Samsung Launches Wave 723

Samsung Electronics launched the Wave 723 smartphone as it looks to broaden the reach of its home-grown operating system, Bada.

The Wave 723 is a lower-end follow-up to the original Wave, which marked the first device to use Bada. Samsung sees Bada as a platform for lower priced smartphones that can eventually be sold to emerging markets. The Wave 723 will launch in September in Germany, and eventually spread through Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It will sell for around 240 euros (US$306), with the ultimate price decided by the carrier partner.

By making smartphones using Bada less expensive, Samsung hopes to spur adoption of its product and take market share. So far, only the original Wave is available in certain markets. The Wave 525 and 533 are expected to launch in September as well. While big in Asia and Europe, Samsung has no plans to launch the Bada device in the U.S., since there is a reluactance by carriers to adopt another smartphone operating system.

Bada, like any new operating system, faces the challenge of wide acceptance. Samsung pitches it as an open system designed to spur the development of application. A Samsung software engineer said in a recent interview that after a slow start, the activity within Samsung’s own application store, which feeds into Bada, has grown exponentially in recent months. But with limited number of Bada phones available, there is likely to still be little interest from developers, who are more willing to create programs for the iPhone or Android, which is what Samsung uses for its premium phones.

Unlike the original Wave and its Galaxy S phones, the Wave 723 packs a simpler liquid crystal display, a smaller battery and less built-in memory. It also doesn’t shoot in high-definition video. It also uses a chip that combines the processing functions and cellular signal, known as a system-on-a chip, which is supposed to be more compact and less expensive than having a separate cellular chip and processor.

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