Samsung adds Bada bling with version 2.0

South Korean handset maker Samsung is stepping up development of its own homebrew operating system this week, on Wednesday introducing a development kit for Bada version 2.0.

The expansion of the Bada platform is led by the seven existing Samsung Wave devices, which the vendor claims have proven extremely popular in Europe, China and Southeast Asia, due to their affordability and functionality.

Bada 2.0 brings new capabilities including multi-tasking, enhancements to wifi, NFC, voice recognition, mobile payments, HTML5 and improved Flash. Another key feature is the introduction of in-app advertising, allowing developers to monetise their applications.

Samsung Apps, the company’s app store, has been active since the launch of the Samsung Wave, the first Bada-based smartphone in June 2010. It received 10 million application downloads in three months and passed the 100 million-mark in March 2011. The store currently houses approximately 40,000 applications.