Speculation has emerged Samsung is reportedly working on a new smartphone featuring a display that wraps around the edges of the device, as the company announced it had signed up a number of major new partners to its Tizen platform.
The Tizen Association, a Samsung-backed group overseeing the development of the Linux-based Tizen operating system, announced 36 new companies have signed on to the platform.
The companies include a Nokia’s HERE mapping division, Panasonic, Sharp, McAfee, eBay and The Weather Channel.
“The Tizen OS is attracting support from all segments of the connected device ecosystem, with manufacturers, operators, developers and ISVs joining to add their voice and expertise to the development of this open and collaborative platform,” says Tizen Association board member Ryoichi Sugimura.
The Tizen operating system is being developed in parallel to Google Android, leading some to speculate about a potential rift between the two tech giants.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting Samsung is working on a new smartphone with a screen that curves around the edges of the device.
According to the report, the screen on the edges will work independently to the screen on the front, with users able to view a stock ticker or message displayed on the edge of their phones while looking at it from an angle.
The device is an extension of technology found in the Galaxy Round, a smartphone with a curved screen the company has, at this point, only released in Korea.
While Apple is working on its own curved screen device, Samsung is keen to extend the lead it has developed with the technology.
Last month, SmartCompany reported Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Round, while fellow South Korean tech giant LG unveiled its own curved-screen device, known as the LG Flex. Apple is yet to release a curved screen device.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
