Samsung said that it expects to have sold 5 million devices powered by its bada operating system by the end of 2010, following the launch of its first bada-powered device in June. The company has subsequently announced five more bada devices, to create a six-handset portfolio powered by the OS (Wave, Wave II, Wave525, Wave533, Wave575 and Wave723). The bulk of the volume is believed to come from the first Wave, due to the fact that this device has been on sale for the longest period, and is also something of a flagship for the vendor’s bada activities. The company also trumpeted the success of its supporting apps efforts, stating that it expects 50 million downloads to have taken place from its Samsung Apps store by the end of 2010.

According to Reuters, Samsung this week said that it expects to see improving margins in its handset business due to the increasing penetration of smartphones, although the increase is not expected to be outstanding. In addition to its bada activities, the company is also one of the main proponents of Android, and figures from research firm IDC put the company as the biggest seller of Android devices in the third quarter of 2010, driven by sales of its Galaxy S smartphone – sales of 10 million have been forecast for this device by the end of the year. The company was also a launch partner for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Platform, and it has been reported that it has high-hopes for this OS – possibly ahead of Android and bada. Earlier this year, the company abandoned its Symbian OS developments.