A Preview of the Can’t-Miss Sessions at SDC18

This year’s Samsung Developer Conference (SDC18) is still more than a week away, but the excitement is already building for Samsung’s showcase of technologies that will help developers and creators build the software and services of tomorrow.

Held from November 7–8 in San Francisco, SDC18 offers a platform for developers and partners to unlock exciting business opportunities by utilizing Samsung’s latest technology. The conference features a full slate of enlightening sessions, hosted by Samsung and tech industry leaders, that cover the latest advancements in AI, IoT and more. These engaging and informative lectures, panels and workshops offer attendees a first look at the company’s newest SDKs, partnerships and dev tools, and allow them to connect one-on-one with Samsung product experts and developers from across the industry.

Read on to learn more about some of the exciting sessions that will make SDC18 an event Where Now Meets Next.

Spotlight Session

The Spotlight Session headlining day two of SDC18 will cover some of the tech industry’s most interesting topics. Hear from thought leaders in gaming and AI as they discuss exciting news, and reveal their respective outlooks on the future.

Samsung will also share insights into its gaming strategy during the session, and spotlight innovations encompassing artificial intelligence, the S Pen, and much more. Speakers include Sarah Bond, Xbox/Microsoft’s Head of Global Gaming Partnerships and Development; Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, the studio behind the wildly popular Fortnite; and John Hanke, Founder and CEO of Niantic Labs, makers of Pokémon Go.

Bixby

SDC18 features a variety of sessions that demonstrate how Samsung’s intelligence, Bixby, is shaping the landscape for AI platforms. Spanning lectures, panels and interactive activities, these sessions, including those listed below, offer attendees the insights they need to develop seamless user experiences for a wide range of devices and services.

• Bixby and the New Exponential Frontier of Intelligent Assistants
  In this session, key business and technical leaders from the Bixby team will explain the ins and outs of the technology, outline Bixby’s vision for a new kind of open ecosystem for developers, and discuss how and why to get involved.

• Teaching Bixby Fundamentals: What You Need to Know
  Learn how to access Bixby’s development tools, including Bixby SDK and IDE, to create a Bixby experience for your business and prepare it for launch within the Bixby ecosystem.

• Conquer the World with Bixby: Building for Multiple Languages and Locations
  The world is filled with millions of devices and millions of users. In this session, you’ll learn how to expand your user base by offering experiences that work well on multiple devices and for multiple languages and locales, while maximizing code reuse across experiences.

SmartThings

Last year at SDC, Samsung unveiled SmartThings, a new platform for connecting and controlling smart devices. This year, the company will discuss SmartThings’ latest enhancements, and demonstrate ways to implement the intuitive platform into more devices. Highlighted sessions include:

• SmartThings 101: New to SmartThings
  This session will discuss topics such as which kinds of SmartThings API integrations can be built, as well as how to quickly create and integrate with the SmartThings API.

• Streamlining IoT Systems: SmartThings Cloud-to-Cloud Device Integration
  This session will introduce a new Developer Workspace for integrating cloud-connected devices with SmartThings. The workspace will feature new APIs and tools that will streamline development and go-to-market processes. Devices that are integrated with SmartThings will be controlled by Bixby and other voice assistant platforms, as well as a full ecosystem of automation and service integrations.

• What’s New in the SmartThings Platform?
  The SmartThings ecosystem has seen tremendous growth since its renewed launch last year. This session will cover what’s new with the platform, and discuss incorporating support for new services and devices.

Gaming

Two years ago, at SDC 2016, Samsung launched its Galaxy GameDev program, which offers developers the support they need to bring their games to life. This year, Samsung is renewing its commitment to empowering developers’ creativity by introducing a slew of new SDKs and tools. A series of fun technical sessions will demonstrate how to utilize these technologies to optimize games for Galaxy devices. Notable sessions include:

• Galaxy: The Best GameDev Platform
  This session will examine Galaxy GameDev partnerships with some of the biggest names in mobile games, and preview soon-to-be-released tools and a new SDK.

• Fortnite Behind the Story: Road to Android and Vulkan Collaboration with Galaxy GameDev
  Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Samsung and Epic Games optimized the global-phenomenon game’s performance for Galaxy devices.

And Much More

Also included among the dozens of sessions in SDC18’s jam-packed lineup are presentations that will introduce enhancements to fan-favorite apps such as Samsung Pay and Samsung Health, as well as Samsung DeX, AR Emoji, Bixby Vision, Samsung Knox, and the Tizen OS. Notable sessions include:

• Do What Your Phone Can’t With Samsung DeX
  Samsung DeX allows you to turn virtually any place into a workplace by letting you use your phone to power a PC-like experience. In addition to sharing updates on how to optimize apps for Samsung DeX, this session will include a demonstration of how the new Linux on DeX helps developers work more flexibly.

• Technical Aspects of Galaxy Watch App Development
  This session will discuss key aspects of Galaxy Watch app development, with a focus on the Tizen 4.0 Wearable SDK. Attendees will learn how to develop a best-in-show Galaxy Watch app from concept to design and development, and explore exciting use cases for Galaxy Watch users.

• Samsung AR Emoji Studio: Create and Market New Avatars
  The combination of AR and emojis has changed the way people communicate and express themselves digitally. In this session, attendees can check out Samsung’s new Avatar Studio and its features and tools, and learn how to publish new 3D avatars in the Galaxy Apps store.

• Samsung Pay, More Than a Wallet
  Samsung Pay, a widely accepted mobile payment service, now includes even more features that can help merchants grow their online and offline businesses. Our Samsung Pay In-App and Web SDKs have enabled frictionless online payments at merchants around the world. We’ll unveil new, exciting implementations that offer merchants unique and compelling ways to connect with consumers.

Additional details on these and other SDC18 sessions may be found here. For more information on this year’s conference, including registration details, please visit SDC18’s official website. And don’t forget to follow @samsung_dev on Twitter and keep an eye on the hashtag “#SDC18” for the latest news and updates.