In a bid to fuel the growth of its own OS and decrease its dependency on Google's Android, Samsung will open up bada to both rival device manufacturers and external developers in 2011.

Samsung "is planning to make bada software an open source platform next year," a WSJ source familiar with the situation said, expanding the OS beyond its range of Wave handsets for the first time.

Bada-bing

With Google's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility still fresh in the mind, analysts have predicted Android OEMs outside of Motorola itself may find themselves lagging behind on the platform in the years to come.

This certainly aligns with recent revelations from within Google suggesting it plans to give first dibs on fresh versions of the OS to its new bedmate.

In response, there were whisperings - quickly denied - hinting the South Korean firm had made plans to purchase an OS from one of its rivals, possibly webOS from the spiraling HP.

Instead, Samsung CEO Choi Che Sung said cryptically the company was working "harder than people outside think" to push bada forward.

Bada-boom

Commentators claim any move to open up bada would undoubtedly improve the platform's visibility in markets where it is currently weak.

Neil Mawston, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, argues for such a venture to be successful, however, Samsung will need to do better job than Nokia's former attempts to push Symbian.

"Hardware vendor-controlled platforms that move from closed to open do not have a great track record in the past. Nokia failed dismally with Symbian, for example," he said.

"For Samsung to be successful with opening bada it will need to be launched in the United States market, because that is where the most powerful developers and consumers are found.

"If bada does not get traction in the huge US market, then the odds will be stacked against success."

[source: Wall Street Journal]