I’ve heard my dad rave about all the cool gadgets and electronics one can experience at the Samsung Forum, so I was quite excited about attending my first one, held at the Impact Forum in Thailand. Being not so techie myself, I tend to gravitate more toward the day-to-day usefulness and aesthetics of a product, rather than focusing on technical specs, and on both counts I was not disappointed.
The forum started with a few introductory talks from Samsung bigwigs, including the president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania, Yong Sung-jeon, who gave a rundown of everything Samsung has in store for us this year.
He talked about “the Internet of things” and explained how Samsung is focusing on making all electronics interconnected through the Internet by 2020.
Imagine coming home from a long day at work, and all you want to do is relax and unwind. Samsung can make sure your car’s GPS can “talk” to your air conditioner to turn on at a certain time and at a certain temperature, so that your place is just the way you like it when you arrive. Likewise, it can tell your music player or speakers to turn on your favorite tunes upon your arrival.
“Samsung has continuously demonstrated a strong legacy of innovation, and this year is no exception,” said Yong. “I am thrilled with the new lineup of products we’re bringing to Southeast Asia and am confident that it will meet people’s needs in the region.”
Being a career woman and single mother, I am constantly looking for ways to make my life less complicated. I was particularly into the new Activ Dual Wash Washing Machine, recently launched in the Philippines, a godsend, as it combines the machine with a sink and a scrubber, plus a jet stream so you can hand-wash your delicates and machine-wash the rest at the same time, and when done, drain everything all at once. It also spin-dries your clothes so you can hang-dry for a shorter amount of time, which can lower your electricity bill by a lot, compared to constantly using the dryer.
Culinary dream
For those who like to cook as much as I do, the Chef Collection Refrigerator is what culinary dreams are made of. Aside from being able to control temperature precisely, the refrigerator and freezer are interchangeable, depending on what you need. You can also dispense your own sparkling water and marinate food in a special compartment, using an oven and provided dishwasher-safe pan, and get everything done from start to finish with no hassle at all.
Lastly, on the domestic front, I also fell in love with their microwave that doubles as a convection oven—perfect for smaller living spaces. It was explained to me that aside from the usual heating, you can also use this microwave to roast, grill, and even make fried chicken and French fries.
Of course, one can’t forget about the Samsung television sets. They seem to get more and more amazing every year. This year, they launched SUHD TV, curved television sets, for a more immersive, realistic experience, like 3D without having to wear those god-awful glasses.
According to Samsung, “The SUHD TV’s nanocrystal transmits different colors of light depending on their size to produce the highest color purity and light efficiency available today. This technology provides viewers with 64 times more color expression than conventional TVs.”
The 88-inch JS9500 TV was showcased at the forum and will be available in the Philippines for P1.2 million. For those who don’t mind a smaller screen, the 78- and 65-inch sets will be available for P500,000 and P300,000, respectively.
The Galaxy A series was also launched, with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, for all selfie-lovers out there. They come in a variety of colors and sizes, with a built-in service called Milk Music, a radio service that allows the user to explore and discover new music.
Expect all these and more this year from Samsung, including faster printers for more efficient business, state-of-the-art audio devices and speakers, as well as the Powerbot, a hands-free cleaning device that guarantees to make tidying up easier and faster.