Smart Home – Reader@mReotEch.com

Samsung Electronics Brings Excitement to Fans, Athletes and Officials at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 through Innovative Experiences at the Samsung Olympic Showcase

Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications and Computing Equipment category, is bringing technological innovations to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 through interactive experiences at the new Samsung Olympic Showcases. Samsung will encourage fans and athletes to “Do What You Can’t” through fun, immersive experiences across multiple Samsung Olympic Showcases.

Throughout the Olympic Winter Games, a total of nine Samsung Olympic Showcases, featuring a mix of cultural, technological and immersive fan experiences, will be in PyeongChang and Gangneung, including Olympic Parks and the Olympic Villages, the Main Press Center, and four at the Incheon International Airport. Samsung Olympic Showcases @ PyeongChang Olympic Plaza and @ Gangneung Olympic Park opening on February 9^th will provide visitors with engaging experiences incorporating Samsung’s legacy of breakthrough innovation and interactive activities powered by Samsung technology.

Athletes and fans will first experience the Samsung brand history and heritage in engineering, design, and craftsmanship, and then the partnership history with the Olympic Games. Then through interactive experiences, visitors will be able to feel the exhilaration and escape into real-world thrills in winter sports through VR including snowboarding and skeleton, as well as participate in alpine and cross-country skiing contests that will challenge fans’ fitness capacity. For the first time, visitors will be able to experience the ‘Mission to Space VR: A Moon for All Mankind’ created by Samsung. Visitors will experience a full space mission including mission briefing, trying on the training suits and helmets, and the truly immersive experience in the Moon rig where they will feel lunar gravity with every step.

“For two decades as a Worldwide Olympic Partner, Samsung has connected fans, visitors and athletes from around the world with our latest technological innovations, which have now evolved to also include immersive experiences,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “We’re delighted to share Samsung’s latest mobile technologies and products so fans and athletes can enjoy new, unique experiences while at the Olympic Winter Games.”

“Over the course of our longstanding partnership, Samsung has brought new experiences and technology advancements to each Olympic Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Samsung helps to make each and every one an exciting and meaningful experience for all.”

Visitors will experience and engage with Samsung’s products and Galaxy brand through a variety of activities through a comfortable, interactive environment, including:

Immersive VR Experiences: Unique VR experiences powered by the Galaxy Note8 will allow fans to escape into exhilarating moments on the fresh mountain slopes in snowboarding and skeleton as well as escape to space in Mission to Space VR: A Moon for All Mankind’ – available to consumers to experience for the first time. Other experiences include simulated skiing adventures.

Playful Experiences: Promoting the playful side of technology, Portrait Pool allows visitors to turn their “selfies” into painted characters for social sharing, S Pen Gallery to create own portraits with Galaxy Note8 and S pen as a paint brush, Infinity Moment to create user generated content with the Galaxy Note8.

Kids Lounge: A dedicated kids lounge in a hands-on zone, where kids can play, learn and explore Samsung products and expand their creativity through hands-on experience.

Smart Home (IoT): Multi Device and futuristic demos powered by mobile technology that showcase the IoT, helping visitors to imagine the future lifestyle.

Unbox Samsung: The journey of ‘Unbox Samsung’ where visitors can experience the Living History of Samsung since 1988 when the first mobile phone was launched.

Purchase and Customer Service: Visitors will also be able receive customer service and make purchases of the mobile products and its accessories.

Interact & Relax: Within lounges and in the Cultural Community where various lifestyle programs will take place as well as in the Café where food and beverages will be available for purchase using Buddy Points acquired during the interactive experiences.

Special Events: A series of events will take place at the Samsung Olympic Showcase to enhance the Olympic Winter Games experience including athlete visits and celebrating holiday moments.

‘All In’ on AI, Part 1: HomeCare Wizard, Enabling Smart Appliances to Diagnose Themselves

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is exciting and vast, with researchers just starting to understand all the potential applications. However, one solution which users can tap into now, to experience how AI can make their lives more convenient and easier, is Samsung Electronics’ HomeCare Wizard. The unique AI-based service solution, available on Samsung’s 2018 smart home appliances, essentially enables devices to diagnose themselves for not only system errors, but to enhance efficiency and to help users use their appliances better.

To provide an example of how HomeCare Wizard works, just imagine if a refrigerator starts to provide less cooling than usual. HomeCare Wizard will immediately detect and provide an alert that something is off, as well as diagnose the cause of the problem without requiring the visit of a technician. Through analysis of usage patterns, HomeCare Wizard will also help users better maintain and utilize their appliances, like reminding them when it’s time to clean the washing machine tub or providing tips to ensure the best energy efficiency.

Let’s take a closer look at HomeCare Wizard and the intelligent benefits it is set to provide.

What is it?

HomeCare Wizard made its debut with the recent launch of Samsung’s QuickDrive washing machines, and utilizes AI learning to offer users benefits that go above and beyond the scope of similar diagnostic services. Whereas similar services’ diagnoses are typically limited to cut-and-dry system errors, HomeCare Wizard’s advanced algorithm also alerts users of less obvious factors that may be affecting their device’s efficiency, in particular non-system related errors. For instance, if the air conditioner’s breeze isn’t quite cool enough due to something like a contaminated filter, which a user can easily clean on his or her own, HomeCare Wizard can quickly diagnose such issues.

Therein lies another of the solution’s key benefits. If HomeCare Wizard determines that a particular issue does not require a service professional to be dispatched to a user’s home, it will provide simple instructions to help users solve the problem by themselves. This reduces the need for users to schedule such visits, and helps them find the solutions they need faster.

Identifying and explaining an issue’s exact source can also be difficult at times and in such cases a user will need to call a Samsung service center to get to the bottom of the problem. As HomeCare Wizard sends the device’s diagnostic data directly to the service center, the service center will be fully aware of the nature of the problem before the call is even made.

Why is it So Compelling?

More often than not, when appliances don’t behave the way users are supposed to and it is difficult to figure out why, the result is hours spent scouring the web or contacting a service center for answers. In other instances, users are forced to wait for a technician to visit their home. The promise of HomeCare Wizard, through AI, is the potential to change this paradigm as smart devices and appliances essentially diagnose, and even give solutions, themselves.

HomeCare Wizard’s technology also has the added benefit of making it easy for users to monitor energy use and usage patterns, and utilize their devices more efficiently. Users have the option to receive regular usage reports through the mobile app, which in addition to offering 24-hour troubleshooting and diagnostics, will provide customized tips based on users’ usage patterns to help them get more out of a particular appliance. This means that, for example, a washing machine with HomeCare Wizard can determine which laundry cycles are used most frequently, notify users of how often they’re doing laundry, and present them with the option to save their top three most frequently used cycles as ‘favorites’.

How Does it Work?

To provide such deep-level analysis, HomeCare Wizard compares a device’s previous operation alongside its current status in order to diagnose recurring problems. Through the constant study and improvement of algorithms by Samsung’s Digital Appliance development team, HomeCare Wizard has been developed to analyze and study changes in sensor data at the industry’s most comprehensive levels, while the appliances are running. The more often users use their devices, the more precisely HomeCare Wizard can suggest solutions.

Where Can I Experience it?

HomeCare Wizard will be available on a wide range of products in Samsung’s 2018 smart appliance lineup, including the company’s latest washing machines, Family Hub refrigerators, air conditioners, cooking appliances, and robot vacuum cleaners.

Samsung Germany Executives Reflect on Trends at IFA 2017

The Frame Revolutionizes TV Design

“This year, UHD became the most decisive factor for television purchases for the very first time, according to gfu¹. And yet for Samsung, better television is not just about brilliant picture quality, but a better TV experience in every respect.

“With QLED, we have introduced a TV category that convinces thanks to Quantum dot technology, UHD, HDR, and a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. And where ease of use is concerned, Samsung sets standards with the Smart Hub and Premium Smart remote. Viewers can access any content they want in just three clicks – even from external players. QLED TVs are literally more beautiful televisions, with their clever wall mounts, cable solutions and stands.

“With The Frame, we are transforming the television into a canvas for digital art. The designer TV combines interior design with current smart TV technology, and evokes the aesthetic reserve of a picture frame.”

Kai Hillebrandt, Vice President of Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics GmbH

Clear User Menus – The Comprehensive Samsung Interface

“Technology is meant to make life easier. But while the capabilities of smartphones, PCs, refrigerators and washing machines continue to increase in the Internet of Things era, their operation is also becoming ever more complex.

“With Samsung, the technology adapts to the person, and not the other way around. To simplify the daily lives of consumers and enterprises, we carry out trend studies on consumer behaviors and apply the findings when developing the next smartphones, televisions and home appliances.

“We are thus continuously improving how users interact with our products – be it via gesture, touch, gaze or voice. The result is an all-embracing design language for Samsung’s Smart TVs, the Smart View app, smartphones, tablets, our Family Hub 2.0 refrigerators, and many other appliances.”

Kai Hillebrandt, Vice President of Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics GmbH

Perfect Sound to Match the Picture – Samsung Soundbars Bring Cinema Sound to the Living Room

“Connectivity and immersive listening are the big audio trends of 2017. This because a successful home cinema experience not only calls for a brilliant picture, but also luscious sound.

“Samsung’s QLED TVs revolutionize picture quality with UHD and HDR. MPEG-H stands for a new sound experience. The new technology permits every audio track to be individually modified and purposefully adjusted in live broadcasts.

“Easy and fast access to music from anywhere in the house is also becoming ever more important for consumers. Two thirds of German consumers, for example, desire clean TV setups² – a clear rejection of complex 7.1 systems and loudspeaker cables.

“With the HW-MS750 Flat Soundbar Sound+, Samsung has already combined a soundbar and subwoofer in a single slim soundbar casing – without any additional speakers or external cables. The Samsung HW-MS950 soundbar, powered by Dolby Atmos, makes sound even more flexible while placing the viewer at the center of the sound experience. The sound can be precisely moved and placed in three-dimensional space, also above the viewer’s head. Dolby Atmos makes home cinema entertainment come alive, and turns it into an intense and emotional experience with a clear and profoundly detailed soundscape.”

Kai Hillebrandt, Vice President of Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics GmbH

Untethered Music – The Galaxy S8 with UHQ Audio

“Music is also enjoyed on the go these days. Be it in the fitness studio, on the train, in the kitchen or garden – users always have their soundtrack with them, on their smartphone or streamed from the web. “With its Ultra High Quality (UHQ) audio technology, Samsung takes music enjoyment to a new level. It also enables high-quality sound on the road and supports digital recording at up to 32 bit/384 kHz. The audio files are not compressed, and can even be extrapolated.

“This way, music lovers can enjoy the entire sound spectrum of music sources in CD quality – or even higher, for example, with FLAC files or high-quality streaming. The technology is deployed in Bluetooth speakers, high-quality AKG headphones, ultra-light headsets, and even smartphones – the Galaxy S8 and S8+.”

Martin Börner, Deputy President, Samsung Electronics GmbH

UHD and HDR – QLED TV Creates a Visual Experience That’s Ready for the Big Screen

“UHD is conquering the mass market, as more and more consumers have become captivated by the ultra-realistic visual experiences enabled by UHD and HDR. High resolution is the most decisive factor for television buyers today³.

“A still larger leap is provided by HDR technology, helping today’s televisions achieve pictures that are extremely rich in contrast. The expanded color space becomes even more apparent in a direct comparison. Thanks to its unique suitability for HDR10 content, Samsung’s QLED technology represents the TV experience of the future.

“What’s especially impressive is the brightness of the Quantum dot displays. QLED TVs are extremely bright, with peak values of up to 2,000 nits, and offer the user intensively radiant, lifelike colors even in bright daylight. In doing so, QLED TVs follow the standards for digital cinema, and are able to cover 100 percent of the DCI-P3 cinema color space. That is a decisive point for consumers, as HDR will change the TV experience forever. It is thus not without reason that we are talking about a new product category when referring to QLED TV.”

Kai Hillebrandt, Vice President of Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics GmbH

Virtual Reality – Gear VR Makes the New Media Age Accessible for All

“Virtual reality and 360-degree video have introduced a completely new media experience to the mass market, and Samsung is a pioneer in these areas. Take social VR, for example. The technology is tangibly affecting our behavior on social networks. Today, we take our followers along in 360 degrees when we go to a concert or climb a mountain. They can then share in the adventure live with their VR headset or on a Samsung smart TV.

“Samsung is one of the first companies to have made these fascinating new experiences broadly available to the public, with its Gear VR headsets and Gear 360 cameras, and is a pioneer for this new media age.

“We have sold over 1.1 million VR devices in Europe since 2015, and already more than 5 million worldwide. This clearly shows that the interest in this technology is huge. It will fundamentally change the way we tell and experience visual stories.”

Martin Börner, Deputy President, Samsung Electronics GmbH

Benefitting Your Health – A Fitter Lifestyle with Samsung Gear

“Fitness wearables have become the norm in the shortest space of time, providing a perfect example of how quickly technologies can transform our lives. This is exactly what our motto for this year’s IFA expresses: “the new normal”. We have long since stopped talking about the measurement of the self instead of a new relationship with our body.

“Wearables change our awareness for a healthy life through their ability to monitor the wearer’s fitness activities, and optimize their efforts with the help of apps.

Samsung has been actively working to shape this trend for five years now with new innovations such as our Samsung Gear smartwatches. We will be experiencing this kind of rapid societal development brought on by technologies more often in the future, as trends spread with ever greater speed these days, not least of all thanks to social media.”

Alexander Zeeh, Director Home Appliances, Samsung Electronics GmbH

Networking in the Household – The Family Hub 2.0 Refrigerator as a Family Manager

“The market for household appliances is growing, and we see ourselves in a very good position to benefit from this growth. Samsung is banking on brilliant, dependable innovations that let us make household chores easier for our customers, and often help them reclaim some time. The industry-wide trend towards connected home appliances has an important part to play in this. We always take a close look at what people need in their day-to-day life, and develop products that meet their needs.

“With Family Hub, a smart refrigerator with an integrated LCD display, we have pooled our know-how in screen technologies, networking, and ease of use in the area of cooling to turn the kitchen into a modern communication center with the fridge as family manager. This is where food is organized, messages are exchanged, and schedules are compared.

“The fridge’s next generation, Family Hub 2.0, caters to the needs of every family member even more individually. Using personal user profiles, the entire family can now also exchange to-do lists or send messages to the refrigerator display on the go.

“The Smart Home App can also be used to control other compatible household appliances, such as a washing machine for example, by way of the user’s smartphone or the refrigerator screen.”

Martin Börner, Deputy President, Samsung Electronics GmbH

¹ gfu, Motive, Einstellungen und Kaufkriterien. Konsumtrends der Consumer und Home Electronics, May 2017.

² Data collected at the behest of Samsung by Kantar TNS in an online multi-subject survey based on the iBus method. This involved surveying 1,017 Germans aged 16 to 64 from June 1 to 4, 2017.

³ gfu, Motive, Einstellungen und Kaufkriterien. Konsumtrends der Consumer und Home Electronics, May 2017.

Samsung Showcases New IoT Services for Smart Home at IFA 2017

At this year’s IFA, the leading consumer electronics show in Berlin, Samsung Electronics demonstrated an array of new Internet of Things (IoT) and intelligent services for home appliances. By 2020, all Samsung devices will leverage connectivity. In preparation for the full-fledged smart home era, Samsung has been spearheading the standardization of global IoT technologies as a core member of the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF).

This year, the company is introducing an array of innovative products including Family Hub refrigerators with more advanced voice capabilities, and a Samsung Connect app that’s capable of seamlessly products integration across the cloud.

Before we dig into those innovations in detail, check out this video to gain a glimpse of how Samsung is bringing IoT connectivity to more home appliances.

New Smart Home Innovations

Samsung has introduced advanced voice capabilities to Family Hub that allow users to talk to the smart refrigerators to use it, and will expand the voice functionality to European markets this year. This convenient enhancement will make it possible to carry out a wide range of tasks, from looking inside the fridge to playing music, by simply speaking to the fridge.

Samsung is also actively working to evolve Family Hub into an IoT control center, to the point where users will be able to control all of their home’s connected appliances through voice recognition. Just imagine being able to summon your robotic vacuum to clean up the kitchen or monitor your laundry cycle while you cook. The possibilities are endless.

Samsung is also helping to deliver a smart home with the Samsung Connect app, which is compatible with all devices and operating systems, and allows users to control Samsung products through the cloud. With Bixby in Samsung smartphones, it is possible to control the Samsung Connect app by voice recognition.

Samsung’s remote diagnosis service will be upgraded by linking with the Samsung Connect app. Customers will also be able to receive guidance through their smartphones to identify and solve problems with Samsung’s smart home appliances in real-time.

An Expanding External Ecosystem Based in the Cloud

Samsung is the first in the industry to receive the OCF certification for its smart TVs, Family Hub refrigerators and air conditioners, and intends to expand the certification to all of its home appliances throughout the year. The OCF certification is a standard that enables compatibility between the products of member companies, strengthening connectivity so that different kinds of devices may communicate effectively with one another. In addition to Samsung, more than 390 companies have joined the OCF.

Samsung is also working with various third parties to integrate voice support for functions including Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant into smart home appliances including its refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and robot vacuums, and Google Home support in its robotic vacuums as well. As the first in the industry to apply open APIs to home appliances, Samsung plans to focus on expanding services through collaboration with various smart home companies.

Samsung will continue to contribute to creating meaningful changes in consumers’ lives and strengthening the industry’s IoT ecosystem. Stay tuned for more exciting developments ahead.