Samsung Printing Solutions today announced that the company will hold a worldwide online event called “EUREKA! Beyond Printer” to mark the unveiling of the revamped Smart UX Center website on September 1.

The event is designed to improve the customer experience as Samsung is transforming the office into a dynamic workplace. It is open to users of the Samsung Smart UX Center, and to anyone who wishes to share their stories and ideas. Participants of the event can submit their entries in two different categories; the “My Eureka Story” and the “My Eureka Idea”. The first category is intended to allow customers to share their real-life experiences with Smart UX apps, and the second category will allow customers as well as dealers to suggest innovative app development ideas.

Beginning from September 1^st through October 15^th, submissions can be made via Samsung Smart UX Center event page (https://smartux.samsung.com/EventBoard). More details of the event can be found on the website.

Samsung Printing Solutions will focus on the benefits and experience it delivers on a customer’s stand point when reviewing submitted stories and evaluate them based on the following three factors: cost saving, productivity and workflow improvement. Judges’ top three stories and app development ideas will be shared through the event page. Also, visitors will be able to vote for their favorites by clicking on the Like button. Online voting will account up to 50 percent of the overall evaluation. The winners and runners-up of both categories will receive cash prizes, with a combined total of US$33,300 up for grabs.

The winner of the ‘My Eureka Story’ will receive a prize of US$3,000 in cash, while 20 second place winners including customers’ dealers will each receive US$100. The event itself is not just about winning, but about sharing ideas. The first 1,000 applicants of the story-sharing category will also be rewarded with gift vouchers of US$20.

In the case of the ‘My Eureka Idea’ category, the winner will receive a US $3,000 cash prize, while three runner-up contestants will be awarded with US$ 100 each.

The Smart UX Center is an Android-based touchscreen control panel for Samsung’s range of MFP printers, including the MultiXpress series. The UX Center enables users to seamlessly photocopy, print, edit and transfer documents in any form, using devices such as printers, computers and mobile devices.

Until a decade or so ago telephones were all about hardware. The dawn of the smartphone, however, turned that on its head. In the mobile and tablet industry, where apps are now arguably more important than the devices they run on, software developers are now enjoying a golden era. Samsung’s Smart UX Center, first unveiled in 2014, is seeking to bring the same kind of metamorphosis to the printing business.

The party has begun, says Samsung Printing Solutions. And the good news is that software developers everywhere are invited.

Vast Potential

At first glance, the Smart UX, Samsung multi-function printer(MFP)s’ tablet-like interface, simply looks like a modern touchscreen. However, a clue as to its true potential can be found in its name, says Jooho Um, Principal Engineer at Samsung Printing Solutions.

He explains, “The Smart UX allows for a familiar user experience whereby people download, delete and update apps as they would on a smartphone. The joy of this system for end-users is that if they know their way around a smartphone, they pretty much already know their way around the Smart UX Center too.”

According to Principal Engineer Hyunjong Kang, another software developer at Samsung, the fact that the Smart UX Center is Android-based means creating printer software is now a game almost any developer can play.

And although app developers like Kang have already produced a range of handy apps for the Smart UX Center (some 33 to date in his case), non-Samsung developers can take advantage of this new platform too.

Kang says that Samsung sees itself as a technology leader, but now intends to let developers all over the world shape the future of app creation for the Smart UX Center. “We have just created the core technology,” he explains. “The multitude of developers out there will do the rest.”

“Just as the Smart TV has become the focal point of the smart home, the Smart UX Center has the potential to allow the MFP to become the hub of the office,” says Hyoeun Kim, Senior Engineer at Samsung Printing Solutions. “That means any business with an MFP will be needing a lot of apps in the very near future – presenting a great chance for developers.”

Enabling Creativity

Software experts with a wide range of backgrounds are quickly coming around to the notion of the new platform. Smart UX center apps are created using Samsung’s Software Development Kit (SDK), which is based on the easy-to-use Android API system.

This means that developers familiar with building Android apps could feel intrinsically drawn to the idea of creating apps for the Smart UX Center. However, the Samsung developers say the fact that the SDK is so intuitive means you do not have to be a smart app development expert to get involved, either.

Kim says, “At first we had a lot of SDK requests from developers without much of a printing background – from people who had created apps for other smart devices. More recently, though, people with more printing experience and less in the way of smart apps are starting to get involved too. In many cases, there are developers who want to create Android versions of existing print apps. The SDK lets them do precisely that.”

Kang agrees that making Android apps with the SDK is a win-win situation for both designers and users alike. He notes, “Android is user-friendly when it comes to making apps, and users also find the platform easy to work with. I also feel that you can develop apps much faster with the SDK than with other tools.”

Expanding Business Horizons

As business printing solutions can be even costlier than print hardware, software experts who develop particularly useful paid apps could stand to earn substantial rewards in what is now very much a nascent software field. Enterprises increasingly need customization solutions – something that app developers can now provide with the Smart UX Center.

Although the mobile and printing app development processes are very similar, understanding the subtle differences between the two could be key for any developer looking to score success with a Smart UX Center app.

“The biggest difference between printing software and mobile apps is that the former often involves developing apps for the business community,” explains Um. “That said, developers can make apps targeted at very different groups of people. Dealers, IT decision makers (ITDM) and end-users all require very different workflow scenarios, so all need very different kinds of app.”

Developing the Future

If likes of Um, Kim and Kang are correct, the future is looking very bright for Android app developers everywhere. And as software professionals look to diversify their activities, consumers and businesses owners are already starting to feel the benefits.

“This has torn up the rule book,” says Kang. “Just like as modern people cannot imagine their lives without their smartphones, enterprises of the future won’t be able to recall how they got by in the days before the Smart UX Center.”

Read more about Samsung Printing Solutions’ activities and latest products at:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/

You can also follow Samsung Printing Solutions at:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/samsungprinting

Original article:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/2016/08/samsung-software-professionals-smart-ux-center-creating-endless-opportunities-for-developers

Samsung Printing Solutions today launched “A Guide to Developing and Launching Apps for Samsung’s Smart UX Center”, a step-by-step walkthrough for companies and developers with an interest in creating applications for the Android-based Smart UX Center to enhance their smart and mobile business experience. The guide has been distributed to Samsung’s international software vendors (ISVs) and other related companies.

The guide represents a major step forward for Samsung’s printing app ecosystem, spelling out the various roles and responsibilities in the app development process for Samsung Electronics offices around the world and ISVs. The guide provides an overview of how Smart UX apps are created, with key instructions regarding planning, development, sales and customer service.

Some of the processes outlined in the guide include:

• App development: Software vendors develop a Smart UX app using the Software Development Kit (SDK), provided by Samsung upon request.
• Contract matters: Vendors discuss terms with Samsung pertaining to sales, revenue sharing, customer support and other app-related issues.
• Verification & Validation (V&V): After completing the development stage, the ISV requests Samsung to test the app’s efficacy.
• Registration: Apps that pass V&V are registered on the Smart UX Center and made available on the Printing App Center.
• Revenue calculation: Vendors determine apps’ supply price to Samsung, who will help determine the appropriate retail price for end-users.
• Customer service: Developers can adapt ISV customer service policies and establish contact points for app developers. This helps customers, and also Samsung, to get in touch should an issue occur.

“With our expertise in the printing industry, Samsung has been actively cooperating with app developers to vitalize the global printing app market,” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President of Printing Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to seek ways to improve the printing environment for offices everywhere and strengthen its position as the leading company in the global printing ecosystem,” he added.

The flexibility and customizability of Smart UX Center apps are enhancing productivity and the work environment in offices around the world, while also cutting costs.

In Italy, for example, Massinelli, a Samsung dealer, has helped its client create a digital catalogue app on the Smart UX Center to save on expenses previously used for printing and sending hardcopy catalogs.

Another Italian dealer, Gaviolli Printing Solutions, has successfully developed a new app called the Visitor Registration App. This program allows visitors to events to self-register and receive informative printouts.

Further information about Smart UX App development and registration can be found on Samsung Printing App Center (http://printingapps.samsung.com) or Printing Solution Market Support Portal (http://www.samsung.com/global/printingmsp/knowledge/Smart-UX-Center.html?guide=apps).

Samsung Electronics won an Outstanding Achievement in Innovation Award for its Smart UX Center at the Buyers Laboratory (BLI) Summer 2016 Awards.

The Smart UX Center is the printing industry’s first ever Android-based system, enabling users to store, photocopy, print, edit and transfer documents in any form between printer, computer and mobile.

BLI, the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging hardware and software, gave Samsung’s Smart UX Center a high rating, particularly noting its unique and innovative properties in customizing and expanding printing functions to meet users’ needs.

“The combination of a true Android tablet UI and accessible ‘app store’ by end users, resellers and IT administrators, puts Samsung in the vanguard as MFP makers begin to embrace the app paradigm,” said Jamie Bsales, Director of Office Workflow Solutions Analysis at BLI.

BLI also believes the Smart UX Center to be a highly innovative industry innovation. The Printing App Center effectively supports users who wish to enhance the features of their MFPs according to their own needs by downloading low-cost – and sometimes free – apps and widgets.

“Customers should have no trouble finding solutions to boost productivity, streamline daily workflows, and realize the full potential of their MFPs. Samsung has just scratched the surface of the platform’s possibilities,” Bsales added.

“Since its debut in 2014, Samsung UX Center has been creating changes in offices around the globe – designing a hassle-free printing environment through printing task digitalization” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President, Printing Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics. “As an industry leader in office innovation, Samsung will continue to develop high-technology, user-friendly printing goods and services.”

Buyers Lab (BLI) is the global document imaging industry’s resource for unbiased and reliable information, test data and competitive selling tools. In summer and winter each year, BLI hosts its Pick Awards and Outstanding Achievement Awards, acknowledging high-performing printing hardware and software products, with a unique and rigorous evaluation system.

Samsung Electronics’ range of multifunction printers’ (MFPs) Smart UX Center and Printing App Center have been granted a Platinum rating by the Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), an imaging industry evaluator. The BLI’s Platinum ratings are awarded to products that score high in the following categories: Features & Productivity, Usability, IT Admin & Security, Support & Training, and Value.

“This winning combination [of Samsung’s Smart UX Center and Printing App Center] delivers best-in-class usability and extensibility for buyers of Smart UX-equipped Samsung MX-series devices,” said Marlene Orr, Director of Office Equipment Product Analysis at BLI. “Customers should have no trouble finding solutions to boost productivity, streamline daily document-centric workflows, and realize the full potential of their MFPs. And Samsung has just scratched the surface of the platform’s possibilities.”

With its MultiXpress and ProXpress MFPs, Samsung has created the printing industry’s first ever Android-based UX. The BLI praised this feature for its ease of use and customizable system. BLI’s Solutions Report mentioned that the “clean, user-friendly interface…[requires] minimal training when deployed,” and that it increases productivity for users already familiar with the Android system.

With the MFPs’ touchscreen Smart UX, users now have total control over their printing tasks and can seamlessly add functions using the Printing App Center’s downloadable apps and widgets. The system also offers users a range of remote management and troubleshooting assistance options.

“Receiving the highest rating from the BLI proves our products’ excellence and captures Samsung’s innovative spirit,” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Samsung Electronics. “We hope our customers take advantage of the Smart UX Center to maximize the hardware’s printing efficiency.”

Buyers Laboratory Inc. conducts comprehensive evaluation on the technology and performance of document management solutions including printers, multifunctional printers and scanners, and is recognized as an evaluation agency with the highest public confidence.

The BLI has recognized Samsung Printing Solutions business achievements on multiple occasions this year. Samsung and its MFPs received the Monochrome Printer/MFP Line of the Year Award in January and two Outstanding Performance prizes at the 2016 Buyers Lab Winter Pick Awards.

Samsung Printing Solutions has released the V.1.5.0 update for its Smart UX Center Software Development Kit (SDK), adding new features including mobile compatibility to its versatile software tools.

Samsung’s Smart UX Center SDK debuted in 2015. It is an open interface for the Android-based Smart UX. The kit provides a comprehensive suite of features and tools that allow app developers to integrate a wide range of printer functions into an easy-to-use user interface (UI).

With the new update, Samsung has expanded the accessibility and usability of the Smart UX Center SDK, bringing it to smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

“Samsung Electronics is an innovator in the printing business, developing smart office environment. We’re pleased to present the next phase of the smart office by bringing mobile technology to our Smart UX Center SDK for our multi-functional printers.” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President of Printing Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics-. “The Smart UX Center SDK mobile version should also expand the range of Android-based applications built by third-party developers.”

As well as mobile support, the new Smart UX Center update offers card reader support. This new feature allows multi-function printers (MFPs) to check on the availability of human interface device (HID) card reader devices, and provides information for authentication.

The new software update also comes with a style guideline for the Smart UX Center, enabling developers to gain better access to Samsung’s design resources when creating applications. In addition, counter and proxy network information have also been updated.

Samsung’s Smart UX Center is an Android-based touchscreen control panel for Samsung’s MFP printers, including the MultiXpress and ProXpress series. The UX Center enables users to copy, scan and print using applications and widgets.

The newest update for the Smart UX Center SDK, as well as relevant documentation, libraries and sample applications, can be downloaded from the Samsung Developers website: https://developers.samsung.com.