Samsung puts an end to Boxee’s secret project, lays off dozens of employees

The plan for Samsung to develop a dedicated media tablet to replace the television remote has come to an end. The team working on the project, largely Boxee employees that transferred to Samsung in 2013, have been laid off as a result. The project, known internally as Perfect Experience, would have competed with Chromecast and other streaming devices while being unique.

Variety, the publication that learned of PX’s cancellation, describes what Samsung was working on:

At the center of PX, which had been in development for around two years, was a dedicated media tablet that aimed to replace the traditional TV remote. The tablet was supposed to give users access to a unified guide with listings of live TV and streaming content with a custom-built user interface that looked unlike any traditional multi-purpose mobile device, according to multiple sources familiar with the project.

Content from streaming services and television providers were among the partnerships Samsung was seeking out. Other than that, PX probably would have operated like Android TV does today. The only difference would have been the hardware and software controlling everything. Samsung likely would have had an advantage by bundling the tablet with its high-end televisions.

A debut was initially pegged for CES 2015, but delays pushed the launch to late 2015. Following even more delays, a release was forced into 2016. Variety reports that content providers were balking at Samsung’s desire to have content embedded into PX’s guide; therefore, users would have been able to skip apps entirely. Organizational conflict was also mentioned as a possibility leading to the project’s end.

Former Boxee CEO Aver Ronen was working with Samsung, too, and is among the employees that have left Samsung.

A Samsung representative commented on the report: “It is our policy to not comment on rumors, speculation or personnel matters.” The rep went on to note that the company will continue investing in areas that “enhance the Samsung experience” for consumers.

Source: Variety
Via: Engadget

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Samsung kills Boxee’s secret tablet remote project, lays off staff

If you were hoping for Boxee’s glorious return as part of Samsung, brace yourself for crushing disappointment ahead. Samsung has reportedly cancelled the group’s next-generation remote project and laid off much of the Boxee team, according to Variety. The team’s project, dubbed internally as Perfect Experience, or “PX,” was apparently focused on developing a tablet-like remote that would sit on your coffee table and let anyone in your household search and control programming. It was supposed to include a guide that brought together both TV listings and content from streaming services. That’s something Boxee has been working towards over the course of its last two set-top boxes, the cube-like Boxee Box and the disastrous Boxee TV, whose main selling point was an (incredibly buggy) cloud DVR feature for over-the-air TV shows.

Samsung paid around $30 million for the Boxee team and its technology two years ago after the company ran out of money and the Boxee TV fell flat. Naturally, Samsung wouldn’t comment directly on the report, but a rep noted that “in order to continuously innovate, we constantly invest in areas of our business that enhance the Samsung experience for our consumers.”

As Variety tells it, Samsung initially gave the the Boxee team plenty of resources and helped them reach around 100 employees. But a combination of delays (it was supposed to debut at CES and be bundled with this year’s TVs), a lack of cooperation from content owners, who didn’t want to make their wares available directly within Samsung’s app, and general distrust from Samsung’s Korean home team led to the PX project falling apart. The idea of a tablet living room centerpiece actually makes sense today — I’ve ever warmed up to the Wii U’s gamepad — so hopefully Samsung finds some way to keep the spirit of this project alive.

Filed under:
Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source:
Variety

Tags: Boxee, hdpostcross, PX, samsung

Samsung ‘fast tracks’ Android security fixes with monthly updates

To ensure that your Samsung devices get timely updates when security issues arise, the company announced a new plan for the patches. Samsung is changing how it handles the security problems by fast tracking fixes via over-the-air updates which will happen “regularly about once per month.” The device maker says it worked with carriers to quickly patch the Android Stagefright flaw that let hackers access phones through MMS videos. Moving forward, Samsung will employ a similar process for beaming out updates, with a hand from carriers and other partners to make sure Android gadgets are updated as soon as possible — especially when it comes to critical issues. “Since software is constantly exploited in new ways, developing a fast response process to deliver security patches to our devices is critical to keep them protected,” explains Samsung executive vice president Dong Jin Koh. Expect to see more info on devices and update timelines in the near future.

Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Source:
Samsung

Tags: android, galaxy, mobilepostcross, samsung, security, software, update