Apple earns 'world's most valuable brand,' accolades for second year in a row

Apple is the world's most valuable brand according to Interbrand's "Best Global Brands" report for 2014. The iPhone and Mac maker beat out tech competitor Google as well as IBM, Samsung, GE and even Coca-Cola. Apple's innovation in various areas including its upcoming Apple Watch, Apple Pay mobile payments system and its new iPhone 6 line have contributed to an overall positive valuation for Apple.

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Samsung makes switch back to Microsoft Word after 20 years

It took Samsung two decades to realize that they need Microsoft’s productivity suite for their work. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was in South Korea recently to meet with top government and corporate officers, including Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong. There is no official word if this would signal better cooperation between the two tech giants.

Samsung will be rolling out Microsoft Word to Samsung Electronics first and will expand to the other subsidiaries in the coming year. The switch won’t be easy so Samsung plans to extend support for corporate clients using their JungUm productivity software until 2019.

Source: Yonhap News Agency | Via: Ubergizmo

Samsung shuffles around engineers to expand different portfolios

Looks like Samsung doesn’t just want its mobile business to flourish. The South Korean tech giant has moved 500 engineers from its mobile division to different groups, such as home electronics and software sections. This move is intended to improve the company’s competitive edge in the internet of things market and improve synergies for the Tizen platform.

“It sounds like (Samsung) doesn’t plan on going big with Tizen on its smartphones,” said Song Myung-sup, an analyst with HI Investment & Securities in Seoul told the Wall Street Journal. “The move will likely help resolve convergence issues that arise when connecting network devices like TVs and wearables with smartphones, but this shows less determination on Tizen smartphones."

Source: Wall Street Journal | Via: Engadget

Samsung at IFA: Note 4 and Note Edge angle for the premium phablet market

Updated on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 1:14PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Samsung is currently unveiling the new Galaxy Note 4 as well as an entirely new Note Edge with a partly angled screen which reveals various controls and options depending on which app is being used. The launch event at IFA in Berlin clearly shows that Samsung is making an upmarket move. Not only is the new Note 4 a more premium device overall than most Samsung handsets in the past, Samsung's associated itself with some premium fashion brands for accessories. Mont Blanc and Swarovski were some of the premium companies said to be partnering with Samsung to create accessories for the new devices. Stay tuned for more developments out of IFA. The Note 4 is coming to Canada later this year while the Note Edge is still under evaluation and may or may not be sold here. Check out the official press release from the event.

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