Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Samsung reveals Gear VR headset and Galaxy Edge smartphone

Gear VR


Samsung has unveiled a virtual reality headset and a smartphone whose screen bends around one of its sides.
The new kit was revealed at the Ifa tech show in Berlin.
In addition to the Gear VR and Note Edge, the company also showed off the fourth standard version of its large-screened Note smartphone, which introduces an ultraviolet light sensor.
The announcements come at a time when Samsung Electronics is perceived to be on its back foot.
In July the division reported a 20% year-on-year drop in its net profit and dozens of executives voluntarily agreed to return part of their bonuses.
The company's smartphone market share fell from 32.2% in the April-to-June quarter of 2013 to 24.9% in the same period this year, according to research firm IDC, despite the fact it has one of the biggest ranges of handsets.
By contrast, its Android rivals Lenovo, Huawei, Xiaomi and Motorola all made gains.
At Ifa, DJ Lee, Samsung Electronic's marketing chief, said his firm was "focused on accelerating the speed of innovation" and promised to "never slow down".
The virtual reality headset is the result of an alliance with Facebook-owned Oculus and acts as an add-on for the Galaxy Note 4.
Curved edge
Samsung said the point of wrapping the screen of the Galaxy Note Edge around its side was to offer a new way to access frequently used apps and alerts, which would be useful at times when the rest of the screen was obscured by a protective cover.
It acts as a kind of scrollable dock or toolbar that can be controlled with a swipe of the thumb.
But one expert suggested the functions offered by the Gear VR and Galaxy Note Edge might take a while to reach their full potential.

Galaxy Note Edge

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