Samsung has confirmed that its first Tizen smartphones, as expected, will launch sometime during this year.
A spokesperson said that the South Korean technology giant plans "to unveil competitive Tizen devices within this year." Details on how many devices would be offered and associated features will be unveiled at a later date.
The Samsung rep also said that the company will release more Tizen-based devices "based on market situations." It's expected that tablets powered by the platform will launch after the handsets.
Tizen operates as a Linux-based operating system that was created after Nokia's MeeGo platform was canned. Intel and Samsung are overseeing the development of the platform, while the Linux Foundation is also involved.
The companies are hoping to see Tizen, which is said to be more open than Android, become a direct competitor to Google's platform. Japanese carrier partners including NTT Docomo are expected to launch the device initially.