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Samsung Electronics Rises to No. 6 in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2017

Samsung Electronics announced today that it has been ranked No.6 on Interbrand’s “Best Global Brands 2017” list with a brand value of $56.2 billion – one position up and a 9 percent increase from last year.   As it has made continual strides as a global company, Samsung has ranked as one of the top 10 brands on the Interbrand rankings from 2012 to 2017, demonstrating continual growth in brand value.   This year’s achievement is particularly meaningful given some of the challenges that Samsung has faced, and overcome, in the past year. For example, Interbrand, in its evaluation, cited among various factors, Samsung’s exemplary, fast recovery from last year’s Galaxy Note7 crisis, the company’s successful launches of flagship products, and its continued stellar financial performance.   In particular, Samsung’s mobile business reconfirmed its market leadership through the successful launch of the Galaxy S8. Samsung’s memory division also performed strongly, with its record profits co

Samsung Expands FD-SOI Process Technology Leadership and its Design Ecosystem Readiness

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced it has expanded its differentiated FD-SOI process technology leadership by offering derivatives that include RF and eMRAM. Samsung already established a full set of FD-SOI design enablement solutions with key ecosystem partners for the 28-nanometer (nm) FD-SOI (28FDS) process technology. By accomplishing industry first eMRAM testchip tape-out milestone on 28FDS process technology, Samsung Foundry has demonstrated its 28FDS readiness with eMRAM technology leadership with the long commitment and expertise of Samsung’s semiconductor technology R&D capability.   “Samsung started mass production of its 28FDS process technology last year and reached the desired process maturity earlier than originally scheduled,” said Ryan Lee, Vice President of Foundry Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “So far we have taped out more than 40 products based on the FD-SOI process for various customers. With the ad

Sketchy rumor claims Galaxy A (2018) series will feature Bixby button

The Galaxy A (2018) series is likely going to be announced early next year. We’re gradually hearing more rumors about this device but it’s still early days. Nothing is set in stone yet. A sketchy rumor out of China claims that the new Galaxy A premium mid-range smartphones will have a physical Bixby button. Samsung introduced the Bixby button with the Galaxy S8 earlier this year. You press it once for Bixby Home or press and hold for Bixby Voice. It’s present on the Galaxy Note 8 as well. The company made it possible only recently to disable the Bixby button to an extent . Since Samsung has said that Bixby will arrive on more devices in the future , it’s not entirely out of the question that Samsung’s premium mid-range handsets could one day have a dedicated Bixby button. The rumor doesn’t mention if the entire Galaxy A (2018) series will have the Bixby button or will the entry-level Galaxy A3 be left out. It’s also unclear if the button will only be for Bixby Home if Samsung is

Foldable Samsung smartphone surfaces yet again

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There has been no shortage of reports about a foldable Samsung smartphone. While the company is yet to announce one officially, there has been enough circumstantial evidence to support the theory that one exists. Normally referred to as the Galaxy X, Samsung’s foldable smartphone has now surfaced in a listing filed with a Korean regulator. The foldable Samsung smartphone was last spotted two months ago when the Galaxy X bearing model number SM-G888N0 surfaced at the Bluetooth SIG for its Bluetooth certification . The model number doesn’t correspond to any device in Samsung’s smartphone lineup so there’s reason to believe that it belongs to the Galaxy X. A listing for the SM-G888 has been spotted at South Korea’s National Radio Research Agency, it’s likely that this particular variant is for Samsung’s home country of South Korea. There isn’t a lot of information available about the specifications of this device. Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything about the Galaxy X so far. It’s uncle

The MolenGeek Initiative Presented as Best Practice Case Study of Public-Private Partnership to the UN General Assembly

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The founders of the MolenGeek initiative , the Belgian government, and Samsung Electronics presented a support program for young entrepreneurs in the Molenbeek district in Belgium as a best practice case study in the contribution of a public-private partnership to achieving United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   The larger MolenGeek initiative has been recognized as a model program that leverages digital technology to alleviate the social challenges of high youth unemployment due to a lack of skill or education opportunities. The initiative has brought about new dynamic and positive attention in Molenbeek, a neighborhood that has typically suffered from high youth unemployment rates of over 30 percent and was once tied to terrorism. Already 25 startups have been launched by young entrepreneurs through the program, and another 156 are on their way. Some 120 students have been trained and found a job through the coding school program, which provides intensive, full-tim

SamMobile Daily Recap: September 22, 2017 — Bixby Voice, Galaxy Note 8 and more!

We publish  a lot  of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a  daily recap . Here’s what we published today. Bixby Samsung starts rolling out Bixby Voice in India Business Forbes names Samsung Group among top five influential Asian firms Deals Daily Deal: Bag yourself a pair of Samsung’s first-generation Gear Icon X wireless earphones for 30% off Firmware News Blueborne fix for Galaxy Note Edge released by Verizon Galaxy S5 September security patch missing from latest update General Samsung donates $1.1 million for Mexico earthquake relief efforts Phones Check out a few Galaxy Note 8 Live Focus camera samples Samsung releases Galaxy Note 8 in Thailand and Malaysia Reviews Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) review: A beautiful phone with substandard performance Samsung

Watchface Friday: Here’s our selection of this week’s best watchfaces

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It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another edition of Watchface Friday! For those unaware, every Friday, we highlight a selection of our favorite watchfaces for the  Gear S3 classic  and  Gear S3 frontier . All of the offerings are available to download through the Galaxy Apps Store, so you can rest assured that you won’t have to search all over the Internet to find something we’ve listed. Gear S3 classic Broda West  by Przemyslaw Zytnicki Tourbillon P400 by Sergio Merida Gear S3 frontier Jeweler Sniper Active by Dariusz Karol Wysocki Mr. Time: Cambio by Mr. Time Lab

Check out a few Galaxy Note 8 Live Focus camera samples

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The Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung’s first smartphone with a dual camera. It happens to be one of the Galaxy Note 8’s biggest selling points. There’s a lot that you can do with a dual camera system. For example, you can add DSLR-like bokeh effects to your photos through Samsung’s Live Focus feature, and change the amount of background blur even after taking a picture. For the most part, Live Focus works well, although it can be finicky when the lighting isn’t right or when the subject isn’t at the right distance (Live Focus requires the subject to be at least 1.2 meters away). Portrait photos of people is where it works best. Our review of the Galaxy Note 8 will offer detailed information on the phone’s camera, but for those wondering how the Note 8 does at capturing those bokeh images with its dual camera, we’ve put together a few samples. You will notice how there can be discrepancies even in photos where Live Focus has done a good job, and how the bokeh effect isn’t as heavy as what

[Photo] ONOS BUILD 2017 – Migration to an Open and Flexible Network

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In partnership with the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) , Samsung hosted ONOS BUILD 2017 at its R&D Campus in Seoul from September 20 to 22. Under the theme “Migrate to the Future!”, the second annual event united around 250 developers and contributors from around the world to share, plan and hack their way toward building next-generation software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) solutions using the Open Network Operating System (ONOS TM ) .   Check out the highlights of the event in the photos below.     There are two principal objectives that Samsung Electronics is currently hoping to accomplish: establishing an open ecosystem with the aim of applying virtualization technologies to carrier-grade networks, and developing network slicing technology for 5G networks. To realize these goals, the company is working to accelerate innovation in the field by encouraging the sharing of knowledge among key figures in the open source community at ev

How to reactivate Bixby button on Galaxy smartphones

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Samsung launched its AI-powered digital voice assistant with the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ . It even added a dedicated hardware button for summoning Bixby. A lot of people were left unimpressed by Bixby and many of them wanted to an option to either remap the Bixby button to open some other app or to disable it completely. Samsung did not offer an option to disable or remap the Bixby button for a long time. It even released updates to break the apps that allowed remapping of the Bixby button . In a recent Bixby Home update that was rolled out in a few markets, Samsung finally offered an option to disable the Bixby button . If you have disabled the Bixby button already, but want to re-enable it, the situation could be quite tricky. There are two ways to re-enable Bixby Home: asking Bixby through voice command or by swiping left from the home screen. This is possible only on phones that come with a dedicated Bixby button. Here’s how to do it using both these ways. Re-enabling

Bixby Voice goes live in India

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Bixby Voice goes live in India September 22, 2017 By anish Leave a Comment As promised, Samsung has enabled Bixby Voice service for customers in India. The service is now available to all customers in India using the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ or the Galaxy Note8 with US English as the default language. However, even with the US English, Samsung says, Bixby in India has been optimised to understand Indian accent. Bixby is Samsung’s virtual assistant and with voice, it can carry out most tasks that a user can do with touch. For instance, Bixby can open apps, change phone settings, send messages and emails and lots more. Users can manually update Bixby to the latest version or Bixby will automatically prompt to update to the latest version as soon as you open the app.

Samsung starts rolling out Bixby Voice in India

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Samsung has finally started rolling out Bixby Voice in India . The South Korean smartphone brand had unveiled its AI-powered digital voice assistant with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, but its rollout was delayed. It was first released in South Korea and the US. Later, the company rolled out Bixby Voice for US English speaking consumers in 200 countries across the globe, but it did not include India . Earlier this month, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 8 in India , and it was mentioned during the launch event that Bixby Voice would be rolled out in the country in the next few weeks . Now, the company has finally launched its digital voice in India. When you hit the dedicated Bixby button below the volume buttons, you’ll be prompted to update Bixby after which you’ll be able to use Bixby Voice. Have a look at the screenshots of Bixby Voice update below. Thanks for the tip, Deep Desai! The post Samsung starts rolling out Bixby Voice in India appeared first on SamMobile .

Daily Deal: Bag yourself a pair of Samsung’s first-generation Gear Icon X wireless earphones for 30% off

You can currently bag yourself a pair of Samsung’s first-generation Gear Icon X wireless earbuds, which not only sport 4GB of storage for music playback, but also bundle real-time voice feedback for workout progress, for $139.99 (30% off). To take advantage of the promotion, all you need to do is hit the  Buy Now  button below. It would probably be wise to hurry though, as we don’t know how much inventory Amazon set aside for this particular deal—and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The post Daily Deal: Bag yourself a pair of Samsung’s first-generation Gear Icon X wireless earphones for 30% off appeared first on SamMobile .

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) review: A beautiful phone with substandard performance

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The first-generation Galaxy J7 was released in June 2015, and now, two years later, we get to test the 2017 variant of the entry-level device. The Galaxy J7 (2017) features a premium metal build, just like the Galaxy J5 (2017) we recently reviewed , and pairs it with a big Super AMOLED display. Last year, we called the battery on the J7 (2016) ‘’mind-bogglingly impressive .’ This year’s J7 has an even bigger battery, with a 3,600mAh capacity. Another improvement over the last iteration is the addition of a fingerprint scanner in the home button, and of course a full metal body. In this review, you’ll find out if the J7 (2017) is worth your hard-earned money. Galaxy J7 (2017) review: Design The moment you pick up the J7 (2017), you notice how premium it feels. The back has a metal unibody design with symmetrical antenna lines along the top and bottom. Because this device is made of metal, it doesn’t look greasy like a phone made of glass. I feel the J7 (2017) is one of the most

Samsung releases Galaxy Note 8 in Thailand and Malaysia

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Samsung confirmed earlier this week that the Galaxy Note 8’s global launch will cover 150 countries by next month. The company today released the Galaxy Note 8 in Thailand and Malaysia. The handset is gradually being rolled out in more markets across the globe. India is another major market where the Galaxy Note 8 was recently released. The Galaxy Note 8 went on sale in Samsung’s home country of South Korea yesterday. Samsung previously said that the handset would be out in 20 additional countries this week . Russia and Australia are also on this list. Tapping demand in the Southeast Asian market, Samsung today released the Galaxy Note 8 in Thailand and Malaysia. The company is on track to having the Galaxy Note 8 out in 150 countries by the end of October. Customers in Malaysia can take advantage of a Galaxy Note 8 trade-in offer that is now live. They can trade-in their existing handset for money that can be put towards the purchase of the Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy Note 8 trad

Samsung donates $1.1 million for Mexico earthquake relief efforts

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You have heard the news about the devastating earthquakes in Mexico recently. It’s an incredibly tough time for the country as it deals with the fallout of the natural disaster. Samsung today announced that it’s going to make a contribution to aid the Mexico earthquake relief efforts. Mexico was hit by two very strong earthquakes on September 7 and September 19. Reports show that hundreds of people have died and many more are injured. It’s unclear how much damage has been caused to public and private property. Companies and organizations from all over the globe are playing their part in the Mexico earthquake relief efforts. Samsung Electronics Mexico today announced that it’s donating 20 million pesos or $1.1 million toward Mexico earthquake relief and recovery efforts. The aid will help people in communities that have been affected by the earthquakes. Samsung will be donating the money to the Mexican Red Cross and several other institutions that are committed to the relief effort

Blueborne fix for Galaxy Note Edge released by Verizon

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Verizon started rolling out a new firmware update for the Galaxy Note 4 yesterday. It’s a security update which brings a patch for the Blueborne vulnerability . Verizon is now rolling out the Blueborne fix for Galaxy Note Edge. Blueborne is a Bluetooth-based vulnerability that’s present in countless Android-powered devices. The Blueborne vulnerability was discovered only recently. It’s a Bluetooth vulnerability that leaves Android devices open to a potential takeover by hackers. The vulnerability is also present in Windows, Linux and some iterations of iOS. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to remotely execute malicious code on the device. This enables them to launch apps, install malware and even steal data without the user even knowing about it. Firmware version N915VVRU2CQI3 is now being rolled out by Verizon for this handset. It brings the Blueborne fix for Galaxy Note Edge. No further details are mentioned in the update’s changelog. The changelog mentions that the l

These Smart Appliances Will Change Your Life for the Better

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Have you ever wondered what IQ level your home appliances have? It might be higher than you think. Home appliance products are becoming smarter by the day as they evolve to meet the needs of a wide range of users. It is worth paying attention to, then, Samsung Electronics’ intelligent premium home appliances that stand out among its product lineup. They are, indeed, the future of our home appliances that make life more convenient and exciting for our users.     Getting Smart around the Home   One of Samsung’s major smart products is the Family Hub 2.0 refrigerator, which launched earlier this year. It uses voice recognition to provide an intuitive way for users to not just connect with their kitchen, but also the world around them. Say, “Can you purchase cheese?” and the refrigerator asks you, “Which product? Please tell me the number.” as it shows an app screen that lets you order food directly from the screen. You can play music or find out what the weather is like as you commu

Driving Manufacturing Productivity through the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

Samsung Pay is the most favored mobile payment platform in South Korea

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Samsung Pay has emerged as the most favored mobile payment solution in South Korea as per a new survey by the Korea Consumer Agency . The mobile payments solution emerged victorious with a score of 3.78 points on a scale of 1 to 5. Around 1,200 consumers participated in this survey. Samsung Pay was launched in the country in August 2015 . Naver Pay and Kakao Pay stood at the second position. Naver Pay is operated by the country’s top Internet portal and it received a score of 3.76. Kakao Pay is operated by South Korea’s dominant instant messaging app KakaoTalk and received a score of 3.76 out of 5. Payco, which is operated by NHN Entertainment Corp., ranked fourth in the survey with a score of 3.70 points. Most of the people who voted in the survey found the ease of use factor as the most important feature of mobile payment solutions. A majority of users (around 88%) said in the survey that they use these mobile payment solutions for payment of bills, while 10.4% users said that t