Tag: Samsung

Love@Home with Samsung

Posted on by jane

I’m a geeky momma. I love tech. And as a Mom, I always end up looking at appliances and home furnishings whenever I get the chance to window shop. So getting first dibs at Samsung Digital Home Appliances’ 2013 offering was a real delight and a chance to ogle the new stuff that Samsung was bringing into this year’s home appliance line-up.

Dubbed “Love@Home”, the launch featured five (5) must-have-in-the-home appliances using the latest technology and cool features that have become the signature of Samsung. On hand to help introduce the appliances to the audience were celebrity moms Daphne Osena-Paez, Tessa Prieto-Valdez and Rissa Mananquil-Trillo.

The Samsung Digital Air Conditioner

So what’s new with inverter airconditioners? That’s what I was thinking when this appliance was being introduced. After all, I already have 2 inverter aircon units at home. Imagine my utter surprise when Samsung announced that their new air conditioner had *wait for this* WIFI!

I know what you’re thinking – what for?

Think about this scenario. You are caught in traffic, on your way home. It’s hot outside and you are just raring to go into your airconditioned room and plop right into bed as soon as you get home. Most of us would only be able to turn on our air conditioner once we are home. With Samsung’s Digital Air Conditioner, you can remotely turn on your aircon and adjust its settings (temp, fan speed, vertical swing) from virtually anywhere you have an internet connection. You can do it from your car!

It also comes with a Smart Inverter Technology that Samsung says makes it 60% energy-efficient.

Inverter air conditioner with WIFI

App icon on Samsung smartphone
Settings direct from a smartphone…

…using WIFI!

The Samsung Digital Washing Machine

The top-of-the-line washing machine (W3050) is a beautiful piece to look at – chrome finish, icy blu LED display lights, dual cluster control panel, foldable glass door. Its control panel is located on top where access is easy. The Samsung Digital Washing Machine incorporates Wobble Technology, a feature that lets the machine be gentle on fabric while being tough on dirt and stains. In addition, its Digital Inverter Motor means energy efficiency and durability.
The diamond drum separates clothes so it tangles less.

Conventional washing vs Wobble Technology washing
The Samsung Digital Refrigerator
The line of Samsung digital refrigerators all have special features that spell energy-efficiency, innovation and fresh, crisp foods all the time. The ref comes with a 10-year warranty. Voltage control ensures flow of electricity is constant. It’s got a Moist Free Zone to better preserve fruits and vegetables as well as a built in deodorizing filter to eliminate odors. In some models, the freezer is not in its usual top location like conventional refs; this time, it is found on the bottom for safety of other food items. 
But what is not apparent on the outside is how practical and well thought out the ref is on the inside – easy, slide-out shelves, a movable vegetable box, a multi storage basket along the inside door just for cosmetics and medicines, a plastic guard along one shelf to protect water bottles. One model has an ice maker and ice dispenser, with double the space for making ice.

The Samsung Digital Microwave

I have a Samsung microwave oven (not yet inverter technology) which my kids and yayas use a lot for heating food. This new digital microwave that runs on inverter technology is a level up, with anti-bacterial properties, rust-resistant ceramic enamel cavity to prevent unsightly scratches, and energy-efficient performance.

The Samsung Digital Vacuum

These tiny digital vacuum cleaners pack a wallop. A Super Twin Chamber technology holds more dirt so you empty it out less. And adjusting the digital features provides the best suction adjustment for any type of surface.
Inverter technology is a long-term investment but will definitely save you money. We have seen the electrical savings at home with our own inverter air conditioners. Next time you think of buying an appliance or replacing your old one, think inverter and check out these digital offerings from Samsung.

Samsung’s Concept Store at Robinsons Magnolia

Posted on by jane

My very first trek to the newly opened Robinsons Magnolia mall in Quezon City was for the launch of Samsung’s concept store.

With Odette Velarde of Samsung and friend Noemi Dado at the launch

Celebrities at the ribbon cutting ceremony

A Peek inside the Concept Store

The Samsung Concept Store is located on the al fresco area of the mall on the 3rd floor. At first, Noemi and I got lost and thought the Samsung store inside the mall on the same level was it. Apparently that one was just for mobile phones.
Upon entering the store, we found that it contained all the appliances one would need for the home. We saw the inverter airconditioners, washing machines and refrigerators which we had previously seen up close in another event. My post on that is HERE.
But the star of the event on that launch was Samsung’s series of Smart TVs for 2012.

The Samsung plasma TV sets
These TV product offerings center around 3 ‘Smart’ pillars: Smart Interaction, Smart Content and Smart Evolution.
Smart Interaction
Why even use a remote? Many times, I get frustrated looking for the remote especially when someone does not put it back in its place. With the Smart Interaction technology, the TV set itself detects your hand. There are no more boundaries between the TV screen and you. Motion Control, Voice Control and Face Recognition technology let you turn the TV on or off, select apps to activate, or search and select web content — all without having to use a remote.

Playing Angry Birds with hand

Celebrity using hands to play Angry Birds

Smart Content

While Samsung’s Smart TVs have already been providing premium content through over 1,500 apps worldwide, in 2012 it is taking that a step further by providing a Smart Hub, a simple user interface (UI) in full HD. Through AllShare Play, Samsung allows content to be pulled in from a Smart TV or mobile device or manually pushed out to the cloud, regardless of a user’s location.

Smart Evolution
Samsung is proud to be the only electronics company worldwide to offer Smart Evolution. This feature is available on select Samsung Smart TVs and really addresses the obsolescence issue. Many times, we buy a TV only for a new model and feature to come out soon after. With the Smart Evolution feature, the select TV sets have a Samsung Evolution Kit. A simple slot-in at the back lets consumers keep up with newer introductions of both hardware and software without the need to go out and bu a new TV set. You can potentially keep up-to-date by just “slotting in” the new features using Samsung’s proprietary system-on-chip technology. That is just so cost-effective!

Samsung MV800 – a multiview, self photo camera

Posted on by jane

You know how hard it is to get a self-photo, right? In most of my blogger events, we always end up asking other people to take our photo with our camera or someone from our group has to be the one behind the lens.

The few times I have tried to take a self-photo with my digicam, my photos would get half my face, come out crooked and look so awkward.

About two years ago, we marvelled at the new Samsung digicam with 2D view technology which had a second frontal display screen. What a novelty it was back then as friends who had it showed us how easy it was to compose self-photos exactly the way we wanted the shot. The camera could also detect a smile, taking a picture just as you grin.

Last November 4, Samsung introduced the Samsung MV800 – a multiview camera – at a media launch. The MV800 can be rotated all the way to 180 degrees to catch important events from any angle.

Here are some features of the MV800:

A 3.0″ touchscreen display features different apps you can launch
with the touch of a finger. No knob twisting anymore.
See that sign on the side? A whopping 16.1 megapixels!
And what is that – a 45 degree angle?

Top view

At 90-degree angle
At 180-degree angle
Side view at 180-degree angle

Schneizer-KREUZNACH 26-130mm lens,
5x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom

My self-photo

And here’s more.

  • Magic Frame – 12 fun, background templates as well as ability to customize one’s own
  • Picture-in-picture – insert one image with another
  • Smart Filter – 14 artistic efects like Water Paint and Cartoons
  • Funny Face – bend, stretch and manipulate pictures by dragging to distort faces in funny ways
  • Storyboard Maker – arrange photos, choose layout, and see your story unfold
  • HD recording
For more detailed specs, visit www.samsung.com/multiview

The Samsung MV800 retails at PhP 14,990 and is available at leading camera shops nationwide.

How do I love Samsung Smart TV? Let me count the ways…

Posted on by jane

Ok, I admit that title is probably too cheesy. But really, I am such a gadget lover (even if I can’t afford it most times) and we’ve been hearing about convergent technology for some time already.

I think we’re now getting very much closer to total convergence — where just one device has the features of several gadgets combined like TV, internet, mobile. And I saw it at iblog7 in early April.

Samsung, one of the sponsors of iblog7, brought in this eye candy, 46-inch smart TV that caught my eye all the way from the back of the theater. Who wouldn’t ogle it? It was W-I-D-E. And thin (like the side view of my iPad).  During the break when they took it to the lobby of Malcolm Hall, I was one of those who stood around and admired it – not just from the front but from the side AND from the back as well. Here’s that “quarter turn please” look:

Now, a quarter turn, please?
And….another quarter turn, please?
So from the aesthetic point of view, I’m already in love with this Samsung smart LED TV. I know just the spot in my home for it — almost anywhere!!! Because if it is that thin (see those 4 legs?) I don’t need a special TV stand or table that is over a foot deep. This TV will be such a space saver for me. For a mommy with 4 kids, I’m always running out of space. This space-saving feature, for me, is TOPS!

Let me now count how many different ways I can use the Samsung Smart LED TV:
As a TV
1. We can watch 2D movies – After all, this is a TV, right? 
2. We can watch 3D movies – It’s 3D-enabled. That means once I sync the required 3D glasses with the TV, we can watch 3D movies from the comfort of our home. First movie in my 3D cinematic list? Avatar!
As a Multimedia Player
3. MP3s on a USB stick can go into the USB slot behind the TV and voila! I can listen to my music from anywhere in the room.
4. With the same USB stick, I can watch videos in MP4 format! 
As a Gaming Console
5. I can download from a wide choice of gaming apps and get the whole family to play them on thhe 46-inch screen. Whether it’s Sudoku Plus, Bejeweled 2, or some other game, for sure my kids will spend hours on this TV. 
As my Skype Device
6. See this? This is how we get to talk to my girl who is in China right now. That’s a 13-inch screen with an itsy-bitsy picture of my girl in one window and work on another window. 
We need to crowd around that laptop just to get a view of her and hear her voice. Now, take this Samsung TV and we can divide all 46 inches into 2 windows and all of us will still be able to see her without craning our necks! And hear her voice in surround sound too. Cool!
As a Digital Picture Frame
7. I just need to hook up my digicam or videocam using a USB cable and I can have all photos in my camera or videos in my videocam play on the big screen. Imagine a slideshow on that big screen. During family gatherings at home, this is the perfect way to show off family pictures to a large crowd.
Surf the Net
8. This is where convergent technology really matters – bringing web content into TV. With my wireless network at home that I can connect to the Samsung TV, I can surf the web in one window and watch TV in another. No more looking down at laptop, looking up to watch TV. Everything I need to watch and do is on one device.
As a Power Saver
9. The Eco light sensor in the Samsung TV measures brightness in the periphery of the TV and brightens or dims the screen as needed. This saves energy in the long run.
10. Another energy saver is opening just one device to surf and watch TV rather than opening a laptop and a TV set. The Samsung LED TV is energy-efficient too, unlike my old TV set here which not only has a smaller screen but also has that bulky back, to boot.
I truly would love to have the Samsung LED TV in my living room. For me and my family, it is a game-changer as far as how we use our various devices at home.
(This is my first entry to Samsung Smart TV’s blogger contest.)