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:

Based in Yongin, Korea, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, the Samsung Electronics Leadership Center (SELC) welcomes visitors. This campus is the perfect environment to train employees from around the world — to build their creativity and give them the skills they need to manage a company that’s a global leader in IT. The Leadership Center opened just over a year ago, in June 2014, and has training facilities that can accommodate up to 2,000 people a day.

It’s not only about work here. There are plenty of classrooms and collaboration spaces for formal learning, but the sprawling, 82,645-square-meter site also has creativity lounges, a gym, libraries, a concert hall, meditation rooms and a small park. That’s because the Center’s purpose is not simply to train employees: it’s the home of the next generation of creative leaders.

The Center brings together Samsung employees from many cultural and linguistic backgrounds. They come here to share Samsung’s vision, culture, and strategies, and grow as the next generation of corporate leaders. There are many specialist training programs, from research and development to manufacturing expertise.

Even on weekends, the Leadership Center does not lie idle. Since March, the Center has been filled with life on weekends, doubling as a leisure space that’s open to the families of Samsung employees. You can see families enjoying picnics or strolling along the park’s trails, while others go to the movies or concerts, practice yoga, or meditate. So far, more than 6,000 people have visited the center during weekends to relax, recharge and enjoy some quality family time.

At the heart of the Center’s cultural complex is the concert hall, which can sit up to 1,200 people. Samsung employees, their families and local residents are invited to come and listen to orchestras and ensembles performing here.

For Samsung, this is only the start. There are plans to develop the weekend programs and make the Center’s infrastructure as good as possible — because leadership is not just about inspiring employees, it’s also about inspiring the wider community around Samsung.

Samsung Electronics, unveiled that Samsung Pay, a secure and easy-to-use mobile payment service that can be used to make purchases nearly everywhere cards are accepted, will launch in Korea on August 20 and in the U.S. on September 28. Samsung plans to roll out the service in the U.K., Spain and China, as well.

Speaking at a Samsung event in New York where it unveiled its newest flagship devices – the Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5, JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics said, “With the launches of these exciting new smartphones, we will open a new era of mobile payment. This is Samsung’s brave step forward to enhance our mobile experience. It is easy, safe, and most importantly, available virtually anywhere you can swipe a card, in most cases without new costs for merchants, from day one.”

Samsung Pay will be preloaded on select Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 devices and a free software upgrade will be rolled out beginning mid-August, to enable Samsung Pay on Galaxy S6 and S6 edge devices in the U.S. and Korea. Select U.S. users of Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and Note5 will be able to participate in a beta trial from August 25 ahead of the September 28 launch.

• SIMPLE: To make a payment on Samsung Pay, users can simply swipe up, scan their fingerprint and pay.
• SAFE: Samsung Pay uses tokenization, Samsung KNOX, and fingerprint authentication to provide secure payments and reduce the security risks inherent to plastic cards.
• VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE: With Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) and Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies, Samsung Pay works with most existing point-of-sale (POS) terminals. That means it’s the only mobile payment service that works virtually anywhere you can swipe your credit card or debit card.

“The future of mobile payments has arrived,” said InJong Rhee, EVP of Samsung Electronics, Global Head of Samsung Pay. “We are partnering with card networks, issuers and acquirers, and Samsung Pay will also be the first to support contactless payment for store-branded credit cards. The list of partners will only grow.”

Extensive Partnership Ecosystem

Samsung Pay continues to strategically expand its partnership ecosystem to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers. Samsung anticipates working with payment networks such as, American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa, major banks including Bank of America, Chase, U.S. Bank and key financial partners including First Data, Synchrony Financial and TSYS to extend Samsung Pay to the U.S. Samsung anticipates working with all major Korean card companies including Samsung Card, Shinhan Card, KB Kookmin Card, Hyundai Card, Lotte Card, NH Nonghyup Card, BC Card, Hana Card, Woori Card and Citi Card.

“We leverage our unique technology and capabilities to provide our customers with seamless, differentiated experiences, giving them more flexibility and choice for how to pay,” said Tony Prentice, vice president of mobile payments at American Express. “As part of that strategy, we are excited to work with Samsung to offer Card Members a new, innovative way to pay in-store with an American Express Card on their Samsung devices.”

“Emerging technologies are impacting the way our nearly 18 million active mobile customers pay for everyday items, and we’re focused on delivering new solutions to help simplify their financial lives,” said Michelle Moore, head of digital banking at Bank of America. “Samsung Pay is a great example of this commitment, allowing customers to do more with their mobile devices and manage their finances when, where and how they want.”

“Samsung Pay will give our customers another convenient way to pay with their Chase cards,” said Gavin Michael, head of Digital for Chase.

“Discover’s focus on simplicity and versatility aligns with Samsung Pay’s innovative use of technology,” said Diane Offereins, Discover’s president of payment services. “Offering this new payment service continues to enhance the convenience and mobile experience we’re providing to our customers.”

“First Data is proud to collaborate with Samsung on the launch of Samsung Pay and we look forward to working together to bring a powerful solution to the marketplace,” said Barry McCarthy, Executive Vice President, Network and Security Solutions, First Data. “We have a history of driving innovation in payment technology through close collaboration with all parts of the payments ecosystem. Our work with Samsung, as well as our other partners in mobile payments, enables more powerful connections between merchants, issuers and consumers.”

“As consumers increasingly rely on their mobile devices in their everyday lives, MasterCard is pleased to partner with Samsung to bring Samsung Pay to our cardholders around the world. Using advanced tokenization technology from the MasterCard Digital Enablement Service, we’re delivering a digital payment experience that is both simple and secure, and includes all the benefits and guarantees of a MasterCard transaction,” said Cheryl Guerin, Group Executive, MasterCard.

Margaret Keane, president and CEO of Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF), the largest provider of private label credit cards in the U.S.[1], noted, “This is great news for our customers who will enjoy the benefits our cards offer when they choose to make easy and secure mobile payments with Samsung Pay. It is also important for many of our retail partners who can use their existing point of sale devices to deliver secure mobile payments and a seamless customer experience at more than 300,000 locations.” [1] Based on purchase volume and receivables according to issue number 1,062 of “The Nilson Report,” dated April 2015 (based on 2014 data).

“We expect the adoption of mobile payments to change the payments landscape,” said Gaylon Jowers, Jr., senior executive vice president, TSYS. “We are excited to be on the leading edge in collaboration with industry stalwarts like Samsung through technologies like Samsung Pay.”

“Being one of the first to offer our consumer and business customers Samsung Pay is a great example of our focus on Innovation at U.S. Bank and Elavon,” said Dominic Venturo, chief innovation officer at U.S. Bank. “U.S. Bank customers with qualifying credit or debit cards will be able to pay with their Samsung device using Samsung Pay; and our U.S. Bank and Elavon merchant customers will be able to accept the point of sale transactions right away. This is an important step in the continuous evolution of payments and consistent with providing our customers the ability to do business with us how, when and where they want.”

“Instantly on day one, because of MST technology, Samsung Pay will be accepted almost anywhere consumers can pay today,” said Jim McCarthy, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Visa. “We see this as a huge step forward for consumer choice and payment security.”

About Samsung Pay.

Samsung Pay is a simple, safe and available virtually anywhere you can swipe your card mobile payment service from Samsung Electronics.  Combining NFC with Samsung’s proprietary MST technologies, Samsung Pay provides consumers a way to pay nearly anywhere you can swipe a card at millions of merchant locations worldwide. Samsung continues to strategically expand its partnership ecosystem for Samsung Pay to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers while enabling an easy and safe payment experience..

It won’t be long until the world’s most convenient mobile payment app to date, Samsung Pay, is launched in Korea. And in preparation for the full roll out, a Samsung Pay trial with Samsung Card began on July 15, for select customers in Korea.

Users of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are the first to have access to Samsung Pay, which will be accepted in more stores than any other mobile payment service in Korea. It is the first and only mobile payment service that works with both near field communication NFC and card readers with magnetic secure transmission (MST) technologies, which means it is already compatible with most retail locations’ point of sale terminals.

Adding cards on Samsung Pay is easy, making purchases is even easier and users can feel secure that their card info is safe with tokenization technology. Samsung Pay delivers a faster, easier shopping experience: Payment is at your fingertips from a wallet that is already in your hand. When it is time to pay, just launch the app, hold your Samsung device near the credit card terminal and authorize it with the touch of your finger. It’s simple, safe and fast, so you can get on with your day. Samsung Pay brings us closer than ever to a world without wallets.

Setting up the App

After launching Samsung Pay for the first time, you’ll be able to watch an intro video that will show you how it all works. Log into your Samsung account and choose whether you want to use the fingerprint authentication or PIN for payments. Now you’re ready to start adding your credit or debit cards.

Registering Your Cards

Click the (+) sign and capture your card information with your phone’s camera. It is also possible to type the information manually. After you agree to the terms and conditions, complete the user authentication process, which can be done by SMS in Korea. A code will be sent to you, which you will need to input to complete the process. After that, simply register your PIN and signature for the card and it’s done.

Simple Pay

You can initiate Samsung Pay by swiping up from the bottom on the locked screen or home screen, or even when the screen is turned off. Swipe left and right to view the cards you have registered in Samsung Pay and then place your finger on the home button to scan your fingerprint. If you’ve chosen to use PIN authentication, touch the ‘insert PIN’ button and use the PIN you chose when registering the card. Your payment will be complete when you hold your phone against the card reader.

Scan fingerprint to make mobile payment

Card Management

If you want to review your payment history, simply tap the card you want to review to see a list of payments in the Samsung Pay application. From this screen you can also remove the card by touching the Delete button in the upper right hand corner. You can authenticate the removal with your fingerprint.

If you want to cancel a transaction, select the payment from the list, touch the Cancel Transaction button on your screen, authenticate with your fingerprint or PIN and hold your phone next to the card reader.

Security

Samsung Pay uses a variety of security technologies and a high level encryption system. Your card number is not stored in your device and not sent when making a transaction. Instead, it’s substituted for a unique, encrypted “token,” which your bank will be able to link to your card. On top of that, payments cannot be completed without either your fingerprint or PIN at the time of payment. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge devices are equipped with Samsung KNOX mobile security platform which constantly monitors for malicious activities in your device. And finally, if you lose your device, using Find My Mobile allows you to lock your device remotely or wipe your data on the device after it is lost.

Read more:

Paying Dividends: Samsung Pay on the Crest of Mobile Payment Wave

How Samsung Pay Will Change Habits and Impact Lifestyle