Samsung launches the first bada SDK beta
Samsung's bada platform has taken its first step towards full launch, with the company releasing a beta SDK (version 1.0.0b2).
The new code is available for developers eager to begin work on the OS from the bada developers portal, with the first handset the Samsung Wave/S8500 - reportedly just weeks away.
The SDK includes several components: an integrated development environment, simulator, UI builder, sample applications, documentation and tutorials.
Samsung badas IDE is based on the Eclipse CDT C/C++ development tools.
"The simulator provides a local test environment without the need for a physical handset," says Samsung says on its official bada blog.
Social Samsung
Samsung has high hopes for bada, despite the OS entering into an increasingly packed market.
With iPhone, BlackBerry and Android already fighting each other at the top of the tree, bada will have to make its mark against fellow newcomers MeeGo, Symbian^3 and Windows Phone 7, which have generated a fair amount of industry hype of their own.
The manufacturer hopes bada's focus on aiding developers to pool smartphone resources together into one single tool will push it ahead of the pack.
Certainly, developers PocketGamer.biz has spoken to are impressed with the technology and Samsung's attitude to gaming.
Everyone's invited
Social networks are also naturally a key element in its open set-up, with studios able to integrate social networking features, sensor-based controls and Flash video into their apps.
"The bada platform allows developers to create feature-rich applications that elevate the user experience in mobile spaces," Samsung adds.
"Samsung bada introduces several new service-centric capabilities that differentiate it from conventional mobile operating systems.
"The various service-centric features such as social networking, content management, location-based services, and commerce services are all supported by backend bada servers."
The beta is now open to anyone from the bada website, with Samsung confirming that developers can access a range of resources, from tutorials to API reference documentation.
[source: Samsung]