[Sponsored Report] Samsung unveils vision for an open IoT system

SAN FRANCISCO — At this year’s Samsung Developer Conference on Oct. 18, Samsung Electronics shared its vision for a connected world with a widely accessible and open Internet of Things (IoT) platform.

The company announced it would unify its IoT services under SmartThings, unveiled Bixby 2.0 with a software development kit and vowed to advance its leadership in augmented reality (AR) to usher in an era of connected, seamless experiences that span across devices, software and services.

“At Samsung, we’re constantly innovating in order to deliver smarter, connected experiences for our consumers. Now we’re taking a big step forward with our open IoT platform, intelligent ecosystem and AR capabilities,” said Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung’s mobile communications business. “Through an extensive open collaboration with our business partners and developers, we are unlocking a gateway to an expanded ecosystem of interconnected and intelligent services that will simplify and enrich everyday life for our consumers.”

Samsung also demonstrated Project Ambience, a small dongle that can be applied to a wide variety of objects, allowing them to seamlessly connect and create a ubiquitous Bixby experience. This new concept reflects the next generation of IoT, that of “Intelligence of Things,” which combines IoT and intelligence to make everyday life easier.

Democratizing the Internet of Things

Samsung is combining its existing IoT services — SmartThings, Samsung Connect and ARTIK — into one unified platform. SmartThings Cloud will provide a single, powerful cloud-based hub that can seamlessly connect and control IoT-enabled products and services from one touchpoint. It will be one of the world’s largest IoT ecosystems and provide the infrastructure for a connected consumer experience that is innovative, versatile and holistic.

With SmartThings Cloud, developers will have cloud access to one API across all SmartThings-compatible products to build their connected solutions and bring them to more people. It will also provide secure interoperability and services for business developing commercial and industrial IoT solutions.

[SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Next-generation intelligence

Samsung is moving intelligence beyond devices and into a ubiquitous, personal and open ecosystem with the introduction of Bixby 2.0 and a software development kit integrated with Viv technologies.

Bixby 2.0 will be available on a variety of devices including Samsung’s Smart TV and Family Hub refrigerator. Now, Bixby will sit at the center of consumers’ intelligent ecosystem, with deep linking capabilities and enhanced natural language abilities that better recognize individual users and create a predictive, personalized experience that better anticipates their needs. In order to build a faster, easier and more powerful intelligent assistant platform, Samsung will provide the tools to bring Bixby 2.0 into a wider number of applications and services. The Bixby kit will be available to select developers through a private beta program, with general availability coming in the near future.

Leading in augmented reality

Building upon Samsung’s heritage of creating pioneering technology that delivers incredible experiences to unlock new realities, the company is committed to advancing AR technology. Through a partnership with Google, developers will be able to use the ARCore software development kit to bring AR to millions of Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note8 users. This strategic partnership offers new business opportunities for developers — and a new platform for creating immersive consumer experiences. The way we interact with the world around us has changed drastically over the course of just a few years. The rise of mobile technology means we are no longer confined to our physical world. Augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) have added new layers of entertainment, information and education to our lives in ways that we have never experienced before.

Yet, the technology is still in its early days. Samsung believes the democratization of this technology will foster a creative environment for developers to create amazing new applications and experiences. As these technologies move to the mainstream, it’s up to the industry leaders to adopt a collaborative and open approach to help AR and VR flourish.

Expanding our worlds

Samsung introduced the Gear VR nearly three years ago. Today, its rapidly expanding ecosystem features more than 1,000 apps, 10,000 high-quality videos through the premium 360-degree immersive Samsung VR service and noteworthy collaborations with top content creators and media brands. As a leader in VR entertainment and devices, Samsung is already at the helm of building the technology for a next-level VR experience, changing how people use their smartphones and experience the world around them. As the appetite for such content continues to grow, so has Samsung’s spirit of innovation.

At this year’s developer conference, Samsung showcased its latest VR solutions to help educate developers on the possibilities that exist when building within Samsung’s VR ecosystem. The new Samsung Gear 360 kit now allows developers to build experiences that control Gear 360 cameras directly from an app, while new software updates simplify how photos are shared with Samsung cloud integration. With these world-class hardware and software combinations, developers can create new digital environments that challenge our thinking of what’s possible while driving excitement and ultimately adoption of these new technologies.

As these technologies advance, Samsung believes that it’s important for the industry to provide greater access to this rapidly expanding market through an open approach to partnerships and close collaborations that drive valuable experiences for consumers. Recent partnerships with top content creators like The New York Times gives customers access to professional VR content, while integrations with Microsoft have led to new innovations like the HMD Odyssey headset, considered the most immersive Windows mixed-reality headset available. With dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays, 110-degree field of view and 360-degree Spatial Sound, the Samsung HMD Odyssey promises a journey to a world of games, videos, and socializing that knows no limits.

Growing the ecosystem

While today we experience AR on our phones, Samsung believes that tomorrow, this will go beyond smartphones. To ensure such innovations continue to drive the growth of VR and add to rapid advancements in AR, Samsung is committed to growing its community of developers and collaborators to expand the presence of new reality experiences in our daily lives. By doing so, Samsung will not only open new business opportunities for its partners, but also provide greater access for all to a rapidly expanding market. Through this extensive ecosystem, the company envisions a future that creates a seamless transition between the world as we know it to the new worlds and experiences of the new digital reality.