Samsung lures developers with $1.25 million prize for Gear App Challenge

Developers for Samsung's Tizen (specifically Gear apps) platform might just get rich real soon. The Korean tech giant is holding a Samsung Gear App Challenge for developers to create apps specifically for its Tizen-based smart wearables. The total prize money for the best apps is a whopping $1.25 million. Samsung seems to be pushing the new operating system with a newfound vigour and in a bid to do that the company is trying to incentivize developers to create apps.

In a post on its developer site, Samsung details the Gear App Challenge, saying it starts on May 8. The company also says the Gear App Challenge is the first Samsung Smart App Challenge 2014, so more such contests across different Samsung ecosystems can be expected this year.

Samsung states that the challenge will begin on May 8th and will include various Samsung Gear Hackathon and Developer Day events to be held across the world, from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, Brazil, and Russia.

Interested developers can download the Gear software development kit (SDK) for building apps from here (http://developer.samsung.com/samsung-gear).

Multiple developer initiative programs in the past by companies like Microsoft and erstwhile Research in Motion (RIM), which got rebranded to Blackberry, have been reported by the media. However, it is no secret that the total number of active users always determines if major app developers create apps for a particular platform.

In our review, we felt that the Samsung Gear Fit is a fantastic device which might evolve further with more software updates and improved third-party support.

Also, Samsung recently announced the device compatibility list for its latest Gear wearables - the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit. The new wearables will now support 20 Galaxy devices, which includes 12 Galaxy smartphones and 8 Galaxy tablets.