It has separate docking ports for the smaller and larger handsets. Sadly, the virtual reality headset does not have a life of its own: it needs a Galaxy Note 5, S6 or S7 – or their Edge variations – to operate. Anyone buying the phone outright or on contract for the first 10 days also receives a free Gear VR unit, which typically retails at around R2000. And this year it announced it was cooperating with Microsoft on IoT devices running on Windows 10.įor this reason, last week’s launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge phones in South Africa could be seen as representing part of this “new” future for the group. To put that in perspective, last year Samsung topped the list of patents awarded in the USA – home to the world’s most patent-hungry tech companies. It is for this reason that Samsung’s vast empire of consumer appliances, smartphones, components and experimental devices is beginning to emerge as a potential differentiator from brands that compete head-on in one or two product categories. Monitoring a home washing machine from a smartphone at work? Turning on the lounge air conditioning while still in the traffic? All ready for prime time. While the everyday reality of a connected universe of appliances is still years away, the possibilities are already becoming apparent on showroom floors.
These usually bore little relation to the handsets themselves, and often carried completely unrelated brand names.Īs the Internet of Things comes closer to everyday reality, it might just start making sense to buy bundles of appliances that can connect to each other. We have seen many incentives to buy new smartphones, from TV sets to DVD players to fridges.
The bundling of the new Samsung S7 phones with the Gear VR headset is not only a marketing gimmick, but a pointer to the company’s place in the Internet of Things, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
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