Digital music specialist 7Digital has confirmed it’s working hard on a Tizen app, which will join its already extensive library of mobile software for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone very soon. Upon release, the 7Digital app is expected to be the first (legal) music download app available for Tizen, and it will operate with Samsung’s new Gear smartwatches.
For the new watches, Samsung abandoned Android, which was installed on the Galaxy Gear watch, in favor of its own Tizen OS. Days after the announcement at Mobile World Congress, Samsung released a dedicated software development kit for the wearable devices, allowing coders to create apps which will work on the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.
In its press release, 7Digital says the app will “simplify access to music on devices powered by Tizen, including wearable devices.” The app will provide users with complete access to the firm’s catalog of 25 million songs, and offer both downloads and streaming. Prices will remain the same as those in other apps.
The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are the only officially announced mobile devices with Tizen installed. Smartphones using the Samsung/Intel-backed OS are on their way, but unlikely to hit stores until the latter half of this year, provided it’s not delayed yet again. Tizen needs a strong app ecosystem to succeed, and Samsung’s new strategy is interesting. Installing it on a “hot” wearable product could encourage developers to embrace it faster than waiting for yet another smartphone release.
Samsung will put the Gear 2 smartwatches on sale April 11, alongside the Galaxy S5 smartphone, and has said around 100 Tizen apps will be available for it at that time. 7Digital’s music app may not be one of them, sadly, as the company has so far only committed to releasing the app between April and June.
