Smartwatch trademarks for Samsung "Galaxy Gear"?

Samsung Electronics has applied for US and South Korean trademarks for a watch that connects to the Internet in the latest sign that consumer technology companies see wearable devices as the future of their business.

Samsung described "Samsung Galaxy Gear" as a wearable digital electronic device in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band or bangle in its July 29 application with US Patent and Trademark Office. A month earlier, it applied for a "Samsung Gear" trademark in South Korea.

The trademark applications did not show the shape of the products. But drawings from a Samsung design patent approved in May show a watch-like design with a flexible screen that curves around the wrist.



The US trademark application said the device will be "capable of providing access to the Internet, for sending and receiving phone calls, electronic mails and messages" as well as "for keeping track of or managing personal information."

The trademark filings in the US and in South Korea show that Samsung is deep in preparations for what tech industry experts expect will be a new generation of mobile technology that dramatically expands the utility of single-function objects such as watches and glasses. The South Korean consumer electronics giant was caught flatfooted by Apple's invention of the smartphone but through what turned out to be a legally risky strategy of imitation was able to capture a dominant share of the global smartphone market within a few years.

Apple applied June 3 for a trademark in Japan for "iWatch." Industry watchers have long speculated that Apple is working on a smart watch that uses a version of the operating system that powers the iPhone and iPad. The company has not confirmed those rumors but CEO Tim Cook has hinted it may be developing a wearable computing device.

Google is testing an early version of Internet-connected spectacles called Glass. It uses a small screen above the right eye that displays information and imagery retrieved from the Internet.

The South Korean patent office said the Gear trademark will not be approved this year as it takes seven to eight months to start reviewing applications due to a waiting list. Samsung applied for the South Korean trademark on June 21.

It was not clear if Samsung would use the "Samsung Gear" trademark for a Smart Watch. The trademark application covers 38 possible products including mobile telephones, bracelets, glasses and software interfaces that monitor human vital signs.

South Korea's patent office said in June that Samsung had patented watch designs in which more than three quarters of the device is covered by a flexible display that curves around the wrist. Illustrations showed 'back' and 'home' buttons at the bottom of the screen. Another illustration shows a rectangular screen with an edge that tapers toward the top.

The product is made of metal, synthetic and glass materials, Samsung's patent document said.

Samsung executive vice president Lee Young Hee said in March interview with Bloomberg that the company's mobile division has been working on a smart watch. Samsung declined to confirm the report then.

Company spokeswoman Chenny Kim declined to comment on the patent applications. - AP

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Samsung S4 new heir to Galaxy smartphone throne

Samsung S4 new heir to Galaxy smartphone throne

 The S4 lives up to all the buzz to take over the torch for Samsung's outstanding range
 
WITH over 10 million units sold worldwide since its launch last month, an introduction to the Samsung Galaxy S4 seems somewhat redundant.

So we are going to head straight into discussing whether the latest addition to Samsung’s arsenal of Galaxy devices lives up to all the buzz.

There are two variants of Samsung Galaxy S4, one powered by the 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, and the other by Samsung’s Exynos 5 1.6 GHz Octa-core processor (which we find on our shelves here).

Octa-core, on paper, sounds astounding but, in reality, it is somewhat disappointing.

Make no mistake, it is fast: Multi Window and multi-tasking run much better here. But for that much processing power, it is fair to expect the device to run as smooth as butter all the time.

When you fire up the five-inch full HD display, the awe factor goes up.

The Super AMOLED display is stunning and you will soon forget about the cheap-looking and prone-to-grime polycarbonate back plate that covers the removable 2,600mAh battery, microSD slot and micro SIM slot.

We found the new features the Galaxy S4 came with to be rather useful, especially Air Gesture which lets you scroll up and down a web page, change music track, or even answer a call by waving your hand.

You can even wake the device up enough to show you the time and notifications that way.

With Samsung Smart Scroll, we can easily scroll up and down web pages by tilting the device. The only catch is that you can only use both Air Gesture and Samsung Smart Scroll on web pages opened with Internet Browser.

Other features include the S Translator which provides instant translation and Optical Reader which automatically recognises text, a business card or QR code information.

There is also the WatchON which transforms the device into an infra-red remote control for your home entertainment system including your television, set-top box, DVD player and air-conditioner.

Dubbed as the Life Companion, the Galaxy S4 also has an excellent snapper.

One of the best things about the Galaxy S4’s camera is its user-friendliness.

Owing to the camera software borrowed from the Galaxy Camera, swapping in-between the 12 modes onboard is a breeze.

The camera does extraordinarily well in an environment with good lighting, producing pictures with vibrant colours and details.

Otherwise, you’ll get some noisy pictures. However, the HDR mode manages to work very well in managing the tricky lighting scenarios.

Other Ingenious modes like Animated Photo which lets you create animated GIFs without leaving the camera app, and the Dual Camera function which allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras, also help make immortalising memories more delightful.

The battery in the Galaxy S4 holds up pretty well especially with the brightness turned down.

A full charge lasts a full day of heavy text messaging, web-browsing, taking pictures and multi-tasking between apps. It can easily last longer with Power Saving Mode turned on.

All in, the Galaxy S4 is an outstanding device despite its shortcomings and occasional stutters. It is undeniably deserving of taking over the S III in carrying the torch for the Galaxy line-up.

By Yeevon Ong lifestyle@thesundaily.com

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Tap your phone's potential with NFC technology

Make your Android device smarter using a little-known technology called NFC.

 
HANDY: If you have an NFC tag in your car, you can quickly turn on or off functions (like Bluetooth) on your smartphone.

 

NFC stands for near-field communication, a short-range wireless communication technology that enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10cm distance.

In certain countries, NFC has already been used to turn smartphones with embedded NFC chips, into mobile wallets.

Instead of using cash or credit/debit cards, the part of the smartphone where the NFC chip is located (usually on the back cover or in the battery) is tapped on the scanner for the transaction to be charged to the user's account.

Some countries have trialled the usage of NFC as a means of payment for public transportation too. Think of NFC as using your smartphone as a Touch 'n Go card and you'll get the picture.

Tag it

There are more and more NFC-enabled Android smartphones landing on our shores. While the use of it here hasn't reached the same level as some other countries, it is not without its usefulness.

The most publicised use of NFC is the ability to transfer files at breakneck speed by just bumping two smartphones against each other.

While it's impressive, the true potential of this technology lies in an external accessory known as an NFC tag.

NFC tags are basically stickers that are able to store information inside them. With the aid of any NFC app, which can be found in abundance in the Google Play Store, users can design a set of actions for their device to execute and then save the commands on the tags.

Whenever an NFC-enabled device is tapped on the tag, it will execute the commands.

The good news is that the tags don't cost a bomb. Even better news is that as long as you don't select to permanently lock the tag, you can always rewrite the tags, so they're pretty good value for money.

A popular app for customising tags is NFC Task Launcher by Tagstand (bit.ly/GMNn32). Available for free in the Play Store, the app allows users to include two different sets of actions in one tag. For example, tapping it the first time will enable a feature, and tapping it again will disable it.

There are many practical uses for NFC tags. We most commonly use it in our cars. Previously, we used to have to go through the hassle of manually switching on our smartphone's Bluetooth each time we entered our car. Now, it can be done easily just by tapping our gadget on an NFC sticker that we have pasted on the dashboard.

Besides Bluetooth, we have also set it to switch off WiFi, make the ringtone louder, and screen brighter. Tapping it again once we have reached the destination will reverse all the actions that were enabled earlier.

Sleep on it

While it is not advisable to have a mobile phone by your bedside due to the radiation it is said to emit, most people will still stubbornly insist on having it around as it doubles as an alarm clock.

We are guilty of this unhealthy practice, but have an NFC tag pasted beside our beds to hopefully mitigate the adverse effects. The tag is set to switch the phone to flight mode, as well as to dim the screen to the lowest brightness level. When it's time to rise and shine, the tag will re-enable cellular data and increase the screen brightness.

 
REMINDERS: You can set timers for tasks you do often like 
washing your clothes.

 

An interesting way to utilise the tag is by placing one on home appliances which require a specified amount of time to complete, such as a washing machine. If you're as absent-minded as us, once you start the machine, you can tap your Android on the tag to automatically start the timer so that you won't forget about collecting your laundry.

Sharing WiFi

Another use for NFC, which will be more practical once more smartphones have it, is the marketing possibilities it opens up. Instead of using QR codes, businesses can require their customers to just tap on an NFC tag to get more information about a promotion or their business.

Notice how most eateries offer free WiFi, but require a password to be entered? NFC tags have the capability to store wireless network settings, so all the consumers need to do is tap their devices on the tag and it will automatically connect to a wireless network, despite requiring a password.

This benefits the shop owners because customers will have to be physically present to connect to the WiFi, thus preventing non-customers from "stealing" their wireless connection.

This can also be used at home or the office when you want to allow guests to use the WiFi but don't want them to know the password. The tags can do more than just changing settings.

Users can prepare a text message and write it on the tag. Whenever your phone taps the tag, it will automatically send the text message direct to your desired recipient.

Very useful for those of you who usually report to your other half, or parents whenever leaving from work or school.

For those who aren't willing to spend or have no means of acquiring NFC tags, head to the Play Store and download AnyTAG NFC launcher by XtraSEC (bit.ly/ZEsf8l). Developed by Malaysians, this app enables NFC smartphones to detect any cards or devices that have NFC chips in them and associates an action with that device.

This means that us users won't have to specifically use NFC tags. We can make use of everyday cards around us, such as our MyKad and Touch 'n Go.

The good thing is that it only remembers the chip's ID and associates the desired actions with it, so it doesn't overwrite anything on the chip.

So don't worry about the card's chip getting messed up.

For those who are keen to make use of the NFC technology for the first time, do take note that it does not work when your Android's screen is locked.

That means that you will have to first unlock your device's screen before attempting to connect with another NFC device or tag.


By DONOVAN QUEK bytz@thestar.com.my



 Hidden in plain sight

 

INSTANT GRATIFICATION: You can mirror content from your 
smartphone to your HDTV.

 

NFC technology is most prevalent in smartphones but it is also being implemented in an increasing number of products, from toys to HDTVs.

Here's a list of products with built-in NFC which you may already have in your home.

HDTVs and cameras

Most new HDTVs come with the chip but it's not always in the TV itself. Sony is one of the companies that has integrated it into the remote control of selected Bravia HDTVs.

Just tapping the remote with your smartphone will allow you to mirror the smartphone's display on the big screen. This will allow you to browse the Web, share pictures and watch videos together with those around you.

If your Bravia doesn't come with one, you can still purchase the remote separately.

 

USEFUL: Sony Bravia 2013 LED TV has an NFC chip in the 
remote control.

 

Sony also makes speakers with NFC. One such model is the SRS-BTV5 wireless speaker. The compact model can double up as a speakerphone and has a rated battery life of up to five hours. Meanwhile, on the camera front, Samsung's NX300 allows photographers to easily transfer images to a smartphone or tablet via NFC.

Panasonic's DMC-GF6 camera also uses NFC for sharing images with a smartphone or tablet by touching them together. As soon as a photo is shot, the camera will send the image to the paired device. NFC also allows the camera to be remotely controlled.

Consoles and toys

One of the most popular toys on the market today is Activision's Skylanders. They are essentially figurines that are released in conjunction with the Skylanders games available for most consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

 

NFC TOYS: Skylanders fingurine with the Portal of Power.

 

The game comes with an NFC device called the Portal of Power which is plugged into the game console. When a figurine, which also comes with built-in NFC, is placed on the Portal, a virtual version of the character appears in the game.

The interesting thing about the NFC in Skylanders is that it actually can store a limited amount of information, specifically the character's bio. When the figurine is taken to a friend's house to play, it will have all the levelled-up powers and customisation.

Of the popular videogame consoles, only one features NFC.

The chip is currently integrated into the Wii U's GamePad controller, and while it holds a lot of promise for future games, none actually make use of it.

 

PROMISING: The NFC chip is integrated into the Wii U's 
GamePad controller and holds a lot of potential for future games.

 

However, this is likely to change as game developers will inevitably find a use for it.

Notebooks

Lenovo has launched its ThinkPad Helix, a 11.6in Ultrabook powered by Windows 8.
It allows users to transfer data from compatible devices by just placing them close to it.

 

Lenovo ThinkPad Helix

 

The company plans to add more features such as allowing customers to make online purchases by tapping a credit card on its notebooks.

Sony, on the other hand, has announced that its latest Vaio Fit Ultrabook will also use this technology for sharing website URLs and other information with NFC-enabled devices

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