With so much happening so fast tonight there was plenty of details that could easily be missed, but one of the more interesting developments is the Samsung Hub. What the hub is is an baked in media content service that includes “music, videos, books, games, and learning content within a stunning magazine-style display.”
Upon entering the “Hub” the user is given access to each of Samsung’s media services where you are given content from each category. A simple keyword search will offer titles from all of the five services in one place and all of your content is managed by a single Samsung account.
First on the list of these services is Samsung WatchON. We got our first look at this video discovery service last month at Mobile World Congress which will feature both on demand as well as live television content. This new service also has the ability to transform your mobile device into a remote control of sorts for your connected Samsung smart TV. The basic idea is that the user sees a program guide on their device and upon selection of a program the television will then show whatever was selected on the smartphone. Also included in WatchOn will be multi-screen capabilities, recommendations, one-stop search functionality, and social sharing functionality.
Next of the new services will be ChatON, described as a “chat experience” because it combines traditional text messaging with a high quality mVoIP/Video Chatting service. Users will have the ability to be chatting with two people at the same time as well as switch between text and video chats. Also with the ability to use both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, pictures can be shared mid chat without missing a beat. This feature also can take advantage of S Translator so that two users can speak completely different languages and have it translated to the preference of the recipient.
Group Play is also included in this suite of services. Photos, music, documents and games can all be shared between users without the need for a network hookup. Currently this service is only compatible with pre loaded Samsung software however the SDK will be made public so that third party developers will be able to incorporate new functionality soon.
Finally the Galaxy S IV will have Visa Pay Wave embedded on it’s secure element to give the user a way to pay for everything. This service will be used by both MNOs and banks and NFC payments will be available commercially on a global basis.