Samsung's Galaxy Gear 2 isn't just another gadget. They are going to defy Google. It is a trial run to see if Samsung can exist in a world without Android.

Gear 2's switch from Android to Tizen doesn't say much. There's no change to the interface, functionality and overall experience. You might just get some extra battery life, but on a whole, the Tizen based Gear seems pretty unappealing as any Android version was. No change really.

The reason for the transition is to make a better smartwatch. But Samsung has always needed Google. It still does, but the Gear 2 shows it's making other plans.

Tizen, Samsung's open-source, linux-based OS has been in the wait for years already. There have been rumors of a Samsung phone sporting a Tizen Os but none have made an appearance. Launching your own OS and having a stable of apps that can hold its own against Android and iOS isn't easy.



But Samsung doesn't have to do it overnight. They've already got millions of users. They already have their own app store. It would be a tad bit easier for them to do the switch if they wanted to. Whether it will succeed is a different story.

What does this mean for current Samsung owners? Tizen is obviously a long-term project, and Samsung could use Tizen as a threat to keep Google in line than as an actual operating system. We're most likely going to see more of it in the future too.

The Galaxy S5 won't be running Tizen. But there's almost certainly a Tizen phone in the works right now. It might even float in the wild as a proof of concept for now. But we're definitely not going to be using it just yet.

Could this be the start of new OS wars?