Assistant Manager of Product Planning Areum Ko and Senior Designer Myungkyu Kim explain the story behind the development of Charm.

Q: Tell us a bit about the beginning developments of Charm, and the value you intended to deliver with it.

Areum Ko: Charm is a stylish fitness tracker aimed at women, a demographic that accounts for almost half of activity tracker users. We worked hard to design this wearable to be a fitness tracker people can feel free to wear and use in their daily lives—one that doesn’t feel like an electronic device. Therefore, Charm was designed to resemble a piece of jewelry that can be worn with other accessories such as bracelets or a watch.

We also took notice that there are many consumers who are interested in wearables and willing to adopt new technologies, but are reluctant to do so because they couldn’t find the right one which provides intuitive user experiences with optimal features and minimal design.

Q: What differentiates the Charm from existing wearables?

Areum Ko: The current wearable market consists of smart watches and fitness bands. Charm falls somewhere in between the two. We intended to position Charm as a lifestyle band that’s more stylish than existing wearables, but still offers convenient features such as alerting users of smartphone notifications.

It’s small and lightweight, making it comfortable to wear. Also, it looks more like a fashion accessory, while other fitness bands tend to look sporty.

Q: Were there any challenges that surfaced during the development of Charm’s features?

Areum Ko: It took more time to develop Charm than it takes to develop a typical smartphone! While creating and planning the concept of the device took some time, the real challenge was packing all the functions other smart bands provide into a significantly smaller space. In fact, Charm is one of the smallest devices we’ve ever made.
We had to design the entire algorithm from scratch to pair it with a smartphone via Bluetooth, and to track steps with three accelerometers. In addition, we developed a 17mhA battery to reduce power consumption so that the device can last for two weeks on one charge. Charm is not just a small and stylish band but an integration of Samsung’s numerous technologies.

In the planning and designing stage, we studied various fashion brands’ websites to understand accessories as much possible. It was during this time that a top executive spotted me browsing an online shop, and asked what I was doing. I explained my thoughts—the concept of a new product, market conditions and consumer needs. He liked the idea and encouraged us to push forward with the project. Finally, we began to plan, design and develop the new smart band in earnest and before we knew it, Charm was born.

Q: How did you come up with the design?

Myungkyu Kim: To research trends, I subscribed to various magazines targeted at women and focused on fashion. I visited numerous shops and luxury brand stores, and tried on countless accessories—necklaces, rings, bracelets, cuffs, scarves. I might have even bought a few.

I’ll never forget the look on the salespeople’s faces when Charm’s lead designers—two very manly man—entered a small shop and began trying on women’s accessories.

Q: What was the main focus of the design?

Myungkyu Kim: Since our main target was women, we wanted to add emotional value rather than focusing entirely on technology or specifications. So, we concentrated on fashion and lifestyle to design an accessory that is minimal and compact with the design concept, “Real Daily Accessory.”

People often add an accessory or two to complete a casual outfit. This was the idea behind the design of Charm—an accessory you can wear all the time. We also wanted Charm to be sophisticated enough to match more formal looks. Our goal was to create a comfortable accessory that can enhance any look and be worn in any setting.

Q: What were the reasons for selecting the materials and colors of the main body and straps?

Myungkyu Kim: Charm is the first accessory of its kind, and we designed it to inherit Samsung’s mobile design DNA and identity.

While designing it, we took inspiration from the designs of our flagship smartphones when choosing materials such as the glass of the face of the device and the metal on the sides of its body, as well as the colors—black, gold and rose quartz. We worked hard to deliver a harmonious look when mixing these materials, careful to not put too much emphasis on any individual part.

Areum Ko: Regarding the straps, we purchased as many materials—from leather to fabric—as possible from the subsidiary materials market, made samples and tested them. The final decision was made after carefully considering consumer comfort and the requirements of mass production.

Q: The design of Charm’s charging cradle and packaging is also unique. What was the main focus when designing them?

Myungkyu Kim: When it comes to charging cradles, making charging, connecting and disconnecting as easy as possible is of the utmost importance. Charm can last 14 days on one charge, so the frequency of using the cradle is low compared to other electronic devices. However, we wanted to make the charging experience even easier. Now, you can simply charge your Charm without detaching the strap from the main body.

Areum Ko: Samsung has its own design identity when it comes to mobile device packaging. However, Charm’s main target is female consumers, so we designed an entirely new package which highlights the beauty and accessory-like look of the device.

Samsung’s newest flagship devices, the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5, continue to prove its commitment to blending technology that pushes boundaries with design that is both beautiful and functional. Samsung began partnering with fashion designers and luxury brands to offer users more ways to express their style.

Following part one of this three-part series, looking at Samsung’s collaborations with the Open Ceremony brand at Paris Fashion Week, part two introduces the cases specially designed by Montblanc and Swarovski, available for both the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5. Fine-crafted leather and crystal works let people choose the look that suits them best.

As technology and fashion become more intertwined, fashion-forward trendsetters are expressing their personalities through smart design. Mobile phones are as much style statements as they are must-have organizational devices. To personalize your device, Samsung offers on-trend accessories that match your mood, your outfit or special occasion.

Montblanc

Montblanc, known for its heritage of luxury and craftsmanship, is teaming up for the third time with Samsung to present another line of premium cases. Following collaborations with the Galaxy Note4 and Galaxy S6, this Montblanc collection includes two protective leather covers for the Galaxy S6 edge+ (soft grain and extreme) and two for the Galaxy Note5 (soft grain and extreme). It also includes two flip wallets with a pocket for the Galaxy S6 edge+ (soft grain and extreme) and two flip covers without a pocket for the Galaxy Note5 (soft grain and sartorial).

Moreover, Montblanc and Samsung have produced a limited edition of hard-shell covers featuring handmade tattoos for Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5. These covers were designed by tattoo artist Mo Coppoletta, who was invited to IFA 2015 where he gave a live demonstration of the unique tattoo cover creation process. The limited edition shows a great combination of traditional techniques and cutting edge technology, and it will be available exclusively online at the end of October.

But when people think Montblanc, what really comes to mind are the finest pens in the world. Last year, it launched two writing instruments for the Galaxy Note4, combining the signature S Pen with Montblanc’s sophisticated and timeless style.

Now, for the Galaxy Note5, they have introduced a third pen, the Starwalker Urban Speed Screenwriter. It integrates all the advanced functionality of the S Pen with Montblanc’s elegance.

Swarovski

Samsung also is continuing its partnership with world-renowned glass and crystals producer Swarovski. “Swarovski for Samsung” includes a lineup of covers for both the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5, introducing a new color, Crystal Silver. The striking, transparent design transforms your mobile device into a beautiful accessory. More than 1,300 crystals produce a radiant elegance, and its innovative manufacturing process makes it as durable as it is beautiful.

Swarovski will also offer a premium case as part of its Edelweiss collection, available in November for the Galaxy S6 edge+. The premium edition will use fine crystals on a transparent case. It will be available exclusively online in select countries.

Design for Your Lifestyle

As technology becomes an ever-bigger presence in our daily lives, design has become just as important as functionality. Stay tuned for the final story in this three-part series, looking at how the newest accessories for the Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 are bringing both of these trends together, providing stylish design and increased usability.

Cheil Industries
All clothing and clothing images used were provided by Cheil Industries and can be found on Cheil Fashion’s online webstore: www.fashionpia.com.
For more information about Cheil Industries, please visit www.cheilind.co.kr.

Faster Portable SSD Offers a Replacement to External Hard Disk Drives

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology,unveiled the Samsung Portable SSD T1, a stylish, external portable solid state drive (SSD) that represents a new standard of storage for today’s digital life. Designed for speed and security without sacrificing style, the Portable SSD T1 is ideal for business travelers, creative professionals and content creators with a need for secure local storage they can take on-the-go and use to quickly transfer large amounts of data. Available in 250 gigabyte (GB), 500GB and 1 terabyte (TB) storage capacities, the Portable SSD T1 will launch globally in 15 countries across the United States, European and Asian markets later this month.

Powered by Samsung’s proprietary 3D Vertical NAND (V-NAND) technology, the Portable SSD T1 is a high-performance memory storage device recently chosen as an honoree for the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Awards. The new drive will be on display at the 2015 CES from January 6-9 at Samsung’s booth, 11906, located in the Central Hall.

“The Portable SSD T1 allows users to store their entire digital portfolio locally in one place, take it with them anywhere and have blazing fast access to their data, all without worrying about reliability or security,” said Unsoo Kim, Senior Vice President of Branded Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our digital lives demand storage that surpasses the limits of existing options, which require consumers to compromise, when it comes to mobility, capacity, security or performance. The Portable SSD T1 overcomes the drawbacks of alternative options on every major pain point, making it the next external storage device of choice.”

Built for Speed

Built with the same award-winning technology as Samsung’s internal SSDs, the Portable SSD T1 saves users precious time with extremely fast read/write speeds, enabling users to plug in and quickly grab their work to present to prospective clients or partners. In fact, the drive has sequential read/write speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second (MB/s) with a USB 3.0 super speed interface and random read/write speeds of up to 8,000 inputs/outputs per second (IOPS) and 21,000 IOPS respectively. The write speed is responsive and fast like an internal SSD and up to 100 times faster than an external hard disk drive (HDD). Depending on the file size, the Portable SSD T1 has a data transfer speed four times faster than an external HDD. It takes only eight seconds to transfer a 3GB movie file and 27 seconds for a 10GB movie file compared to an external HDD which takes 26 seconds and 85 seconds, respectively.

Secure, Durable Local Storage

With its intuitive user interface, the Samsung Portable SSD T1 is easy to set up and protect, so professionals can be assured that their original work will not fall into the wrong hands or get lost due to design, durability or reliability concerns. With just one user-set password, the drive is safe from unwanted access thanks to AES 256-bit hardware encryption. Unlike an external HDD, the Portable SSD T1 has no moving parts, so it can withstand bumps and drops and users do not need to worry about the wear and tear on moving parts that can result in lost or corrupted data. It is shock resistant up to 1500G/0.5ms and features Dynamic Thermal Guard, which will activate in extreme temperature conditions to protect the drive and any stored data – so users can rest easy knowing the drive can withstand even the toughest elements.

Stylishly Designed for Maximum Portability

The Portable SSD T1 has a slim and compact design that makes it easy to take anywhere. Smaller than an average business card and weighing about 1 ounce, it features premium aesthetics such as black chrome metal coating and laser patterning, making it the sleek, fashionable choice for sophisticated and stylish users.

The Samsung Portable SSD T1 works effortlessly with both Windows and Mac PCs using the exFAT file system, eliminating the hassle of having to reformat for every type of computer. Each unit of the Portable SSD T1 comes with a three-year limited warranty, and is available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB with a starting price of USD 179.99. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com/T1 and global.samsungtomorrow.com/CES2015.

Key Specifications