Mark Campbell, Product Executive at Tarsus Distribution, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We are excited to rejoin forces with Samsung to bring their world-class display and storage solutions to our channel partners. This partnership underscores our dedication to providing cutting-edge technology and exceptional service, empowering partners, businesses and individuals to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.”

Under this agreement, Tarsus Distribution partners will soon gain access to a comprehensive range of smart and gaming monitors, along with storage solutions, distributed in South Africa by Samsung. This strategic collaboration aims to streamline access to innovative technology solutions, empowering businesses to stay ahead in an increasingly dynamic marketplace.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Tarsus Distribution. This collaboration will enable us to expand the reach of our Enterprise portfolio, delivering innovative solutions to our customers with speed and efficiency. Our partnership with Tarsus Distribution further enables us to meet the evolving demands of the modern marketplace, providing unparalleled value to our channel partners and customers alike,” said Mike van Lier, Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa.

This strategic relationship with Tarsus Distribution aligns seamlessly with Samsung’s commitment to providing innovative solutions to its customer base. Leveraging Tarsus Distribution’s extensive investments in digital tools and logistics systems, this partnership will ensure the swift and efficient delivery of Samsung’s cutting-edge visual display and storage solutions to meet the evolving demands of today’s interconnected market.

Tarsus Distribution partners will soon have access to a range of Samsung Odyssey Gaming, Viewfinity high resolution and best-in-class smart monitors and Samsung storage solutions: solid state drives (SSD): SATA, NVMe, Samsung portable SSD, and Samsung MicroSD.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Samsung South Africa, in partnership with State Information Technology Agency (SITA), launched the Solve for Tomorrow school competition in Bryanston. The competition is aimed at giving grade 10 and 11 learners from underserved communities an opportunity to gain invaluable skills while solving some of the challenges within their communities through Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

This unique competition has been designed to increase interest and proficiency in STEM education. This contest started in January this year and teams in various schools were advised to register via an online form on the Solve for Tomorrow website. Supervising teachers at each of the selected schools were requested to oversee the teams participating in the competition.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition has – since 2010 – been challenging public school students to dream, develop and build real-world solutions to enact positive change. This programme has reached over 1.5 million contestants in more than 30 countries around the world by 2020. Samsung South Africa in partnership with SITA has, from this year piloted this Solve for Tomorrow contest with 51 pre-selected schools nationally – encouraging innovative thinking, creative problem-solving and teamwork to nurture social innovation ideas that can address various communities’ most pressing problems.

Hlubi Shivanda, Director of Business Operations and Innovation and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa said: “As Samsung, we have long-recognised the philosophy of investing in the country’s technological advancement as this is intrinsically linked to economic growth. This is why Samsung is spearheading large-scale ICT-driven initiatives aimed at enabling previously underserved societies and introducing disruptive innovation that contributes to superior networks that reach remote areas.”

In conjunction with SITA, Samsung used the launch event as a platform to announce the 2023 Top 10 schools, out of 51 participants nationally, who will go through to Phase Two (2) – where they will tackle an emerging challenge and produce tangible innovations to help improve society with the help of assigned Samsung employee-mentors.

Samsung is enabling these learners by giving them funding for prototypes, taking them to a design thinking workshop and sponsoring every school with a Samsung tablet and data to help them do research. The final stage of the competition will be an opportunity for each school to present the prototype of their solution to a panel of judges with the potential to win STEM equipment for their schools worth R100 000 (1^st place), R50 000 or R30 000 (2^nd and 3^rd places respectively). In addition to the main prizes, each of the learners in the top three teams will be rewarded with a Samsung device.

The Top 10 schools that have been selected include:

Government believes that the most effective and sustainable way to build an economy is to equip young people with the skills and know-how to drive it, thus its efforts are focused on strengthening the link between the skills that are developed and those needed by the workplace*. This is what motivated state-owned agency SITA, to be part of the initiative.

Samsung shares government’s view that South Africa now more than ever, needs to equip the youth to seize the opportunities that lie in the ICT sector. The company recognises that education and beneficiation are the cornerstones of the country’s future and are requirements for it to be a major player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Head of Corporate Affairs at SITA, Tlali Tlali, said the state-owned entity found some synergies between its work and Samsung’s efforts in the area of corporate social responsibility. “When we speak of public-private partnerships, this is about collaboration in working towards achieving meaningful progress. Our country has an unfortunate past of inequality and we need to do something about it. As like-minded organisations in technology, this partnership seeks to do just that as we redress the imbalances of the past, empower the youth and shape South Africa to be able to be counted among the top nations. We’re happy and proud to be associated and working with Samsung in this initiative.”

The Solve For Tomorrow competition is a carefully curated programme which is supported by ten (10) of Samsung employee-mentors from various disciplines in the Samsung business, who also have a passion and interest in STEM. These mentors act as a support structure to the learners.

“We believe that this community and youth-driven initiative is but one of the ways that we are using to embrace digital transformation in South Africa, by continuing to harness the power of technology and innovation to effect great positive change in the country. We are convinced that investment in South Africa through digital transformation will contribute positively towards sustainable future economic growth,” added Shivanda.

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

“This is an immense platform for empowering deserving, previously disadvantaged youth. Aligned with our global mission of ‘Enabling People’, from here they can launch careers that place them at the forefront of the 4^th Industrial Revolution,“ says Hlubi Shivanda, Director for Business Operations, Innovation and Corporate Affairs.” Since embarking on the programme in February this year the current, outgoing cohort of interns say they have gained essential hands-on experience and unique insight into software development as a career as well as an understanding of the demands of the wider industry.“

The programme has had an impact on the lives of many according to participant Thendo Mudau from North-West University, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. There is so much to learn so that you can grow on a personal and professional level.”

Chief Executive of the Tshimologong Precinct, Lesley Donna Williams, says, “The programme offers invaluable experience for graduates at a crucial point in the very beginning of their careers. Many graduates do not have the necessary experience to land their first job as a software developer. Through the Samsung collaboration, Tshimologong aims to develop and grow seven more, talented graduates by bridging the knowledge and experience gap under the mentorship of a senior developer to ultimately make them more employable at the end of the 9 months.”

Tshimologong is looking for graduates who can demonstrate their ability to code in C#, Java and C++ and are familiar with object-oriented principles. Successful candidates will be paid a stipend for the duration of the internship. Kicking off on 4 January 2021, the programme will cover C#, ASP.NET Webforms, ASP.NET MVC, Angular, JavaScript and other relevant topics. Interested candidates are invited to email a CV and a covering letter to internship@tshimologong.joburg. The closing date for applications is 18 December 2020.

Controlling the Number of Shoppers In-Store

As businesses open again, controlling the number of customers in a retail or restaurant environment will be crucial. One way of doing this is to use a digital footfall counter that will electronically monitor the amount of people entering a venue. When combined with digital signage, such as a single screen at the entrance, retailers are able to communicate to waiting customers what the store’s capacity is at any given time and indicate when they can allow more customers to enter.

Digital Drive-Thru Menu Boards Replace in-House Dining

At restaurants, digital drive thru menu boards are playing a bigger role in informing consumers as to what’s available. They allow for menu flexibility and provide restauranteurs with an opportunity to upsell and promote special deals to their drive-thru customers – all safely outside the business.

Maintaining Social Distancing

Enforcing social distancing in-store can be difficult, especially when it comes to queueing. One way around this is to employ a Virtual Queue solution, which allows customers to check in, maintain their place in line, and be notified when it’s their turn for service. Ultimately, removing the need for customers to physically stand in a queue, and at the same time, keep shopping.

Moving Tactics chose to partner with world-leading display manufacturers such as Samsung to offer their clients an effective pre-defined outcome, which is especially useful during this unprecedented time. The decade-long partnership has allowed both companies to solidify their position as true industry innovators and resulted in digital signage installations being implemented for some top global brands. Moving Tactics was one of the pioneers in utilising commercial large format displays to ensure playout of advertiser content, which in turn would provide auditable flighting reports to clients. The benefits of installing Samsung’s commercial-grade screens offer clients much more advanced features including the ability to run the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamlined solution, whilst providing diagnostics and health readings.

There is no doubt this is a time the retailer sector had not anticipated. However, through the power of innovative technology and creative soltions the future of retail looks a lot more healthy.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at https://news.samsung.com/za/

About Moving Tactics

Moving Tactics is a leading South African digital signage solutions company that develops customised digital signage technologies and is constantly creating innovative communication solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Moving Tactics website http://movingtactics.co.za/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/MovingTacticsCT Twitter: @MovingTacticsSA

Why the Samsung and Moving Tactics Partnership Stands Out

• System-on-Chip (SOC) Technology

SOC technology has stepped forward and replaced the need for external media players, and believe that retailers, and especially QSR chains, should insist on having their systems switched over to this new technology; or if they’re installing from scratch, this is a must. This massive trend in digital signage technology does away with using multiple pieces of equipment, and instead, runs the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamlined solution, whilst providing diagnostics and health readings. Samsung offer this technology and it is much more reliable to have one failure point via one supplier, specifically in the QSR market.

• LED Display Technology

Despite the relative expense of LED display technology, use is growing all the time and when used for large format work, they become cost effective, making them ideal for installations on a grand scale. Their brightness allows them to work well for indoor and window displays and they’re not limited by any specific aspect ratio. These LED displays can change shape to fit almost any specific space as they are multi-purpose and highly customisable and they show up better in ambient light conditions, compared to other technologies.

• Customer Success

The ability to develop and implement an all-round high quality installation is crucial to ensure that retail brands and QSR chains get the most out of their digital signage systems by using new and innovative ways to capture the customer’s attention. Offering a turnkey solution is absolutely essential. This is why the Samsung MagicINFO signage solution has also proven to be invaluable to clients such as fast food chains where intelligent drive-thru digital menu boards can run off a digital eco-system.

The bespoke Samsung MagicInfo signage solution is an entirely Samsung end-to-end technology that runs from the digital menu board content across commercial 24-hour rated Samsung screen solutions at each outlet. The offering also includes on-going content development across all store categories as well as content management. Samsung and Moving Tactics have always been at the pioneering edge of technology, developing sustainable and durable solutions over the years – providing customers with the best solution to meet their requirements. It’s a partnership that’s a smart choice for everyone.

About the Samsung and Moving Tactics Partnership

For almost a decade, the partnership has allowed both companies to solidify their position as true industry innovators. This partnership has resulted in digital signage installations for renowned global brands with a CAPEX value exceeding R100m. Moving Tactics was one of the pioneers in utilising commercial large format displays to ensure playout of advertiser content, which in turn would provide auditable flighting reports to clients. Additionally, the benefits of installing Samsung’s commercial grade screens offer clients much more advanced features. Samsung’s System-On-Chip (SOC) technology replaced the need for external media players. This massive trend in digital signage technology does away with using multiple pieces of equipment, and instead, runs the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamline

“When you build bespoke solutions, you want to have confidence in the capability of the solution not only today but throughout its lifetime. Clients want to know that their investment is sound and that the technology will deliver throughout the contract period”, said Day.

For almost a decade, the partnership has allowed both companies to solidify their position as true industry innovators and resulted in digital signage installations being implemented for large burger fast food franchises, large clothing and pharmaceutical retailers, with a CAPEX value exceeding R100m. Moving Tactics was one of the pioneers in utilising commercial large format displays to ensure playout of advertiser content, which in turn would provide auditable flighting reports to clients. Additionally, the benefits of installing Samsung’s commercial grade screens offer clients much more advanced features. Samsung’s System-On-Chip (SOC) technology replaced the need for external media players. This massive trend in digital signage technology does away with using multiple pieces of equipment, and instead, runs the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamlined solution, whilst providing diagnostics and health readings.

“Samsung is proud to partner with a company that delivers real value to South African consumers and businesses. This bespoke Samsung signage technology provides an end-to-end solution that leverages Moving Tactics’ immense technical expertise and unique insights with Samsung’s pioneering technology. This is aligned with our ongoing mission to create meaningful partnerships,” said Sung Yoon, President and CEO of Samsung Africa.

The Samsung MagicINFO signage solution used has also proven to be invaluable to clients such as McDonalds whose internal and drive-thru digital menu boards, across 140 sites, ran off the same digital eco-system. Now, as a proactive response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Moving Tactics has also developed innovative niche solutions for the mobile retail industry, such as employing non-touch technology that enables clients to interact fully with a display handset without touching it.

“Samsung and Moving Tactics have always been at the pioneering edge of technology and we have developed sustainable and durable solutions over the years. We see the Samsung relationship growing from strength to strength to continue providing customers with the best solution to meet their requirements,” concludes Day.

Read on to learn more about the new fitness band’s ergonomic design, robust fitness tracking capabilities and premium partnerships that help users get the most out of their workouts.

Stylishly Designed with Lifestyle in Mind

Available in Red (left) and Black (right), the Gear Fit2 Pro is a stylish accessory that blends seamlessly with both workwear and activewear.

Featuring a lightweight, ergonomic design with an enhanced watch-style clasp, the Gear Fit2 Pro provides a comfortable fit during exercise sessions and other everyday activities. The fitness band’s Super AMOLED curved 1.5-inch display with a high-resolution color touchscreen adds to the user experience by making messages easier to type and notifications easier to read.

 

But the device’s design isn’t all about functionality. Available in Black and Red, and featuring linear and geometric band patterns, respectively, its polished, sleek aesthetic also makes it a stylish accessory that blends seamlessly with both workwear and activewear. Furthermore, with Small (125-165mm) and Large (158-205mm) strap options with interchangeable display faces that are either preloaded or can be downloaded via the Galaxy Apps store directly from the device, the Gear Fit2 Pro can easily be personalized to fit the user’s individual style.

 

Users can select from approximately 3,000 interchangeable display faces to personalize their Gear Fit2 Pro.

 

Preloaded display faces can be further stylized to fit the user’s preferences, while additional display faces can be downloaded via the Galaxy Apps store.

 

Ideal for Swimmers with 5 ATM Water Resistance and Speedo On

A water resistance rating of 5 ATM (50 meters) under ISO standard 22810:2010¹ enables advanced swim tracking and monitoring directly from the Gear Fit2 Pro to allow users to measure their key swim metrics for better results. Furthermore, when users begin tracking their swimming session, the device automatically activates the Water Lock Mode, which prevents its screen from being accidentally triggered when touched by water.

 

 

Speedo On, Speedo’s first wearable swim tracking app, comes preloaded on the device, and allows users to track, analyse and share their swim data with other swimmers. The app measures and tracks key swim metrics such as stroke type, lap time, SWOLF, pace and more, all the while offering personalized tips, training plans and drill videos. After transferring the data to the corresponding app on the user’s smartphone, Speedo On syncs the user’s data with Samsung Health so they can get a more comprehensive view of their overall fitness progress.

 

 GPS and Precise Tracking Features to Improve Well-Being

With a variety of intuitive fitness tracking features, the Gear Fit2 Pro gives users more control over their fitness routines and general well-being.

 

Its built-in GPS offers precise tracking² of users’ swimming, running, cycling and hiking data, including distance travelled, speed and calories burned, allowing users to accurately monitor their progress throughout their workout directly from the device itself.

 

Automatic activity detection also recognizes users’ movements and automatically tracks activities including running, walking, cycling, elliptical and rowing machine, as well as other dynamic activities such as dancing and tennis after the user has been exercising for more than 10 minutes. Moreover, users can manually select up to 17 workout categories to track additional activities based on their needs.

 

 

 

Similarly, real-time, continuous heart rate monitoring with improved accuracy tracks every second of the user’s heart rate and provides them with detailed feedback. The device measures maximum heart rate³ and breaks it down into three zones (moderate, vigorous and maximum) so users can stay informed and motivated throughout the day, whether they’re enjoying a stress-free snooze or an invigorating cycling class.

 

 

Because the Gear Fit2 Pro tracks the user’s activity for 24 hours a day, the user is able to not only monitor their exercise, but can also view information about the quality of their sleep as well as the number of calories that they burn throughout the day.

 

 

Premium Partnerships for a More Connected Life

Adding to the Gear Fit2 Pro’s robust tracking capabilities are an assortment of unique partnerships with industry-leading brands such as Spotify, Under Armour and, as previously mentioned, Speedo that help to deliver premium fitness experiences.

The Gear Fit2 Pro is the first wearable to offer Spotify Offline mode.⁴ This means that users can store up to 4GB of internal storage – even when they’re offline or without their smartphone⁵ – so they can stay entertained and motivated even during the most gruelling of workouts.

Samsung’s Under Armour partnership provides users with access to the brand’s popular fitness apps⁶ that offer a connected experience via exclusive features including activity, nutrition and social functions. Users will also have access to a one-year free membership of premium access to content on MyFitnessPal, MapMyRun and Endomondo, including personal training plans, advanced statistics and a nutrition dashboard. Under Armour’s apps sync with Samsung Health to make it easier to keep track of fitness data and workouts no matter which app the user is in.

¹ Water-resistant in up to 50 meters of water under defined conditions of pressure, time, velocity and temperature per ISO 22810:2010 certification. Not intended for deep-water snorkeling, scuba diving or waterskiing. Avoid excessive, sudden temperature changes and high-velocity water activities. Falls and shocks may breach integrity. Rinse in fresh water and dry after use in sea water.

² GPS accuracy may be affected by factors such as weather conditions, trees, buildings/structures and satellite interference.

³ MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) = 220 – Age, Moderate: 50~70% of MHR / Vigorous: 70~90% of MHR / Maximum: 90~100% of MHR

⁴ A Spotify Premium subscription is required to play music offline.

⁵ The Gear Fit2 Pro is compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices (Android 4.3 or later) and other Android devices (Android 4.4 or later), as well as iOS devices for iPhone 5 or later (iOS 9.0 and above).

⁶ Under Armour’s MapMyRun, Endomondo and Under Armour Record for Gear devices are not supported in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Under Armour’s MyFitness Pal for Gear devices is not supported in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The two companies have successfully integrated Samsung’s visual display technologies with HARMAN’s audio, lighting and control solutions to create an engaging, multi-sensory experience in entertainment, transportation, retail, hospitality, corporate, education and government environments, among others.

Integrated Technology

Highlights of this synergetic partnership include the incorporation of motion sensors, drape controls and thermostats, and HARMAN’s voice-enabled cognitive room solution, which transforms a hotel room into a fully-connected environment that offers guests an upgraded in-room experience.

Entertainment Technology

Likewise, a theatre that utilises a combination of Samsung’s cinema screen and HARMAN’s JBL speakers and Lexicon immersion processor allows moviegoers to enjoy the latest blockbusters in an exciting new way. As the world’s first High Dynamic Range LED theatre display, the cinema screen delivers unprecedented picture quality and brings movies and other on-screen contents to life with higher vibrancy and accuracy.

“By bringing the leading technologies of Samsung and HARMAN together, we strive to build a more synergistic future to redefine what’s possible in the enterprise environment, by elevating user experiences and offering more powerful and integrated solutions to our partners as the needs of the market evolve,” says Mike van Lier, Director: Consumer Electronics, Samsung South Africa.

Signage Technology

He further explains that Samsung’s next-generation signage technologies, including two that were deployed in collaboration with HARMAN, aim to improve efficiency in customer engagement and operation across all verticals.

Conferencing Technology

HARMAN’s AMX Acendo Core and Acendo Vibe work well with its touch-screen displays to create a boardroom  space solution that allows for highly efficient remote video conferencing, demonstrating how corporate interactions in the boardroom can be enhanced through Samsung’s SMART LED Signage equipped with HARMAN’s AV Control System.

“Our collaborations with Samsung position us well in an economy where businesses are increasing spend to create more memorable experiences for their customers and to increase productivity from their employees,” said Mohit Parasher, EVP of HARMAN and President of HARMAN Professional Solutions. “Combining audio, video, lighting and controllers into one solution is where the combined synergies of HARMAN and Samsung become very compelling as together, we define the next generation experience.”