Samsung has announced the Samsung Z, its first Tizen-powered phone

The Samsung Z will be its first smartphone to ditch Google’s Android and run its own Tizen software, the manufacturer has announced. The launch means that consumers now have more choice of mobile phone software beyond the dominant Google Android and Apple iOS operating systems. The Samsung Z device will now compete directly with smartphones running Android and Microsoft’s Windows Phone, employing the Tizen software that will be incompatible with Android applications and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones.

You’re probably sick of hearing Samsung-this, Samsung-that, but the reality of the matter is that the company has grandiose plans to take over the gadget world, and there’s no slowing it down. At the Tizen Developer’s Conference, I got a glimpse into what Samsung’s next venture is: growing its own open-source operating system so that it might someday be able to break free from Google’s shackles. It’s a lofty goal for a company that just won’t stop with that grimace-inducing blue aesthetic, but alas, that exists in Tizen OS, too. Here’s a look at Samsung’s implementation of its OS on a smartphone, the Samsung Z. The Samsung Z runs Tizen, an open-source operating system that’s based on Linux. You know, like Android. The phone itself is a gorgeous piece of hardware. A Samsung representative mentioned that its rectangular design was conjured up specifically for the Russian market, where the phone is debuting this year. It’s a darn shame, too, because it’d be great to have something like this show up in the American market.