четверг, 19 октября 2017 г.

Samsung и Google запустят поддержку дополненной реальности в новых смартфонах серий Galaxy S и Glaxy Note





Флагманские смартфоны Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ и Galaxy Note 8 получат поддержку новейшей технологии дополненной реальности, разработанных южнокорейским техногигантом совместно с компанией Google.
Несмотря на конкуренцию в IT-сфере, Samsung и Google всё же заинтересованы друг в друге по ряду причин, поэтому заключили очередное партнёрское соглашение об использовании игр и приложений с ARCore.
Своё решение об объединении усилий в этом направлении Samsung и Google объясняют высочайшим уровнем конкуренции на рынке в сфере AR-технологий. 
По словам экспертов, эта сделка окажется выгодной для каждой из сторон. Samsung долгое время не занимался технологией AR и теперь намерен ликвидировать разрыв в этой области со своими главными конкурентами в лице Apple. Google, в свою очередь, получит больше дохода, поскольку Samsung является главным поставщиком мобильных Android-девайсов на мировой рынок. 
Специальный пакет для разработчиков по внедрению технологии дополненной реальности уже создан. Ожидается, что ARCore изначально появится в моделях Galaxy S8 и Galaxy Note 8, а позже она будет доступна для всех мобильных устройств южнокорейской корпорации.
В рамках проходящей в эти дни конференции SDC 2017 (Samsung Developer Conference), Samsung представил широкий спектр устройств и программных решений в области виртуальной, дополненной и смешанной реальности. Руководство корпорации уверено, что за этими прогрессивными форматами будущее (как в производственной сфере, так и в сегменте развлечений), поэтому Samsung будет постоянно наращивать усилия для укрепления своих позиций в указанном секторе.
Кроме того, новейшие VR-системы будут интегрированы с интеллектуальным цифровым помощником Bixby, что ещё больше расширит горизонты применения технологий виртуализации.

Unlocking the New Reality

Samsung has a long history as a leading pioneer in developing innovative technology that delivers incredible experiences and immerses users in amazing new realities. By combining our expertise in hardware design and engineering with the incredible advancements of our software, we are driving the digital future and creating previously unimagined opportunities for our developers and consumers alike.
The way we experience the world around us has changed drastically over the course of just a few short years. The rise of mobile technology means we are no longer confined to our physical world. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have added new layers of entertainment, information and education to our lives in ways that we have never experienced before.
And yet, it is still early days. At Samsung, we believe 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 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 virtual reality 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 VR contents continues to grow, so has Samsung’s spirit of innovation. At SDC 2017 we showcased our latest VR solutions to help educate developers on the possibilities that exist when building within Samsung’s VR ecosystem. Samsung has developed a range of leading VR services including:

* Samsung VR, a premium video service offering the best in 360 immersive content taking you anywhere from the cockpit of an airplane, to the depths of the ocean or the far reaches of the universe with your Galaxy phone and a Gear VR.
* Samsung Internet VR, a Gear VR-optimized browser that allows users to surf the web and enjoy videos and photos on a large, virtual screen creating an immersive experience as if users were at the theater.
* Samsung PhoneCast VR, a first-of-its-kind application that translates 2D apps into 3D VR through mirroring for improved VR playtime providing an entirely new mobile experience.
* VRB Foto, a fun and social 360 photo sharing solution developed as part of Mobile Platform and Solutions lab of Samsung Research America, which allows users to create and share fun effects on top of 360 photos shot using cameras like Gear 360.
* Black River Studios, a division of Samsung R&D Institute of Amazonia (SIDIA) in Brazil, produces titles for Gear VR and Galaxy devices including Angest, Rock & Rails, and Finding Monsters perfectly suited for the upcoming HMD Odyssey.
* Samsung Gear VR Framework, an open source VR rendering engine with a Java interface for developing mobile VR apps offering a simple and familiar SDK for traditional Android developers without having to know multiple underlying VR SDKs.

Developers can pair these services with leading hardware like the Gear 360, as well as the recently released 360 Round – a new camera featuring 17 lenses able to capture a fully horizontal 360-degree sphere for developing and streaming high-quality 3D content for VR. Additionally, the new Samsung Gear 360 SDK 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, we at Samsung believe 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. Our recent partnerships with top content creators like The New York Times gives our 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.

Delivering the Promise of AR

Samsung is known for creating technology that breaks the boundaries of what’s currently possible. Augmented reality has introduced a new experience by bridging our digital and physical worlds. During the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC 2017), we shared our vision for the rapidly evolving AR landscape through our partnership with Google to extend the ARCore platform to more Galaxy devices (S8, S8+ and Note8) bringing the best AR experiences to our users. While this is driven by the strengths of our mobile devices, we believe the future of AR will extend beyond the smartphone as we apply advances in machine learning and computer vision to move from recording the world to understanding it.
Consider our Galaxy series, which has redefined standards for mobile cameras with dual-pixel sensors and advanced optics. By adding machine learning and computer vision to the equation, we have transformed the camera into a means of comprehending and contextualizing the world quickly and accurately recognizing the people, places and things in front of them.
That’s where Bixby Vision comes in. We introduced Bixby Vision earlier this year, further expanding our AR capabilities. Bixby Vision offers a new way to understand the world, seamlessly integrated into your smartphone camera. It provides a better understanding of the world through objects, scenes and text. Using the camera app and photo gallery, Bixby Vision uses a hybrid deep learning system that allows it to run on both the device and in the cloud, so it can better identify objects and provide new ways of understanding and engaging with the world around you.
As Samsung continues to build innovative applications and expand the AR capabilities of our devices, we envision a future in which digital experiences like AR break through to wide consumer adoption, providing users with a powerful new experience in their daily lives. Imagine the possibilities beyond gaming and entertainment. Municipalities can install digital signposts which overlay directions for visiting tourists. Businesses have the potential to train new employees on safety procedures for new machines and equipment with virtual guides. The opportunities are endless.

Growing the Ecosystem

While today we experience AR on our phones, at Samsung, we believe that tomorrow, this will go beyond smartphones. To ensure such innovations continue to drive the growth of VR and add to the 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, we will not only open new business opportunities for our partners, but also provide greater access for all to a rapidly expanding market. Through this extensive ecosystem, we envision 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.

SDC 2017: Samsung анонсировал Bixby 2.0 для различных IoT-устройств



На конференции разработчиков SDC 2017 (Samsung Developer Conference), которая проходит в эти дни в Сан-Франциско, корпорация Samsung Electronics представила следующее поколение своего интеллектуального голосового помощника Bixby.
Как было отмечено в ходе презентации 18 октября в центре Moscone West, Bixby 2.0 получил серьёзные улучшения и становится открытой платформой для сторонних приложений. Новый цифровой сервис предназначен для широкого круга связанных между собой IoT-устройств и уже с 2018 года появится не только на смартфонах, но и в других премиальных продуктах марки Samsung: холодильниках, телевизорах, смарт-часах, роботах-пылесосах, микроволновых печах, смарт-акустике и так далее.
Избранным разработчикам Samsung откроет доступ к бэта-программе для Bixby SDK, чтобы испытать возможности новой системы. В будущем SDK станет доступен для всех разработчиков.
Впервые в новую версию Bixby включены фрагменты кода от калифорнийской компании ViV Labs, известного разработчика систем искусственного интеллекта. В прошлом году конгломерат Samsung приобрёл ViV Labs примерно за $250 миллионов и теперь её сотрудники заняты совершенствованием голосового помощника южнокорейского гиганта.
Отличительной особенностью обновлённой версии Bixby 2.0 станет лучшее распознавание разговорной речи, дифференциация голосов людей и круга интересов каждого пользователя, а также более совершенная контекстуальная система, определяющая тематику разговора.
При этом каждое смарт-устройство получит свою версию Bixby, наилучшим образом адаптированную к предназначению прибора. Так, например, смарт-телевизоры будут "заточены" на ускоренный поиск видеоконтента (конкретных кинофильмов, спортивных соревнований, музыкальных программ и т.д.), а смарт-холодильники "сосредоточатся" на хозяйственных делах (поиск нужных рецептов, рекомендации приготовлений блюд из тех продуктов, которые находятся внутри холодильника, закз продуктов в интернет-магазинах). Соответственно, стиральная машина выдаст рекомендации по стирке вещей из того или иного материала, определит наиболее подходящее моющее средство и подсчитает сколько времени займёт стирка в зависимости от степени загрязнения белья. Разумеется, возможности Bixby в той же "стиралке" не ограничатся только "профильными" опциями. Любой IoT-девайс от Samsung сможет ответить на все основные вопросы, волнующие среднестатистическую домохозяйку: прогноз погоды, актуальные распродажи с выгодными скидками, репертуар кинотеатров, концертных залов и т.д. Bixby без проблем закажет вам билет в кино, на самолёт или поезд посредством голосовой команды, сообщит об автомобильных пробках в городе на дынный момент и подберёт оптимальный маршрут.
В дальнейшем Bixby будет интегрирован в информационно-развлекательные системы автомобилей, чем в настоящее время занимается дочернее подразделение Samsung, американская компания HARMAN International.    

Bixby 2.0: The Start of the Next Paradigm Shift in Devices

by Eui-Suk Chung
Executive Vice President and Head of Service Intelligence of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics

Yesterday at the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2017 in San Francisco, I was honored to share Samsung’s vision for intelligence, with the introduction of Bixby 2.0 – a powerful intelligent assistant platform that will bring a connected experience that is ubiquitous, personal, and open.  Bixby 2.0 will be a fundamental leap forward for digital assistants and represents another important milestone to transform our digital lives.
Today’s assistants are useful, but ultimately still play a limited role in people’s lives. People use them to set timers and reminders, answer trivial questions, etc. We see a world where digital assistant play a bigger role, an intelligent role, where one day everything from our phones, to our fridge, to our sprinkler system will have some sort of intelligence to help us seamlessly interact with all the technology we use each day.
To understand where we are going with devices, it is important to understand how far we’ve come. It is hard to believe, when you think back to just a decade ago, how we used our phones. It was likely a feature phone, which was primarily used to make calls and use a limited number of apps. But I knew, we at Samsung knew, that there were greater possibilities for the mobile phone. During the early and mid-2000, I led the team at Samsung in creating the Mobile Intelligent Terminal by Samsung (MITs), which was an early generation of smartphones before the Galaxy S and Note series were finally born. Powered by open API, application eco-system and innovative touch UI, smartphone market has, ever since then, exploded and became a life-essential tool for everyone. It also brought new opportunities for businesses and developers.
I believe that we are now on the cusp of the next major tectonic shift. With our long legacy as the global smartphone leader, we’ve been bringing meaningful innovation and driving digital transformation for the industry, and we are excited to help lead the change during another revolutionary moment. Personally, I am excited to be part of this next great era and this shift is one of the reasons why we are motivated to continue to develop our intelligent assistant, Bixby.
We introduced Bixby to the world earlier this year with the launch of our flagship mobile devices, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ and the Note 8. Bixby is now available in over 200 different countries, with more than 10 million registered users. But this is just a start. When we launched Bixby, we focused on how it could help people with getting the most out of their smartphones and apps to make their life easier. We integrated a few close partner applications on the device to make those devices more intelligent. We created multi-step, and cross-app capabilities that have allowed more than millions of Bixby users get things done faster and easier, but it is just a stepping stone for us.
Now, we are ready to take Bixby to the next level. Bixby 2.0 is a bold reinvention of the platform. A reinvention aimed at transforming basic digital assistants from a novelty to an intelligence tool that is a key part of everyone’s daily life.
Bixby 2.0 will be ubiquitous, available on any and all devices. This means having the intelligence of Bixby, powered by the cloud, act as the control hub of your device ecosystem, including mobile phones, TVs, refrigerators, home speakers, or any other connected technology you can imagine. Soon, developers will be able to put their services on any and all devices and will not have to reinvent their services each time they support a new device.
It will be more personal, with enhanced natural language capabilities for more natural commands and complex processing, so it can really get to know and understand not only who you are, but who members of your family are, and tailor its response and actions appropriately.
And finally, and most importantly, Bixby 2.0 will be open. We know Samsung cannot deliver on this paradigm shift by ourselves – it can only happen if we all, across all industries, work together, in partnership. With Bixby 2.0, the doors will be wide open for developers to choose and model how users interact with Bixby in their services across all application domains e.g., sports, food, entertainment, or travel – the opportunities are truly endless.
Starting today, we’re announcing our first private beta program with Bixby SDK, which will be available for select developers. We will work as one team, innovating, collaborating, and bringing Bixby 2.0 to life. Over time, we will increase the number of participants in the beta, and ultimately make the Bixby SDK available to all developers.
Bixby 2.0 will ultimately be a marketplace, for intelligence. A new channel for developers to reach users with their service, not just on mobile devices, but through all devices. Over time, we will rollout variety of revenue models to maximize our partners’ business opportunities in this new paradigm. Hopefully making it as fruitful as the move from feature to smartphones was for our partners.
The future is yours. Whatever your technology platform, device category or industry sector: we call on all developers to unleash their creativity and help us to democratize intelligence, so that we can move beyond devices and into an open, connected ecosystem to simplify the lives of everyone.

SDC 2017: Samsung представил 3D VR-камеру высокого класса





В рамках крупнейшего форума разработчиков SDC 2017, проводимого корпорацией Samsung в калифорнийском Сан-Франциско, была представлена новая VR-камера, которая способна не просто снимать панорамные фото и видео, но и фиксировать всё это в объёмном 3D-формате.
Камера получила название 360 Round и предназначена для фиксации изображения с 360-градусным охватом. Девайс, чем-то напоминающий летающую тарелку, оснащён 17-ю объективами (каждый с 2-мегапиксельным сенсором 1/2.8 дюйма и линзой со светосилой f/1.8), 6 внутренними микрофонами (и возможностью подключить ещё два внешних), 10Гб ОЗУ и 40 Гб встроенной флэш-памяти. Накопитель можно расширить, вставив карту памяти объёмом до 256Гб или установив SSD объёмом до 2Тб. Масса камеры составляет 1,93кг, а её корпус защищён от проникновения влаги и пыли по стандарту IP65. В качестве операционной системы, cудя по всему, установлена TIZEN не ниже версии 3.0.
360 Round может использоваться для стриминга 4K-контента в формате VR с частотой 30 кадров в секунду. Для работы с камерой потребуется дополнительное оборудование.
Для постобработки видео компьютер должен быть оснащён как минимум процессором Intel Core i7-6700K, 16Гб ОЗУ и видеокартой GeForce GTX 1080, а для прямого вещания требуется компьютер с 10-ядерным процессором Intel Core i7-6950X, 32Гб ОЗУ и двумя видеокартами Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.
Эксперты отмечают, что это значительный качественный рывок в серии подобных девайсов Samsung. Более ранние модели поддерживали только два камерных модуля в режиме 2D. 
360 Round должна появиться в продаже в октябре. Её стоимость пока не объявлена.

Experience Samsung 360 Round, a High-Quality Camera for Creating and Livestreaming 3D Content for Virtual Reality (VR)

Designed to provide VR specialists with a durable and manageable solution for capturing, viewing and editing VR content

Samsung Electronics introduces the 360 Round, a new camera for developing and streaming high-quality 3D content for specialists and enthusiasts who demand a superior virtual reality (VR) experience. Announced at the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC 2017), the Samsung 360 Round uses 17 lenses—eight stereo pairs positioned horizontally and one single lens positioned vertically—to livestream 4K 3D video and spatial audio, and create engaging 3D images with depth.
The 360 Round’s durable, compact design features IP651 water and dust resistance for use in everyday weather conditions and a fanless design to reduce weight and eliminate background noise. With additional features, including PC software for controlling and stitching and expandable external storage2, the 360 Round provides long lasting shooting for any sized job.
The growth of 360 content platforms, such as Samsung VR, Facebook and YouTube, as well as the spread of 360 videos through major media, has increased the need for high-quality 360 videos among VR professionals and enthusiasts. The 360 Round is the first product to meet these needs by combining high-quality, 360-degree imagery with advanced 3D depth at a reasonable price compared to other professional 360 cameras.
“The Samsung 360 Round is a testament to our leadership in the VR market. We have developed a product that contains innovative VR features, allowing video producers and broadcast professionals to easily produce high quality 3D content,” said Suk-Jea Hahn, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Global Mobile B2B Team. “The combination of livestreaming capabilities, IP65 water and dust resistance and 17 lenses makes this camera ideal for a broad range of use cases our customers want—from livestreaming major events to filming at training facilities across various industries.”
The Samsung 360 Round combines high-quality images with a durable design and a content management software solution that allows VR directors to transform virtual reality through a complete set of advanced features.

High-Quality 360 Content

The 360 Round offers high-quality 3D images with a 4K camera, thanks to 17 paired lenses that capture a 360-degree view for a full 3D experience. In addition, the 360 Round enables live streaming with little-to-no latency3 and broadcasts easier than ever, with one-step stitching and control software provided by Samsung.

Durability

The Samsung 360 Round uses a uni-body chassis designed to reduce heat, removing the need for a cooling fan and minimizing size and weight. The compact design helps eliminate excess noise and reduce power consumption for hours of continuous shooting. Additionally, the 360 Round is IP651 dust and water resistant, making it an ideal choice for capturing content in the most challenging environments. With expandable connectors and ports, the 360 Round is designed to easily and quickly connect to additional equipment, such as an external mic, and storage for saving large files.
The Samsung 360 Round will be available in October in the United States before expanding to other markets over time. For more information please visit http://www.samsungmobilepress.com or https://www.samsung.com/galaxy.

1) When using this feature, please put AC adaptor in a waterproof pack
2) Sold separately
3) Depending on network connections

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Количество активных пользователей платёжного сервиса Samsung Pay в Южной Корее достигло почти 6,5 миллиона человек



Samsung Pay позволяет осуществлять платежи, используя для этого поддерживаемые Android-смартфоны, смарт-часы и другую технику марки Samsung, работающую на TIZEN OS.
Новые статистические данные, обнародованные компанией WiseApp, показывают, что в сентябре 2017 года пользовательская база Samsung Pay в Южной Корее составила 6,44 миллиона человек. Причём за последние 12 месяцев клиентская база увеличилась вдвое, сообщает бизенес-портал The Investor. В сентябре прошлого года сообщалось о 3,22 миллиона пользователей.
В клиентскую базу включают не всех, чьи смартфоны поддерживают Samsung Pay, а лишь тех владельцев смартфонов, которые используют сервис не менее раза в месяц.
2 месяца назад Samsung Pay отметил вторую годовщину с момента запуска. Согласно отчёту корпорации, суммарный объём платежей за этот период составил 8,77 миллиарда долларов США, причём 7 миллиардов через Samsung Pay были проведены за второй год существования сервиса.

Samsung Pay boasts over 6m users in September

Samsung Electronics’ mobile payment tool - Samsung Pay - boasted 6.44 million monthly users in September, data showed on Oct. 18.
According to the data compiled by industry tracker WiseApp on Android users, the number of Samsung Pay users in September was double the 3.22 million users posted a year earlier.
The figure is based on the number of people who used the application at least once a month.
The survey involved 2,300 Korean users of Android-powered phones, the industry tracker said. The combined number of Android users in Korea is estimated at 37 million.
ISP/Paybooc followed with 3.99 million users, while Shinhan Fan posted 2.64 million users. Toss had 2.2 million users.