If you thought Tizen was just going to power the next generation of smartphones made by Samsung then you are in for a rude shock. While we have known for a while that Tizen will power the next generation of Samsung’s smart TVs and also be in a range of consumer electronic products ranging from washing machines to microwaves and fridges made by Samsung, it means the Korean company is going even further. Tizen could possibly be what powers the dashboard on your next car from Toyota or a luxury purchase from Jaguar or a vehicle from Land Rover.
According to Korean media sources, Samsung has been in talks with Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover (the two are separate as brands but actually one company now owned by India’s TATA) for a Tizen-based In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) system. Since Google and Apple are yet to take the dashboard on vehicles by storm but have been making in-roads (Apple has been rumoured to have signed secret agreements for the development of an “Eyes-free Siri” for vehicles accompanied by Apple Maps) and with a capable platform that is not too resource intensive like Tizen, Samsung could be able to comfortably take on the big two outside their traditional fields of dominance. We have just seen Samsung’s first Tizen device which is surprisingly not a phone but a camera and that surely speaks volumes about the platform’s focus and Samsung’s intention to disrupt the market with it.
