Samsung’s Galaxy is growing today, as the company has revealed two new Note smartphones and a co-branded Oculus virtual reality headset at simultaneous press events in New York City, Beijing, and here in Berlin at the IFA 2014 show. The new Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge are both Android-powered “phablets” that pack powerful 2.7GHz quad-core processors, quad-HD Super AMOLED screens, and Samsung’s signature S Pen. The Note Edge boasts a unique curved display that wraps around the right side of the device.
In another bet that wearables are the future of tech, Samsung announced Wednesday a new virtual reality headset called the Samsung Gear VR. The new device will use the just-announced Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s 5.-7 inch screen as its display, while using technology developed by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company purchased by Facebook for $2 billion earlier this year. The Samsung Gear VR will come with new virtual reality software developed by Oculus, including a virtual movie theater called Oculus Cinema and programs that let users play back panoramic photos and videos in a virtual reality environment. Oculus has been working on the Samsung project for at least a year, well before the Facebook purchase. For now the Gear VR is only being released as a beta version, which means it’s aimed at developers and VR enthusiasts and not the general public just yet (just like the Oculus Rift). The headset launches in the fall, but Samsung hasn’t yet disclosed its price.
