Highlights of the Keynote Address: Samsung Developers Conference 2013

 

From Samsung Mobile SDK to KNOX Enterprise SDK, the Keynote session for the Samsung Developers Conference was full of goodies as expected, especially for all the developers. It is always very exciting to hear about all the new tools to play with and we look forward to seeing all the great apps as a result of this conference. Wait, what? You missed the Keynote session? Don’t worry, Samsung Tomorrow’s got your back. Here is a recap and some highlights of the Keynote.

 

 

 Opening

 

It was Gregory Lee, The President of the Samsung Telecommunications America, who kicked off the keynote address. As he welcomed everybody to the SDC, he announced there’s going to be some new SDKs announcements and also surprise giveaways at the end of the keynote.

 

 

Samsung New SDKs & API

Samsung developed the Note category and created an integrated Pen experience.

 

What’s the news about SDC2013?. There are number of Samsung SDKs: Mobile SDK, Smart TV SDK 5.0 Multiscreen Gaming SDK, Multiscreen SDK, KNOX Enterprise SDK beta .

 

 

Curtis Sasaki, Senior Vice President and Head of Media Solution Center America, demonstrated some of the cool services such Trulia, Twitter and Air Hockey using new features of Samsung Mobile SDK and Samsung Service SDK.

 

 

Samsung Mobile SDK

 

 

There are 10 components to Samsung Mobile SDK: Pen, Media Control, Professional Audio, Gesture, Look, Visual View, Multi-Window, Image Filter, Chord and Motion. 

 

Pen (Recognition, Selection Tool and Air View, Hovering) :

*Offers you a recognition function to convert content written on the canvas to text, objects, and images.

*Uses a drawing engine, based on Stroke, that offers advanced editing functions

*The S Pen, in combination with Pen features, such as Air Hover, provides an integrated visual experience that brings the screen to life.

 

Look (Writing Buddy):

*Offers an alternative to entering data when keyboards get in the way.  Makes writing a snap, converting handwriting into text.

 

Multi-Window:

*Runs multiple resizable applications simultaneously: You can add your application to the Multi-Window TrayBar by declaring your app a Multi-Window application.

*And by implementing Multi-Window, users can run your application alongside another app.

 

 

Please check Michael Ducker’s Twitter while he was demonstrating Multi-Window. https://twitter.com/miradu

 

 

Samsung Chord:

*Allows fast peer-to-peer connection across multiple devices, for mobile collaboration or sharing data and media back and forth to others on the same connection

 

 

Samsung Service SDK

 

After going over the Samsung Mobile SDK, it was Service SDK’s turn to be introduced to the world. Mr. Sasaki explained the four major components: ChatON, Samsung AdHub, In-App Purchase.

 

 

Samsung AdHub:

*Samsung AdHub is the cross platform in-app advertisement solution that delivers monetization services across multiple device types and multiple operating systems.

*It runs on Android and iOS mobile devices and on Samsung Smart TVs

*It is supported in over 169 countries

 

In-App Purchase:

*The Samsung In-App Purchase payment service makes it possible to sell additional content within Android Apps sold on Samsung Apps. In-App Purchase 2.0 now supports non-consumable and subscription items.

*Currently supported in 60 countries.

*IAP 2.0, which implemented AIDL (Android Interface Definition Language), and it leverages Samsung Account for Single-Sign-On and digital good retrieval after app reinstallation.

*Using Samsung IAP, 80% of the revenue goes to developers.

 

Samsung Wallet 2.0:

 

 

* Standard Web Service API and Client or Server Side Integration

*Samsung Wallet 2.0 supports 5 categories, 8 templates

*Geo-fencing

 

ChatON SDK: 

 

 

*ChatON is a Samsung branded messaging service for Android devices; also accessible for iPhone users.

*The new ChatON gaming API allows developers to directly invite ChatON buddies to play games together and share user’s gaming scores with their ChatON buddies.

 

 

Samsung Smart TV 5.0

 

 

Mr. Sasaki ended his presentation by going over the opportunities for developers with the Samsung Mobile SDK and Service SDK. Then he introduced Eric Edward Anderson, Vice President of Samsung Electronics America for the next round of talks.

 

Mr. Anderson opened his presentation with the evolution of Smart TV. From 2007 to 2013, Smart TV’s transformation was quite impressive.

 

 

Samsung Smart Hub makes it easy for users to discover content. It consists of 5 panels: ‘On TV’, ‘Movies & TV shows’, ‘Photos, Videos, and Music’, ‘Social’ and’ Applications’. It supports the developers with a TV-optimized development environment via www.samsungdforum.com. It also supports a business model for multiple content partners; Ad support, transaction and subscription are provided for free.

 

Anderson said, 72% of SmartHub Devices (Smart TV’s and Blu Rays) have activated in the U.S. Market today. Samsunghub Device Activation Rate is increasing an average of 1% every month. The average U.S. Samsung SmartHub Device is accessed 40 times per week (multiple users per device).

 

 

Then he announced Smart TV SDK 5.0!

 

 

Smart TV SDK 4.0 make easy by supporting Multi-OS support and enhancing Smart interaction (Voice&Gesture Control).  And Samsung TV SDK allows developers an easy way to connect mobile application to the Smart TV.

 

 

Multiscreen

 

 

Juan Pablo Gnecco, Senior Director of Samsung Media Solutions Center America started his segment with the question: What is the next big thing for developers?  He said the answer is the TV, because the current state of Smart TV allowed people to embrace any mobile devices.

 

 

Samsung Multiscreen SDK 

 

 

Samsung Multiscreen SDK was based on two basic principles. First, it should be easy for the user. He introduced the concept called ‘glass to glass’, which is a one touch launch of an application from users mobile device to TV. No remote control or switching HDMI ports. If you swipe the screen, it seamlessly shares contents from screen to screen, thus the name “glass to glass.”

 

 

The second basic principle is ‘make it developer friendly.’ Samsung Multiscreen SDK has two important characteristics: Cross platform and leveraging existing application.

 

Cross Platform Solution:

 

Simple APIs across the platforms you are already using: Android, iOS, Javascript API. (C++ Api is coming soon).  Your existing applications & code can be brought to the world of multiscreen with minimal effort.

 

 

Leveraging Existing Content: 

 

*With Samsung Multiscreen SDK, users can leverage existing web and mobile content.

 

 

Gnecco then demonstrated the features of Samsung Multiscreen SDK via video which showed TV Multitasking – for example tweeting and sharing content while watching TV.

 

 

Additionally, you can run Pandora on your Smart TV with the Multiscreen. It means you can watch video on TV and listen to music from Pandora in the background.

 

 

 

Samsung Multiscreen Gaming Platform

 

 

Kyuho Kim, Senior Vice President from / Media Solution Center and David Helgason, CEO of Unity Technologies were next to tell about the Multiscreen Gaming Platform and Samsung Unity Partnership.

 

 

The opening message was simple. Gaming has evolved more than we anticipated over the recent years and it will continue to.

 

 

With the latest smart devices, users can play console class games without the console. For example, users can now play high quality video games on their smartphone and when they are done they can just slip their phones into their pockets; games follow them everywhere. Then the question was thrown at the audience. “What if we add a Game Pad in the equation?”

 

 

He introduced the Samsung Mobile Console Service. With the Mobile Console Service, the gaming experience is even more complete and you can play in your living room and on the go. He emphasized the importance of the developer partners when a new platform comes out and promised to improve the valued developer community, including revamping our seller site experience, simplifying the QA process, and so on.

 

 

Samsung KNOX Enterprise Platform

 

 

After the presentation about gamings, it was time to get serious. Injong Rhee, Senior Vice President at Samsung Electronics, got on the stage to address about the Samsung KNOX Enterprise Platform.

 

Samsung KNOX™ is Samsung’s secure Android platform. With the increasing use of smartphones in businesses, Samsung KNOX addresses the mobile security needs of Enterprise IT without invading the privacy of its employees

 

We put in a lot of hardware-assisted rooting preventions and detection mechanisms at the bottom of the layer –  the hardware manufacturers  can do this job right as it owns hardware as well as the software platform.

 

Large part of this growth contributes to the success of Android in consumer space. In other words, it is really the consumers who drive the enterprise sales.

-With Samsung KNOX, its enterprise

-This means that the majority chunk of those devices will be Samsung Galaxy devices.

 

Come join us as “KNOX Founding Members” – perhaps add that developers who sign up during the week of the developers forum, they will have “KNOX Founding Members” status and will be eligible for additional benefits and a cool logo next to their profile page.

 

 

Open Innovation Center

 

To introduce the Samsung Open Innovation Center, David Eun, EVP of the Open Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics took the stage.

 

 

OIC officially launched in January 2013 to help accelerate Samsung’s innovation in software and services to complement Samsung’s hardware expertise. It uses four tools for driving its innovation: Investments, Partnerships, Acquisitions and Accelerators.

 

Investment: Identify compelling early-stage startups with potential for strategic partnership or acquisition

 

Partnerships: Build relationships with leading companies to create prototypes and develop unique customer experiences

 

Acquisitions: Acquire top talent and early stage companies to help drive innovative product development.

 

Accelerators: Create internal startups and provide support through capital and access to Samsung leadership, market insights, and distribution.

 

 

He went on to explain the benefits of OIC for the audience in five bullet points. 

 

1. Exclusive FOCUS on early-stage software developers, startups, and entrepreneurs

 

2. PRESENCE in Silicon Valley, New York City, and Seoul helps foster strong relationships between Samsung HQ and the developer community

 

3. Valuable FUNDING for leading software startups in search of collaboration with Samsung

 

4. ACQUISITION of the talent, technologies, and companies we’re most excited about

 

5. An INCUBATOR for startup CEOs, providing full support and resources of Samsung’s scale and potential distribution

 

 

Conference Overview

 

Michael Ludden, Senior manager of Media Solution Center America at Samsung Electronics closed out the Keynote with the overview of the conference. He briefed the audience about the Expo Hall, Exploratorium and Giveaway distribution at the Samsung Developers Conference.