Samsung’s already got a presence in the Internet of Things and connected devices. This week, the company stepped up its efforts by consolidating several of its existing services. The result is SmartThings Cloud, a unified cloud “hub” for IoT products that incorporates Samsung’s older SmartThings, Samsung Connect and ARTIK platforms.
SmartThings Cloud
SmartThings Cloud forms the basis of Samsung’s new IoT infrastructure. It will enable data to flow between different devices and services, offering a more versatile network foundation for IoT clusters.
Samsung IoT announcements
Samsung
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SmartThings Cloud is part of Samsung’s new offer to developers. Developers will use the single SmartThings Cloud API to interact with every product compatible with the service.
This lets services be written once to target many different kinds of device, improving IoT accessibility. In the future, the cloud will also provide a starting point for businesses interested in industrial IoT.
Bixby 2.0
SmartThings Cloud means little on its own without some services that actually utilise it. For many consumers, Bixby 2.0 will be the face of Samsung’s IoT strategy. It’s an “ubiquitous, personal and open ecosystem” of digital intelligence meant to assist users and help control devices.
Samsung IoT announcements
Samsung
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The second-generation version of Samsung’s digital assistant includes support for third-party integrations, enhanced voice recognition features and “deep linking” functionality for stronger ties between different services.
According to Samsung, this creates a “predictive, personalized experience.” The real aim here is to give you a way to interact with your IoT products in a natural manner, through digital assistance.
Connected experiences
Not all of Samsung’s new products exist purely in the cloud. The company’s also committing itself to virtual and augmented reality. It announced a new “strategic partnership” with Google to ensure its mobile devices are fully compatible with Android’s ARCore platform, giving consumers the best possible experience.
Taken together, SmartThings Cloud, augmented reality and intelligent assistance represent Samsung’s push towards the future of technology. It’s preparing for a post-mobile future where connectivity, interoperability and experience are the main buzzwords. The company described its new technologies as a “big step forward” in its efforts to create more involving consumer tech.
Samsung IoT announcements
Samsung
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“At Samsung, we’re constantly innovating in order to deliver smarter, connected experiences for our consumers. Now we’re taking a big step forward with our open IoT platform, intelligent ecosystem and AR capabilities,” said DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics.
“Through an extensive open collaboration with our business partners and developers, we are unlocking a gateway to an expanded ecosystem of interconnected and intelligent services that will simplify and enrich everyday life for our consumers.”
Most of the developments are long-term investments in the future of technology. Consumers won’t necessarily understand or even see the cloud platforms and network solutions that underpin their future tech. Some of Samsung’s announcements, like Bixby 2.0, have immediate user-facing implications though. You can update Bixby today on compatible Samsung devices, giving you the latest, most intelligent version of the assistant.
