Discussion on:

Ubuntu Phone, Tizen, Firefox OS: The mobile battle for fifth

If Samsung moves to Tizen successfully, it won't be fifth. Can a Samsung search be far behind?

I think few want a Linux based distro to be the OS for their phone [especially if they can't tinker with it].
Can't see Firefox going anywhere. It probably has the least backing.
Wonder how Google would feal if Samsung [probably Android's biggest seller] jumps to a different phone OS. Will Google act childish [like they have done] and give Samsung less preference?

I'm shocked that there's no mention of Jolla in this article. Glaring oversight if you ask me.

Agree with one of the other comments that Jolla's Sailfish (an ex-Nokia employee spin-off from MeeGo) might still be a contender as they are planning to do tackle as Chris mentioned some of the backwater economies of developing countries. Regardless of tinkering or not; from a developer PoV - it's still an OS ecosystem that can be tapped especially if you are a web developer with HTML/Javascript/CSS3 background willing to dabble in the mobile app development space.

I believe Jolla's Sailfish might have a chance especially if their initial target market as they claim from their press release will be China and South-East Asia where cheap smartphones should get adopted faster along with the Ubuntus and Firefoxes in comparison to iPhone, Android, BB or Tizen

Abid

... as add. Samsung certainly rules Android, and they usually rate close to Apple, give or take, in model-unit sales. But they have been selling more than twice as many smartphones total. Globally, BadaOS has been coming on fast against RIM's slipping 3rd place position.

Tizen may also emerge as x86 dominant, if Intel gets their way. Like Intel, Samsung wants to sell chips, but they're all over CE in ways Intel never dreamt. They may well introduce a Tizen phone, or Windows, definitely BadaOS. But Android will be their flagship.

And Intel's backing is never what anyone wants it to be. Intel's been backing Linux on phones and PCs for years. They backed BeOS, in the mid 90s. They do this, though, in the usual chip company way, tech support, maybe cobranding, etc. But Intel's customers are the systems companies. They have marketed themselves to the consumer, occasionally, but so far, never an OS or other software product.

FirefoxOS has backing from Alcatel, ZTE, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefnica and Telenor, and Qualcomm. Tizen has Samsung, Intel, NTT DoCoMo,Vodafone and France Telecom backing it. Ubuntu for Phone has ... who exactly? They aren't saying yet. Maybe after MWC. And not shipping before 2014.

As for Google being worried about Samsung and Tizen, get real. Samsung already supports Windows Phone (#5 or #6 worldwide in 2012) and BadaOS (#4 in 2012). But Samsung's Android business is larger than #4....#N together. Considerably so. Tizen isn't shipping yet. Not a concern.