be increased or decreased to make the screen any size the customer wants Under bright light the edges of the modules could be seen but when the TV was turned on those edges disappeared All of the company’s new TVs have built-in voice control software which Samsung calls Bixby Introduced in 2017 it is similar to Amazon’s Alexa voice service and Apple’s Siri It lets people ask for their favorite shows learn about the weather turn on the lights or show photos Samsung’s TVs have other interesting new elements Now only one fiber-optic cable comes out the back Power and all audio-visual signals are carried through that mostly hidden cable Steam Link a system that enables games BIXBY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Samsung’s personal assistant software Bixby allows its users to interact with other Samsung products including smartphones TVs and kitchen appliances Samsung is putting millions of dollars into hiring researchers to develop machines that learn what human users want and then perform those actions without being told to do so Artificial intelligence AI systems show some abilities similar to human intelligence They include planning reasoning learning problem-solving perception and the ability to manipulate objects AI is divided into two types narrow AI and general AI Narrow AI examples are vision recognition systems for self driving cars and the voice recognition of the Siri or Bixby virtual assistants Narrow intelligence systems can be taught or learn how to carry out a specific task General AI by contrast is true humanlike intelligence It can learn to do many different kinds of tasks It’s the kind of AI seen in science fiction movies and it does not exist yet in reality 6
the wall from computers to be played on a big-screen TV will be supported on all Samsung TVs The company also introduced a new 49-inch 124 cm computer gaming monitor that is responsive and sharp In an effort to help offices and maybe even classrooms go entirely paperless Samsung presented the Flip It’s a digital whiteboard that connects easily with phones and laptops This makes instantaneous collaboration between project partners in offices or schools possible The large screen can be set either horizontally or vertically Samsung is a major player in the large-screen TV industry 7
SMARTTHINGS CLOUD SERVICE Samsung entered into cloud computing through its SmartThings device and service The word cloud simply refers to the internet Cloud computing is the storing and accessing of data and programs over the internet Cloud computing is big business In 2015 this type of computing was worth an estimated 67 billion That figure was expected to rise to 162 billion by 2020 3 CONNECTING EVERYTHING Samsung has long been a manufacturer of electronics hardware The company has also begun working on its own software to go with those devices One of Samsung’s goals is to have all electronic devices connected through a single system To do that it developed its SmartThings cloud service Even smart cars will be connected through SmartThings which includes a hub device and an accompanying online service HS Kim one of Samsung’s CEOs chief executive officers explained SmartThings will be your remote control for your connected devices 2 Those connected devices include not only televisions and monitors but even kitchen appliances Samsung’s refrigerators are getting smarter The interior cameras can tell whether the ingredients for a particular recipe are already in the fridge The smart TV on the front can play favorite programs or cooking videos The company even upgraded the fridge’s built-in speaker system 8
Samsung also showed off appliances for the laundry room Its compact QuickDrive washing machine only 24 inches 61 cm wide will fit in a closet or small space Samsung said the washer would clean the clothes faster than regular washers It also has a small door through which forgotten items can be added during the wash cycle without getting water all over the floor Samsung demonstrated new speakers at the event too One was a sound bar designed to go with the company’s wall-mounted TVs Another was a wireless A CES attendee examines one of Samsung’s new smart refrigerators 9
