Last November, my seven-year-old daughter Aurelia and I embarked on the journey of a lifetime, cycling some 550 kilometers through Ghana with 62 other Ride Africa participants to help raise funds for Child.org.

The NGO was founded by three pediatricians in 2002 with a focus on providing holistic care for orphaned children in Kenya and Ghana. Today, Child.org continues to work towards a world where every child has an equal opportunity.

To accomplish this, they remove the barriers children face to getting a good education, which tend to differ from community to community. Based on the extensive data that they collect, their initiatives might include a deworming program in one village, school feeding in another and bike lending in yet another.

The organization’s most recent venture, Ride Africa, provided an opportunity to help both German and Ghanaian children explore the numerous possibilities of digital learning and experience new technologies.

Getting Into Gear

Having cycled with Child.org in 2014 from Uganda to Kenya, I was able to personally experience the amazing work the NGO does. Together with 50 other riders, we were able to raise £150,000 GBP for schools, street children centers and feeding centers in rural areas.

Understanding that every one of us has the ability to help others in need, I decided to take the journey again. This time, I also took along my daughter, knowing that it would be a wonderful opportunity for her to broaden her worldview and to better understand the importance of being a good global citizen.

We rode across Ghana from Axim to Hohoe, cycling through villages and stopping to chat with the locals at nearby schools and projects that our raised funds will help support.

Many of the children we met are not able to go to school, due to factors such as illness, a lack of transportation or having to support their families by working. Girls, in particular, have limited access to education, as they often face barriers including domestic work, early marriage or pregnancy.

Despite our differences, our interactions with the locals were marked by a heartfelt atmosphere, mutual respect and genuine interest in our own native countries.

A New Perspective

As part of an intercultural exchange, we gave local children the opportunity to virtually experience Germany for themselves. With help from Corporate Citizenship Department at Samsung Germany, the Samsung Lighthouse School – centres of excellence for digital learning across Europe – and a number of schools throughout Germany, we developed a 360-degree video that illustrated school life in Germany.

In addition to showing images of the campuses, we shot interviews with students who introduced themselves and expressed their interest in the children of Ghana.

Together with Child.org and a primary school in Santrokofi Bume, the content was shown to the Ghanaian students via Samsung Gear VR headsets. Both German and Ghanaian children then interviewed one another, which was recorded with the Gear360 and later shown to students at the Samsung Lighthouse School.

This approach provided a good way to promote a mutual understanding of one another as global citizens. Furthermore, the VR technology allowed the students to immersively experience the similarities and differences of each other’s cultures in an entirely new and unique way. Virtual reality will continue to be used to enhance lessons at the schools as well as in other Child.org projects to foster global understanding and mutual respect.

Creating a Better Tomorrow

In total, Aurelia, the other riders and I raised more than £215,000 GBP. These donations will be used to support various Child.org projects. Included among them is the ‘School Garden Project’ in Hohoe, which provides agricultural education to students of all ages to help to improve nutrition within the community.

Child.org will also use some of the funds to help to evolve their HealthStart program. This innovative project provides children in primary schools in Western Kenya with health intervention services and health promotion education. By working with school leaders and using digital tech, Child.org and their partners can better provide targeted solutions based on actual needs.

At the end of our ride, all bikes were donated to the Shape Lives Foundation in Hohoe. Via the organization’s Bike Library, children living far away from their school can borrow bikes to reduce their journey time. Not only does this help keep the students safe and healthy, but it also allows them to spend more time in the classroom.

Samsung Electronics today launched Samsung Newsroom Germany, the new German-language media channel for news and articles about the company.

While Samsung Newsroom Germany aims to keep consumers and the media informed about the latest company news, it will also help the people of Germany to better understand Samsung. Like Samsung’s Global Newsroom, the Samsung Newsroom Germany will cover the company’s latest products and services, vision, citizenship activities and business insights.

Samsung Newsroom Germany is the seventh newsroom Samsung has launched, following its Global, US, Korea, Vietnam, Brazil and India editions. Samsung is planning to expand local newsrooms throughout next year to share its stories with more regions, in more languages.

Samsung Electronics Germany has been located in the Rhine-Main area for more than 30 years. The German market has become one of the top five markets for Samsung globally. Currently, Samsung is the market leader for mobile phones, TVs, side-by-side refrigerators and large format displays in Germany. It was also rated “Brand of the Year 2016” by YouGov BrandIndex 2016, the authoritative measure of brand perception.

Visit Samsung Newsroom Germany at news.samsung.com/de.

Samsung Electronics announced that the Samsung WF76F7E6P4W washing machine has been awarded a prestigious number one rating by Germany’s top consumer standards organization.

Stiftung Warentest tested 12 washing machines with a load capacity of seven to eight kilograms and an energy rating of A+++. Each was thoroughly and rigorously tested against a number of criteria including environmental aspects, user friendliness of handling and functionality of washing.

The Samsung WF76F7E6P4W was awarded the best combined score of 1.8, due to its outstanding performance. The functionality of Samsung’s washing machine outshined that of its competition. In particular, the most notable category achievement was scoring ‘very good’ for its ‘durability’, for which around 10 years* of use was simulated, highlighting the longevity of the product and its value for money.

“Our Research & Development experts have been setting new standards for many years at the European Research Council in Stuttgart, with whom we work closely in order to continually advance the white goods category,” said Daniel Harvie, Director of Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Europe. “Because of this, we are especially proud of our recent award in the washing machine category, and believe that it reinforces our strategy and focus on quality and high life expectancy.”

This is the sixth consecutive year that a Samsung washing machine has been awarded this rating in the ‘Life Expectancy’ category**, and these combined achievements further cement Samsung’s status as a global leader in innovation and expertise in the field of home appliances.

* Three machines of each model ran 1840 cycles in various programs, Which  is equivalent to doing 3.5 wash loads per week for 10 years.

** The following models have been awarded the “very good” rating by Stiftung Warentest in the “Life Expectancy” test category: the WF8724 model (2009), the WF9824 model (2010), the WF10724 model (2011), the WF5784 model (2013), the WF70F7E6P4W mode (2014), the WF76F7E6P4W model (2015)

The Audi Progressive SemiConductor Program is designed to make the latest semiconductor technologies available in cars, while increasing reliability, with the aim of intensifying the role and engagement of semiconductor companies in the process. Based on the strategic partnership, Samsung will provide its latest leading-edge memory products including 20-nanometer LPDDR4 DRAM and 10-nanometer class eMMC (embedded multimedia card) 5.1 to Audi’s future infotainment, dashboard and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) automotive applications.

“It is an exciting moment to offer our industry leading memory solutions to embrace the rapidly growing automotive industry,” said Dr. Kinam Kim, president of Semiconductor Business at Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions Division. “Based on this partnership, Samsung will bring various benefits and advanced user experience to the global automotive market while providing high quality memory products with excellent performance and enhanced reliability.”

“Samsung is leading memory technology development with its high-performance, high-density DRAM and NAND flash memory solutions based on the industry’s most advanced process technology”, said Ricky Hudi, Executive Vice President Electronic Development at Audi. “Through the PSCP strategic partnership with Samsung, Audi will utilize Samsung’s high speed memory products to provide the best user experience to our customers. Both parties are committed to achieving the quality levels that people expect from the Audi brand”.

According to a recent report by Gartner, the global automotive semiconductor market is expected to grow from US $31.2 billion in revenue to US $32.7 billion in 2016 approximately, while the automotive memory market portion will reach a 4.6% percent share or about US $1.5 billion in 2016. The PSCP collaboration will illustrate next generation car applications at the highest safety and comfort level with enhanced reliability as well as improved performance, and will strengthen Samsung and Audi’s competitiveness in the global automotive industry.

Samsung Electronics announced that it won a lawsuit against four resellers in Germany for distribution of unlicensed, non-original equipment manufacturer (non-OEM) toner cartridges that were found on first instance to infringe Samsung’s patent*.

The Munich District Court ruled that the four resellers infringed Samsung’s patent for toner cartridge CLP-620**. The resellers sold toner cartridges that were molded to be compatible with Samsung printers.

The court ordered each of the resellers to stop selling all relevant products with the patented features and recall those that have been distributed since July 24, 2013.

“We are pleased with the judgment,” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President of Printing Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics. “The lawsuits are intended to protect our intellectual property rights, the rights and interests of consumers and those of companies that produce and sell legitimately manufactured toner cartridges. We will continue to take action against resellers that sell illegal, unlicensed toners that are compatible with our products.”

Irrespective of the infringement of Samsung’s patents, non-genuine toners may produce low quality prints and can lead to various printer problems, such as excessive noise and hardware failure. Samsung’s warranty does not cover damages for printers that break down due to the effects of non-genuine toner. Thus, Samsung is taking steps to prevent such inconveniences for customers.

Genuine Samsung toners print nearly twice the page output of non-genuine counterparts, according to a 2014 study by Buyers Laboratory. In addition, genuine toners produce longer-lasting prints that do not smudge. Genuine Samsung toner cartridges have also been certified for environmental safety.

Customers can identify a genuine Samsung toner by checking the label on the cartridge box. The label should change colors when seen from different angles, and the embossed characters have a distinguishable texture.

* German part of European Patent EP 1 975 744.

** Docket no. 7 O 18276/14, 7 O 18277/14, 7 O 18278/14 and 7 O 18279/14.

Samsung Electronics announced “10 Minute Break,” a groundbreaking experiential marketing campaign designed to demonstrate how Samsung’s line of accessories for Galaxy devices can offer a unique break from people’s hectic daily lives. The campaign will provide consumers with an immersive product experience aboard double-decker buses outfitted with Samsung’s flagship accessories in Europe.

“We are thrilled to provide consumers across Europe with a unique mobile experience in an immersive and entertaining setting,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through our ‘10 Minute Break’ campaign, consumers will be able to unlock fun and engaging moments with Samsung’s newest mobile accessories.”

The bus routes include stops at landmarks and city centers across Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. The campaign begins on October 27 and lasts through December 6.

The double-decker bus has been designed to create a relaxing environment to allow consumers to fully enjoy a break from their busy lives. When consumers arrive at the bus, they can take a “lifestyle quiz” on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 to determine their own curated product experience among three lifestyle designations that include “Entrepreneur,” “Style Icon,” and “Pioneer.” Once consumers receive their bus ticket, they will be guided through a hands-on experience at the product showcase area based on their chosen lifestyle. The showcase features the Samsung Fast Charge Wireless Chargers and Battery Packs, LEVEL Audio products, Brand collaboration cases and the Gear S2.

Consumers will also be treated to wireless charging at the Power Bar, and be able to enjoy a refreshing juice. A unique audio and visual experience in the LEVEL Theatre will also allow consumers to further enjoy the high quality sound music using LEVEL headphones.

Consumers can follow the campaign through its duration with the #10minBreak hashtag on Twitter.

Destinations include as below.

The European Coding Initiative will play a central role in a number of Europe-wide projects to promote the education of coding and computational thinking, including EU Code Week.

To mark the partnership with the European Coding Initiative, Samsung hosted a demonstration class at EU Code Week’s All You Need Is Code event in Brussels on October 12. Children from the Coding Masters program in Poland were on hand to present a class and show the adults how it’s done!

Sangwoo Kim, President of Corporate Affairs for Samsung Electronics Europe said, “Our vision is a world where digital making is a basic skill for every young person in Europe, along with math and literacy. We live in an increasingly digital world, and teachers and schools need to be equipped to support the transition to a connected society. We want to give young people the opportunity to be creative and to experience the joy of digital making through coding, robotics, electronics and app development.  With confidence, the new generation can become creators of the digital world, not just consumers of it.”

Here is an overview of Samsung’s activities during EU Code Week:

• Germany: On October 10, the winning projects of the Code Week Award were broadcast to the main opening event for Code Week in Berlin. Samsung Electronics GmbH and Gesche Joost, EU Digital Champion, initiated the Code Week Award, a prize honoring the motto “Every Week is Code Week.” As part of the competition, 700 young people in eight different cities participated in workshops and hackathons.
• U.K.: Samsung will be opening its fifth Code Club Hub in the U.K., offering free after-school coding clubs for children at community centers in need of technology support. Samsung has been a partner of the Code Club since 2013, also supporting the recruitment and training of volunteers to help sustain these free provisions.
• Italy: Samsung Italy is hosting coding lessons at the Samsung Smart Area in Milan. On Tuesday, October 13, the results of research managed by Cattolica University of Milan on the impact of coding on students and teachers were revealed. For anyone planning to visit the Milan Expo 2015, Samsung will offer coding lessons at the Samsung TIM open space.
• Poland: Samsung Poland is supporting the Polish edition of Code Week as a main partner and is organizing nearly 500 events connected to the Coding Masters program across Poland. The official opening of Code Week Poland took place in the National Audiovisual Institute. Samsung also supported the organization of the Coders’ Picnic at the Copernicus Science Center.
• Norway: Samsung is a partner of Laer Kidsa Koding and its 50 code clubs will have events throughout Code Week, including a robot workshop at the University of Oslo, Code Club at Tekna in Oslo, Girls Coding Day and an Edtech day for teachers.
• Finland: MehackIT is publishing blog posts of interviews with students in Lahti schools in Finland. The blog posts share experiences from students taking MehackIT coding, robotics and electronics classes.
• France: On October 14, Samsung employees ran two workshops, which both hosted 25 children to introduce them to coding.  Samsung France launched Campus Junior, a free online coding course for children between 7-13 years old, in May 2015.

Stay tuned for more stories from Samsung about coding.

For general updates, follow @NeedCodeEU.

One month after Samsung Electronics announced its latest smartwatch at the IFA, the Samsung Gear S2 became available for purchase on October 2 in the United States, Germany, Singapore and Korea

Sporting a full circle display and unique rotating bezel, the Gear S2 offers unprecedented convenience and style in a powerful wearable device. That rotating bezel serves as the main control for the UX—along with Home and Back buttons on the side—giving you a new, fun and intuitive way of accessing the Gear S2, without your fingers getting in the way of the screen. Now you can control your smartwatch with just a simple turn, rotating the bezel to choose apps, check messages and customize the Gear S2.

Just 11.4 millimeters thin, with a crystal-clear 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display, the Gear S2 looks stylish and elegant, in a form that’s just right for you. And with hundreds of watch faces available for downloading and dozens of fashionable watch bands, you can customize their Gear S2 so it matches your unique style.

The Gear S2 comes in two options, the Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic, giving you more choices to find the style that’s right for you. The classic has a timeless design, with a black finish and matching leather band, while the Gear S2 is great for people on the go, looking for a more minimal and modern style.

With 4GB of memory and a dual core 1GHz processor, the Gear S2 has the power to do more, which helps you do more. All Gear S2s come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, plus a 3G option is also available so the Gear S2 can be used without being tethered to a smartphone. They also have NFC technology, giving them the capability of handling mobile payments and smart keys for the home and car.

The Gear S2 is also compatible with Android phones running on Android 4.4 or higher, with at least 1.5 GB of RAM. You can find all compatible Android smartphones here.

And take a look at a Gear S2 in action in this unboxing video: