Samsung Z Russia launch delayed, as world still awaits first Tizen phone

Samsung has announced that it would postpone the roll-out of its new smartphone based on Tizen OS, a home-grown operating system aimed at breaking away from Google’s Android system.   The delay is seen as a blow to Samsung’s campaign to carve out a niche in mobile software and services, to complement its dominant hardware role. The Samsung Z, which has been specially developed by Samsung to run on the Tizen platform, was to go on sale in Russia in the third quarter of this year before reaching other markets.   But the world’s largest smartphone maker said the launch was being pushed back in order to “further enhance the Tizen ecosystem.” It did not provide a new launch timeframe.   The vast majority of Samsung’s popular devices, including its flagship Galaxy S smartphones, use Android. Samsung has touted Tizen as a platform not just for phones, but for a range of connected devices from home appliances to door locks and watches which may communicate with one another in the future.   In recent months, Samsung has unveiled a line of Tizen-powered devices including cameras and smartwatches, as well as prototypes of Tizen televisions and smartphones.   Tizen smartphones were to launch in Russia initially, followed by markets such as India and China, but with even the initial launch delayed, it remains to be seen whether Samsung will indeed make a bigger push for Tizen OS phones.   Reuters