South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung Electronics is betting big on Indian developers to build applications for its newest mobile platform ‘B ada' that drives some of its smart phones.

Samsung has also decided to focus more on smart phones and expects to increase its market share in India from 3-4 per cent to about 20 per cent during the next one year. Bada, which means ocean in the Korean language, can work even with low-end smart phones, thereby “democratising the smart phone experience.”

Global contest

The South Korean company has also thrown open a global contest, the Developers Day Challenge for Indian developers as well which offers a total prize money of $3 million for developing applications for the Bada platform.

According to Mr J.S. Shin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Samsung South West Asia, the bada platform will be the key driver of the company's global smart phone strategy. “I see the launch of Bada platform as an opportunity for Indian developers to get their applications onto an unprecedented number of Samsung devices across the world,” Mr Shin said.

He pointed out that the reason behind making smart phones the company's main focus was because increasingly, consumers no longer see mobile phones as devices for voice communications.

Ms Ruchika Batra, Corporate Communication General Manager for South West Asia, Samsung Electronics, told Business Line that to encourage developers to build applications for the platform, Samsung will hold countrywide Bada Developers Day.