Samsung Announces GAIA Security For Tizen Smart TVs

Smart TVs, just like smartphones, are web connected and run some kind of OS. LG’s TVs have WebOS and Samsung’s TVs have Tizen. Just like a smartphone, they can be compromised and give up your personal information. Whether it’s something as simple as your Netflix password or as dreadful as the IP and MAC addresses of every computer in your house, or even your credit card information, you can bet there are hackers out there willing to try their hand at getting your info and profiting from it, normally at your expense. With Smart TVs just beginning to come into their own as a part of the Internet of Things ecosystem, security has thus far been largely an afterthought, which is a great way to invite disaster.


Samsung is stepping in to prevent this new wave of smart entertainment from becoming a new wave of security crises with the announcement of a new security standard, called GAIA, for their line of Tizen-based smart TVs. The new service is set to provide layered protection for the hardware, software and relevant services for Samsung’s entire lineup from 2016 onward.  Hyun Suk Kim, president of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business chimed in about the importance of security. “Protecting consumers’ personal information is of the utmost importance to Samsung, both in terms of the company’s values and what’s needed for the continued growth and success of the IoT ecosystem…”, he said of the new security system.


The new system consists of three parts. First, on the hardware front, the OS and drive contents are divided into a main space and a secure space. A hardware-based key file is used for the security space, meaning that would-be hackers will have to obtain and clone that key to access files in the secure area. To make that just a bit harder, GAIA also encrypts all data transmitted via the Smart TV and packs a built-in malware protector that can automatically detect malicious or unauthorized code and stop it dead in its tracks. This means no joy for those who may want to mess around with their Smart TV on a system level, but Samsung obviously feels the security boost is worth it. The third line of defense is a virtual barrier of sorts that requires a number code to get through. Behind this barrier would be the secure zone mentioned above, where sensitive data is stored. Samsung has users covered on their Tizen-based Smart TVs for now, but it’s only a matter of time before vulnerabilities appear. Hopefully, white-hat hackers are the first and only ones to find them.

Source

WhatsApp Download Available and Install On Tizen OS Phones

The new Tizen operating system has become quite popular on the Indian Market. This is the new operating system by Intel, Samsung and Linux. This new operating system is based on the Linux Kernel and GNU C library and it runs on many devices such from Samsung TVs to washing machines or smartphones.

In addition, the new operating system has an open source, which means that its growth and app support is assured in the long run. There are more and more applications that are supporting this new operating system and recently, Samsung has released some new devices on this platform.

It seems that the new operating system has “captured” the lower market segment quite aggressively. You will also notice that this new operating system already supports most common applications on the market, such as weather or messaging applications.

We remind you that applications are very important, as anyone who intends to buy a smartphone is interested in using the social media applications, games and other types of applications that we are using every day.

Tizen OS also supports WhatsApp, which is currently one of the most popular mobile messaging applications, with over 900 million monthly active users. This is the easiest and the most efficient way to communicate via text messages or voice calls with your friends who live all over the world.

Installing WhatsApp On Your Smartphone That Runs On Tizen OS

First of all, you will need to enable data on your smartphone and open the Tizen Store. This store can be accessed by dragging upwards to access apps screen and selecting “Tizen Store”. You will need to create a Samsung account and sign it with it and, after that, search for WhatsApp and install it by selecting the “Get” button.

When the download is complete, you will need to search for “ACL for Tizen”. ACL stands for application compatibility layer and it allows you to run Android applications on your Tizen OS phone. You will need to download it once and it will run on demand, but it will be always enabled.

Source

New Tizen 2.4 (Z130HDDU0COL5) Beta Firmware Released for Samsung Z1

Samsung Z1 just received a new official OTA update in form of the second Tizen 2.4 beta firmware. The software is currently OTA (over the air) available so a notification should be displayed on your device during the following days. However, you can receive this notification only in certain conditions, aspects which will be detailed during the following lines.

Weighing in at 258.2 MB this new Tizen 2.4 beta update is the second release for the Samsung Z1. The new software comes to resolve some problems and also add a few new features in order to ensure a better software experience. Thus, with the new OS (version number of Z130HDDU0COL5) you can get improved messaging features, a new Smart Manager, Voice Recorder and Image Editor app with improvements being made to the Music, Video, Memo, Contacts and Settings app.

Along with all these there were also added several bugs fixes and stability improvements which makes the Tizen 2.4 second beta firmware a stable OS that can smoothly run on the Samsung Z1.
Now, if you want to receive the OTA, your device should already run on firmware Z130HDDU0BOK2 or later – if you have updated your phone to Tizen 2.4 beta firmwareZ130HDDU0COI5 you won’t be able to receive this new update. In that case, you will first have to downgrade back to Tizen 2.3.1 a process which can be completed through Samsung KIES. Also, if you want to be sure that you can receive the notification you should also register your smartphone at Samsung’s Tizen community forum.

That’s all for now. So, a new beta Tizen 2.4 update has been OTA released for your Samsung Z1. The firmware should be anytime now spotted on your device, or you can manually force it down by accessing “menu – settings – about phone – software update – check for updates”. Do tell us how things worked for you and if you already received the update, share your experience with the other users by using the comments field from down below.

Source

Tizen OS Is A Drag On Samsung Smartwatch Offering

Samsung led the shift in the wearables market to be a smartwatch-focused one.
Through the years, Samsung slowly lost its market share until it was finally out of the top five vendors in Q3 2015.
Trying to push a new OS while remaining ecosystem agnostic did not benefit Samsung. The company will need to need to adopt an all-Android strategy to regain its leadership position.

Two years ago, Samsung Electronics (OTC:SSNLF) introduced its first wearable device, the Samsung Galaxy Gear that was a huge leap of innovation at the time and branded as an extension of the Galaxy smartphones and tablets product line. When Samsung launched its first smartwatch in 2013, Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT), Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN), and Jawbone dominated the wearables market with their fitness trackers, and several technology companies were in the final stages of designing their smartwatch device or bringing it to the market. Back then, Samsung was leading the new wave of smartwatch developers, trying to shift the wearables market from being fitness tracker-focused to smartwatch-focused.

As shown in the chart below, for a long period Samsung was among the top five wearables vendors, maintaining an average 5% market share. When Xiaomi, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE) and others launched their smartwatches, Samsung’s market share slowly eroded until Q3 2015, when the company was no longer among the top five worldwide smartwatch vendors.

Samsung’s first smartwatch generation was Android-based and competed with other smartwatches to gain market share from Android users. Samsung wanted to differentiate itself and develop its own, unique ecosystem independent from Android, so it launched its later smartwatch generations based on its proprietary Tizen OS, targeted to compete with Android, iOS, and Windows. Later, Samsung also launched the smart camera and smartphones with plans to release future tablets and PCs running on Tizen. The biggest problem with Tizen is that it enters a saturated market with three very strong OS ecosystems: Android, iOS and Windows. When one of the most prominent competitor, BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY), chose to use Android on its latest smartphone, it demonstrated how intense the competition in this area is and how hard it is to develop a successful ecosystem.

Samsung’s decision to launch its smartwatch product line with a dedicated OS is reasonable, and others do that, as well; however, trying to develop a new ecosystem with smartwatches as its anchor is a terrible mistake. Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS started as smartphone operating systems, and the smartphone is still the anchor of both of these ecosystems. When a new smart TV, smartwatch, smart camera, smart glasses, etc., is launched, it’s using either the Android or iOS ecosystems to expand its capabilities and unlock its full potential by pairing it to a smartphone in the same ecosystem. Tizen devices, however, try to develop a new ecosystem while remaining ecosystem agnostic. This strategy might work with Pebble, Fitbit, or other pure-play wearable vendors, but the South Korean giant cannot use the same strategy. When a customer is buying a smartwatch, this customer wants to receive the highest added value and value-for-money he or she could receive from the purchase. Samsung optimized its smartwatches for either Galaxy devices or Tizen-based smartphones; however, when Samsung smartphones and tablets are Android-based, it would be simpler to use an Android-based watch that could optimally sync and work within the Android ecosystem.

If Samsung wants to drive its own OS, that’s a valid business decision that might have negative consequences in the short-term, but it could lead to a positive outcome in the long term when competing with Android, iOS and Windows. However, in the current situation where Samsung chose a ecosystem agnostic smartwatch solution, it brings no added value to its customers, and that is forcing the customers to choose either other leading ecosystem agnostic solutions or specific Android/iOS solutions. As long as the anchor device for Tizen is a secondary device like a smartwatch and not a primary device like a smartphone, Tizen OS will not rise. As long as Tizen smartphones are not globally available, Tizen OS cannot rise. If Samsung wants to take the wearables market seriously, it needs to drop the Tizen devices until it's ready to compete with the big three ecosystems. When this doesn’t happen, sticking with all Android devices could only benefit Samsung. In the long term, it's in Samsung’s shareholders' best interests that the company will lead every consumer electronic segment, and by sticking only with Android, it could do so without a doubt.

Source

Samsung Introducing Tizen In Galaxy S7

The latest buzz has ignited the discussion regarding Galaxy S7 and Samsung. Although, it was on the cards for Samsung to have a new OS from Android, still, the unexpected announcement of featuring Tizen in galaxy S7 has sparked the phenomenon even more. so much expectations were already attached with Samsung galaxy S7 and with Tizen OS featuring, Galaxy S7 can turn out to be the best smartphone in the history of Samsung.

As far as the release is concerned, Samsung authorities have confirmed that the awe-inspiring phone would be released in spring 2016 and thus fans are already waiting desperately for this phone to come. Samsung Galaxy S7 being the trend-setter to feature Tizen.

Most of the critics are viewing at this phenomenon not from a broader point of view and saying that it would be difficult for Tizen to recognize itself among Android, iOS and others. However, if it is featuring in a giant mobile phone such as Samsung Galaxy S7, we can expect that this can be the best phenomenon we were looking for. Furthermore, the inclusion of Snapdragon 820 processor would also make things pretty amazing for the phone. One thing is for sure that Samsung Galaxy S7 would be something fans would love to have with them.

Source

Say Hola To Tizen – Samsung Saying Adios To Android With The Launch Of Galaxy S7

The worldwide anticipation about Samsung Galaxy S7 is reached to new extremes and that is why we are receiving updates about this enchanting flagship smartphone every now and then. Although, there were rumors that the South Korean Electronics giant is soon to announce the release-date of this phone, but, until these words reach to you comprehension, we are absolutely not been informed about this expected happening.

Witnessing the insane craze attached with this smartphone, we can say that Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is going to be the best ever smartphone released in this flagship. It was announce by the company earlier that the phone would be released somewhere around spring 2016, however, there are also rumors about its early release.

Something that is truly shocking and interesting for the fans and experts alike is that the company is stepping into Tizen phenomenon and hopefully the flagship with technology would come up soon. For the moment, it is expected that Galaxy S7 might first one in this regard to be based on Tizen technology and Samsung is planning to say pip pip to Android with Samsung Galaxy S7. Although, it would be extremely difficult for Tizen to recognize itself in the already saturated market, still, with Samsung Galaxy S7 on its back, everything can be expected.  Another buzz about Samsung S7 is that Galaxy S7 would be having a Snapdragon 820 processor that is most probably going to make this phone an awe-inspiring one. Let’s see how Samsung Galaxy S7 turn out to be the marvelous offering like its predecessors.

Source

Google rumored to be working with Samsung on TouchWiz UI optimization

One of the biggest problems facing Google and Android for a long time now has been fragmentation with smartphone makers working on their own UI skins and customization to differentiate their products from others. These UI elements, however, also lead to slow OS upgrades, which is visible from Google’s Android version statistics that are released every month. In a bid to change that, Google could be working with Samsung to help with its TouchWiz UI, unconfirmed reports suggest.

Samsung, which is the world’s largest smartphone maker, is feeling the impact from commoditization of Android smartphones as Chinese rivals are adding to their market share by offering lower priced smartphones. Samsung has been trying for years to unshackle itself from Google but has not met with much success. Its Tizen OS failed to take off as a worthy Android alternative in the high-end space and has only recently met some success in the low-end segment.

The Korean smartphone maker’s intentions haven’t gone unnoticed in Mountain View and discussions seem to have been happening from as long as January 2014 when Samsung showed off its Magazine UI at CES, much to the displeasure of Google’s management. Samsung and Google then reached an agreement where Samsung backed off a little when it came to coming up with its own apps that rivaled Google’s core services.

Things looked good for a while, when Samsung announced a flatter, less bloated version of TouchWiz UI later that year with the Galaxy S5. The smartphone maker, however, also partnered with Microsoft to have its Office suite and cloud services pre-installed and prominently displayed on the home screen, which again undermined Google.

Google helping Samsung optimize TouchWiz UI could possibly be a win-win situation for both the companies. Samsung would get some much-needed UI help that would make the user experience more in sync with the latest Android UI and could also lead to faster roll out of OS updates. For Google, it would ensure that its largest partner sticks to Android and more importantly, to its vision of Android.

Source