to Symbian.
Even on a full HD display with the Lumia 930 or 1520, I find their mapping solutions rather plain. Of course, accurate mapping and clear navigation is perhaps more important - but people are still going to be put off if something doesn't look slick too.