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

LG and Samsung sneak out new smart watches before Moto and Apple events

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Just months after officially introducing their Android Wear smart watches, both Samsung and LG have teased new wearables in anticipation of Motorola's Moto 360 and Apple's anticipated 'wrist wearable thing,' which are expected to be announced days from each other in early September.

LG's second smart watch is a departure from its plain and bland first try, the LG G watch Round looks more sophisticated and attractive than the previous version. So, if you waited and you really wanted a round smart watch, you now have a choice. But is it a good time to choose?

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Samsung debuts first Tizen-based smartphone

After years of getting used to seeing the Galaxy brand on a Samsung device, the Korean company wants you to get used to its new naming convention. Samsung has unveiled its first Tizen-powered smartphone, the Samsung Z. The phone is powered by an unnamed 2.3GHz quad-core processor, Tizen 2.2.1, 2GB RAM, and 16GB or 32GB of storage with microSD card expansion up to 64GB. It has a 4.8-inch 720p display; 8-megapixel rear and 2.1-megapixel front cameras; sensors like accelerometer, fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor, and gyroscope; as well as LTE connectivity.

The Z has a 2600mAh battery and features the familiar faux-leather back. It is yet to be seen how much of an impact a Tizen device will make on an iOS and Android dominated market. This device will first launch in Russia and Samsung is trying to entice developers to create apps for the OS with local app challenges in the country. It will be available in the third quarter there in either black or gold. There will be a wider release later but there is no word when this will be. Price for the device hasn’t been announced yet either.

Source: Gizmag

Samsung plans to release Tizen-based smart TVs, to release SDK for developers by July

Samsung wants to make its Tizen operating system as ubiquitous as possible. This time around they plan to integrate the Linux-based OS into their future smart television offerings. The Korean tech company will release the software development kit in July to give developers some time with the software. It will include features such as voice- and hand gesture-based commands and multi-screen options. Samsung, however, did not specify when Tizen-based TVs will be up for sale.

Source: The Next Web