Amid this climate, HARMAN, a Samsung company, is raising the bar for car audio, ensuring that the evolving living space that is the vehicle is equipped with the very best in sound and the sonic features that create a better in-car experience, readying it to serve as a platform for whatever users may demand of it.

The Shifting Nature of Car Audio

As the aforementioned changes take shape, our cars are set to become our secondary personal spaces alongside our homes. Thus, our vehicles will need to be sufficiently capable to begin to offer similar levels of accessibility and convenience as our homes offer now. And as users increasingly look to turn their cars into virtual meeting spaces, or utilize them as their own personal studios or hubs for recreation, high-quality car audio stands to play a fundamental role.

Harman Kardon for the Volkswagen Arteon R-Line (Photograph provided by Volkswagen)

The Industry Gets Behind HARMAN

As HARMAN branded audio solutions increasingly emerge as a top-tier solution for the industry, more and more auto companies are going all-in on the Samsung company’s audio tech.

A recent example is HARMAN’s new and growing partnership with Volkswagen through its Harman Kardon audio brand. After Harman Kardon premium audio was introduced to Volkswagen vehicles for the first time in the new Volkswagen Golf, its audio solutions are expanding to the Volkswagen Arteon and Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake models. Delivering a captivating mix of premium sound and artful design, Harman Kardon brings 12 high-performance loudspeakers and four different sound settings to these new Volkswagen vehicles, resulting in a consistently clear and exceptionally natural listening experience.

Harman Kardon for the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake Elegance (Photograph provided by Volkswagen)

Since 2016 HARMAN’s B&O premium car audio offerings have been incorporated across the Ford lineup, including Mustang Mach-E all-electric SUV announced at the end of last year. In 2021, HARMAN’s first ever two-tier offering – the B&O Sound System and the B&O Unleashed Sound System – will be included in the new Ford F-150. Bringing never-before-seen features to the F-150, the B&O Unleashed Sound System offers innovative headrest and headliner speakers for transformative car audio experiences.

B&O Unleashed for the Ford F-150 (Photograph provided by Ford)

2020 also saw HARMAN brand AKG named as the exclusive audio system for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. Sought after for its high-quality microphones and headphones that are used by leading musicians in recording studios and performance venues, AKG’s partnership with Cadillac will see its pure, powerful studio sound realized in a vehicle for the first time. AKG has provided Cadillac with a completely overhauled in-car audio experience through two levels of AKG Audio, the top level being the AKG Studio Reference system, which delivers 28 channels through 36 speakers that are powered by three amplifiers in the vehicle.

AKG for the GM Cadillac Escalade (Photograph provided by Cadillac)

Since that historic reveal, the AKG and Cadillac partnership has grown to include the first-ever all-electric vehicle from Cadillac – the recently announced Cadillac LYRIQ luxury crossover. At launch, LYRIQ will offer a 19-speaker AKG Studio audio system that transports passengers with signature AKG sound to enjoy their favorite music.

Going Beyond Sound Systems

But the part that audio plays in the driving experience is shifting in other ways too, and the car audio of today comprises more than just good-sounding music. In the era of electric and hybrid cars that run almost silently due to the lack of a traditional combustion engine, a need has emerged for these vehicles to produce their own synthesized sounds to ensure that they remain safe to those in their vicinity, particularly pedestrians. As a result, in 2019 the EU mandated that all newly produced hybrid and electric cars needed to make a sound while traveling under a certain speed,¹ while the US NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is set to implement similar rules in 2020. As the industry looks to strike a balance between energy sustainability and safety, HARMAN is providing its HALOsonic suite of sound management solutions to create new sounds for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Another way that HARMAN is facilitating the broader development of car audio is by seeking to address the issue of peripheral noise. Based on HARMAN’s innovative HALOsonic noise management technology, Hyundai Motor Company and HARMAN released the world’s first active road noise cancellation system for a production vehicle on January 15 in Korea with the launch of the Genesis GV80 SUV. The Road-Noise Active Noise Control (RANC) solution reduces unwanted road noise by emitting soundwaves with an inverted frequency to that of the incoming noises. The Genesis GV80 also features an 18-speaker Lexicon Premium Sound System and QuantumLogic Surround (QLS), an authentic multi-dimensional surround sound technology, to inject unparalleled sonic excellence into the Genesis driving experience.

Lexicon for the Genesis GV80 (Photograph provided by Genesis)

Blazing the Trail

But HARMAN’s work with prominent car brands isn’t the only demonstration of its industry leadership. Recently HARMAN brands have received a number of awards from iF Design – one of the world’s largest and most highly acclaimed design competitions. In addition to 20 award wins for consumer products, HARMAN brands also took home five awards for car audio design.

Harman Kardon received an award for the sophisticated yet highly functional design of the sound system it delivered to the new Volkswagen Golf, and also picked up an iF award for its work on the Polestar 2 sound system. B&O was also awarded for the “elegant and unbridled” premium in-car sound system it designed for the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

As the role our vehicles play in our lives looks set to expand and deepen, car audio stands as an area that will fundamentally shape and enrich user experiences going forward. At the forefront of this trend, HARMAN is providing some of the world’s most iconic car brands with a whole new standard of in-car audio and sonic capabilities, while stamping its leadership and innovation on the industry more broadly.

¹ https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/electric-and-hybrid-cars-new-rules-noise-emitting-protect-vulnerable-road-users_en

Samsung Electronics’ exciting new wearable device, the Samsung Gear S2, has introduced unprecedented style and functionality, with its rotating bezel and revolutionary UX (User eXperience) interface.

But a great device needs more than just design and technology. Partners and apps are vital aspects to creating a device that maximizes usability and functionality—and the Gear S2 has put together a strong list of partners that take it to the next level.

From early on, Samsung emphasized the importance of its partners, as seen in the early announcement of the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Gear S2. Usually, an SDK is released after a new product announcement, but for the Gear S2, early access was provided back in April, months before the device was unveiled at IFA in Berlin in September.

“We made sure to put in as much time as needed to optimize the applications for the new circular design and UX,” said Joohyung Jeong of Product Planning Team of IT & Mobile Communications Business division. “We wanted to offer a great variety of useful applications to the users at the time of launch, which was made possible with the early announcement of the SDK.”

Because of the Gear S2’s unique, rotating bezel and a circular display, Samsung’s partners were eager to create apps for the smartwatch. The new wearable shape meant all the apps had to be redesigned, and Samsung provided all the design resources needed by our partners. But, in fact, optimizing apps for the rotating bezel turned out to be easier and more intuitive than the touch menus used by many wearables. It was also more convenient creating messaging services and notifications using the new interface.

The other thing which makes the Gear S2 so special is Samsung introduces special watch faces with many partners besides a customized app. These watch faces provide important information depending on your needs. You can check the latest trends on Twitter, or see stock updates on Bloomberg, or sports scores on ESPN.

With hundreds of apps available for the Gear S2 already, let’s take a look at eight of the most popular, for making people’s lives easier and more empowered.

Nike+ Running

With Nike + Running, you can keep track of your jogging regime, including how far you went, the pace and for how long you were running. Nike + Running can help organize and motivate you to make your fitness goals and live healthier.

Twitter Trends

Twitter comes to your wearable, bringing all the trending topics, fun tweets and conversations, and hottest news from around the world.

Line

The popular and free messaging app Line is also available for the Gear S2. In addition to being fast and easy-to-use, Line comes with an array of cute cartoon characters you can use as the face for your Gear S2.

Yelp for Gear

As a wearable device, the Gear S2 is designed for people on the go. And one of the most popular apps for people on the go is Yelp, the review site that rates just about everything in the world around you, like restaurants, flights, coffee shops, and stores.

Volkswagen

Whether it’s called Car-Net (in the United States) or e-Remote (in Europe), the Volkswagen app gives you access to your car, no matter how close or far you may be. You can check to see if the doors are locked, start the air-conditioning before you get to your car or stop it from charging (if it’s an electric car).

SmartThings

SmartThings turns your home into an IoT Smart Home, and the SmartThings app lets you check on your home from wherever you are. Are your doors closed? Are the lights on? Do you want your home to get ready for your arrival, based on any preset routine you like? The SmartThings app can do all that and more.

Kevo by UniKey

Kevo is the smartlock security system that puts the safety of your home right onto your mobile devices. No more fumbling with keys, now your Gear S2 can lock and unlock your doors. Kevo can send eKeys to anyone else, family or guests, so your family is safe, and you have maximum control over your own home.

Voxer

A messaging platform for sending voice messages, texts, photos, and videos. But what makes Voxer different is that you can also send audio live, like a walkie talkie, to instantly communicate with your friends and contacts.

And that’s just the start. Just as partners in Korea have prepared a special transportation app, with which users can simply tag their Gear S2 on the card readers at the gates of the subway and bus stations, many different specialized apps will be introduced to fit the needs of the local consumers.

Samsung Electronics demonstrated how it is taking the Internet of Things (IoT) from vision to reality, using its IFA 2015 press conference in Berlin to showcase a range of new connected devices and IoT services. Samsung’s latest contributions to the rapidly growing IoT ecosystem are deeply rooted in the company’s core philosophy for IoT: openness, cross-industry collaboration and – most importantly – a human-centric approach.

“For Samsung, IFA 2015 is all about the Internet of Things. We are certain that IoT will revolutionize the world of consumer electronics, and this is our opportunity to update you on how far we have come in just a year,” said Dr W.P. Hong, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Electronics. “Every year, Samsung sells more than 300 million products to European consumers. Today, our products are used by 85 million Europeans – at home, and increasingly at work. No organization is better placed to ensure that the latest industrial revolution is driven not by technology, but by people’s expectations. Our vision is of an IoT that’s ‘In Sync With Life’, that’s an IoT for you.”

To get a sneak peek of the infinite possibilities of IoT, visit Samsung’s IoT zone at the center of Samsung’s stand in the CityCube at Messe Berlin, which was created in collaboration with renowned architect Feruccio Laviani.

Samsung SmartThings Hub, with ‘Smart Home Monitor’ Solution

Samsung SmartThings launched a new line-up of more powerful and easier to use IoT devices, and is taking them global.

Alex Hawkinson, the founder and CEO of SmartThings, said that for the Internet of Things to succeed, IoT devices must to be extremely user-friendly, while also giving consumers the ability to customize and seamlessly access tools that offer peace of mind when they’re away from home. The new Samsung SmartThings Hub, sensors and updated mobile app, launch in the United States today, in the United Kingdom next week, and will roll out across Europe in 2016.

The new Samsung SmartThings Hub has a more powerful processor that enables video monitoring, and includes a battery backup that lasts up to 10 hours in case of a power outage. Balancing privacy with security, the video monitoring capability allows people to access a livestream at any time, yet only records video when an unexpected event, such as motion by the front door, is detected.

SmartThings is also introducing a new solution called ‘Smart Home Monitor’ which provides unified access and control against intrusion, smoke and fire, leaks and floods, and other common household issues by delivering real-time notifications and video clips from multiple cameras via the SmartThings app.

Personalized Well-Being with Samsung SleepSense

A good night’s sleep is one of the most important factors for a healthy life, and Samsung SleepSense helps consumers to better understand and manage their sleep. The sensor is a flat disk, and simply by placing it under a bed’s mattress, it provides contactless monitoring of a person’s heart and respiratory rate including movements during sleep.

The SleepSense is a connected device that helps create the best environment for falling and staying asleep. It connects to Samsung appliances as well as third party IoT devices; for example, when the user falls asleep, the application will automatically turn off the television, and adjust the heating or air conditioning for a perfect sleep environment.

Based on SleepSense’s daily sleep scores and reports, which can be seen on the user’s smartphone, the application provides expert advice and recommendations, taking into account each individual’s metabolism – the result of a collaboration with Dr. Christos Mantzoros from Harvard Medical School. SleepSense delivers an accuracy of up to 97% in the comfort of your own home.

Expanding the UHD Ecosystem with Key Content and Partners

Samsung is committed to expanding the UHD ecosystem by partnering with companies including Amazon, Netflix, Wuaki, Chili, Strefa VoD, Videoland, and Videoload, as well as regional broadcast partners across Europe, including Canal Plus, British Telecom (BT) and HD+, who are all vital for creating and delivering UHD content to a global consumer base.

Through these partnerships with global leaders in the UHD space, Samsung is bringing commercial UHD broadcasting to market, so users can enjoy their favorite shows and programs in the premium picture quality they desire.

Samsung also has partnered with Gamefly to launch Gamefly Streaming – a subscription service that brings the world’s favorite games into peoples’ living rooms – without the need for consoles, cables or discs. Gamefly works by streaming popular titles over the Internet, with games including Batman: Arkham Origins, Lego Batman 3, GRID 2 and HITMAN Absolution – all available directly on Samsung Smart TVs.

Elevating the Viewing Experience

Samsung’s No. 1 commitment is to provide users with TVs that produce the ultimate viewing experience. Samsung’s SUHD TVs are capable of displaying High Dynamic Range (HDR) picture quality, which showcases greater contrast, brighter colors, intricate shadow detail and distinct highlights. Overall, the picture appears more vivid and authentic than ever before.

Owners of Samsung TVs can celebrate that their TVs are the first on the market that support the new HDMI 2.0a specification, which enables the transmission of HDR metadata across external HDR-compatible sources. The software update provides SUHD TV owners with the most lifelike picture quality available today. This firmware update is set to broaden the spectrum of HDR content available for consumers, as well as set an entirely new standard for the TV and entertainment industry at large.

Furthermore, customers can enjoy this superior picture quality on Samsung’s range of curved televisions, which provide a true-to-life viewing experience paired with sleek design that fits seamlessly in their homes. Customers can choose from 28 amazing Curved SUHD TVs – ranging in size from 48-inch to 105-inch.

To further provide consumers with more options to consume their favorite UHD content, Samsung is introducing the new Ultra HD Blu-ray Player which supports UHD Blu-ray disc playback. The player, which is capable of providing four times the resolution and 64 times higher color expression compared to standard Blu-ray, is capable of upscaling content to provide UHD resolution for any disc. Additionally the 4K streaming services are available. The Ultra HD Blu-ray Player features a sleek, curved design—matching perfectly with Samsung Curved SUHD TVs.

Samsung AddWash – a Washing Machine that’s Clever and Connected

Samsung WW8500 AddWash is the world’s first washing machine that allows consumers to add laundry at any point of the wash cycle, thanks to its innovative ‘Add Door’. A simple press of the pause button stops the spinning drum, and makes it possible to add laundry to the wash, whether it’s a uniform that needs to be ready for soccer practice tomorrow or a sweater or even a jeans that did not make it to the laundry pile. AddWash also provides a new level of care for delicate hand-wash only fabrics because they can now be added right at the start of the rinse cycle.

AddWash is also a connected washing machine that works with both Android and iOS devices, enabling consumers to remotely monitor and operate the machine as well as receive a range of notifications straight to their smartphone. The new WW8500 Add Wash helps consumers get faster and better laundry results thanks to its SuperSpeed cycle, which can wash a normal load in less than an hour. It also features SuperSpray, which uses a jet of water to rinse detergent more effectively. The improved ecobubble function creates thicker bubbles that intensely penetrate fabrics 40 times faster than the usual mix of water and soap, delivering exceptional washing results even in cold water.

Collaborations with BMW and Volkswagen

Samsung sees cars as an important part of the emerging IoT ecosystem, and is working with several leading car makers to innovate in the automotive space.

Samsung SmartThings will soon integrate with BMW cars by displaying notifications from the SmartThings Hub directly on the dashboard. In turn, the SmartThings app makes it possible to check the technical status of your BMW, and even lock and unlock it remotely.

Samsung also announced details of its partnership with Volkswagen, which will offer drivers a seamlessly connected car experience, through Car Mode for Galaxy, an app that adds value to the driving experience powered by MirrorLink^TM, an industry-leading standard for car connectivity.Car Mode for Galaxy, controlled by both touch and voice powered by S-Voice, lets you take calls easily and safely, listen to your favorite playlist, or get directions to your destination ; it even reads you incoming text messages out loud. Users can enjoy all the features through Car Mode for Galaxy mobile app even in a car without mirroring functionality.

The Volkswagen partnership also integrates the Volkswagen Car-Net e-Remote app. The app connects the new Samsung Gear S2 with a range of Volkswagen vehicles, enabling seamless interaction right from your wrist. Whether locating where you parked your car, turning on the air conditioning before you return to your car on a hot day, or managing the battery levels of your electric Volkswagen car, Samsung and Volkswagen take the link between automobiles and wearables to a new level.

“At the heart of all Samsung’s IoT innovations,” said Dr W.P. Hong, “is our long-standing approach of researching and observing people’s daily lives, and looking beyond the obvious to find innovative ways of enriching them, by turning everyday moments into enjoyable experiences. This philosophy will not change as we lead the way to a smarter, more connected, and more human future for us all.”

Samsung at IFA 2015

Samsung will be exhibiting at IFA 2015 from September 4-9, 2015, based in the CityCube at Messe Berlin.