Samsung Newsroom sat down with five prominent SDC23 speakers to delve deep into some of the company’s updates and how they add convenience to and revamp the user experience.

SmartThings and Matter: Offering an Even Better Connected Experience

Charles Kim of the SmartThings Team highlighted the updates to Samsung’s SmartThings home ecosystem, including expanded support for Matter devices, and discussed how SmartThings is leading the new era of smart homes through its advanced multi-device network.

Q. SmartThings has been working hard to create a hyper-connected experience for customers based on seamless interoperability with third-party devices. Could you discuss a few of the most notable announcements unveiled during this year’s SDC?

Matter stands as the universal IP-based communications protocol for smart home IoT devices, and is supported by major corporations all over the world. When it comes to expansive smart home experiences, Samsung has been at the forefront of widening its device network, which was furthered by its added support for Matter devices beginning last year. To expand on this, we are now offering an enhanced Matter-compatible ecosystem that will allow developers to create new apps, hubs and clouds.

One of our first steps is to expand the application of Matter to a broader range of devices and introduce new features to these devices to enhance its capabilities. These features include adding control functionalities for Matter-compatible devices, which support Matter Bridge¹ devices as well as over-the-air (OTA)² and Multi-Hub Network.³ One of Matter’s key advantages is its compatibility with various platforms from different companies. As such, it facilitates easier usage of the Multi-Admin⁴ feature, allowing administrators to efficiently control multiple devices simultaneously from a single platform.

To take innovation further, we plan to introduce an Application Programming Interface (API) for controlling Matter devices via the SmartThings Hub — making it easier for developers to utilize Samsung’s platform. In addition, the Software Development Kit (SDK) will allow the seamless integration of Matter devices within the SmartThings platform.

We hope that this will empower more developers to deliver new, advanced services to users that utilize Matter devices within the SmartThings platform.

Q. How will SmartThings contribute to the evolution of smart homes in the future?

Our vision for SmartThings encompasses various dimensions of home automation. Currently, users can control Samsung and third-party IoT devices in their homes through SmartThings, which gives them the ability to optimize and automate certain functions among connected devices. Looking forward to the future, smart homes are poised to elevate personalized home experiences by harnessing the power of device-connected AI and machine learning, which will deliver users ultra-personalized home services that meet their unique needs and preferences.

One of these future-forward settings is Ambient Sensing, which recognizes the space the user is in and automatically adjusts to the user’s preferred settings. Additionally, we intend to advance Edge Computing technology to ensure a stable and secure connection experience for users, enabling SmartThings to serve as a main hub for such services. Our aim is to help users enjoy a higher quality of life, and we will continue enhancing SmartThings in order to achieve this goal.

HDR10+ GAMING: Delivering a Perfectly Immersive Gaming Experience

Alongside the rapid expansion of the gaming market came an increased demand for an enhanced gaming environment. In line with these trends, Samsung has been working with leading game content companies to develop advanced visual technologies, setting a standard for the industry. Suzie Hyun of Samsung Research America spoke about HDR10+ GAMING.

Q. As game image quality technology continues to advance, what are the advantages of using HDR10+ GAMING while playing games?

In comparison to the conventional Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) format, High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays images at a higher brightness, greater contrast and with a wider color range — accentuating all on-screen details and making gameplay even more immersive.

From the standpoint of a developer, an ideal HDR gaming experience provides jaw-dropping realism, fully immersing users in the heart of the action. Equipped with HDR10+ GAMING technology, game creators are able to provide next-level immersion, drawing users deeper into the game world.

On the user side, HDR10+ GAMING technology automatically sets the game and display to optimal HDR settings, ensuring a consistent, stunning and engaging gaming session from start to end.

Q. How is HDR10+ different when watching videos and gaming?

HDR10+ GAMING technology delivers cutting-edge gaming experiences by combining ultra-responsiveness, an important factor for ideal gameplay, with leading image quality optimization technology. Equipped with these advanced technologies, HDR10+ GAMING provides immersive gaming experiences and allows users to experience the content as the game creator intended.

The Software Platform Innovation for Home Appliances: Tizen

The Tizen operating system will be extended and is set to be integrated into a broader range of home appliances. SeongIl Hahm of the S/W Development Team explained Tizen and its distinguished services that upgrade user experiences.

Q. What role does Tizen play in home appliances?

The landscape of home appliances has undergone a remarkable transformation, expanding beyond customers’ imagination. With the integration of the latest AI technologies, these appliances can perform a variety of unique functions. For example, appliances can detect food, the user’s voice and presence using high-tech cameras, microphones and Neural Processing Units (NPUs).

In driving these innovations forward, Tizen — Samsung’s open and flexible operating system (OS) ­— will help evolve home appliances and expand their capabilities. Samsung plans to expand Tizen to home appliances equipped with even larger screens than before, which will allow users to intuitively check the status of their devices and control them, as well as monitor other devices connected to SmartThings.

Tizen not only supports network, multimedia, web and security capabilities, but it also offers flexible software performance based on different hardware modules across product lines. It provides a web and development environment that is most commonly used by developers so helps them to adopt services easier.

Q. During SDC23, new technologies such as on-device AI and AI Home Edge Hub were introduced. How will these advancements elevate the capabilities of home appliances?

On-device AI-support signifies the integrated AI engine within home appliances, supporting round-the-clock deep learning inference. Home appliances generate a wealth of information, far beyond what users may realize. Learning from this information can significantly improve the user experience. Examples of AI functionalities include how refrigerators and air conditioners can save energy by predicting the temperature, how vacuum cleaners adjust the cleaning mode according to the floor type, and how washers and dryers can optimize laundering according to the clothing material.

Another important consideration that AI performance levels vary among different home appliances led us to work on developing AI Home Edge Hub. By device-to-device sharing of AI capabilities, it significantly enhance the performance of each device.

To illustrate this, let’s imagine that an AI inference task was delivered to the Family Hub, which is the most smart appliance nearby. Upon receiving this information, the Family Hub transmits it to the robot vacuum cleaner, which then notifies the user when the cleaning process is complete.

Many of these futuristic scenarios will become realizable through cutting-edge software innovation.

Samsung Privileged Health SDK: Helping the Development of Advanced Digital Health Services and Solutions

Incorporating essential features such as sleep, fitness, mental health services and health indicator monitoring, Samsung Health has firmly established itself as a comprehensive health solution. Sungchull Lee of the Health S/W R&D Group presented Samsung Privileged Health SDK, which offers users an unparalleled digital health experience.

Q. Could you introduce some of the main developers and partners that are using Samsung Privileged Health SDK?

With the Samsung Privileged Health SDK, Samsung aims to support developers and service providers in developing more sophisticated and advanced digital health services and solutions.

Developers and service partners around the world have expressed their interest in utilizing Samsung Privileged Health SDK and many are using it to develop apps. Interested parties can apply to the Partner Program via the official Samsung Developer website and can begin developing and utilizing the platform’s suite of tools once approved.

According to data measured on the Galaxy Watch’s BioActive sensor, our SDK partners span across a variety of digital healthcare fields — including heart health monitoring, remote patient monitoring, mental health services, worker healthcare and digital therapeutics. Moving forward, our primary goal is to strengthen Samsung Privileged Health SDK’s role as a health platform and expand its ecosystem to support the sustained growth of our partners.

Q. What are the strengths of the Samsung Privileged Health SDK, and how can digital health services harness its capabilities?

Samsung Privileged Health SDK offers a convenient and consistent development environment, as developers can measure biometric information through the Galaxy Watch’s BioActive sensor.

Within the Samsung Privileged Health SDK, there is a range of data types available for service research and development, including the Galaxy Watch’s specialized functions — body composition and skin temperature measurement. Additionally, the platform incorporates an advanced batching method, which aggregates data for a certain period of time to ensure both efficient data measurement and minimal battery consumption.

The skin temperature measurement function, for example, can be used to improve sleep habits, predict the menstrual cycle, estimate exercise intensity and so on, whereas the inter-beat interval can calculate stress index, detect sleep stages and monitor irregular heart rate.

Samsung’s commitment to enhancing SDK’s capabilities persists, and it will continue to provide a consistent and simple API with samples to make it easier for developers to utilize.

Samsung Health Stack: Contributing to Broadening the Digital Health Ecosystem

Amidst increasing adoption of digital tools and software for medical research within the healthcare industry, Eric Song of Samsung Research’s Data Services Lab introduced Samsung Health Stack — a groundbreaking open-source tool designed to simplify the management and analysis of health research.

Q. Samsung Health Stack was first unveiled at SDC last year, and subsequently released version 1.0 this year. What objectives does Samsung aim to accomplish with Samsung Health Stack?

Looking at recent trends in the IT industry, a variety of wearable devices are rapidly evolving. In the same regard, sensor technology that can be deployed is advancing at a swift pace.

Alongside these technological advancements, the concept of “digital therapeutics” has gained traction within the healthcare industry. Many organizations are actively seeking to treat diseases in novel ways, including the use of software to further these aims. The goal of Samsung Health Stack is to make it easier for medical researchers, who may be unfamiliar with IT systems, to safely access and utilize digital health information.

Additionally, as an open-source project, Samsung Health Stack seeks to dismantle the barrier between medical researchers and the field of digital technology field, laying the groundwork for the development of the digital health industry.

As it supports developers and researchers in the field, Samsung Health Stack will contribute to the establishment of a digital health ecosystem for both Samsung and the broader healthcare industry.

¹ Technology that enables devices with multiple connection protocols, such as Zigbee and Z-Wave, to connect to Matter and allows Matter and non-Matter devices to communicate.
² A function that supports firmware updates of Matter devices.
³ A function that connects Samsung’s various hubs on a single platform.
⁴ A function that controls Matter devices and multiple connected platforms simultaneously and shares the device’s status with users.

Read on to learn about some of the main innovations covered at SDC23 that are enhancing users’ lives.

Enriching Customer Experiences: Innovating Platforms and Enhancing Ecosystems

Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics, kicked off the event by highlighting how the growing number of Samsung devices around the world drives innovation within the company.

“Over 500 million Samsung products are sold every year, and the number of people using Samsung accounts exceeds 600 million. To us, this is both a huge asset and a profound responsibility,” he stated. “Samsung’s innovations connect countless people, products and services. I believe that if you join this journey of innovation, we can create greater opportunities and a brighter future together.”

Touching on the main advancements to Samsung’s suite of devices and applications — including the SmartThings ecosystem, Bixby virtual assistant, Samsung Knox security platform and more — Han expressed how collaboration has helped bring many of the company’s products to life.

“The possibilities we can realize together are endless because as developers, we share the engines of innovation and collaboration,” he said.

Building Meaningful Home Experiences Through Enhanced Partnerships

Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings, Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics, discussed Samsung’s ongoing commitment to increasing interoperability between devices and expanding the SmartThings home ecosystem — focusing on the company’s support for open home standards such as Matter and the Home Connectivity Alliance.

“We are building experiences that promote the whole family’s well-being by keeping us all connected during the busyness of everyday life,” she said.

Through Multi Hub Network and SmartThings Home API, Jung showcased the newest additions to the SmartThings platform that provide access to a growing list of devices, apps and services. By utilizing its wide network of partnerships and tapping other industry leaders, Samsung aims to enable users to live more digitally integrated lives – both inside and outside their homes.

Bixby: Setting a New Standard for the Samsung Ecosystem

Enhancing at-home experiences means using the most advanced technologies to tailor them to each user’s needs and tastes. Anil Yadav, Head of Bixby Lab at Samsung Research¹ America, underlined Samsung’s future vision for Bixby and how the company is working to create more intelligent and comfortable spaces for the future.

Thanks to deeper home integration, Bixby will intuitively respond to users’ commands based on their unique preferences — making smart homes that much smarter for individuals and their families. Additionally, Bixby will seamlessly route user commands to the appropriate device, creating a harmonious multi-device home ecosystem.

“This combination of personalization and adaptation ensures that every interaction with Bixby will be optimized, easy and convenient,” he said.

Providing a Safe, Secure and Convenient Cross-Device Environment

Since multi-device networks can be prone to hacks and breaches, forward-thinking security solutions are more necessary than ever. With this in mind, Samsung has been reinforcing its security solutions to anticipate evolving digital threats.

Shin Baik, Engineer of Security Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, emphasized the need for comprehensive security solutions in an expansive and highly connected device network.

“It’s time to look beyond today’s solutions and start building a better-protected future,” he said.

Baik spotlighted the company’s proprietary security innovations containing the latest features. These include:

Samsung Knox Matrix — which comes with updates to Credential Sync — enabling end-to-end encryption to backup or restore data on the Samsung Cloud. If a server is compromised or account details are stolen, user data is protected as data can only be encrypted or decrypted through the user’s device.

Mobile devices with One UI 6 will have access to passkeys — a digital credential technology that uses biometric recognition as authentication on websites and applications — marking a significant step towards a password-less future.

Beyond flagship mobile devices, Samsung Knox Vault is being expanded to Samsung Neo QLED 8K TVs in 2023, and Galaxy A series smartphones that launch with One UI 6 or later² in 2024 — protecting more customers and their devices.

Tizen Reboot: Paving the Path for the Decade Ahead

Hobum Kwon, Vice President of Platform Team at Samsung Research, unveiled advancements to Tizen, Samsung’s Linux-based open-source operating system, and how the company is rebooting it for a new generation of devices.

“We’re always thinking of how to expand the Tizen Ecosystem — and as a result, the platform has a reliable and adaptable architecture built on our commitment to open innovation,” he said.

Recently, Samsung expanded Tizen to operate on new home appliances with larger displays, such as washing machines and ovens, to enrich the user experience by providing graphic information, convenient UI and useful video content. Alongside the expansion of applicable product lines, Samsung will boost developer support through a unified Tizen Software Development Kit (SDK) that includes a 2D and 3D combined graphics engine and a new Samsung Experience Services feature.

Tizen Screen: Your Window to a World of Possibilities

Bongjun Ko, Executive Vice President of Application Software R&D Group, Visual Display (VD) Business, revealed how Samsung is elevating the Tizen TV experience for users in their day-to-day lives.

“Whether it’s through a TV or smartphone while you wait for your train, these screens are part of our daily lives,” he said. “This is why we, at Samsung, are always innovating to deliver best-in-class experiences with Tizen, starting with the biggest screens in your home.”

Ko shared that Samsung Gaming Hub is now available on a variety of Tizen-supported screens such as The Freestyle 2^nd Gen and Odyssey Neo G9 as well as 2022 and 2023 Samsung Smart TVs. Taking social interaction to new heights, Chat Together connects users with friends in chat rooms while they are watching their favorite shows, movies and sports. What’s more, the platform is adding Relumino Mode to Samsung TVs to create a more accessible and immersive viewing experience for those with low vision.

Tizen is opening its doors to a broader ecosystem of partners and developers, offering robust support and a dynamic environment to revolutionize how people connect, play and interact via screens.

Expanding the Galaxy Experience With One UI 6

One of the main highlights was the reveal of One UI 6, a transformative user experience designed for Galaxy devices. Sally Hyesoon Jeong, Vice President of Framework R&D Group, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business, introduced this innovative upgrade, focusing on enhanced usability and intelligent photo and video editing. One UI 6 includes a fresh, intuitive look and feel with a revamped Quick panel, redesigned app interfaces and a stylish, exclusive typeface: One UI Sans.

Additionally, One UI 6 will analyze photos in the Gallery using AI features — such as Photo Remaster and Object Eraser — to suggest the most relevant editing options, helping users enhance their photos quickly and more precisely. Likewise, with Samsung Studio and its multi-layer video editing features, users have greater control when editing their content to freely add effects such as text, stickers and music with the video editing timeline.

Jeong also announced the highly anticipated Galaxy SmartTag2. With a compact design, improved battery life and IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, the SmartTag2 is set to redefine how users keep track of their belongings — giving more people greater peace of mind.

Building a Digital Health Ecosystem Through Connected Care at Home

Hon Pak, Vice President of Digital Health Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business, highlighted the importance of fostering strong connections among devices, data, consumers and services for more optimized digital health experiences.

“Our vision for Samsung Health is to build a healthier future for everyone,” he said. “It starts from the same place where many of you started your day today — at home.”

Samsung’s vision is recognized through strategic partnerships aimed at strengthening the digital health ecosystem. Samsung Privileged Health SDK provides access to the Samsung BioActive Sensor, giving partners increased flexibility to develop powerful, health-sensing capabilities in their applications. Samsung Research launched Samsung Health Stack 1.0 to support researchers with critical tools to advance their studies. The App SDK included in Samsung Health Stack 1.0 provides developers with the building blocks to streamline participant data collection, and Web portal provides researchers with a dashboard to monitor and manage research progress in an organized and easily readable way.

Additionally, Samsung partnered with the MIT Media Lab to focus on cutting-edge research in sleep and mental health monitoring. Together, they will develop novel, scientifically validated and accessible solutions that help people sleep better and improve their health, well-being and daytime performance. The collaboration highlights Samsung’s commitment to bolstering the wellness industry and enhancing the lives of users.

Savoring the Future of Cooking With Food AI

Nick Holzherr, CEO of Whisk, Head of Samsung Food Platform, expressed how new AI-enabled customer experiences will help people not only eat better but also make “Food Your Way.”

Samsung Food makes it easier for users to share their favorite dishes with the community and follow their favorite food content creators. With the app, users can explore new levels of customization and convenience in the kitchen, from grocery shopping and personalized recipe recommendations to automated cooking settings.

“Over the coming year, we’ll continue to grow our device connectivity across Samsung’s appliances, watches and phones,” he said. “I’m super excited about how we can bring software and hardware together to create value for our Samsung customers!”

Smarter Living, Every Day

To close out the presentation, JH Han returned to the stage to offer a final word on the company’s vision for the future of hyper-connected living. Leveraging its industry partnerships, Samsung is committed to redefining how individuals interact with technology — striving to make daily life more connected and convenient for users everywhere.

“Samsung’s new products and technologies need to be anchored by a solid ecosystem,” he said. “We are committed to fostering mutual growth with all the developers and partners here.”

Watch the video below to see the complete recording of the SDC23 keynote.

¹ Serving as Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, Samsung Research leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.
² Samsung Knox Vault availability may vary by model.

With opening remarks from Jong-Hee Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Device Experience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics, the presentations revealed how Samsung is crafting systems that help make lives smarter, safer, more convenient and more connected than ever before.

▲ Attendees take their seats at SDC 2022 in anticipation of the day’s wide-ranging Keynote

Read on to see Samsung Newsroom’s recap of the innovation and inspiration revolutionizing how we live and work both now and in the future.

Opening: A Seamless, Frictionless Experience

Jong-Hee Han opened up the day’s talks by underscoring the importance of convenience in an age of brilliant yet complex technologies. “At Samsung, our goal has always been to make our lives easier through technology innovation,” said Han. “But innovation can also be burdensome for users if convenience is not at the forefront. Our teams are determined to deliver devices that are as smooth and accessible as they are advanced.”

▲ Jong-Hee Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of DX Division at Samsung Electronics, welcomes attendees to SDC 2022

Covering everything from Calm Technology to Knox Matrix to holistic household platforms like Bixby Home Studio and SmartThings, Han outlined a device and systems ecosystem that puts the user experience at the center. “The goal of all this is to give you an easier, seamless and more frictionless experience,” Han emphasized. “So you can focus on what matters most.”

A Home That Learns and Adapts Through SmartThings

Following Jong-Hee Han, Jaeyeon Jung, Vice President and Head of SmartThings, Mobile eXperience Business, discussed how Covid-19 galvanized teams at Samsung to prioritize the important things in life, particularly in the home. “If you’re like me, the past few years have been a time to prioritize what matters, to find moments to pause and refresh,” said Jung.

▲ Jaeyeon Jung, Vice President and Head of SmartThings, Mobile eXperience Business, outlines how the platform is helping realize a truly seamless, intuitive household device ecosystem

Samsung’s SmartThings platform, Jung explained, is the perfect way to do this in your home. Thanks to a wide range of improvements to the household ecosystem platform, finding, setting up, onboarding and synchronizing new devices into your household will be easier and more efficient than ever. This includes Galaxy Quick Pair, Matter Hub connectivity, SmartThings Energy and SmartThings Music Sync, as well as boosted integration with partner systems and an expanded SmartThings website.

Matter: A Truly Harmonious Household Experience

At the end of her talk, Jung introduced Matthew McCullough from Google, who provided an overview of Matter, a system that lays the groundwork for true interoperability between devices in the home. Samsung is committed to Matter integration, and confident it will make the dream of a fully integrated household a reality.

▲ Google’s Matthew McCullough explains how the Matter interoperability system works, reinforcing Samsung and Google’s collaborative efforts to expand its integration

By working closely together, Samsung and Google aim to make life for both users and device makers simpler and smoother, with multi-admin features that cut down on manual management and make Google Home and Nest Hub more accessible. “This ease of use across Samsung and Google is just the start, and we’re looking forward to delivering a more seamless, delightful home experience,” said McCullough.

Industry Collaboration Making Device Ecosystems More Open

▲ Mark Benson, Head of SmartThings U.S. at Samsung, expands on the company’s enthusiasm for Matter adoption and introduces the SmartThings Matter Early Access Program

Continuing with the theme of interoperability, Mark Benson, U.S., emphasized Samsung’s commitment to supporting Matter. “To accelerate Matter adoption, we created the SmartThings Matter Early Access Program, where we work with major device manufacturers to ensure their Matter-enabled devices work seamlessly with SmartThings,” said Benson.

The SmartThings app, SmartThings Hub Core and SmartThings Cloud, Benson pointed out, are already prepared to support Matter. “It’s all about delivering interoperability right out of the box,” he said.

The Expanding Role of Bixby

Anil Yadav, Head of Bixby Lab at Samsung Research¹ America, took to the stage to discuss SmartThings’ bespoke speech platform and de facto voice in the home, including its exciting new feature: Bixby Home Studio. “With Bixby Home Studio, you can create experiences that span multiple devices and respond more intuitively to user commands,” said Yadav. “For example, if you ask Bixby to turn on your air conditioner, Bixby can check if you have any windows open and let you know to close them, saving energy.”

▲ Voice system expert and Head of Bixby Lab Anil Yadav lays out the platform’s evolving role in the home and celebrates the launch of Bixby Home Studio

Ready to do everything from queuing up your next action movie on your Samsung Smart TV to boosting your mobile security with On-Device AI, Bixby is smarter and more powerful than ever.

Premium Security and Privacy for an Integrated Household

▲ Shin Baik, Principal Engineer of Security Team, Mobile eXperience Business, underscores the significance of strong security and personalized privacy, as exemplified by systems like Samsung Knox and Knox Matrix

Samsung envisions more than just a convenient and integrated home experience. Its teams are also creating an experience that is as safe as it is smooth, as private as it is proactive. After Yadav’s Bixby talk, Shin Baik, Principal Engineer of Security Team, Mobile eXperience Business, discussed with the audience how top-notch innovations need top-notch security to go with them. Unwavering in its three security and privacy principles — transparency, choice and protection — Samsung has worked hard to develop platforms like Samsung Knox. This will keep everything from your phone to your refrigerator safe and secure, said Baik.

A new platform called Knox Matrix, in particular, is now on the frontline of multi-device protection. “Knox Matrix is your own private blockchain,” Baik explained. “Multiple devices share credentials, turning the ecosystem of devices into a shield that protects everyone.”

In step with these developments, of course, is Samsung’s insistence on a customizable privacy experience, which is provided by Samsung’s comprehensive Security and privacy dashboard. “We believe that you — and only you — should be making decisions about how your information is managed and stored,” said Baik.

A More Vibrant Content Ecosystem Than Ever

Sang Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Product & Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, shared important insights on Samsung’s extensive media network, covering a range of recent successes.

▲ Sang Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Product & Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, provides a roundup of Samsung’s diverse — and rapidly expanding — media network

Samsung Gaming Hub, launched in June, is an all-in-one gaming solution that, thanks to partnerships with industry leaders like Xbox, lets players connect their controllers to Samsung TVs and access all the games they love without even needing a console or PC.

Samsung TV Plus, the FAST streaming TV and video platform that relaunched this summer, now reaches 24 countries and 465 million devices globally. It is projected to clock in an impressive three billion hours streamed by users by the end of 2022.

Thanks to broad reach, smooth monetization integration and an advertising environment optimized for both clients and users, Samsung streaming also offers an ideal platform for premium advertising.

“Today, Fortune 500 companies from around the world have leveraged Samsung TV Plus and our other advanced TV advertising solutions to reach valuable consumers,” Kim said.

Tizen’s Global Conquest

▲ Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President and Deputy Head of R&D Team, Visual Display Business discusses all things Tizen, from the operating system’s global reach to its growing spectrum of applications

Following Sang Kim, Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President and Deputy Head of R&D Team, Visual Display Business, took to the stage to talk about Tizen, Samsung’s open source, Linux-backed operating system. Kim took the audience through a huge variety of developments in the Tizen journey, which is growing its capabilities to an ever-wider spectrum of uses and applications.

Leveraging partnerships with gaming leaders like Xbox, NVIDIA and Utomik, Tizen is helping bring a truly consolidated, uninterrupted gaming experience to users with Samsung Gaming Hub, with fantastic performance and image quality, Kim explained. It delivers stunning visual displays and blockchain wallet integration to Samsung TVs for better at-home art experiences, while also helping Smart Hub deliver the best in content searches and recommendations. Tizen Enterprise, meanwhile, is boosting B2B partners’ display and signage options, while Tizen Everywhere aims to expand licensing and bring the system to more countries.

“Since its launch ten years ago, Tizen now powers more than 330 million TVs, refrigerators and other smart devices,” said Kim. “At Samsung, we will continue to create Tizen experiences that transform and go beyond what many thought possible.”

One UI 5 and the “Your Galaxy, Your Way” Philosophy

Next up was Sally Hyesoon Jeong, Vice President of Framework R&D Group, Mobile eXperience Business, whose theme for the day was the company’s latest leap forward in the UI experience: One UI 5.

▲ Sally Hyesoon Jeong, Vice President of Framework R&D Group, Mobile eXperience Business, introduces One UI 5, the next stage of Samsung’s UI evolution and a distillation of the “Your Galaxy, Your Way” philosophy

“On this stage three years ago, I shared our vision for One UI, the essence of the Galaxy experience,” Jeong began. “One UI truly captures the ‘Your Galaxy, Your Way’ philosophy by bringing users an intuitive, connected experience that is uniquely yours.”

Splitting the new UI update’s advancements into three areas — Personalization, Productivity and Possibility — Jeong shared a host of new and improved features. Personalization included deep customization enhancements, like Dynamic Lockscreen for smartphones, Watch Face Studio for Galaxy Watches and custom-built Modes and Routines, while health and security functions are also more adaptable than ever. The Productivity section included Bixby Text Call, improved phone-to-PC connectivity and multitasking upgrades like Taskbar improvements. Possibilities covered One UI 5’s integration with innovative Samsung Foldable devices and related functions like Flex Mode.

A Look Over the Horizon: Robotics and Health in Tomorrow’s Homes

The final talk before the wrap-up was from Sebastian Seung, President and Head of Samsung Research. While many of the day’s talks focused on recent improvements, Seung has his eye on the innovations of tomorrow, aiming for no less than the merging of the physical and digital worlds.

“I’d like to invite you to look over the horizon, to a future dreamed of but not yet realized,” said Seung, who divided his presentation between the future of robotics in the home and Samsung’s ambitions to contribute to health & wellness research.

In the home robotics field, Seung discussed the company’s continued success with a household supported by advanced, AI-enhanced devices, including the object-detecting JetBot AI+ vacuum, the Bot Handy chore assistant prototype and even future plans for Samsung’s latest robot arm manipulation code, which will soon be available on GitHub.

▲ Sebastian Seung, President and Head of Samsung Research, discusses the company’s plans for a future where advanced robotics technologies support households and outlines Samsung’s ambitions in health & wellness research

Moving on to the subject of health, Seung introduced Samsung Health Stack, an open source project from Samsung that aims to actively advance health & wellness research. “This is a full stack SDK, a mobile app for patients, a portal for researchers and a backend database,” said Seung. “A complete package of open-source tools designed for the easy creation of digital systems for the research of health and wellness.”

Closing: Building a More Sustainable Future With Samsung

To round off the talks, Jong-Hee Han returned to the stage to offer a final word, summarizing the technologies showcased at SDC and the course of the company’s future of innovation.

▲ Jong-Hee Han returns to the stage to conclude the day’s talks, ending on a proactive vision of a future driven by sustainable, eco-conscious technologies

“I would like to talk about the future one more time,” he added. “The future of something very dear to my heart: our planet. I believe we have a responsibility to help create a sustainable future. We do that through Everyday Sustainability, a belief that every stage of the product lifecycle can be more sustainable.”

Han presented a range of Samsung sustainability commitments and environmental research directions, including responsible material sourcing, recycling, disposal, renewable energy and billions in investments toward meeting carbon emissions reductions.

“By 2027, we will run all DX operations on renewable energy,” Han said, ending the day on an optimistic note and a glimpse of a future for customers that is easier, more seamless, more frictionless and — crucially — more eco-conscious.

Watch the video below to see the complete recording of the SDC22 Keynote.

▲ Attendees explore the latest Samsung products at SDC22 booths

¹ Samsung Research, acting as Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.

As people become increasingly more health-focused, tech industry realized the value in pursuing projects that help individuals monitor their health and fitness. Principal Engineer Jinwoo Song from Samsung Research’s Data Research Team explained how Samsung Health Stack project helps developers and engineers optimize app development and more.

Q1. What does Samsung Health Stack do and what benefits does it ultimately provide?

Samsung Health Stack is an open source project that provides help in conducting research related to digital health using wearable devices, developing applications needed and creating tools for backend server and analysis in Android and Wear OS environment. By utilizing Samsung Health Stack, IT developers and engineers can save time and cost needed for developing the right environment, and researchers can focus more on conducting research studies that utilize new digital data. I believe that such convenience for development will be a great foundation for various forms of digital health care research and new data-based technologies.

Q2. What was the focus of the open source when designing Samsung Health Stack?

We designed it by analyzing the user experience of everyone involved in healthcare research so that the solution can accommodate the entire process of recruiting participants, collecting data and analyzing data. When there were some difficulties during the course of the development, we found solutions through health care-related cooperation with many research institutions.

In addition, we made effort to provide the structure that can continue to be scaled up to handle new forms of data and devices that become the interest of digital health researchers. In particular, we’ve designed the structure so that only certain necessary parts can be selected and expanded for use in order to enable application in various cases that go beyond clinical research, such as the area of care, etc.

Q3. What do you think the direction of development will be going forward for data-based health-care technologies?

Due to the technological advancement including AI, and the transition to aging society, the digital technology that centers on consumers and data is becoming more important in the field of health care. In order to respond to such changes, it is important to have the capability to safely manage and precisely analyze various data on users.

We believe that a world in which everyone will be able to receive customized, optimal health care solutions with data on users’ everyday life will come in the future. We’ll continue to make effort to develop technologies and products to make this possible, and we look forward to seeing many developers participate in this effort.

In order to create the best product experience, Samsung’s One UI platform offers a simple and intuitive interface across all of its devices, putting the user at the center of its unified device experience. Content Strategist Josh Ross from Samsung’s Core UX Group of MX Business shared the inspiration behind One UI and how it was created with users in mind.

Q1. What is One UI and what experiences does it provide to users?

One UI is the unified platform for Samsung Galaxy products, from phones and tablets to watches and Galaxy Books. It creates a single, seamless experience that empowers users to get the most from their Samsung products.

Q2. To create an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for users, One UI adheres to four key principles: simplicity, effortlessness, consistency and authenticity. Can you explain why these principles are important for development of One UI and how you think this enhances the mobile experience for users?

You need principles so you can be sure your design is heading in the right direction. We’ve chosen these four principles because they put the focus on the user, which is what we always want to do. Simplicity helps users focus on what matters. Effortlessness means that you don’t have to struggle to get things done. Consistency means that things work the way you expect them to, which helps to make things effortless. And authenticity is about creating experiences that feel natural, like a part of your own self-expression. When these principles come together, the result can be very powerful but also subtle. You don’t always notice all the work that goes into the design, and that’s actually good. The best design is almost invisible.

Q3. Why are partnerships an essential part of One UI? What are the benefits of partnerships for One UI development?

Partnerships are a huge part of the One UI experience. As good as Samsung is, we need the insight and expertise of others to deliver the best experience to users. Partnerships make apps like SmartThings and Samsung Wallet possible, so that you can do amazing things like control your car or your lights, make payments, board an airplane and so much more, right from inside One UI. Partnerships enrich our Samsung Health content with fitness expertise about everything from sleep coaching to body composition to mindfulness. Partnerships add flavor to your chats with GIFs from Giphy and Tenor, stickers, fun camera features on Snapchat and much more. Partnerships like the Global Goals app, a collaboration between Samsung and the UN, help bring awareness to important causes.

We want to empower our users to do things the way they want, with the apps and services they love. Partnerships are a huge part of that.

Q4. Going forward, what are some things users can expect from Samsung’s One UI?

We have a lot of things we’re announcing at SDC this year, so I don’t want to give everything away, but you can always expect further refinement and improvement. We look at everything from icons and animations to how you organize and find things and so much more. We’re learning more and more from our users about how the foldable experience changes things, so keep looking for exciting developments in the area of unique features for the Galaxy Flip and Galaxy Fold.

Samsung has also partnered with HealthTap to provide telemedicine services through its Smart TVs. Samsung’s Tizen, an open-source operating system, helped developers optimize the service for use on Smart TVs. Sean Park, Senior Product Manager from the Experience Planning Group of Visual Display Business, explained more about accessing telemedicine through Samsung’s Smart TVs.

Q1. How did Tizen help with the development of this service?

Samsung Electronics’ smart operating system (OS) Tizen provided the grounds for easy navigation on the large screen display. Tizen is very quick to deploy as evidenced by what we were able to achieve in three months’ time.

Q2. What are the benefits of accessing telemedicine services through Samsung Smart TVs?

Everything nowadays has gone remote. We want to provide Samsung users with a more convenient way to access medical care, which is telemedicine.

Samsung’s collaboration with HealthTap allows you to see a doctor through a large screen from the comfort of your home, creating a more immersive telehealth experience. If you want to access services including mental health counseling, you can do that with Samsung Smart TVs. For those who are a bit older and whose vision makes it difficult to use a small mobile screen, or for those who need to hold small children while consulting a doctor, they can easily access telehealth services through Samsung Smart TVs. We want everyone to be able to easily see a doctor from home, which we believe is not only convenient but necessary.

Ultra-wideband technology (UWB) has been recently gaining more and more attention in the smart device industry. Principal Engineer Haeyoung Jun from Samsung Research’s Standards Research Team talked about the importance of standardization of UWB and how it could shape the future of the industry.

Q1. What is the role of the FiRa Consortium that Samsung Electronics established in 2019 with key industry players, and what specific activities does it do?

The FiRa Consortium develops the interoperability standard and certification program to enable consumers to use services powered by Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in smart devices across devices made by different manufacturers.

After the FiRa Consortium was initially established by only a few companies, including Samsung Electronics, there are now more than 115 member companies participating in defining the interoperability standard together. Furthermore, FiRa is exploring various applications that utilize UWB, and is cooperating with multiple standard organizations across various industry verticals for the standardization of these applications.

Q2. We’d like to know why UWB technology is gaining attraction again recently and how it is moving forward.

As many service providers and manufacturers investigate use scenarios utilizing relative location information obtained by direct communication among devices without heavy infrastructures, the barrier to implementing UWB technology and applications have been lowered. Along with Samsung Electronics, global companies are also implementing UWB into their devices. As the number of UWB enabled products increases in the market, there will be motivation to install UWB infrastructures as well. We anticipate that, if just one or two game-changing UWB applications emerge in the market, the UWB ecosystem will expand rapidly.

Q3. We’d like to know what the new era of wireless communications envisioned through UWB technology standardization would look like in detail.

UWB technology allows your own devices to detect the location, including distance and direction, of other UWB devices in proximity. It also enables the secure data transactions among devices as well as secure internal interfaces, therefore UWB can provide different type of location-based services that GPS is unable to. For instances, UWB brings the same effect as tagging NFC to a reader even with the smartphone placed in a pocket or bag. With the standardized UWB technology, consumers will be able to access new convenient services across multiple verticals.

Samsung Electronics held its annual Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) today in San Francisco, bringing together developers, creators and designers to explore seamless, connected experiences powered by Samsung.

During the event, Samsung shared more about its commitment to creating simplified, game-changing customer experiences, including the company’s updated vision for SmartThings as it evolves from a connectivity platform to an enabler of smarter lifestyles. From deeper integration with Bixby to seamless connectivity with Matter-compatible devices, SmartThings is creating a richer, more open world that empowers all users to streamline their connections and their daily lives.

“At Samsung, we continuously innovate our devices, platforms and services to be simpler and more convenient. I am proud to share the next generation of our work, like SmartThings, to further our collaboration with partners and developers,” said Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “As technologies become more complex, we will always search for ways to make life easier, more connected, and more flexible, so our consumers can focus on what matters most.”

Connecting Platforms and Devices With Calm Technology

Samsung’s vision of seamless connectivity is inspired by the philosophy of Calm Technology — where devices instantly work together, so consumers can save time on setup and get right into the experience. To realize this vision, Samsung reimagined SmartThings and its connected services and partnerships, including Samsung’s Hub Everywhere, extending its capabilities to the entire smart home with audio and visual data as well as SmartThings Energy, SmartThings Pet and SmartThings Cooking. Samsung also partnered with Philips Hue to integrate Philips Hue Sync right into Galaxy devices so smart home lighting can match with music.

The seamless experience will extend beyond Samsung’s ecosystem through SmartThings’ integration with Matter and Samsung’s membership in the Home Connectivity Alliance. Google and Samsung have worked together to enable users to find and link their devices across platforms by building multi-admin feature on Matter devices. The collaboration will bring more devices and users into the connected home in the future.

Bixby has been integrated more deeply with SmartThings, a tool for developers to build more intelligent voice user interface experiences. As Samsung’s representative voice assistant platform, Bixby has evolved to become the on-device AI solution able to control individual Galaxy devices, as well as the cross-device experience throughout the Samsung ecosystem. With the new Bixby Home Studio, developers can now build differentiated, customized experiences for the SmartThings platform. In addition, Bixby will be even more widely available to users with support for Latin American Spanish, starting in November.

As the smart home is becoming more advanced, Samsung is introducing a new security paradigm, enabling Samsung devices to protect each other. Samsung Knox Matrix¹ is a private blockchain based platform that turns eligible Samsung devices into a shield to protect users’ entire device ecosystem — from Galaxy devices to TVs and home appliances. Plus, users can customize personal privacy settings with the new Security and privacy dashboard, which scans for vulnerabilities, recommends security updates and gives users data management options to keep privacy and security top of mind.

Personalized Services for Better Experiences

In the past year, Samsung TV Plus — Samsung’s free, ad-supported streaming TV and video (FAST) platform available on Samsung Smart TVs² and mobile devices — reached 100% growth in viewership,³ and projects three billion hours streamed by the end of the year. To build on this momentum, Samsung TV Plus has expanded its offering by adding partnerships with Lionsgate and Vice Media, providing 8K video on demand. Samsung TV Plus has also gone through a redesign, to reflect its extraordinary variety of content with more than 1,600 channels across 24 countries. Samsung TV Plus is the premium choice for a seamless ad experience, where stream stitching makes ad playback simpler than ever.

After 10 years of service, Samsung’s Tizen operating system (OS) continues to offer best-in-class user experiences. The Samsung Gaming Hub brings better, faster and more convenient access to gaming on Samsung Smart TVs, provided by industry-leading partners, such as Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Utomik and Amazon Luna. Samsung Gaming Hub bridges expertise in hardware and software to integrate features like AI Upscaling and multitask functions to make gaming on Samsung Smart TVs an immersive, optimized experience.

Tizen OS is also expanding to offer NFTs support with partners like Art Token, laCollection and Nifty Gateway. For B2B customers and developers, Samsung is providing B2B APIs specific to industries and use cases like Syncplay, which allows content to be synchronized and played in multiple signages. Tizen is also introducing SALT, a new content conversion solution to display the highest-quality HDR10+ content on supported TVs.

Your Galaxy, Your Way With One UI 5

By introducing the new One UI 5, Samsung has empowered users to easily customize their device’s look and feel, while enhancing productivity and providing amazing experiences across devices and platforms. One UI 5 brings more personalized experiences with custom-built Modes and Routines, and a Dynamic Lock screen that displays multiple visuals on your phone, your Galaxy Watch and other One UI 5 devices. With the new Bixby Text Call feature, Bixby Voice will answer calls on your behalf and share typed messages with the caller, speaking aloud as if you had answered. One UI 5 also introduces new daily health solutions to help track health and wellness in one place. This includes the Samsung Privileged Health SDK, which enables developers to build apps that leverage the BioActive Sensor on the Galaxy Watch.⁴

Future-Forward Investment and Research

Samsung Research is looking beyond today’s horizon to innovate for a better tomorrow, full of relentless innovation and open collaboration. Samsung Research is making its robot arm manipulation code available on GitHub, enabling academics, researchers and developers to examine new ideas in robotic manipulation.

The team at Samsung Research was also inspired by the new wellness features Samsung has introduced, particularly on the Galaxy Watch5. To find new use-cases leveraging these features, Samsung Research is working with universities and healthcare institutions that will explore areas like heart health, stress, blood pressure, lung health and neuroscience. As a result, Samsung is offering a full stack SDK — the Samsung Health Stack — which will jumpstart research into important health fields and spark new development.

Samsung invites developers, creators, partners and more to join in on its commitment to open collaboration and seamless experiences. For more information about the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2022, please visit developer.samsung.com.

¹ Starting as early as late 2023, Samsung Knox Matrix will be initially available on selected Samsung devices. Support for other manufacturers’ products will follow later.

² Samsung TV Plus is available for selected Samsung Smart TVs only.

³  Viewership from September 2021 to August 2022 compared to viewership from September 2020 to August 2021

⁴ Available on Galaxy Watch4 series and Galaxy Watch5 series.

Samsung Electronics has announced its keynote speakers and program for the Samsung Developer Conference 2021 (SDC21), which will be held on October 26^th. The annual conference, fully virtual this year, will bring together developers and creators to shape the future of consumer experiences.

At SDC21, the company plans to share its latest updates in software, services and platforms with thousands of developers and creators to enable smarter, more seamless connectivity across devices. The attendees will be able to discover opportunities to create cutting-edge solutions for millions, leveraging Samsung’s expansive ecosystem.

DJ Koh, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics’ IT and Mobile Communications Business Division, will open SDC21 by addressing which direction Samsung’s strategy would head to bring innovation to consumer experience.

The following keynote speakers are lined up to discuss Samsung’s strategies for platforms and ecosystems with topics ranging from security, privacy to various platforms including Bixby, SmartThings and Tizen:

• Daniel Ahn, Senior Vice President, Mobile Platform Center
• Samantha Osborne, Vice President, SmartThings Inc.
• Jeongsook Lee, Vice President, Customer Experience Office
• Yongjae Kim, Senior Vice President, Visual Display Software R&D
• Bill Mandel, Vice President, Visual Solution Lab, Samsung Research America
• Janghyun Yoon, Executive Vice President, Mobile Software R&D

SDC21’s highlight sessions consist of three groups. The first one, Platforms Designed For Connected Experiences will explore Bixby and SmartThings’ cross-device experience and how Samsung plans to make the vision of the future Smart Home a reality.

The second session Innovating Mobile Experience Across Samsung Galaxy Ecosystem will take a look at the One UI 4’s innovations and foldable device design process to help developers optimize their own apps for a growing number of foldable devices.

The third session, The Evolution of Tizen and Innovative Screen Experiences will peer into Samsung’s new Smart TV services and how its ecosystem has enhanced with Tizen 6.5.

Furthermore, developers who want to keep abreast of industry insights and state-of-the-art technology will find Tech Talk sessions from Samsung’s top experts very helpful. For those interested in the latest Samsung technology, it is highly recommended to visit SDC21’s Digital Tech Hub, a digital exhibition of the Samsung technology with easily accessible resources.

Code Lab will offer an opportunity for developers to boost their skills with a hands-on coding experience with sample applications for testing simple scenarios. Developers can even try their codes on cutting-edge devices like Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Filp3 via remote access.

In recognition of content developers for excellence in design, innovation, quality and performance, the winners of the 2021 Best of Galaxy Store Awards will be announced in SDC21.

The developers and even end-customers will have the chance to win a Galaxy Z Flip3 by participating in digital badge collection on the SDC21 website. By watching sessions and participating in Code Lab and Hacker’s Playground as well as social media events like #mySDCstack and securing five or more digital badges, participants will earn the chance to win a Galaxy Z Flip3.

The SDC21 will be broadcast on Samsung Newsroom India and the SDC website on October 26, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. For more information about the SDC21, please visit https://developer.samsung.com/sdc. Further information can also be found on Twitter (@samsung_dev) and Facebook (@samsungdev) with the hashtag #SDC21.

The world is currently learning the good and bad of working from home. Weeks ago, only a few of us were working from home consistently. For most others, this has been a whole new experience. Working from home consistently for many days on, will require a lifestyle as well as work-style shift. Are we prepared for it? Do we need a dedicated office at home, do have the technology – gadgets, bandwidth, security – to support it? These are things we need to give a hard look as we transcend into a new normal.

Samsung has been at the forefront of innovations for smart homes, and in the last few days our Bengaluru R&D Centre, where I work, has received a lot of inquiries related to smart home offices from technology partners, academia and even, and do not be surprised, real estate companies who build homes and offices.

With the reality of #WFH in front of us, we could see an upsurge in home offices becoming part of home designs across the country. And to cater to more people working from home, modern city planners will have to plan on providing better infra for electricity, fiber to home, broadband, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and co-meeting spaces in residential areas.

IoT and smart home automation, especially, could help make our work from home more comfortable and productive. Imagine several aspects of your home turning smart, making your home and your home office more ergonomic, easy to manage and also fun.

For example, smart lights with intensity control could help you reduce eye strain as you work with optimum lighting, and to avoid that glare during a video call, smart curtains and blinds could help at the press of a button.

A smart door lock and smartphone accessed door camera can help you avoid getting up and answering the door, unless it’s really necessary. And for those of us who have young children, setting up cameras in different rooms will help keep a tab without breaking the rhythm of work.

These days you get smart sensors of multiple kinds that can be installed in a home IoT set up for different kinds of applications. Take for instance simple sensors that connect with smart lights to alert you if your kids have managed to open the knife drawer, or if the temperature of the stove goes above a certain level. Blue light for one sensor, red light for another, yellow for the third, rather than an alarm that disturbs the entire household. You get the drift.

Then of course you have smart refrigerators, TVs, microwave ovens, robot vacuum cleaners, dish washers and air conditioners that work in tandem to give you the best experience possible.

While you work from home in a smart home environment, one thing to be extremely cautious is security of your home network. One needs to ensure that it isn’t just your laptop and phone that are secured. All gadgets and appliances on the network need to be secured, from your smart refrigerator to TVs to your vacuum cleaner.

[The author of this article, Ravindra Shet, is an employee of Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru & works in the area of IoT]

DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics today announced, at the Samsung Developer Conference 2019 (SDC19), new ways its platforms will enable developers to introduce simpler, more powerful experiences to consumers around the world. Samsung shared its vision for the next era of mobile and connected living, offering inspiration to developers, enterprise leaders, and consumers through innovative experiences with the devices they rely on every day.

“We are fortunate to work with the world’s best developers and designers. Together, we have built an extensive and secure ecosystem of devices and services,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “We continue to make progress toward our vision to be the innovator of new mobile experiences that flow seamlessly and continuously wherever we go.”

Creating Opportunities for Developers through Open, Scalable AI and IoT Platforms

ES Chung, EVP and Head of Software and AI, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, outlines plans to enrich Bixby to offer users “countless new ways to integrate intelligence into everything you do.”

To help consumers discover new ways Bixby can work with them to get things done more quickly and easily, Samsung launched Bixby Marketplace earlier this year, creating a way for developers to introduce their Bixby capsules to millions of Bixby users. In the past six months, the size of the Bixby developer community has doubled. And starting in 2020, the Bixby Marketplace will expand gradually, enabling developers to offer their services across more Samsung devices.

To make it easier for developers to create new experiences on its AI platform and ensure consumers have more intuitive experience, Samsung announced enhanced capabilities in the Bixby Developer Studio at SDC19.

• New Bixby Templates makes it easy for developers to create capsules using pre-existing forms so that they don’t have to start from scratch.
• Enhanced Bixby Views enable developers to build capsules with a consistent design even beyond smartphones—to televisions, tablets, smart watches and refrigerators.
• Developers can now register their capsules under Natural Language Categories. When users ask Bixby for help related to a category—such as radio, news, or navigation—Bixby suggests a capsule that can help them get what they need more quickly and easily, even without having to call out exact name of the capsule.

Larry Heck, CEO of Viv Labs, Samsung Electronics, introduces new Natural Language Categories, which simplify how users engage with and discover Bixby capsules.

More consumers than ever are seeing how seamlessly connected devices and services can make everyday life easier. Developers can scale their device and service offerings through Samsung’s IoT platform, SmartThings. Already, developers and partners have brought connected experiences to more than 45 million monthly active users and thousands of compatible devices, and the platform is expected to grow further with the Work as a SmartThings Hub (WASH) program, which allows partners like network operators to embed SmartThings Hub software into their devices.

To help developers build on and integrate existing devices with the SmartThings platform, Samsung announced new capabilities for developers:

• The new Rules API brings to life more automated smart home experiences to reflect individual daily routines across a broad range of SmartThings devices.
• Samsung is launching the SmartThings Device SDK Beta program in early 2020 to enable more third-party manufacturers to create SmartThings-compatible devices.

Samsung continues to invite developers to actively participate in its ecosystem and supports the developer community with several incentive programs—including the Best of Galaxy Store Award, the Samsung Mobile Design Competition, Bixby DevJam and the Samsung Mobile Security Reward program.

Inspiring Developers with New Experiences Across Devices

Samsung continued to refine the mobile experience to allow users to focus on what matters most to them. One UI 2 includes new features that declutter the user interface—making it easier for people to interact naturally, while also making it easier on their eyes. And now, to make both the developer and the user experiences consistent across devices, Samsung is expanding the use of One UI 2 beyond smartphones to tablets, wearables, and new form factors, including foldables.

Sally Hyesoon Jeong, VP and Head of Framework R&D Group, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, introduces an all-new, compact form factor for foldable devices.

With the launch of Galaxy Fold, Samsung designed a first-of-its kind mobile experience that is much more than a foldable device. Samsung, alongside hundreds of developers and partners, created an entire foldable ecosystem that continues grow and opens up new possibilities to the mobile experience. As promised at SDC last year, Samsung will continue to explore a range of new form factors in the foldable category. And at SDC19, Samsung invited developers and users alike to join the exploration of exciting new use cases and user experiences.

To deliver the best possible TV viewing experience, Samsung is also investing in 8K technologies. With AI ScaleNet, Samsung has made it possible to stream high-quality 8K videos on networks with lower bandwidth capabilities. Samsung has also announced new tools that make it easier for developers to bring new experiences across the nearly 100 million Smart TVs that are powered by Tizen.

• Wits automatically uploads a code edit to the TV, so developers can see their update almost immediately, significantly trimming development time.
• EasyST makes testing content playback much easier because developers don’t need to build their own test app to make sure their content is streaming as intended.
• TIFA (Tizen Identifier for Advertising) gives consumers the option to limit ad tracking or opt-out of targeted advertising
• Samsung is making Tizen TV OS available to third-party TV makers for the first time.

End-to-End Security Built in Every Solution and Experience

Terry Halvorsen, CIO and EVP, IT of Mobile Communications B2G Business, Samsung Electronics, discusses the importance of stout security solutions like Samsung Knox – particularly in today’s hyperconnected world.

Emerging technologies, such as IoT, AI and 5G, are bringing new capabilities and opportunities to the developer landscape. For Samsung, it means providing the community with the tools and programs necessary to deliver secure and reliable solutions.

Secure Development Lifecycle delivers systematic reviews at every phase of the development, supply chain, and manufacturing process. To give both developers and users peace of mind, Samsung offers the Knox SDK, allowing partners and app developers to integrate advanced security solutions to their apps and services. In addition, Samsung has been working with German government agencies, especially BSI, and industry partners on developing a mobile-enabled eID for digital services to support customers and governments by developing a solid foundation for trusted identity services.

Seungyun Lee, Principal Engineer, Knox Platform for Enterprise, Samsung Electronics, discusses features that make Samsung Knox attractive to developers. “Knox is software that is built around hardware root of trust, not just implemented after the device is built” Lee explains, “giving it a foundation like no other security system in the market.”

Samsung invites developers and partners on its journey to bring new and secure experiences to life. For more information about working with Samsung and the Samsung Developer Conference 2019, please visit sdc.developer.samsung.com. Further information can also be found on Twitter (@samsung_dev) and using the hashtag #SDC19

SDC19’s keynote event was packed with people eager to learn more about Samsung’s latest innovations

About Samsung Developer Conference
SDC brings together thousands of developers and creators to explore today’s tech and visualize what’s possible in the future. The two-day conference will feature exciting keynote announcements, technical sessions and valuable networking time. Plus, Samsung product teams and technology partners will showcase the latest tech advances and tools.

* All services and programs mentioned above may vary by region

Featuring over 5,000 attendees, roughly 60 technical sessions, and a total of 35 booths, the fifth edition of Samsung’s showcase of technologies designed to empower developers and creators to build the software and services of tomorrow transformed San Francisco’s Moscone West convention center into a crossroads ‘Where Now Meets Next’.

The exciting AI, IoT and mobile advancements unveiled during the two-day event—encompassing, Bixby, SmartThings, UX/UI design and more—will enable partners and developers to create seamlessly connected, intelligent experiences across software, services and devices. The resulting innovations will have the power to change the lives of consumers around the world—ultimately making connected living a reality for more people.

In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of five factors that made SDC18 unforgettable.

#1 Announcements of Exciting Developer Tools

Day one of SDC18 began with a flurry of exciting announcements revealing advancements that will enable partners and developers to unlock the power of AI in their products and services, and demonstrate the true value of connected living to their customers.

Keynote speakers including DJ Koh, President and CEO and Head of Samsung Electronics’ IT and Mobile Communications Division, explained how new additions such as the Bixby Developer Studio and the new and improved SmartThings Developer Workspace will strengthen the world’s most powerful technology ecosystem, and help the company foster an ecosystem of open innovation that spans every aspect of people’s lives.

The speakers also offered a first look at Samsung’s new One UI, as well as the company’s highly anticipated Infinity Flex Display. The former features an intuitive interface that makes interactions with your device more natural, and makes it easier to focus on tasks at hand. The latter features a revolutionary foldable design that lays the foundation for an entirely new kind of mobile experience.

After introducing the exciting new developer tools and resources, the speakers encouraged attendees to experience them for themselves in the exhibition zone.

#2 Expert Insights

Day two of SDC18 kicked off with a bang as Samsung employees and leading lights of the worlds of gaming, film and mobile technology discussed technologies that could dictate the future of their respective fields.

(From left) Sarah Bond, Head of Xbox/Microsoft; Thomas Ko, VP at Samsung Electronics; Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games; John Hanke, CEO of Niantic.

The conference’s Spotlight Session was led by a presentation on Samsung’s latest gaming and AR innovations and partnerships, followed by a panel discussion on the future of gaming that featured Sarah Bond, Head of Xbox/Microsoft, as well as John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, and Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games.

(Clockwise from top left) Marc Mathieu, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics America; Dag Kittlaus, CEO of Viv Labs; Sally Jeong, VP at Samsung Electronics; Nobutaka “Nobu” Ide, CEO of Wacom.

Other keynote speakers headlining day two included Nobutaka “Nobu” Ide, CEO of Wacom, and Spike Jonze, director of the AI-inspired film “Her”. Mr. Ide led a captivating presentation that examined how Samsung’s S Pen is reshaping the ways in which consumers interact with their device to get things done. Mr. Jonze sat down for a fireside chat on the intersection of AI and humanity, and described why he, as an artist, believes that developers should prioritize maintaining the human element when developing AI technology.

#3 A Firsthand Look at Samsung’s Latest Innovations

Samsung packed the conference center with a wide range of exhibits that offered attendees all they needed to know about innovations including SmartThings and Bixby, as well as Samsung’s mobile services, Smart TVs, Tizen, and more.

The interactive exhibits allowed attendees to experience the company’s latest mobile, display and home technologies, and spotlighted innovative ways that partners have utilized them to build dynamic solutions. Featured technologies in the mobile section included devices such as Samsung DeX and the Galaxy Watch, as well as apps and services such as Samsung Pay and Samsung Health.

Other sections of the booth showcased Samsung’s Smart TV services and digital appliances, and highlighted exciting ways to develop IoT, Smart TV and wearable services using the Tizen OS. Visitors to the Tizen section were offered in-depth introductions to TizenRT and the Tizen TV and Tizen .NET SDKs, including rundowns of available APIs, SDK tools and resources.

#4 Fun and Interactive Activities

Each SDC features a full slate of engaging sessions that demonstrate innovative ways for developers to build apps and services utilizing Samsung’s latest technologies. This year’s sessions slate placed Bixby, SmartThings and Samsung’s new foldable UX center stage. Samsung and industry experts answered participants’ every question through fun and informative lectures, panels and discussions.

But the interactive fun didn’t stop there, as SDC18 also included exciting competitions, giveaways and challenges that made the entire experience that much more memorable.

The Bixby Developer Showcase was one such example. In the lead up to SDC18, Samsung challenged developers to come up with first-class Bixby experiences, for the most dynamic submissions. On the second day of SDC18, the competition’s finalists presented their Bixby Capsules, which demonstrate the AI technology’s incredible potential. Competitions like this demonstrate exciting ways that Samsung and developers are making Bixby better.

Each SDC also features a wide array of workshops and activities that allow attendees to get up close and personal with Samsung’s latest innovations.

This year, the interactive workshops were held within the confines of the Code Lab, located at the center of the conference hall. Covering the ins and outs of developing for Bixby, SmartThings, Samsung DeX and more, these in-depth workshops offered attendees the opportunity to hone their coding skills with the aid of Samsung’s experienced instructors. Notable examples included workshops demonstrating how to create a Bixby Capsule for a service, as well as how to build SmartThings apps with TizenRT.

#5 A Peek at Life-changing Projects

Some of the most inspiring exhibits included at this year’s event spotlighted Samsung initiatives that are affecting change in communities that many attendees call home.

The exhibits demonstrated interesting ways that Samsung technologies are being used to create life-changing solutions. One of the most attention-grabbing examples was the booth for Rehago, an innovative training system (created through Samsung Germany’s “Life’s a Pitch” startup competition) that helps hemiplegic stroke patients during recovery.

Other standouts included the exhibits for Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow program, which encourages students to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to develop solutions to issues affecting their communities; Project Pontis, which enables Samsung Smart TV users with physical limitations to control their TV via brain waves; and uSound, an app that helps detect the risk of hearing loss and improves quality of life through communication and education for those affected by it.

And thus concludes another successful Samsung Developer Conference. For more information on the topics and innovations that were discussed at the event, be sure to check out Samsung Newsroom’s recap of SDC18’s keynote speeches. And don’t forget to check back here for more updates on Samsung’s latest AI, IoT and developer innovations.

Mr. Dipesh Shah’s interview with India Newsroom team, published last week, has received good reviews from viewers. In the first part of the interview, Mr. Shah talked about his journey from being the first employee of Samsung R&D in India to becoming the Managing Director of Samsung R&D Institute –Bangalore (SRI-B), Samsung’s biggest R&D facility outside Korea.

He spoke about the fun he had over the last 22 years, working across projects and with different teams, the high points of his career and the immense amount of knowledge he has acquired at Samsung.

In this second and final part of the interview, Mr. Shah talks about the importance of SRI-B in the Samsung Universe. SRI-B is very strong in three key technologies- modem, multimedia and intelligence, Mr. Shah said, adding that these technologies play an important role in Samsung’s flagship products.

SRI-B is also making significant contributions to Samsung’s ‘Make for India’ initiative, which provides localised innovations for Indian consumers. Today, SRI-B’s local innovations are incorporated in Samsung Pay, Samsung’s flagship mobile payments platform, and My Galaxy, an app that provides amazing content, unparalleled convenience and expert care. SRI-B is also doing cutting edge work on Tizen, Samsung’s own operating system.

SRI-B’s engineers get to work on cutting edge technology and many different products and services, which helps them move from ‘how and when’ part of journey to ‘why and what’ part, Mr. Shah said.