The VR film on Taj Mahal was unveiled by Honourable President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath in presence of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Governor of Uttar Pradesh Shri Ram Naik and Industries Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Satish Mahana.

Honourable President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley along with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath (Left) and deputy UP CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma during the launch of VR Film on Taj Mahal

Under the partnership, Samsung will develop VR content on two magnificent Indian heritage sites, Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh and the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha.

The film showcasing the grandeur, heritage and splendour of the architectural marvel Taj Mahal was shown on Samsung VR headsets powered by Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones to several ministers and other dignitaries attending the summit.

“Tourism and education are key priorities for us. We are delighted that Samsung India has contributed on both fronts and has come forward with its VR film on the Taj Mahal. On its part, the government is working towards creating a strong tourism ecosystem and educational infrastructure in the state of Uttar Pradesh and this collaboration with Samsung will enable us to fulfill our vision. The Taj Mahal has been a monument of pride for us and a beautiful VR film on this will definitely attract more tourists to the state,” said Shri Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh.

This film on Taj Mahal will be available freely across all social media channels in VR format and will be provided to the Union Ministry of Tourism and State Tourism Boards to be used for tourism promotion in India and across the world.

The Union Tourism Ministry will also include the VR film on Taj Mahal in its Incredible India campaign.

“Samsung believes in transforming communities and creating a better life for people with its innovative products and solutions. We are happy to partner with UNESCO to offer experiential educational content with the effective use of technology. Today there is a need for children to acquire deep understanding of our national heritage sites. At Samsung, we believe this partnership will help provide many more school going children easy access to such content in an engaging and exciting format such as VR,” said Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, CSR, Samsung India.

The film will be included as part of the content of Samsung Smart Class across the country to provide experiential education. This effort to use VR for educating students will go a long way in taking forward Government of India’s vision of Digital India.

There are 36 UNESCO Heritage Sites in India today. Samsung India may take up more sites to develop VR content in future.

To know more about Samsung Gear VR, log on to https://news.samsung.com/in/in-depth-look-gear-vr-with-controller-elevates-the-galaxy-experience

Samsung has been a strong and long-standing partner for the state of Uttar Pradesh, having set up the first of two manufacturing facilities in the country at Noida in 1996. Last year, Samsung had announced an investment of INR 4,915 crore in India to double production capacity of its Noida plant, reaffirming its commitment to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for India’ and to the state of Uttar Pradesh.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the content was signed between Samsung India and UNESCO MGIEP in the presence of Shri Satya Pal Singh, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Shri Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Minister of Human Resources Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Mr. Satya Pal Singh, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development experiencing Sun Temple at Konark through Samsung Gear VR

The first of the two 360 video and VR content, on the Sun Temple in Konark, was unveiled today at the Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) 2017 in Visakhapatnam, organized by UNESCO MGIEP.

“Learning must be fun and what better way to learn and build understanding of the different histories and cultures of humankind than through virtual reality experience. It definitely beats just using textbooks. MGIEP believes in transforming education for building peaceful and sustainable societies. It sees immersive experiences such as VR as an integral part of socio emotional learning for our younger generations as they face 21st century challenges to build a peaceful and sustainable planet,” said Dr. Anantha Duraiappah, Director, UNESCO MGIEP.

Mr. Satya Pal Singh (Fourth from Left), Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu (Center) and Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj (Third from Left), Vice President, CSR, Samsung India along with other dignitaries during the MoU signing

The 360 video and VR content showcasing the grandeur, heritage and splendour of the architectural marvel Sun Temple in Konark was shown to students and dignitaries at a specially set up Samsung Smart Class at the conference venue.

The project will provide experiential educational content to students across the country. The immersive content will also be available to students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), where Samsung Smart Class have been set up in over 500 schools since 2013. This effort to use VR for educating students will go a long way in taking forward Government of India’s vision of digital India.

Students of JNV experiencing the 360 Degree Video on Sun Temple at the Samsung Smart Class using Samsung Gear VR

“Samsung believes in transforming communities and creating a better life for people with its innovative products and solutions. We are happy to partner with UNESCO to offer experiential educational content with the effective use of technology. Today there is a need for children to acquire deep understanding of our national heritage sites. At Samsung, we believe this partnership will help provide many more school going children easy access to such content in an engaging and exciting format such as VR,” said Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Vice President, CSR, Samsung India.

There are 36 UNESCO Heritage Sites in India today. Samsung India may take up more sites to develop 360 video and VR content in future.

To know more about Samsung Gear VR, log on to https://news.samsung.com/in/in-depth-look-gear-vr-with-controller-elevates-the-galaxy-experience

Samsung Smart Class program has so far benefitted over 2.5 lakh students and has trained over 8,000 teachers on how to effectively use interactive technology in the Samsung Smart Class to teach students. The program aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools are run by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

The content on Indian heritage sites will be available freely across all social media channels in both 360 and VR formats. VR content will also be provided to the Union Ministry of Tourism and State Tourism Boards to be used for tourism promotion in India and across the world.

Extending its leadership in the wearables category, Samsung Electronics India today announced the launch of the mobile virtual reality headset – Samsung Gear VR. Introduced in association with Oculus, users can enjoy a ‘next level’ mobile entertainment experience with a robust selection of 2D and 3D videos, immersive gaming across genres, 360 degree video and experiential content on their Gear VR.

Compatible with Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge, Gear VR will leverage each device’s super AMOLED display & resolution to provide the colour, clarity and performance needed for an amazing virtual reality experience.

Mr Manu Sharma, Director, Product Marketing, Samsung Electronics India said, “The Gear VR presents the unique opportunity for consumers to get an immersive, interactive Virtual Reality experience. Samsung will be at the forefront of this exciting revolution to create further ‘wow’ moments in our consumers’ lives.”

Intuitive design

Built with soft, flexible cushioning and lightweight materials, the Samsung Gear VR is comfortable to wear. Ergonomic adjustable straps make the VR extremely easy to wear and use. The Gear VR also comes with an embossed marker in the centre of the touchpad for quick orientation.

Immersive viewing experience

The Samsung Gear VR delivers Virtual Reality on the go that shifts the bar for immersive mobile entertainment. This unrivalled viewing experience is powered bythe Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy smart phones boasting of vivid, lifelike images with high pixel density,96 degree wide field of view allowing users to have an extremely immersive viewing experience. The Gear VR is crafted in a way to provide reduced motion blur and therefore less or no dizziness.

Convenience and Connectivity

The Samsung Gear VR uses the Galaxy smartphones for optimum mobility, consumers can use the VR anytime and anywhere without having to resort to cumbersome cables. The VR is also equipped with a Pass-Through feature that allows users to stay connected with the real world, getting notifications of incoming calls or messages.

Rich Content

Consumers can play and experience over 150+ games and apps on the Samsung Gear VR. This growing list of content can be downloaded from the Oculus Store. Games, covering a wide variety of popular genres, can be experienced in a completely new way by making the user believe they are actually inside the game. Consumers can also pair the Gear VR with a game pad to optimize the gaming experience for games with complicated controls. Samsung Gear VR is consumer’s perfect movie partner, with options such as Cinema, Multi-Screen and Home Theatre that virtually scale up the experience of regular 2D & 3D videos to the level of a Movie Hall. Travel fanatics can also take 360 degree virtual tours of some of the most exciting places on earth. Samsung has additionally launched special VR Apps for users. The VR Internet Browser allows the user to browse the internet and enjoy content in the scaled up Cinema mode. The VR Gallery app makes the phone gallery, containing the user’s photos and videos, available for viewing in the larger-than-life VR.

Samsung Gear VR will be available across all Samsung’s retail channels at a price of INR 8,200. Flipkart is the Online partner for Gear VR.

Samsung Gear VR Product Specifications

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.