This is the last post in a three-part series on my insights and impressions as a developer from Samsung’s Software Developers Conference (SDC) in San Francisco in April, 2016.
The last revelation I'll share from Samsung at SDC 2016 is, in my opinion, the most ambitious. Samsung announced Artik for IoT (where IoT means “Internet of Things”, the blanket term used to describe how all electronic facets of human life are “coming alive with WiFi” and “talking” to one another). A new OS, a partnership with the current VR leader and the ability to customize some of the most popular devices running Android (the world’s most popular mobile OS)—it's amazing how many resources Samsung put behind its IoT initiative.
Samsung demonstrated how it sees the connected future and created hardware, software and services for every aspect of it. From powerful microprocessors to massive cloud computers, Samsung is giving developers the ability to enhance the world with a sense of focus no other manufacturer has yet provided.
The Future of Autonomy is Artik
Artik allows developers to improve current data models of natural phenomena by bringing the price on hardware down, yet backing it up with a suite of services and tools. Artik supports a device-to-cloud paradigm, where an embedded device communicates with servers computing massive amounts of data simultaneously. The other paradigm is a device-to-device protocol, through which devices speak directly to each other. Device-to-device implementations are ideal for innovations like self-driving cars, an inevitable facet of the future.
With Artik, there’s no part of the autonomous future that Samsung doesn't have a hand in. Samsung also invested heavily in (i.e. owns) SmartThings, an IoT platform already implemented in commercially available devices like door locks, security systems and cameras.
IoT is the future because it’s a more abstract sense of what’s already happening. Smartphones are just phones that are almost always connected to the internet (i.e. they became “smart”). And a “smart TV” is a regular television with the same ability. The same holds for thermostats, garage door openers and light switches. The automation and interconnectedness of devices is the future. The internet will no longer imply the connections between server farms, but rather the larger idea that all devices are connected and behave in a universally cohesive manner.
Building Connections with Artik
Samsung’s Artik is providing a way to start building that future and drive the world towards a connected utopia. Artik supports a variety of platforms such as Fitbit and Pebble, which only broadens the appeal of its services. I think the possibilities with Artik are so unique and potentially earth-shattering that it (and IoT) are the true “next big things”.
Artik was represented through proof-of-concept products taking a variety of device shapes and feature-sets. Because Artik is brand new, I don't have personal experience with development for the platform. However, as far as corporate execution is concerned, I think Artik is the best offering to date. With the inclusion of SmartThings and hardware support for various protocols (WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.), Artik is poised to be a big player in the dominance of IoT.
At SDC 16, Samsung demonstrated that they are not only interested in helping to grow the current standard of what technology is capable of (via KNOX expanding Android, Tizen wearables and throwing its might behind Oculus), but that they know it’s time to look towards the future, in which they invested heavily with SmartThings and Artik.
Developing for the Next 100,000+ Customers
Using Samsung’s tools is clearly the best way for developers to start tackling the issues of the future—the best way to solve problems that have yet to be experienced. And with SmartThings (which does integrate with Amazon’s Alexa), some [undiscovered] solutions are already commercially viable.
So, to my fellow developers I say this: Not every Android phone is a Galaxy device, so develop for Android first. But don’t turn away from KNOX, because it solves the problems you didn’t know you had while you try to improve your customer’s experiences. Remember the growth of wearables, and think about how to make notifications useful. With that being said, to capture the next 100,000+ customers, we must begin to look at the next wave of devices and ecosystems. Thanks to Samsung’s take on IoT (with both Artik & SmartThings), I strongly believe we have found the necessary tools for the next wave of innovation.
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