Samsung delivers connectivity, content across all devices

BANGKOK, Thailand — Samsung Electronics demonstrated here last week how connectivity and content are now staple features on all its product lines for 2012.

Almost every Samsung device — from smart TVs to mobile phones, tablets to notebook PCs, printers and cameras to home appliances — has been “Wi-Fied.”

Technological boundaries are also being pushed in mobility, portability and personalization, resulting in new Samsung products such as the Galaxy Beam smartphone with an integrated projector, the second-generation Samsung Series 9 notebook, and two new LED TV models with voice, motion and face recognition capabilities.

Slim gets big

The new second-generation Notebook Series 9 is 21 percent thinner and 28 percent smaller than its predecessor, making it the thinnest premium notebook in the market today, according to Samsung.

Inside its thin, single-shell aluminum body is an Intel Core i7 processor and Samsung SSD and a 10-hour battery on full charge. It is available in 13-inch and 15-inch models. It also features a backlit keyboard and a sand-blasted surface that prevents fingerprints.

This thin but mean machine boots up in just 9.8 seconds and wakes up in 1.4 seconds.

Smart TV gets smarter

This year, Samsung is rolling out its new flagship LED ES8000 and LED ES7500 featuring new interactive technologies that let people use their voice and hand gestures to operate the smart TVs.

With built-in Samsung Skype HD camera, the ES8000 or the ES7500 TVs can recognize the face of its chief user or owner whose voice it will also obey upon picking up verbal prompts such as “hi TV, lower volume” or “turn off TV,” among many other possible spoken commands.

The new models also bring more personalized content through Smart TV apps, as well as All Share Play that enables consumers to easily access personal content across multiple device screens.

Samsung also introduced a so-called “Evolution Kit” for the new LED TV models. It is essentially a proprietary system-on-chip technology that includes all new hardware and software enhancements so consumers can upgrade their TVs easily.

Select 2012 Samsung TVs will come equipped with a simple slot-in to the back of the TV for the Evolution Kit chip.

“The TV is now a family member. Our new flagship smart TVs understand the viewer using the new recognition technologies for face, voice and motion,” Ariel Arias, Samsung Philippines’ Audio-Visual Business Unit head, said in last week’s Samsung forum here.

“With the Evolution Kit, users can instantly upgrade their TVs, too. In terms of content, we have now 28,000 TV app developers, including (Rovio) for Angry Birds which for the first time will be played on (Samsung) TV,” Arias added.

2 new Galaxy Tab 2 models

The Samsung Galaxy Tab line has also been extended with the addition of two new Galaxy Tab 2 models — one with a seven-inch screen, the other a 10.1-inch display.

The Android 4.0-powered Galaxy Tab 2 Series is available in 3G and Wi-Fi versions. It features Google Play, improved Web browsing, and faster response time, among other improvements.

Wi-Fi cameras

Samsung’s new flagship LED ES8000 (photo) and LED ES7500 feature new interactive technologies that let people use their voice and hand gestures to operate the smart TVs.

The fact that mobile phones have built-in cameras that make for convenient uploading of photos over the Internet or sending image files to other mobile devices has put digital cameras at a disadvantage. But that won’t be the case anymore with Samsung’s new line of smart cameras with Wi-Fi technology.

The WB850F, a long-zoom camera with 21x optical zoom, has Wi-Fi Direct support so users can remotely connect it to a phone or a tablet computer for photo sharing. Photos can also be e-mailed directly from this camera. It also features an Auto Backup function for transferring images to PCs without the need for cables.

Wi-Fi aircon, anyone?

Why would anyone need an air-conditioner with Wi-Fi? The idea might seem absurd at first but Samsung’s vision of smarter digital living simply calls for home appliances that can be remotely controlled even when the homeowners are away.

Samsung’s Wi-Fi-enabled air-conditioner comes equipped with a new Smart Control System that allows consumers to remotely operate it using a wireless router and a smartphone application.

If you want your living room, for example, to be at a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius minutes before you get home, Samsung’s new Wi-Fi air-conditioner can do the job while you are still on the road. Now that’s cool.