Samsung Electronics Ranks as Top Five

Samsung achieved $91.4 billion in brand value and is highly recognized for promoting a consistent customer experience strategy and leading future technologies such as 6G and AI

Samsung Electronics today was recognized by Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, as a “Global Top 5” brand for the fourth year in a row. Interbrand releases its list of “Best Global Brands” each year, and on this year’s list, it was revealed that Samsung’s brand value reached $91.4 billion and grew by 4% year-on-year.

Samsung’s brand value increased across all business areas in 2023 despite sluggish demand in the global IT industry. According to Interbrand, Samsung Electronics’ evaluation was positively influenced by the following:

1. Consistent company-wide improvement of the customer experience based on the “One Samsung” strategy.
2. The increased level of connectivity and enhanced gaming experiences through the company’s wide-ranging product portfolio and SmartThings.
3. The company’s role as a leader in future innovative technologies such as 6G, artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
4. Consistent actions to strengthen ESG leadership through eco-conscious activities across all product lines.

“Thanks to the support of our customers around the world, Samsung Electronics’ brand value has continued to grow steadily, despite an overall challenging business environment,” said YH Lee, President of the Global Marketing Office at Samsung Electronics. “We will always strive to be a brand that is loved by our customers through leading in technology innovation, enabling meaningful experiences and continuing our sustainability efforts.”

Late last year, Samsung Electronics established the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Center under the Global Marketing Office to provide an integrated online and offline experience. The company also has the CX-MDE Center — which is responsible for strengthening the multi-device experience — to increase synergy between products and improve the overall customer experience.

Partnerships were also a major factor that drove Samsung’s brand value over the past year. Based on SmartThings, which provides a unified connectivity experience, Samsung is further strengthening its open partnerships to connect not only its own products but also various third-party devices. In addition, the partnerships with various companies across mobile, tablet, TV, PC and monitor products provide customers with an optimized gaming experience.

Samsung continues to invest in leading future technologies such as 5G/6G, AI and automotive that will enable and empower the consumers of tomorrow. In the semiconductor sector, the company was recognized for its industry-first innovations such as 12nm-class DDR5 DRAM and for actively addressing the promising industries from AI to automotive and advanced mobile devices.

ESG has been a major focal point, as the company’s eco-conscious activities are making an impact. Samsung’s efforts include increasing the usage of recycled materials, such as plastics from discarded fishing nets, glass and aluminum in Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Z Flip5ㆍFold5 series, open licensing of solar cell remote technology used in TVs, working together with Patagonia on the Less Microfiber™ Filter for washing machines and introducing AI energy mode in SmartThings Energy.

Interbrand’s Best Global Brands are listed according to the evaluation of each brand value, which is a result of comprehensive analysis of the financial performance of the company, the influence of the brand on customer purchases and brand competitiveness. It is a brand value evaluation with one of the longest histories in the world and is widely recognized for its credibility.

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The Orb and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour release Metallic Spheres In Colour

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2023 — The Orb and David Gilmour, the guitar and voice of Pink Floyd, recently released ‘Metallic Spheres In Colour,’ a visionary re-interpretation of their 2010 ambient classic ‘Metallic Spheres.’ Now in a new use of artificial intelligence led by major recording artists, they are stretching the creative possibilities of the remix project even further by inviting fans around the world to reimagine music from the new album, as well as its cover art, with AI-powered tools.

Starting today, fans can visit metallicspheres.io to create their own personalized AI track and artwork remixed from portions of ‘Metallic Spheres In Colour.’ Visitors to the site will follow a series of prompts indicating the emotion they want the album’s artwork to convey, plus mood and tempo preferences for the available audio. The site, using artificial intelligence capabilities, then generates a new version for playback. Fans can share links to their creations via social media along with their reimagined album covers, and there will be an opportunity to purchase full length remixes as a download in the coming weeks.

In addition, select fan remixes of the ‘Metallic Spheres In Colour’ album cover image, based on the original image by artist Simon Ghahary, may be included in an upcoming music video supporting the album.

Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings are collaborating with The Orb and David Gilmour to develop the ‘Metallic Spheres In Colour’ AI project in partnership with Vermillio, the first generative AI platform that empowers creators and protects their work using Authenticated AI. With Vermillio’s generative AI platform, creators can style, own and track AI-powered digital creations using text-to-image and image-to-image styling tools, while creating audio remixes and variations benefitting artists.

A unique artist-led application of AI

An all-new use of artificial intelligence technology by globally renowned recording artists, the ‘Metallic Spheres In Colour’ AI Remix is powered by machine learning and a custom generative AI model developed for the project.

Remixes of the album art are generated from users listening to selections from ‘Metallic Spheres In Colour’s musical movements in a live group setting and typing in text that describes how the audio they are hearing makes them feel. The AI model then creates new images in the style of Ghahary’s original based on the emotions it detects in the language inputs.

Next, fans can reimagine the audio by using sliders to indicate the desired mood (chill -> high energy) and tempo (slower -> faster) they want the music to convey. The user’s choices are then combined with the emotional input from the album art they personalized to create a new remix of the movement selection.

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Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 Announced Today

Samsung Electronics today announced the Galaxy SmartTag2, launching globally on October 11. Galaxy SmartTag2 brings enhancements to the Galaxy SmartTag line that enable new and better ways to keep track of valuables. Upgrades to the design and usability create even more use cases for the device than ever before.

“We are constantly looking at ways to make people’s lives more convenient through Samsung Galaxy’s industry-leading innovations,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings, Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics. “With the Galaxy SmartTag2, we set out to make sure Samsung Galaxy users can find their belongings in an easy and intuitive way. With an enhanced finding experience and a longer battery life, Galaxy SmartTag2 will provide users with greater peace of mind for longer and in more situations.”

Intuitive Features Make Finding Lost Items Easier Than Ever

Galaxy SmartTag2’s brand-new Lost Mode allows users to input their contact information via a message. Then, anyone who discovers an item with a Galaxy SmartTag2 attached can use their smartphone to scan the tag and see the owners’ message and contact information. This means a Galaxy SmartTag2 attached to a pet’s collar is now a convenient way to ensure the pet owner’s phone number is always there, in most places where the pet might wander. Lost Mode works with any mobile device with NFC reader and web browser.

Galaxy SmartTag2 now provides an improved Compass View feature, enhancing the user experience by providing arrows to show the direction and distance of the Galaxy SmartTag2 in relation to the user. This mode is available on any UWB-supported Galaxy smartphone, such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The SmartThings Find app has also been upgraded, with newly registered Galaxy SmartTags that now installs a shortcut to the app on the user’s smartphone, allowing users to launch SmartThings Find more quickly. Additionally, the app now features a full screen map view and an intuitive interface, making the user experience even more seamless.

Finally, when switching Galaxy smartphones, SmartTag2 now automatically re-syncs you’re your now Galaxy smartphone using your Samsung account.

New Modes Mean Longer-Lasting Battery

Users can now enjoy Galaxy SmartTag2 for longer with the brand-new Power Saving Mode, available alongside an improved Normal mode. For users who rely on SmartTag to continually track items, Power Saving Mode is the perfect option to maintain battery life while ensuring you can keep an eye on your things. With Power Saving Mode, Galaxy SmartTag2’s battery now lasts up to 700 days, more than twice as long as previous Galaxy SmartTag models. Even in Normal Mode, battery life is now extended to 500 days, a 50% increase on previous models. With the flexibility to switch between two modes, users can track their valuables — from car keys to bikes — for longer.

Sleek Design Adapts to Even More Conditions and Brings More Use Cases

Galaxy SmartTag2’s new compact size and ring-shaped design was created with ease of use in mind. The large metal loop enhances product durability by using metal on the inside of the ring for greater resilience that can support accessories such as clips and keyrings. These accessories can also attach to bags and luggage.

Galaxy SmartTag2’s durability has also been upgraded with an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. This enables users to track their items in even more challenging environments, such as when travelling outdoors. For pet owners, there’s no need to worry about everyday wear and tear on the device from pet’s water bowls or running around outside.

Galaxy SmartTag2 also supports a new pet walking mode, making it easy for users to log walks with their furry friends.

Peace of Mind, Repackaged

Galaxy SmartTag2 retains many of the popular features from Galaxy SmartTag and Galaxy SmartTag+. It takes advantage of both Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and UWB capabilities, leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) Find technology to visually guide users toward their item using their Samsung Galaxy smartphone camera. In addition, Galaxy SmartTag2 works within maximum Bluetooth range of 120 meters and can control smart home appliances through the SmartThings app.

Samsung remains committed to securing the privacy of Samsung Galaxy users, with the device’s location only to be made available with the user’s permission. SmartThings Find also encrypts user data and is supported by Samsung Knox for an extra layer of security. Furthermore, disabling Lost Mode immediately hides the owners’ contact information and wipes the message left by the owner from the device.

For Samsung Galaxy users, SmartThings Find can also provide security through its “Unknown tag alerts” feature. This feature alerts users of any unauthorized tracking by sending them a notification if SmartThings Find detects an unknown SmartTag following them. This helps protect users and prevent against the abuse of location tracking services.

Galaxy SmartTag2 also works seamlessly with SmartThings Station, which is integrated with SmartThings Find — serving as an always-at-home device scanner — helping users keep track of valuables that have a SmartTag attached. SmartThings Station will notify users of the location of their tagged item — from personal items like TV remotes, wallets, keys and registered devices like smartphones, tablets, watches and earbuds. Pet owners will also receive an alert when a tagged collar moves too far from the SmartThings Station, helping them keep furry friends close to home.

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Amazon Web Services Launch Women's Demo Week

October 4, 2023—Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), today announced its first-ever AWS Women’s Demo Week, a week-long global event focused on helping women-led startups connect with investors. AWS Women's Demo Week will host pitching events for women-led startups in 18 cities across the globe from November 6 to 10, 2023, with the support of startups organizations, including Ajim Capital, Founderland, GrindstoneXL, and Mogul Millennial. Women founders will be invited to pitch their startups in front of a live audience of potential investors, partners, and customers, as well as other key stakeholders in the startup ecosystem.

“With a tighter capital market, women-led startups have faced a significant decline in venture funding. We want to ignite a movement to showcase the grit and ingenuity of these founders and help them get in front of investors during AWS Women’s Demo Week,” said Kathryn Van Nuys, Global Head of Specialized Startup Segments at AWS. “With the help of our network, we want to leverage our investor connections and resources to demonstrate that women-led startups are good businesses and should be taken seriously by all funders, not only those focused on supporting underrepresented groups".

In 2020, only 2.3% of global VC funding went to women-only founded startups, with Black and Latino women receiving less than 1% each. In the past couple of years, the funding gap has worsened, with latest data from Pitchbook showing that in the U.S. alone, VC funding for all-women founding teams represented just 2.1% in 2022. These statistics spotlight the sizable and growing funding discrepancies facing women entrepreneurs worldwide, especially women of color. AWS Women’s Demo Week aims to increase the visibility of women-led startups, facilitate valuable business connections, and ultimately create a more inclusive, equitable, and innovative tech industry.

“Having a leading organization such as AWS advocate for us as woman founders is an invaluable business resource and also a significant confidence boost,” said Sharon Obuobi, CEO and Founder of Alt/Finance, a real-time market performance data platform used by wealth managers and insurance providers to price luxury real assets, such as art, jewelry, NFTs, watches, wine, whisky, and more. “We participated in one of the women founders showcases promoted by AWS in New York last year and were introduced to a VC that committed a $1 million investment in Alt/Finance—these are the types of doors that AWS is opening for us.”

"AWS Women's Demo Week is incredibly timely, as we are seeing the funding gap for women entrepreneurs widen in Africa", said Eunice Ajim, Founding Partner at Ajim Capital, a venture firm supporting African founders. "We are excited to highlight groundbreaking women founders from Africa in the global stage and support them in unlocking access to capital and connection with international investors". 

"While women-led startups in general have less and less venture funding, Black women founders have been disproportionally affected by the economic downturn," said Brittani Hunter, CEO and Founder of Mogul Millennial, a content and connections platform on a mission to empower Black women to excel as entrepreneurs. "That is why we are honored to support AWS Women's Demo Week and make it a watershed moment to help talented women founders get the visibility they deserve. By showcasing the excellence and innovation Black women bring to the table, we can help shatter biases and forge a more equitable path forward."

Through November 6 to 10, some of the best women-led startups will be selected by AWS and partners to pitch their ideas to investors, and connect with potential customers and partners at in-person networking events in 18 cities across five continents, including:

North America:

New York

San Francisco

Washington DC

Austin

Los Angeles

Latin America:

Bogota

Buenos Aires

São Paulo

Santiago

Mexico City

Europe, Middle East, and Africa:

London

Berlin

Lagos

Johannesburg

Cape Town

Tel Aviv

Amsterdam

Madrid

In addition to gaining valuable venture introductions, participant startups will also receive $10,000 in AWS Activate credits, be connected to AWS technical experts, and have access to the URF startup community.

Details on each event and information on how to apply to join the live audience can be found here: www.awsstartupswomensdemoweek.splashthat.com

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