Tizen Is A Bust On Smartphones, But Will Grace Samsung's Entire 2015 Smart TV Lineup

It's the beginning of a new year, one that's already being highlighted by a flood of recent Tizen-based smartphone launches. Oh wait, that didn't happen. Drats, we were cautiously optimistic that Tizen could make a splash in the smartphone sector, and while that's still possible, Samsung is switching focus for the time being to make Tizen a staple of its Smart TV lineup.

Not just one or two models, either. Instead, Samsung announced that all its Smart TVs in 2015 will come with a new platform built around Tizen, which the company hopes will spur a bunch of app releases.

"Building our Smart Platform around Tizen is a groundbreaking step towards a much more intelligent and integrated system," said Won Jin Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "Tizen not only enriches the entertainment experience for our customers today, but unlocks great potential for the future in home entertainment."

Tizen is an open source operating system based on the Linux kernel, and Samsung originally worked with Intel to develop and flesh out the platform. Though Samsung initially focused on smartphones, the OS takes aim at a number of different product categories, hence the aforementioned Smart TV integration.

With Tizen as the backbone of Samsung's new Smart TV lineup, you can expect a redesigned Smart Hub that the company says is easy to navigate. It also offers quick access to various smart functions and content, including recommendations for more entertainment options, and has been optimized for four-direction control that Samsung says is both "playful and responsive."