Samsung buys Harman for $8 billion

Samsung Electronics today announced that it has agreed to buy Harman International Industries for $112 per share in cash which amounts to a total equity value of around $8 billion. This acquisition will give Samsung a major presence in the rapidly growing market for connected technologies, particularly automotive electronics, which remains a strategic priority for Samsung. Harman leads the market in connected car solutions. Almost 65 percent...

Samsung releases Gear Watch Designer Beta v1.2.1

Samsung’s smartwatches and hybrid fitness trackers provide users an option to use third-party watch faces. The company has even released a dedicated software named the Gear Watch Designer that lets designers build custom watch faces for these wearables. Now, Samsung has released a new beta version of the Gear Watch Designer (v1.2.1) with some bug fixes. Apart from bug fixes, the version 1.2.1 of the Gear Watch Designer Beta adds a new low-bit...

Samsung’s market cap surges to $322 billion

Samsung Group’s combined market capitalization surged to 375.52 trillion won ($322 billion) last week after the stock market listing of its biotechnology division called Samsung BioLogics. With the listing of Samsung BioLogics on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index last Thursday, Samsung and its 15 listed divisions now account for 29.07 percent of the total market capitalization of all companies that are traded on South Korea’s main stock...

Analyst predicts Samsung smartphone sales in the US might decline due to protectionist threats

The United States is a very lucrative market for smartphone manufacturers and a local analyst in South Korea is predicting that Samsung might see its sales fall in the country due to protectionist threats from the president-elect Donald Trump. Different market analysis firms have different methods of calculating a company’s market share so it’s hard to pick just one and roll with it, however, Samsung was believed to account for approximately...

Samsung heir apparent questioned over secret meeting with President Park as South Korea’s political scandal continues

Last week, the headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district was raided by prosecutors as they look into one of the biggest political scandals that South Korea has ever seen. The raid was conducted after reports in local media that Samsung has given millions of euro to a foundation run by a “shaman adviser” and a long-time personal friend of President Park Geun-hye. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has now hauled in some...

Samsung patents holographic TV

Samsung appears to have multiple visions of what a TV of the future should be capable of. Not long after we saw one of the company’s patents detail a scrollable TV, we’re now seeing another patent revealing that Samsung has dreamt of a holographic TV that’s going to take the baton forward from conventional 3D TVs which weren’t really well received by customers. This new patent application by...

Samsung’s new program will give Tizen app developers up to $10,000

Samsung has launched the Tizen Mobile App Incentive Program as its first initiative to support the global Tizen developer community and expand the mobile app ecosystem for its nascent platform. Developers can submit their apps for an opportunity to win up to $10,000 or more. The Tizen Mobile App Incentive Program is going to run from February through October 2017. Developer who make apps such as gaming, lifestyle and social apps are eligible to apply. “We’re...

Samsung starts Nougat firmware development for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge

The official Android 7.0 Nougat beta program for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is underway, and we are all hoping that Samsung will bring out the final update as quickly as it can. Many have wondered about how Samsung plans to proceed with the Nougat update for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, the two devices that brought about the company’s new direction in smartphones. Well, there is a possibility that the S6 lineup’s Nougat update might not...

WatchMaster and Romanson come up with new watch face for the Gear S3

WatchMaster is a team known for creating custom watch faces for smartwatches. They have produced innumerable watch faces in the past, especially for the Tizen platform and Samsung’s Gear S2 wearable. Now, in preparation for the Gear S3′s arrival, WatchMaster has teamed with Romanson to launch a new special Swiss-made watch face which will appeal to the old-school watch lovers. This is unlike most...