Facebook has today announced an update to the social networkâs News Feed which will now include support for 360 video. Revealed back in March during Facebookâs F8 developerâs conference, the company has lined up a number of premium content providers to âchum the 360 watersâ so to speak.
360 videos will soon be showing up in your Facebook News Feed, with big names like Star Wars, Discovery, GoPro, LeBron James & Uninterrupted, Saturday Night Live, and VICE publicizing their own branded content via their own pages. But itâs not just for premium content providersâbecause now you too can upload 360 videos and share them and (gasp) even get âlikesâ.
360 Videos contain on-screen like and share buttons and are currently only vieweable on the web and Android devices. There doesnât seem to be an option for smartphone VR adapaters like Google Cardboard just yet, but weâre certain that will change. Back at F8, CEO Mark Zuckerberg ensured us that playback of Facebook-hosted 360 videos would be possible on the Oculus Rift.
In a blog post detailing the announcement, Facebook maintains that iOS support for 360 video will be due âin the coming months.â Continuing, they say â[i]tâs early days, but weâre excited about the possibilities for 360 video and hope it helps people explore the world in new, immersive ways.â
In an interview with the Verge, Facebookâs chief product officer Chris Cox said that âFacebook and Oculus are sharing, ⌠[t]he team thatâs working on this, the team thatâs working on this stuff in VR, is very fluid in terms of the engineers, the product managers, the designers, sharing backgrounds and skill sets. Itâs been a very positive collaboration.â
To get an idea of what sort of content weâre talking about, professional studios like Felix & Paul, known for their work on the Cirque du Soleil âInside the Box of Kuriosâ 360 experience, produced the LeBron James 360 videoâboth of which are done with the extreme care required to remove pesky stitching artifacts that can render a slick-looking video about LeBron James into something janky and hard to watch.
Although we canât say weâll be doing much with Facebookâs 360 video integration until they land safely onto VR headsets, itâs a definite step forward in the companyâs collaboration with Oculus and signals a concrete desire to bring the two companies closer.
The IoT is a fast-evolving network of devices which have embedded technology and software allowing them to be interconnected via the internet and centrally controlled. Currently there are 15 billion connected devices across the world and due to consistent technological advancements, this number is predicted to grow to 50 billion by 2020. At this growth rate, the IoT has the potential to become a revolution in modern day living, and Samsung is committed to being at the forefront of this growth.
âThe Internet of Things has the potential to transform our society, economy and how we live our lives. It is our job to pull togetherâas an industry, and across different sectorsâto make true on the promise of the Internet of Thingsâ, Chief Executive BK Yoon said during a keynote speech at CES earlier this year.
Offering such an extensive product portfolio of consumer electronics and domestic appliances, Samsung provides the complete home experience to its customers. By 2020, all Samsung products will be IoT-enabled. As homes increasingly transform into smart homes, the range of appliances and home sensors which can enter into this interconnected network will be expanded through the further development of SmartThings, Samsungâs recently acquired open IoT platform.
However, Samsung does not only deliver a technology-driven premium lifestyle of convenience at home to its customers. The company is also directing resources into providing customers the opportunity and the potential to turn their IoT-enabled smart home into a low energy hub.
âHome automation is an early area of adoption (of IoT) because of the potential to reduce energy costs, improve security and increase comfort,â Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research wrote. Research shows that the âIoT can help reduce home energy consumption by over 40 percentâ.
Environmental Innovation in Software and Hardware
ECOS, the Energy Cost Optimization Solution powered by Samsung, is designed to empower customers to use the SmartThings IoT platform to its full environmental potential. Homeowners will be able to use ECOS software to measure, plan and improve the services provided by an IoT home to program appliances to run during off-peak hours to reduce energy costs; use occupant sensors to control electrical and natural lighting; optimize heating, cooling and ventilation; and use smart-meters to relay real-time energy data to find ways to cut down on wasted energy, among other limitless possibilities. Lighting, for example, when connected to occupant sensors, becomes smart and has the potential to reduce costs by up to 30 percent, according to EnergyStar, and connected energy systems and smart metering promoted by IoT can save approximately ÂŁ50 per month on utility bills.
Customers will also be inspired by new advancements in hardware technology. At IFA 2015, the worldâs leading trade show for consumer electronics, the Samsung EcoZone is showcasing products with high environmental credentials and reduced environmental impacts. These Samsung products have high energy efficiencies, eco-modes and energy-saving technology which will help customers aspire to use technology to accurately monitor and reduce their home energy consumption and provide them with a convenient, hassle-free way to live an IoT-enabled, low energy lifestyle.
In order to mitigate the impacts of increased device use through the IoT, Samsung has adapted hardware to achieve three major environmental advancements which will ensure the lowest potential environmental impact for customers.
Developing Low Energy Modes
In order for IoT products to constantly be connected, devices must remain on, or on standby mode. Therefore, Samsung has been developing devices with increasingly lower energy consumptions. Eco Sensors and energy saving modes on the latest LED TVs can use up to 51 percent less energy compared to 60-inch models in 2011 and the refrigerator digital inverter compressor adjusts to humidity levels and usage patterns to optimize cooling, providing 33 percent savings compared to 400-liter models in 2011.
Improving Product Energy Efficiency
Samsung has also been proactive in reducing the overall energy consumption of all its products. Since 2008, the entire product portfolio has improved its energy efficiency by 42 percent, allowing consumers to further reduce their energy costs.
Managing Impacts
The expansion of the IoT open platform will spur the creation of new networks and devices. Therefore, in order to respond to the potential environmental impacts of increasing resource use, Samsung has invested a large amount of time researching and developing products that have lower resource consumption. For example, Samsungâs Ecobubble washing machines reduce water consumption by utilizing the latest speed wash setting which reduces washing time by half, thus reducing energy consumption. Additionally, the overall use of recycled plastics and recycled paper packaging has increased throughout the product range.
Samsung understands the importance of the environment to customers and the responsibility of a business to provide innovative environmental solutions in a modern world. Providing an open IoT platform will ensure that SmartThings continues to develop to facilitate these savings through both Samsung and its partners to provide technological inspiration to customers to lessen their environmental impact and empower them to live more responsible lifestyles.
In just a few years, the technology driving wearable devices has advanced rapidly. Samsung launched the worldâs very first watch phone in 1999. The SPH-WP10 featured a monochrome LCD screen and 90 minutes of talk time through an integrated speaker and microphone. Samsung followed this in 2009 with the release of its S9110 watch phone which was the worldâs slimmest watch phone at the time. While the first model looked like a miniature phone attached to a wristband, the second looked much more like modern wearables.
Since then, technology has progressed quickly, and the ability of wearables to transform health, entertainment and how we live our day-to-day lives is greater than once thought possible. In 2013, Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear, which was followed by the Gear 2, the Gear 2 Neo. The Gear Fit and the Gear S made their appearances in 2014. As we wait to see what is in store for wearable devices of the future, it is clear that they are making an impact on how we stay connected.
Efficiency
Wearables are a great way to streamline processes, allowing employees to customize client interactions and deliver a more personalized experience. Wearables can collect information hands-free, bringing the smartphone experience to the wrist, which helps create safer working environments and boosts productivity.
The Gear S, with its 2-inch Super AMOLED display, allows users to view notifications and messages at a single glance. You can reject calls during a meeting, reply to messages using the on-screen keyboard or use voice command controls when your hands are full. With the ability to connect hands-free to e-mail, calendars, productivity applications and real-time notifications, wearables are changing the way we work.
Monitoring
Health and fitness tracking are major areas of concern for consumers. The Gear Fit was designed to be light and easy to wear during a workout, or for simply tracking your steps every day. It is the first wearable that was curved to fit your wrist, and featured a slimmer face than the Gear S.
S Health comes equipped and ready to use on the latest Samsung wearables, including the Gear Fit, the Gear S, the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo. You can set goals and track heartrate, steps, calorie intake, stress levels, sun exposure and more. S Health helps you take control of your health. The wide range of apps available for Samsung wearables allow users to build healthy lifestyles that are just right for them.
Samsung Gear S not only includes S Health, it is a perfect health and fitness companion with more enhanced multi-sensors and built-in GPS. Using Bluetooth technology, it receives notifications while on-the-go. Partnerships that make third party apps available, such as Nike+ Running and Trek Bicycle allow users to track exercise and stay motivated, without their smartphones.
Connectivity
Wearables are also changing the way we stay connected. The Gear S can be used as a stand-alone device, with its brilliant, curved Super AMOLED display. The first wearable that supported connectivity through Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth, the Gear S lets you stay in touch, even away from your phone. The Gear S makes and receives calls, directly from the wrist and syncs automatically with your smartphone.
When the Gear Circle is paired with a smartphone, users can easily receive calls, listen to music and make voice commands in style through a Bluetooth connection. It features a magnetic lock which clasps around the userâs neck when not in use, as well as a vibrate function to signal incoming calls and notifications.
Design
The Samsung wearable products feature a rectangular face and interchangeable wristbands. After the first Galaxy Gear, the following Gear 2 had a finishing that made it look more similar to the elegance of a timepiece. With a Super AMOLED, 2MP camera, tracking apps and connectivity power, the Gear 2 took wearable devices to the next level. The Gear 2 was one of the first wearable devices that not only worked in sync to receive notifications from your smart device, it was the first to run apps on its own. When launching the Gear Fit and the Gear S, Samsung applied its curved display technology for a more comfortable, contoured fit. As materials and display quality improved, curved screens were developed and more interchangeable wristbands were offered, wearables from Samsung have become as fashionable as they are functional. Customizable screen options and changeable straps empower users to express their own tastes and styles.
The Gear series help users express moods and fit each dayâs look with changeable bands and charms. Partnering with leaders in the fashion industry like Moschino, Swarovski and Nicholas Kirkwood, Samsung introduced a collection of wide-range accessories.
Whatâs Next?
As the technology and innovation of wearables meets the Internet of Things (IoT), the future of connectivity is bright. It is clear that wearables and connected devices will continue to transform our lives. Wearables will improve wireless connectivity, improving our homes, our cities and communities everywhere.
Samsung has âunpackedâ the latest evolution of the Galaxy Note yesterday at an event in Berlin, Germany.
The Galaxy Note 4 features a bigger screen with multi-screen functionality that offers real benefits to users that want a mobile device that can power them through their working day.
Galaxy Note 4
With the original Galaxy Note, we created the large screen form factor that has now become an industry standard and with the new Note 4, weâre re-defining this category once again.
More flexible and with more intuitive tools, the Note 4 is designed to make working on-the-go easier than ever before. Often, we wait to respond to emails received on-the-go until we have access to a bigger screen, be that a tablet or laptop. With the Note 4, we believe that the habit of moving between different devices for different tasks can be broken with a single phablet that is small enough to move with you but powerful enough to cope with your daily work expectations and needs.
With the Note 4, weâve re-imagined the humble pen and paper for the digital age.
The larger screen offers the opportunity to multi-task using two open windows at once, while the S Pen allows the user to select, cut, paste and edit with much greater efficiency and ease.
Testing out the Galaxy Note 4
The Note 4 also uses fast charging technology that can recharge around 50% of battery in just half an hour. Even with a faster processor and Quad HD screen, the battery life on the Galaxy Note 4 has actually improved on its predecessor.
Faster, smarter and sharper than ever, the Note 4 is the ultimate tool for your day-to-day work demands.
