In an effort to make the stylus cool again, Samsung has announced its latest developers challenge for apps that integrate the S-Pen on the Galaxy Note. Up for grabs is $205,000 in cash and prizes as well as exposure and recognition in Samsung digital social media. All developers have to do is use the Samsung S Pen SDK to integrate S Pen functionality into a new or existing Android app that runs on Galaxy Note. This is a great way to attract development for S-Pen integrated apps and an even better way for developers to stand out in what seems like an abyss of apps.
Although Android has an overall lead over iOS in smartphone marketshare, there are IT departments that remain hesitant on the platform. Unlike the iPad and iPhone, which are beginning to be seen to be as business tools rather than consumer-oriented entertainment devices, most Android phones have yet to prove that they offer a business feature that can’t be found on other platforms. Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy Beam smartphone may be the first Android phone to solidly offer something powerful and unique for business users.
The Galaxy Beam is Samsung’s new handset that includes a 15-lumen pico projector. Although Samsung’s press release for the phone offering a lot of personal entertainment uses, this is a device that has clear business potential.
The Galaxy Beam packs a pico projector inside a surprisingly thin body
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2012 — The last of Samsung’s interesting announcments at the Mobile World Congress is the Galaxy Beam. It looks like a regular, if a little chubby, Galaxy smartphone, but when you press a switch on the side a 15-lumen projector flares into life. The demo was in a dark (and crowded, and sweaty) room so we could actually see the images it throws out, but even so, it came off better than most pico projectors I have tested.
The 4.2-inch Wi-Fi handset is adequate
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2012 — Samsung continues to chip away at the iPod Touch market with a newer, bigger version of its Wi-Fi-only Galaxy S Wi-Fi 4.2. It’s a Gingerbread device, running on a 1GHz processor, and — surprisingly — it has a 4.2-inch screen. Obviously Samsung saw lucrative a gap in the market between the 4-inch and 4.5-inch sizes.
We knew there would be a few surprises at MWC and it turns out Samsung is the first to catch us off guard with their new projector smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Beam. This cool little device has a built-in projector with a nHD (640 x 360) resolution and 15 Lumen brightness for those moments when you feel like projecting Angry Birds onto the bathroom stall door. It’s definitely not your run of the mill smartphone, which is refreshing, and we can’t wait to try it out. For all of you wondering, the Galaxy Beam features:
