Microsoft and Samsung announced an extension of their existing partnership this week. Both are working together to more tightly integrate Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive and its Your Phone app with Samsung’s just-announced Galaxy Note 10 phones. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appeared on stage with Samsung officials at the Samsung Unpacked event to show the ijmportance of the announcements to Microsoft, which no longer has a mobile phone platform of its own.

The Note10 phones will come pre-loaded with the Office Mobile app, which allows you to view documents and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. This app has been preloaded on a number of Samsung phones since earlier this year,” a Microsoft spokesperson told me, in response to me double-checking whether the key Office apps would be pre-loaded.

Samsung Has Stop Releasing Blu-ray Players In The United States

Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Samsung told Forbes and CNET that it’s no longer introducing Blu-ray players for the country. It didn’t provide reasoning for the move, but Forbes sources reportedly said that Samsung had scrapped a high-end model that was supposed to arrive later in 2019. As it stands, there are a number of likely factors behind the decision.
While 4K Blu-ray disc sales have been growing rapidly, they’re part of a declining industry. Overall disc sales fell 11.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018.

Now the Galaxy Note 9 Blows Up!

Woman claims that just after midnight on September 3, while traveling in a lift, her phone “became extremely hot”. She then claims to have stopped using the phone, and placed it in her bag. Shortly after, she said she “heard a whistling and screeching sound, and…noticed thick smoke” pouring out from her purse.

Trapped alone in the lift and “and scared to death,” she dropped the phone and started smashing elevator buttons, the thick smoke making it hard to see.

Reaching the lobby, she kicked the sizzling phone out of the elevator.

The mobile didn’t stop burning until a good Samaritan grabbed it with a cloth and plunked it into a bucket of water, Chung claims in the Queens Supreme Court lawsuit.

The fire left her unable to contact clients and ruined everything in her bag, claims Chung, who called the experience totally “traumatic

 

Samsung Opens AI Research Hub In New York City

Samsung has opened its second U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) research facility (sixth globally), as the Korean electronics giant continues to double down on its investments in transformative technologies. Its latest center, which will focus chiefly on robotics, is located in Chelsea, New York City and was officially opened at a ceremony featuring renowned AI expert Daniel D. Lee, executive vice president of Samsung Research.

 

 

Samsung Washing Machine Explodes

November 2016, the company announced the recall of 2.8 million washing machines that range across 34 of the company’s models. The essential details of the recall can be found on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall notice. However over the weekend another Samsung washer exploded, this time in Irving, Texas.

The explosions reportedly stem from unbalanced drums, which can separate from the washing machine with enough internal force to cause other parts of the machine to detach — and in some cases launch with ample force to cause serious injury.

Samsung strongly encourages any customer who has experienced an issue with a Samsung product or authorized service visit to immediately contact us at 1-866-264-5636 or at samsung.com/us/tlw.”

It’s not an uncommon problem for the industry. In November 2017, a Whirlpool Duet washer owned by a family in Freeport, Minnesota, exploded, firing off ball bearings with the force of bomb shrapnel. The blast knocked a woman unconscious and left her with a concussion.

 

 

Higher Priced Smartphones Mean Lower Purchases

This year and last, Samsung, Apple, and, recently, Google set the bar higher for smartphones pushing their price bar higher than ever before. It was somewhat necessary to recoup the costs of R&D, production, marketing, and the like. It also helped inflate the smartphones’ status as premium products to die for. It appears that they may be digging their own graves in the long run.

High-end components, of course, are more expensive than more common ones, but the rate of price increase doesn’t seem proportional to the build costs. The gap seems to grow even more for each new generation of smartphones.

Business considerations aside, this rise in prices has a double-edged effect on consumers. On the one hand, they paint the picture of a product that only a few can afford, which has the ironic effect of making it even more desirable. Apple has been doing it for years.

On the other hand, it is actually and factually something very few people can afford. That ultimately meant that fewer people actually bought the new phones, which may have contributed to last month’s decline in smartphone shipments last quarter, when the most expensive non-luxury phones shipped for the first time. 

The lower sales numbers become an even bigger problem in the context of the current practice of releasing flagship smartphones every year. Some, like Samsung, even release twice a year. Others release multiple ones at the same time or spread them over the months. Long story short, there are dozens of new phones every year.

The smartphone market is changing and so is user habits. Smartphone vendors aren’t, although some, like LG and HTC, may have noticed, even though they already had lower prices. Samsung may have seen clues, but it isn’t one to change directions so quickly. Apple is one that’s unlikely to change at all. High-end smartphones are becoming luxury items that very few can afford. And whatever few can afford, very few will buy. And that may spell trouble for the companies that rely on them to survive.

The Internet of Things & The Marriot Hotel

Marriott International  has partnered with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Legrand to build a pair of connected “internet of things” hotel rooms in the basement of Marriott’s Bethesda headquarters. The IoT Guestroom Lab, part of Marriott’s 10,000-square-foot Innovation Lab, was designed to explore everything from intuitive lighting to voice-activated room controls to virtual assistants.

The team will analyze feedback to the internet of things rooms over the next three months before taking both down. You can expect to see elements of the technology in hotel rooms in the next five years.

A hotel guest extending a laptop screen to the room’s TV, a desk light with adaptive brightness or a shower that can be turned on by voice. Marriott envisions a customer being able to order a wake-up call via a virtual assistant or to launch a yoga routine on a full-length, digital mirror. 

The room, would be largely controlled by apps and systems that remember a visitor’s preferences and past behaviors. It is powered by three linked networks and could power down automatically when the customer leaves.

Samsung Employee With Gambling Problem Steals Over 8,000 Phones

Wheel chair bound Samsung employee  is alleged to have stolen  8,474 smartphones from the company over the course of two years to pay off his gambling debt. Authorities claim his spree took place between December 2014 and November 2016 at the Samsung headquarters in Suwon, South Korea . It took them a long time to notice what was going down, since he was wheelchair bound and wasn’t required to pass thru the scanner. The phones were sold to a second-hand phone retailer for 800 million won or(US$711,743) dollars. The employee was arrested.

 

Samsung’s Chief Arrested; Accused Of Bribery

 

A Seoul district court has ordered the arrest of Samsung’s chief Lee Jae-yong. He is accused of bribing Choi Soon-sil, the main person of interest in ongoing corruption scandal that has gripped South Korea.  ( Chung Sung-Jun | Getty Images )

 

Seoul District Court has ordered the arrest of Samsungs’ head honcho chief Lee Jae-yong. He is accused of bribing Choi Soon-sil, the main person of interest in ongoing corruption scandal that has gripped South Korea.  ( Chung Sung-Jun | Getty Images )

The arrest concerns the bribery and embezzlement charges against Lee, which also form part of a wider corruption scandal that has led to – the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. The arrest will allow prosecutors to hold the vice president chairman for 20 days.In a brief statement, Samsung reiterated that the company’s daily operation will not be affected by the latest development and stressed that it will continue to defend itself against the charges.

Lee has been investigated for his ties with Choi Soon-sil, the president’s confidante and the primary person of interest in the corruption scandal. She is being labeled as the South Korean version of Rasputin for her influence over President Park.

Prosecutors allege that Lee donated $37.3 million to several organizations backed by Choi in exchange for her support for the merger of two Samsung companies, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries. The merger, which is worth $8 billion, was eventually approved by the country’s National Pension Services

There is also claim that Lee sponsored the equestrian career of Choi’s daughter, which effectively dragged the name of two Samsung executives as possible suspects, as they also serve in the Korea Equestrian Federation.

In the meantime, mentor of Samsung scion seen stepping up after Lee’s arrest. Although business at flagship Samsung Electronics  is moving along, huge decisions will need to be made and the man most likely to be called upon to make them is Choi Gee-sung, the top lieutenant at Samsung Group and a mentor to Lee.

.

 

Samsung Washing Machines About To Explode Like Phones

Samsung plans   to recall over 2.8 million washing machines from within the United States right now. Each washing machine poses a threat and could explode one way or the other. They say  the lid could explode, fly off and cause injury. Injuries range from a broken jaw, injury to the shoulders and the general fall-related injuries.

The company is hoping to give consumers who have purchased the washing machines free in-house repairs and an extension in the warranty. Folks can even get a rebate that can be put toward purchasing a new Samsung washing machine or another from a different brand

Information from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission claims the Samsung washing machines were manufactured between March 2011 and November 2016. We understand that over the years, nine related injury reports were made to Samsung.

The Smart Fridge With Windows 10

LG’s Windows 10 apps are designed so you can stick notes to the fridge, set a timer, add recipes and healthy information about meals, or just mark food that you can see through the translucent display.

 

Earlier this year, Samsung unveiled a Smart Fridge at CES

 

Samsung’s Smart Shoes

IOFIT, is technically considered a wearable device, this smart shoe is in a category of its own. Developed by Salted Venture, a startup supported by Samsung Electronics, IOFIT is a solution that utilizes a combination of pressure sensors and a coaching app to improve a user’s balance and body posture to enhance one’s fitness routine or golf swing. The coaching and analysis software integrated with IOFIT allows coaches (or trainers and the like) to leave feedback for the user based on their performances and compare saved videos

 

 

Samsung’s See Through Truck

Trying to overtake a truck that’s may be driving relatively slowly, can become a task – one due to its humongous size, and second because you cannot see what is happening in front of the truck or if there is any vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

Well, Samsung has introduced a see-through ‘Safety Truck’ that consists of a wireless camera attached to the front of the truck, which is connected to a video wall made out of four exterior monitors located on the back of the truck. The monitors give drivers behind the truck a view of what is going on ahead, even in the dark of night.

This allows drivers to have a better view when deciding whether it is safe to overtake the truck. Also, it may help reduce the risk of accidents caused by sudden braking or animals crossing the road.

Currently, the prototype truck built is not operational. So far, Samsung has been able to confirm that the technology works and that this idea can definitely save the lives of many people.

According to Samsung, the next step is to perform the corresponding tests in order to comply with the existing national protocols and obtain the necessary permits and approvals.

 

Researchers discover Cyber-Security Risk -Samsung Galaxy 6

 

The SwiftKey keyboard feature that comes pre-installed in Samsung mobile devices can be easily hacked to give away vital user information. The SwiftKey keyboard feature comes pre-installed in over 600 million Samsung mobile devices — from the S3 to the latest S6 – can be easily hacked to give away vital user information. Ryan Welton, a researcher with cyber-security firm NowSecure said at the Black Hat security conference in London.
According to reports, the flaw allows hackers to spy on a Samsung Galaxy user easily and remotely access sensors and resources like GPS, camera and microphone.

Theres more, the reports say, the hacker can indiscreetly install malicious applications and tamper with how certain applications work. The hacker could even spy on phone calls and messages and attempt to access sensitive personal data like pictures and text messages.

A vulnerability in software on the phones lets hackers look through the phones’ camera, listen to the microphone, read incoming and outgoing texts and install apps, according to researchers. Until Samsung fixes the problem, there is little that owners of the phone can do beyond staying off unsecured wifi networks. Researchers have confirmed that the exploit works on versions of the Samsung Galaxy S6, the S6 Edge and Galaxy S4 Mini. But it may also be active on other Samsung Galaxy phones, since the keyboard software is installed on more

Researchers at NowSecure reportedly told Samsung about the vulnerability in November, since nothing has been fixed as of now they made the findings public. The report rated this vulnerability stood at 8.3 on a scale from 1-10.

Microsoft Working To Rid Passwords

 

 

Microsoft has confirmed that it is working to rid the passwords in Windows 10. Which means you could be logging on with your face, voice, iris or fingerprint (or your dongle) depending on which method your organization chooses. And it’s not just on the desktop: similarly on the consumer side, Apple’s Touch ID for the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, and iPad Air 2 and Mini 3, replaces a passcode with a fingerprint. Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 also has a fingerprint reader. Although no technology is entirely secure, fingerprint readers have improved dramatically in recent years: Apple claims you would have to try 50,000 fingers to find a random match — which it argues is much more secure than the one-in-10,000 chance of guessing a four-digit passcode. This week two UK banks announced that they will use Touch ID to allow customers to access their bank accounts.

Samsung’sTizen

In 2015, Samsung Electronics will be introducing a flood of devices running the Tizen (pronounced “tie-zen”) operating system. Tizen has already featured in wearables and cameras, and will feature in smart appliances and Smart TVs throughout 2015.

Tizen constitutes a large and important part of our Internet of Things (IoT) strategy that encompasses all device categories across the company. BK Yoon, the company’s CEO, announced last week at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that all Samsung devices will be IoT-ready in five years. Many of these devices will be running Tizen.

The user interface on the Samsung Z1 is simple and easy to use, offering faster and smoother device performance when combined with the lighter Tizen platform. Powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 768 MB RAM and 4GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB with a microSD card, the device features dual SIM support and delivers a seamless and user-friendly smartphone experience. The new smartphone is equipped with a long-lasting 1500mAh battery enabling 7 hours of non-stop videos and 8 hours of talk time. The battery life has been further enhanced with the unique ‘Ultra Power Saving Mode’ which lets the phone remain operational in important situations, even at minimal battery levels.

The Samsung Z1 is equipped with a superior 4” WVGA PLS screen, made with advanced Samsung technology. The screen allows consumers to enjoy games, videos and other multimedia content to the fullest with crystal clear resolution. The smartphone is equipped with a 3.1 megapixel rear camera that allows high quality shots even in low light settings and a VGA front camera with an auto face detect feature to easily capture more natural selfies.

 

 

Samsung’s Tizen Smartphone Selling for 90 bucks

 

Samsung Electronics Co. has started selling a $90 smartphone in India that runs on the company’s Tizen software instead of Google’s Android. The Samsung Z1 went on sale in India on Wednesday for 5,700 rupees ($92). The model was unveiled in June but its launch was postponed.With the Tizen operating system, Samsung is trying to lessen its dependence on Android software.

Samsung earlier this month said its Internet-connected televisions will use Tizen from this year, allowing the TVs to easily synchronize with Tizen mobile devices.The Z1 has a 4-inch display and 3.1 million megapixel camera. It is powered by a 1.2 gigahertz dual-core processor Analysts believe Samsung will mainly use the Tizen OS in low-end smartphones for developing nations.

The benefits of Tizen are very simple: Tizen is ‘lighter’ than other operating systems. Tizen requires less processing power and memory, thereby ensuring faster device speeds while consuming less energy. As a result, consumers will benefit from a smoother user experience through the likes of shorter boot time, faster web browsing and seamless multitasking, while enjoying longer battery life.

 

Samsung In the Lead

Mobile technology market in the United States still led by Samsung and Apple is in Second place with smartphones. Samsung was able to take 36.1 percent of smartphone shipments in the United States. Apple,  held onto 29.7 percent of the cell phone shipments during that same period of time. When compared to 2013, the figure for Samsung was 33.9 percent and for Apple was 25.9 percent. You can expect that both companies will be announcing new smartphones in September, which will be released well before 2014 comes to an end. LG took the third place spot, with a share of 11 percent.

Samsung, Intel, Dell Unite For Internet of Things Connectivity Standards

 

The Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) plans to deliver the specifications for free data flow between devices, regardless of the OS, device type or wireless communication technology. The new consortium, includes chipmakers Broadcom and Atmel. The consortium will rival the Qualcomm-supported AllSeen Alliance, which last week welcomed Microsoft as its 51st member, among Sharp and others. Apple and Google are also pursuing their own ways of interconnecting household devices. In June, Apple announced HomeKit, which will integrate control of devices like lights and thermostats.
Google’s Nest has also partnered with companies including Whirlpool Corp and light bulb maker LIFX to integrate their products with its thermostats and smoke detectors.

Payment On The Go

PayPal is rolling out a new program that will allow customers to make payments on the go. The new feature lets them make wireless transactions using one of the trendiest wearable tech pieces, smartwatches. At the moment, PayPal is launching a pilot phase of the program at campus Starbucks in San Jose, using Samsung Galaxy smart on-wrist tech pieces.

 

The Wireless Charging Industry

 

Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) has announced that from now on, they will work together, on a universal wireless charging standard.

The wireless charging industry is severely fragmented, with rival groups all vying to make their standard, the standard. In  doing so, they have only served to divide the industry and thereby dissuading the manufacturers from investing in wireless charging technology. As a result, very few smartphones have wireless charging technology incorporated into their designs and even fewer tablets have the technology.

If they want to convince big-name mobile device manufacturers to commit to wireless charging, they will have to create a universal standard. In 2012, Qualcomm and Samsung paired up to consolidate their two standards and several other smaller groups joined them to form the A4WP. Now PMA has joined up with the A4WP. The last big group in wireless charging to join the fray is the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the group responsible for Qi charging, which is found on Nokia smartphones and a few Google Nexus devices. It is unknown whether the WPC will join in on the agreement, but leaders in the field are optimistic that things will eventually  change.

All the players in the industry all seem to hesitantly agree that there should be a universal wireless charging standard, it’s just getting them all to agree on one that is the problem. While consumers eagerly wait patiently

Tech Projects That Were Flops

 

The Google Barge

Google was working on a mysterious barge in the San Francisco Bay. Some Speculated that  it was going to be a floating data center or a storefront for Google Glass. It seems that Google failed to get the proper permits for the barge. The multi-million dollar project is currently under investigation

The iPhone 5C

Sales of the iPhone 5C appear to be weaker than expected. There have been multiple reports of Apple cutting 5C production in favor of the iPhone 5S.

 The television industry and  Aereo

Aereo is a new way to watch TV. It transmits broadcast channels to your tablet and phone. Big TV companies are upset  about it, so they’ve been trying to sue the company into oblivion. So far, their lawsuits have done nothing but bring attention to the company.

HTC One

The HTC One is a great phone. It might be the best Android phone on the market. And yet, no one is buying it. HTC, which was at one time the biggest Android phone company, is in a tailspin. The One was supposed to save it. It did’nt

 

BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry 10 finally launched this year. It was a total failure. No one wanted it. As a result, the company spent the year trying to sell itself, then changing its mind about selling itself. The CEO is gone

The Moto X

Motorola’s Moto X is a good phone, but it’s been a flop in the market. It’s barely selling despite a massive marketing push from Google/Motorola.

 Samsung’s Galaxy Gear

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, a smart watch that was supposed to work with its smartphones. The Gear was a big flop, and Samsung is already working on a second version.

 

 

Video

Phablets are  mobile devices incorporating both a smartphone and a tablet computer in a single compact package (phone + tablet = phablet).

As smartphones take on more and more computer-like capabilities (viewing news, sports, photos, movies, taking photos and videos, and the like), there’s an increasing desire for screens with a larger display size and higher resolution. Combine this with the increasing number of users who want to “go mobile” with tablet computers, and you have the need for a more compact tablet computer. Since display sizes for smartphones are typically three to five inches and for tablet computers seven to ten inches, there’s a “gap” in the five- to seven-inch size. Enter a combined device a you get a Phablet

Up Coming Wearable Tech

 

Samsung is launching its Galaxy Gear on 4 September in Berlin. it’s actually a smartwatch. 

 

Apple iWatch

Apple Smart Shoe

Apple is also reportedly working on computerised shoes. Thanks to a patent applied for in January of this year, they are looking into ‘smart shoe’ systems which feature sensors that tell you when you need to replace the shoes

Google Glass

Social networking clothes

 Ping, is a social media ‘garment’ which connects the wearer to their social media accounts. You activate the clothing by moving it, lifting the hood, zipping, tying a bow etc. All of these movements allow you to respond to social media interactions.

 

Internet’s World Stats

INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS The Internet Big Picture World Internet Users and Population Stats

WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS June 30, 2012 World Regions Population ( 2012 Est.) Internet Users Dec. 31, 2000 Internet Users Latest Data Penetration (% Population) Growth 2000-2012 Users % of Table Africa 1,073,380,925 4,514,400 167,335,676 15.6 % 3,606.7 % 7.0 % Asia 3,922,066,987 114,304,000 1,076,681,059 27.5 % 841.9 % 44.8 % Europe 820,918,446 105,096,093 518,512,109 63.2 % 393.4 % 21.5 % Middle East 223,608,203 3,284,800 90,000,455 40.2 % 2,639.9 % 3.7 % North America 348,280,154 108,096,800 273,785,413 78.6 % 153.3 % 11.4 % Latin America / Caribbean 593,688,638 18,068,919 254,915,745 42.9 % 1,310.8 % 10.6 % Oceania / Australia 35,903,569 7,620,480 24,287,919 67.6 % 218.7 % 1.0 % WORLD TOTAL 7,017,846,922 360,985,492 2,405,518,376 34.3 % 566.4 % 100.0 % NOTES: (1) Internet Usage and World Population Statistics are for June 30, 2012. (2) CLICK on each world region name for detailed regional usage information. (3) Demographic (Population) numbers are based on data from the US Census Bureau and local census agencies. (4) Internet usage information comes from data published by Nielsen Online, by the International Telecommunications Union, by GfK, local ICT Regulators and other reliable sources. (5) For definitions, disclaimers, navigation help and methodology, please refer to the Site Surfing Guide. (6) Information in this site may be cited, giving the due credit towww.internetworldstats.com. Copyright © 2001 – 2013, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide.

Getting The World Connected Online

 Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants the world’s 7 billion people online through a partnership with some of the largest mobile technology companies. Facebook Inc. on Wednesday announced a partnership called Internet.org. It includes the world’s biggest social network, plus Korean electronics giant Samsung, Finnish handset maker Nokia and wireless chip maker Qualcomm Inc. More companies are expected to join.

Google Inc., which is not a part of the Internet.org effort, launched a similar project earlier this year with the goal of getting everyone on Earth online. Called Project Loon, the effort launched Internet-beaming antennas aloft on giant helium balloons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m96tYpEk1Ao