Samsung is developing apps and freebies just for Southeast Asia. The WSJ's Newley Purnell tells Yun-Hee Kim how this strategy will help the company root itself in one of the worlds fastest-growing cellphone regions.
Top gear ... Samsung's new Galaxy Note 4 phone and Gear S smartwatch. Source: Supplied
SAMSUNG plans to steal attention from Apple's upcoming iPhones by launching a curved screen smartphone that transforms into a 3D virtual reality headset.
The South Korean technology giant unveiled the innovative devices ahead of the IFA tech show in Berlin overnight, confirming rumours it would be one of the first companies to enter the virtual reality market.
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Samsung unveiled two smartphones at the event, including a Galaxy Note 4 with a 5.7-inch screen and metal frame, and a limited edition Galaxy Note Edge model with a screen that curves around the right side of the phone.
The curved edge can be used to show scrolling text messages, display camera and video controls, deliver app shortcuts and, when rubbed, show the time.
Both smartphones can also be used in Samsung's first virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, to give wearers the feeling being surrounded on all sides by movies or video games.
Samsung spokesman Richard Knight said the new Note editions were "the biggest upgrade yet" for the large-screen phone introduced in 2011.
Curve ball ... the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge limited edition with curved edge. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: News Corp Australia
The Gear VR headset, created in conjunction with Oculus, delivered a "cinematic experience" unlike any seen from a smartphone, Mr Knight said.
"With the sensor technology, you're literally able to immerse yourself in 360-degree video with little or no latency," he said.
Both phones slot into the front of the Gear VR headset, which also features a touch-sensitive panel to make selections, a sensor to register when it is on the head, an adjustment for near-sighted wearers, and straps to keep it in place.
The phones provide the display and speakers for the headset.
Far out ... both phones slot into the front of the Gear VR headset, which also features a touch-sensitive panel. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: News Corp Australia
Though no price was available last night, Samsung confirmed the devices would be launched in Australia before the end of the year, alongside the newly announced Gear S smartwatch boasting a 2-inch curved screen.
The new smartwatch will feature a SIM card slot, allowing it to operate independently of a phone and take calls or send SMS messages.
Sony was also expected to launch three new devices, including a tablet and two smartphones, before IFA's official opening, and ASUS was expected to introduce its first smartwatch dubbed ZenWatch.
View master ... the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in use with the Samsung Gear VR headset. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: News Corp Australia
IS SAMSUNG'S VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET ANY GOOD? HELLS YEAH!
THE phone clicks into the headset like any other dock.
But this isn't just any dock: it's a virtual reality headset.
With the phone locked in, the Samsung Gear VR headset slips on to your head, three adjustable straps keeping it in place.
Your eyes focus on two lenses that look on to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4's 5.7-inch screen.
It doesn't look like a phone inside. It looks like a window into a 3D world.
Play a video designed for this Oculus-made headset and it seems like you're surrounded.
One demonstrated at IFA shows a Cirque Du Soleil performance in which you appear to be on stage with the performers.
Watch this space ... the limited edition Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with its companion Gear VR headset. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied
Move your head to the right and you can see clowns on the stage beside you.
Look behind you and you'll see empty theatre seats, and a lonely light operator.
The effect is remarkable, immersive, and strangely easy to accept given you're not actually in the middle of a circus performance. You're just in a room, wearing very large sunglasses.
One video game made for the Gear VR headset involves targeting asteroids by moving your head and shooting them by tapping a touch-sensitive panel on the right.
It's a basic game, certainly, but easy to learn and intuitive to play.
And it hints at what may be to come from this technology when the Oculus app store opens and more game developers take up the challenge of creating virtual reality titles.
Certainly, the Samsung Gear VR won't be for everyone.
For one, it's unlikely to be used in public as its wearers look silly thrusting their heads about without apparent reason. It would also be rather dangerous to use as a pedestrian.
Second, though it will accommodate some short-sightedness, spectacle wearers require contract lenses to get the most out of it.
Third, it can only be used with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, limiting its audience for now.
Samsung, and co-creator Oculus, deserve a lot of credit for bringing such a slick virtual reality headset to market, though. It doesn't require a separate battery pack or a corded connection to work. Nor does it require a heavy manual or a PhD in computer science.
It's more advanced than the Google Cardboard headset, and more available than Oculus Rift, the first headset that promised to deliver virtual reality gaming but has yet to launch.
Time will tell if it will be priced within reach of Australian consumers. If it is, it will be an enormous leap for mobile gaming.
Watch this space ... the limited edition Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with its companion Gear VR headset. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: News Corp Australia
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