Open Mobile brings Android apps to Tizen
updated 03:21 pm EDT, Tue May 15, 2012
Fledgling Samsung OS could debut with full app lineup
A company called Open Mobile has been demoing a method that allows devices running Tizen, Samsung and Intel's in-house mobile OS, to run apps intended for use on Android devices. As a video from The Handheld Blog shows, the technology could allow for future Tizen devices to circumvent the dearth of apps that typically plagues devices based on alternate operating systems.
Open Mobile claims its technology, dubbed the "Application Compatibility Layer (ACL)," will allow for 100 percent compatibility with Android apps. The video (shown below) shows an unknown Tizen tablet running Android versions of Facebook, Guitar Hero 5, and Winamp. Open Mobile also provides an App Mall, which ties in to multiple Android app stores, allowing users to download apps from a range of providers.
Open Mobile contends that its technology will be applicable across multiple operating systems, so the technology could prove especially useful for alternate operating systems, which typically struggle to attract developers to make apps for them. Open Mobile representatives say that they want to work with OEMs to have the technology installed on devices before they reach consumers' hands.
Samsung has been showing off Tizen recently, previewing the operating system on a prototype Samsung smartphone. Previous looks at the OS, though, have shown only a bare minimum of apps; so Open Mobile's technology could be a welcome addition to the new platform.
