“The real mobile news is not in the devices themselves, but in how software has changed. A little over a decade ago, software was primarily loaded onto our desktop computers by inserting discs. Price-per-user was often well over $100 and occasionally exceeded $1000. Today’s software is small, inexpensive or free. It takes about 30 seconds to start using a mobile app. Your device is your key to all the power of the Internet. It is where the superstorm of context is thundering into your life” quote Shel Israel and Robert Scoble in their book ‘Age of Context’. And Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd not only gets this context quite well but is clearly pushing the button on contextual computing as was demonstrated in the recently held mobile world congress.
Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, President and Head of the Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics, said in a released statement “Samsung will continue to provide more comprehensive SDKs for our mobile devices and maintain collaborative relationships with development partners to present unique and unprecedented content and services to our customers.”
Mobile app stores will see annual downloads reach 138 billion in 2014 according to a Gartner report. It is an unprecedented opportunity in general and more so for the developer eco-system around the world. And when it comes to developers, one cannot ignore the outstanding capabilities and contribution of Indian developers. Samsung is going after these developers and we will see a host of developer led initiatives and activities in the near future.
Chandragouda Patil
In a recent conversation with Chandragouda Patil (Chandu Patil), Group Engineering Manager, Samsung India, we at YourStory try to understand the Samsung developer opportunities and bring to you some of the interesting areas which you can look out for. Chandu has been with Samsung for over six years now and is an ardent champion of developers. Being a techie at heart, he says, “I get them and the possibilities that Samsung has for the Indian techies is immense and I hope to reach out to all of them.”
Samsung across the app development lifecycle
A typical application development process starts with ideation, goes on to development and testing, and finally onto the monetization with real users. Samsung is deeply involved in enabling developers across the whole process. If a developer has an application idea, then she can use a wide variety of Samsung resources, such as the SDKs to build them. For example, in the case of a bank application, a stylus can be used to match a person’s signature instead of entering his pin number. There are currently 11 SDKs that developers can use.
In terms of testing, Samsung helps in two ways – one, Samsung lends existing and even unreleased devices to the partners for the latest apps they are building; and two, Samsung provides access to Remote Testing Lab (RTL) where the developers can connect to the real devices through the Internet. The developers can deploy their app on the emulator and then test it on the real device, for which the only requirement is a Java-based browsed.
What can the emulator do for App developers?
Developers only need to reserve a time slot for blocking a particular device, after which it can be used for testing.
Major features of the Samsung Remote Test Lab (RTL):
- Installation and execution of applications on a real device
- Android – apk file
- Tizen – tpk / wgt file - Screen capture and recording functionality
- Test automation function – Repeatedly testing a series of specific operations
- Session sharing function – The screen can be shared with other users
RTL has been presented at many events worldwide and today, India has the second largest user base for it. (Hyperlink to: developer.samsung.com/remoteTestLab.do )
Reach & Monetization
According to a VisionMobile study, for mobile developers, market penetration and revenue potential are hands down the two most important reasons for selecting a platform. While Samsung leads on the market penetration front, it has silently been building on its revenue offerings for the developers.
- Samsung Apps Seller Office: This is the platform for publishing apps with Samsung.
It has been made exclusively for the developers to make it easy to publish and gain access to Samsung’s extensive reach of users. This is a one-stop shop for app developers to publish, get the app certified, promote and monetize the apps.
- Advertisements: Samsung’s innovative ‘Ad Hub’ advertising platform can provide developers a way to monetize their apps running on a plethora of Samsung devices. This will provide an opportunity to advertisers to target specific mobile devices. It is a rapidly growing real time bidding exchange, allowing advertisers to purchase mobile real estate from the developers.
- SEED Program: SEED stands for SEE Developer, is a program for developers to meet other developers in the forums. Members who share development information through the Samsung Developer site and actively participate in the forums are rewarded with SEEDs and level up according to the amount of SEEDs they have earned. As developers gain more SEEDs, they can get inducted into the hall of fame, giving them publicity and also gain access to specific Samsung developer events.
Evolving Indian landscape
Earlier, there were small start-up companies catering to this sector in India. Today, the ecosystem has evolved to a scale where even the top executives are quitting their jobs to start something of their own in the mobile space. The eco-system is growing, with a lot VCs coming into the market. In terms of applications, the growth is tremendous in terms of quality and quantity along with huge untapped potential. In terms of specific verticals, Gaming is rapidly growing, followed by a good response in Health and Education.
Indian App ecosystem is large, but monetization has been low – Why?
In terms of downloads, India ranks at 2nd or 3rd but in terms of monetization, it is relatively low. But the number of smartphones sold in India is phenomenal. A couple of years ago, Indian consumers hardly made app purchases. However, the tide is gradually shifting, with youngsters not thinking twice about paying for an app that is in vogue – but this requires some more time to achieve maturity. There are certain hurdles, such as people who still fear using credit cards on mobile phones, but it is definitely changing rapidly. Another point to note is that as India is a diverse country, localized and targeted apps have a higher potential to make money. For example, the number of people reading Tamil newspapers is quite high as compared to English users, but it is hard to find apps for that particular segment. In this case, Samsung is trying to build in 13 language support systems where users can explore apps in their local language.
Wearable Tech
“You must have seen that we launched two new Tizen-powered watch models – the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona this year. These are your companion devices with a number of fitness features, including a heart rate monitor, pedometer, and exercise software for running, walking, cycling, or hiking. In addition, they include embedded IrLED sensors for controlling devices that take infrared remotes. The application is on Tizen OS”, says Chandu Patil.
Both new models now include a built-in standalone audio player, so one no longer needs to bring the phone to listen to music when exercising. These products also present new opportunities for developers to build interesting applications on top of it.
Tizen
This is a Linux based OS for devices – including smartphones, tablets and in-vehicle infotainment – which is built with developers in mind. It is open source and developers can download, develop and tweak the OS itself. It aims to offer a consistent user experience across devices. Tizen is a project withint he Linux Foundation and is governed by a Technical Steering Committee composed of Samsung, Intel and other industry leaders.
Chandu is excited about the possibilities that are becoming real at Samsung and passionately believes in his company’s’ ideologies. “I truly believe that ‘Samsung is taking the world in imaginative new directions’ and this quote by George Bernard Shaw inspires me every day ‘Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will”