Samsung Officially Hearts Android. Gives Windows Phone 7 Cold Shoulder

Samsung will favour Android and it’s own Bada OS over Windows Phone 7 for new development according to the head of marketing at Samsung Mobile, YH Lee. In a Reuters article Lee said “We are Prioritizing our Android platform. Android is very open and flexible, and there is a consumer demand for it.”

Only one new Windows Phone 7 phone is scheduled to come from Samsung this year. “There is still some professional, specialized demand there,” Lee said. As for Symbian; “We are not seeing visible demand” was the marketing head’s comment.

Those comments will no doubt come as something of a blow to Microsoft with Samsung being one of their major partners in the past. Windows Phone 7 is a hugely important piece of software to ensure Microsoft’s future relevancy and they need hardware heavy hitters of the likes of Samsung, HTC, Dell, LG to flood the market with Windows Phone 7 devices

Windows Phone 7 takes the more Apple like stance of ‘we dictate the UI and functionality’ and doesn’t allow manufacturers to stamp their own brand on the phone in the way that Samsung, Sony and HTC have done with Android, which it’s likely Samsung see as disadvantage.

The future of Bada, Samsung’s own smartphone OS, seems uncertain, despite their assurances that it’s still a priority. For now, it’s used on down-level models but as hardware improves your mum’s $95 phone will be more than capable of running Android. Sticking with Bada would miss an economy of scale in standardising on Android, not to mention losing out on the marketing advantage from Android app availability.

On the Android side of the fence Samsung’s confirming their commitment to the Android platform is good news. The success of the Galaxy S show that Samsung are very capable at building devices that people want on the platform and innovative new devices like the Galaxy Tab indicate good things for the future.