Samsung TV Plus service will be expanded to the United States and Europe

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Samsung introduced its Smart Hub content platform at IFA 2016 today in Berlin. It also announced the formation of a new premium HDR content partnership that will enable its customers to realize the full potential of its Quantum dot SHUD TVs. Samsung also confirmed its plans of expanding the Samsung TV Plus service.

Samsung TV Plus was launched about ten months ago, the company describes it as the world’s first virtual TV channel service. It lets users watch videos by flipping channels like they would on a regular TV service. It launched TV Plus in South Korea initially where it quickly became a hit. Three months ago, Samsung announced that TV Plus was being launched in Thailand and Vietnam as well. Given the service’s increasing popularity Samsung has decided to expand it to the United States and Europe as well but it’s yet to confirm what that’s going to happen.

Use this tiny device to Track Your Car Using Your Smartphone

Have you ever lost your car on a parking lot? It happens. You park and go shopping. When you get back, you don't have a clue where your car is. Then you start roaming around clicking on the panic button on your car keys so the alarm goes off. It can be frustrating, especially on a hot, sunny day.

No, you don't need to install an expensive GPS system to keep track of your car. It's overpriced. Besides, you would need to pay a monthly subscription fee just to use it. And we all know that having too many monthly bills is stressful.

But is there a way to track your vehicle without spending a fortune? Yes, now there is!

A California-based company was able to make this a reality. They created a tiny device that works with your smartphone, and it could be exactly what you're looking for!

What is it?

It's called TrackR. It is a state-of-the-art tracking device the size of a quarter. It's changing the way we keep track of the important things in our lives

                                   

How does it work?

It's easy! Install the free TrackR app on your smartphone, connect the app to your device and you're ready to go! Simply attach TrackR to whatever you want to keep tabs on. The entire process of setting it up only takes 5 minutes or less.

You can attach it to your keys, briefcase, wallet, your latest tech gadgets and anything else you don't want to lose. Then use the TrackR app to locate your missing item in seconds.

The Tracking Possibilities Are Endless!

Forget expensive GPS systems or tracking services. Nobody wants to pay expensive monthly subscription fees. We understand how stressful these things can be, and this is the reason why TrackR was created. This device is your VIP when you need to take care of more important things in life.

Remember the car scenario above? If you have the TrackR, you can just hide it under your car's floor mat, in the trunk or in the glove compartment. Somewhere it won't be found if your car gets stolen.

If you forget where you parked your car, whip out your smartphone and open the TrackR app. Tap on the "find device" button on the screen and the app will tell you the exact coordinates of the last known location of the TrackR.

                          

Sony's are out of fire this season

If the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results, then someone needs to check in on Sony. Every six months, the company announces a handset in the hope of making some tiny level of impact on the mobile industry. And every six months, those same devices are rated as being generally fine, but not as compelling or cheap as alternatives from rival companies. You'd think that, after a couple of years of this crushingly predictable cycle, someone would have suggested a change. Well, you'd have hoped so, because the Xperia XZ just feels like more of the same.

The new Xperia XZ isn't a bad phone, by any means, but it's little more than a glorified polish job on the Xperia X Performance. That was Sony's early-2016 flagship and when we reviewed it, our Chris Velazco called it "$700 worth of disappointment." But this isn't just a one-off, it's the latest in a series of conservative, underwhelming handsets that have failed to click with buyers across the world. Technology purchases like smartphones are meant to excite you -- especially if you're spending the better part of a grand on one -- and Sony simply can't do that.

In order to illustrate Sony's malaise, it's worth looking at the list of flagship-level handsets that it's launched since the start of 2013. This list of devices covers three eras of Sony, immediately before and during Kaz Hirai's much vaunted "One Sony" turnaround strategy, as well as his subsequent U-turn when it came to mobile. At the start of 2015, Hirai said that the mobile division would now simply produce a handful of devices each year in the hope of keeping skilled employeesand facilities around just in case future technologies needed them.

Xperia Z - (January 13)Xperia ZR - (January 13)Xperia ZL - (January 13)Xperia Z1 - (September 13)Xperia Z1s - (September 13)Xperia Z1 compact - (January 14)Xperia Z2 - (February 14)Xperia Z3 - (September 14)Xperia Z3 compact - (September 14)Xperia Z3+ - (April 15)Xperia Z5 - (September 15)Xpera Z5 compact - (September 15)Xperia Z5 premium - (September 15)Xperia X - (February 16)Xperia XA - (February 16)Xperia X performance - (February 16)

Sony's defenders would point to Samsung and say that both companies have a similar Spring-to-Fall release cycle. But Samsung caters to two distinct user groups with two very different products in the form of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note handsets. There's also the fact that Samsung is happy burningbillions on advertising to support its devices, in stark contrast to Sony'srelatively empty pockets.

If Sony can't compete with Samsung's financial muscle, then it should probably attempt to innovate its way out of trouble. Except that's going to be a problem too, since -- right now -- there are no new technological worlds to conquer in smartphones. Last year, Sony added 4K displays to its flagship Z5 Premium with predictably beautiful, but otherwise pointless, results. The fact that the Xperia XZ ships with a 1080p screen shows that wiser heads prevailed this year.

That doesn't leave Sony with many places to go, and there's not much it can do in hardware, despite its legendary expertise. After all, LG couldn't make a big impact with the "friends" ecosystem that surrounded the G5 and Motorola doesn't appear to have set the world on fire with its own version. So that just leaves software, an area where Sony notoriously lags behind its Android rivals.

Then there's the fact that the smartphone world is slowly beginning to crunch and, much like the tablet space, it won't be long before several manufacturers pull out of the market. We've reported on this problem a few times, but everyone who can afford a smartphone already has one, and fewer people feel the need to replace them once every two years. In that vacuum, it's price, rather than quality, that has become a big driver for people's purchases — which is why low-or-no-margin companies like Huawei and OnePlus have become so huge. Oh, and if that wasn't bad enough, Samsung is targeting Japan for its next big growth opportunity: parking its tanks directly on Sony's lawn.

Given that Sony has very few places that it can turn, I asked my colleagues what they would do in its place. The most repeated answer was "Vita Phone," a device that would combine the company's (under-loved) gaming handheldwith a smartphone. Of course, Sony's been there already with theXperia Play and other companies have tried to blend gaming with smartphones -- wave hello, Nokia's N-Gage -- with no success. Then again, Sony is now at the point where it's got so little to lose that maybe a little bit of left-field alchemy is exactly what it needs.

Huawei is now a king on smartphone design

incoming iPhones, a new challenger in smartphone design has arisen, and Huawei is landing hits not only in the price bracket it has traditionally played in, but against devices several hundred dollars more. Latest from the company is the Nova series, a pair of Android phones differentiated primarily by their size, but unified by two core elements.

First, that they're astonishingly affordable for their specifications, and second, that they offer a degree of style that can be ranked among the best of the competition.

For a long time, it was easy to dismiss Huawei as another also-ran in the smartphone space. The Chinese company had plenty of big talk and equal numbers of cheap devices: the sort of prepaid handsets that carriers would give a cutesy name, sell for a season, but which always prioritized price over style.

I suspect Samsung, LG, and HTC would've been happy to leave that space to them and focus, instead, on more high-end phones where brand recognition is cemented. Huawei, though, didn't get that memo, and proceeded to aggressively challenge the status-quo with a number of devices that could compete on thinness, metal construction, and design.

NOW READ: The big Nexus 6P Review

The tipping point, arguably, was when Google picked Huawei to make its Nexus flagship. The Nexus 6P was arguably the most premium in feel of Google's "own brand" phones since the very first Nexus One, a sleek and handsome slice of metal and glass that made LG's Nexus 5X feel every bit as cheap and plasticky as it was, and that left its predecessor, the Motorola-made Nexus 6, look clunky and vast.

That Nexus 6P DNA is clear in the Huawei Nova, particularly in the smaller, cheaper model. Indeed, the 399 EUR Nova could easily be mistaken for a Nexus Mini, with its smooth, brushed aluminum body, carefully chiseled buttons, and sleek strip of plastic, inset around the camera.

If Huawei demonstrated with its first swing at a Nexus that it could deliver a premium smartphone with build quality to match the price tag, then the surprise must really have dawned among its competitors when they saw what it was capable of in the mid-range.

The Nova offers an astonishing amount for its competitive price tag. Fingerprint biometrics; 12- and 8-megapixel cameras front and back, respectively; the latest USB-C; fast charging; a fulsome battery; and removable storage along with dual-SIM support. All wrapped up in a chassis that wouldn't embarrass any of the more mainstream manufacturers.

Indeed, what once was primarily HTC's schtick, making sleek metal Android phones with palm-pleasing style, Huawei has now wrested away.

There is a reason Huawei is now the third largest smartphone company in the world, and it's not just bottom-of-the-barrel-scraping price tags.

Having spent some time with both the Nova and the Nova Plus, its slightly larger sibling, I'm honestly amazed by quite how much the company has done for so little.

Sure, there are blips: Huawei's software leaves something to be desired, and the Snapdragon 625 chipset probably won't be anybody's first choice, but the combined package achieves something few midrange devices can, in successfully masquerading as far more expensive products.

Factor in Huawei's sub-brand Honor which, despite being cringeworthy in how Millennial-obsessed it is, is nonetheless responsible for other stand out surprises like the sub-$400 Honor 8, and you have a company cutting costs but not corners.

That's great news for consumers but a warning siren for smartphone stalwarts. Underestimate Huawei at your own risk, because this streak of affordable design is no fluke.

Samsung teams up with Mercedes-Benz to develop a digital car key

Samsung has teamed up with automotive giant Mercedes-Benz to develop a new digital car key. The technology, which was showcased yesterday at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin, is capable of turning any NFC-enabled Galaxy smartphone into a ‘smart key’ that can be used to lock, unlock and start a car.

To prevent even the most tech-savvy thief from manipulating the locks to gain access to a vehicle with a smart key, Mercedez-Benz will installed a tamper-proof NFC chip with an embedded Secure Element in the driver’s door handle. This solution will ensure that the automobile only unlocks when instructed to do so by an authorized device.

Update OS X Right Now or You Could Get Some Nasty Spyware

Apple has issued an urgent security update for OS X El Capitan, OS X Yosemite and Safari to protect against the same security vulnerability that hit iOS last week.

To update on OS X, go to App Store > Updates and then install the Security Update 2016-001 (for El Capitan) or 2016-005 (for Yosemite). For users on OS X Mavericks, a Safari update is available as well.

Oh and while you’re at it, you should update iOS as well. (Just go to Settings > General > Software Update on your device, and follow the instructions.) The urgent OS X patch comes a week after Lookout Security and Citizen Lab discovered a nasty strain of spyware that could hijack an iPhone with a simple text message. Lookout Security’s Mike Murray called it “one of the most sophisticated pieces of cyberespionage software we’ve ever seen.”

The malware was used to target human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor. Mansoor noticed a strange text message on his phone, and rather than clicking the link, he turned his phone over to experts. It’s a good thing he did. That malware could have been used to read text messages, emails, and track calls and contacts.

Because OS X and iOS share a lot of the same code, it makes sense that a vulnerability in iOS would also exist in OS X. It isn’t clear exactly how the exploit would be used on OS X on iOS users would be hit with a rogue SMS message but don’t take any chances. Update! And

Get Apple’s new iPhone 7 for free

Apple is expected to unveil details of the new iPhone 7 at an event on Wednesday. Once again, resale sites have reported a surge in trade-ins of old iPhones ahead of the announcement. Though prices offered for trade-ins will start dropping closer to the big day, consumers can still lock in high enough prices to break even — or earn a profit — by trading in their old gadget and upgrading to a new phone.

The iPhone 7 16-gigabyte version will likely cost around $22 a month on a two-year contract, depending on the carrier, $199 with a two-year wireless contract for the same version or $299 for a 64-gigabyte version, in-line with previous iPhone launches, experts say. With most offers, it’s possible to sell an old iPhone to a resale site or online retailer for more than the cost of the new phone, although you will need to sign a two-year contract. And note that those who bought an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus last year and still have time left on their current contract would likely have to pay an early termination fee.

See also: This isn’t a normal iPhone upgrade and Apple will be just fine

The resale market became more lucrative for consumers with the added competition last year after Apple AAPL, +0.94%   and Wal-Mart WMT, -0.47%  entered. Resale site Glyde offers $409 for a 16-gigabye iPhone 6S (or $326 for a 6) and $447 for a larger 6S Plus (or $355 for a 6 Plus). Another such site NextWorth offers up to $350 for the 16-gigabye 6S in pristine condition (or $245 for a Plus), and up to $364 for the 6S Plus with the same memory (or $285 for a 6 Plus). And rival Gazelle offers up to $300 for the 16-gigabye iPhone 6S and up to $200 for the iPhone 6 (and a maximum of $325 for the 6S Plus).

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Apple and CEO Tim Cook, 5 years later

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Apple CEO Tim Cook took over the reins from co-founder Steve Jobs five years ago. Since taking over, how has Apple performed? Photo: Getty Images.

For gift cards only, Amazon AMZN, +0.24%   will give you around $331 for a 16-gigabye iPhone 6S or $400 for a 6S Plus, although prices vary depending on condition and carrier, while Apple will give you up to $225 for an iPhone 6 and $250 for an iPhone 6 Plus (Apple doesn’t currently offer trade-ins for the 6S models online). At Walmart stores, the value for an iPhone 6S 16-gigabye is roughly $275 to $300, depending on the carrier; for the 6S Plus, a 16-gigabye has a trade-in value of $325 to $350.

“We expect around a 15% decline in pricing for old iPhone models around the expected September launch,” says Glyde spokesman Matthew Reardon. “If people have a replacement phone they can use between now and the launch, it’s a great time to sell.”

But for consumers who have second thoughts about upgrading, some resale sites allow you to hang on to your phone after agreeing to a trade-in deal. NextWorth and Gazelle give customers a 30-day grace period between signing a contract and handing over their phone. (Glyde has no grace period as it’s a peer-to-peer seller.)

Analysts predict that the new iPhone 7 will still come in two screen sizes — 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches in width to compete with the larger Androids — and possibly come without a headphone jack, have a significantly improved camera and may even be waterproof (for those who have dropped their previous phones in the pool or the toilet bowl) and may even ditch the 16 gigabyte version, as apps and photos eat up memory on the device. (Apple did not respond to request for comment.)

As Apple’s new-device releases become more frequent, the company must work harder to convince people to upgrade each year, says Brian Colello, technology analyst at research firm Morningstar. While the smartphone market is getting saturated in the U.S., the iPhone 7 will likely have a big impact, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is hoping that the upgrades and fanfare surrounding the iPhone 7 upgrade will put pressure on Samsung.

Thus far, resale sites have been reporting a surge of trade-ins for all of the most recent models. Resale site Decluttr.com says there has been 73% increase in sales in the past month alone, and is predicting an influx of iPhone 6 and 6s models following Apple’s press conference on Wednesday.

mac book pro 2016 leaks

While the anticipated arrival of the iPhone 7 looks set to take centre stage in Apple's plans this year, a lot of fans will much happier to hear there are rumours that an all new MacBook Pro is also heading our way.

The tech giant is hotly tipped to introduce a new range-topping laptop by the fourth quarter of 2016 and in contrast to the iPhone 7 – which is expected to only introduce minor changes – it could be a game changer.

Here's what's been said so far: 

OLED touchbar

MacRumors pours over the most consistent rumour about the laptop – that it will boast a thinner but more functional design thanks to the addition of an OLED touch bar.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the most accurate Apple analysts, the next MacBook Pro will represent "the most significant upgrade ever taken by Apple".

It's been suggested that a touch-sensitive strip will be placed just above the keyboard, replacing the physical function keys altogether. By using a touchscreen, the laptop can change the buttons into controls specific to software and apps - for instance, the bar could be used to track downloads or act as a dedicated control for apps such as Spotify, seamlessly shifting between different programmes.

It seems like a pretty good bet, considering MacRumors has published photographs of what appears to be a MacBook chassis designed to hold the new component.

Thinner design

Apple's current MacBook Pro line-up is noticeably fatter than the standard MacBook and MacBook Air so it's no surprise to believe the next model will be thinner and lighter.

The same leaks by Ming-Chi Kuo imply the tech giant is readying metal-injection mould-made hinges and the shallow, butterfly-mechanism keyboard from the 12ins MacBook for use on its range-topper, strongly suggesting it will be much thinner.

There's more, though, and much like the iPhone 7 set to ship this September, the MacBook Pro could drop ports in order to slim down.

This new iPhone is expected to arrive with no headphone jack and according to AppleInsider, the next MacBook Pro could go down a similar route with its USB ports.

The laptop may only come with the USB Type-C standard – the smaller USB slots used on the latest MacBook for data transfer and charging. 

Faster, with better battery life

The next laptop being speedier and more efficient is a given – all thanks to sixth generation Skylake processors, says TechRadar.

"The move to Skylake is likely to warrant massive speed improvements across the board in addition to more impressive battery lives", says the site, adding the processors also sport support for wireless charging. However, it's unlikely this is a feature that will arrive on the laptop.

Touch ID

Kuo has also shared information with 9to5Mac claiming the MacBook Pro will get Apple's biometric scanning system.

Touch ID is already known to users of recent iPhones or iPads. It uses fingerprint scanning to add a new layer of security for potentially sensitive actions, such as payments.

Kuo says this year's tablet will see Apple incorporate the technology into the power button, suggesting features such as Apple Pay could be heading the way of the MacBook line-up.

Stylus friendly trackpad                                                       

It's also been speculated that Apple could introduce a stylus-friendly trackpad to the MacBook Pro following the discovery of patents detailing such a feature.

Alphr picks up the trail, suggesting that the introduction of the Apple Pencil last year alongside the new iPad Pro opens up the possibility of a MacBook Pro with a trackpad you can draw on.

The trackpad would be much larger than the one fitted to the current MacBook Pro range in order to make the new feature as useful as possible and given the laptop's standing as a favourite with creatives and designers, says the site, it could be a game-changing feature.

When will Apple release it?

It's expected that the next MacBook Pro will arrive at some point this year, although most rumours have painted a murky picture as to exactly when and there have been one or two no-shows. It wasn't at Apple's last hardware reveal in March, when the company unveiled the iPhone SE, upgrades to the Apple Watch and a 9.7ins iPad Pro.

Similarly, the new laptop was a no-show at June's Worldwide Developers Conference. Instead, Apple focussed solely on software, with big upcoming releases iOS 10 and WatchOS 3 as the headline acts.

Apple's next big event is scheduled to take place on 7 September, when the company is expected to reveal its next smartphone – the iPhone 7 – and possibly more. While it's possible the 2016 MacBook Pro could emerge, critics and insiders feel an Apple Watch 2 is more likely to be the support act.

The latest word on the MacBook Pro's arrival comes from Bloomberg and suggests a reveal not too long after that of the iPhone 7.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple will show off its next laptop in October and it will form part of an almost entirely refreshed Mac line-up.

Also expected are a new 5K standalone monitor made in collaboration with LG, plus iMacs with new graphics cards and a tweaked MacBook air with multi-functional USB-C port technology.

pre-orders for the Gear S2 classic will be available from tomorrow

 The Samsung Gear S2 Classic, the latest connected smartwatch from Samsung, is sure to turn heads with its upscale look.

it’s a classic compliment that is still used today, and also applies to smartwatches. It’s the reaction you want from others when they look at your wrist.

It’s designed with a circular interface and rotating bezel to easily navigate through notifications, apps, and widgets without having to cover the screen. The smartwatch also includes a Super AMOLED display cased in stainless steel, making the smartwatch both sophisticated and elegant.

It can also be customized to match different styles. The straps can be replaced with standard 20mm watch bands and watch faces can be personalized to color-coordinate your outfits of the day. All this lets you make the Gear S2 Classic yours.

It was only a few days ago that Samsung announced that the Gear S2 classic 3Gwill be available from major wireless carriers in the United States. Carriers are supposed to individually confirm pricing and availability for this variant of theGear S2 smartwatch. Verizon has confirmed the pricing and release date for the Gear S2 classic 3G today.

Big Red will start taking pre-orders for this smartwatch from tomorrow for $399.99. The Gear S2 classic 3G from Verizon is also going to be available for $349.99 with a new two-year contract. Existing customers will be able to add the device to their Verizon account for $5 per month. The smartwatch will connect to Verizon’s 3G network enabling users to make calls, send and receive messages and notifications even when they’re not paired to a smartphone.

Samsung launch the first smartwatch in Italy with integrated eSIM

TIM and Samsung, in collaboration with Gemalto, launched today the first smartwatch in Italy with an integrated embedded SIM (eSIM), representing the evolution of the SIM Card and mobile devices. Samsung`s Gear S2 Classic 3GSmartwatch is the first wearable device in the world with eSIM, a technological innovation that marks a further step towards the digital future of the Internet of Things.

The eSIM makes it possible to connect the device, simply and immediately, to TIM`s mobile network using a QR code. Samsung`s Gear S2 Classic 3G Smartwatch is a real watch that has all the functions of a smartphone and stands out for its essential design with a circular face and metal finish. You can make calls, send and receive text messages, receive notifications, consult your fitness data (step counter, heart rate monitor, stop watch), read emails and browse social networks in complete freedom wherever you are. Fitted with a Tizen operating system, the smartwatch allows you to navigate and choose different services and screens thanks to a revolving bezel ring. Moreover Gemalto, through its platform, will guarantee the correct management and customization of mobile radio service directly from within the embedded SIM.

This initiative, achieved thanks to the expertise of TIM, Samsung and the collaboration with Gemalto, highlights the three players` ability and commitment to contribute to the development of innovative services for the Internet of Things.

Adoption of the eSIM is only the first step in the evolution of the features of the traditional SIM. This new system allows you to activate and update your subscription to the service remotely, and will then allow the eSIM to be used on other types of devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Thanks to this collaboration people will be able to manage every need on the go through increasingly simple and immediate connectivity tools and TIM`s 4G network. The world of wearables in which Samsung has been investing in recent years represents a strategic technological line within a mobile ecosystem which concerns numerous applications in different areas, from sport to lifestyle and business. The introduction of the eSIM will further contribute to the evolution and spread of this category of devices which is rapidly growing.

Samsung`s Gear S2 Classic 3G Smartwatch is offered at 399.90 euros or it is available with an initial contribution of 49 euros and thereafter instalments of 10 euros/month for 30 months.

google employs its new ride service on uber

Unlike Uber and its crosstown San Francisco rival Lyft Inc., which each largely operate as on-demand taxi businesses, Waze wants to connect riders with drivers who are already headed in the same direction. The company has said it aims to make fares low enough to discourage drivers from operating as taxi drivers. Waze’s current pilot charges riders at most 54 cents a mile—less than most Uber and Lyft rides—and, for now, Google doesn’t take a fee.

Google is moving onto Uber Technologies Inc.’s turf with its own ride-sharing service in San Francisco that would help commuters inexpensively join carpools, said a person familiar with the matter, jumping into a booming but fiercely competitive market.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., began a pilot program around its California headquarters in May that enables several thousand area workers at specific firms to use the Waze app to connect with fellow commuters. It plans to open the program to all San Francisco-area Waze users this fall, the person said, with hopes of expanding the service if successful. Waze, which Google acquired in 2013, offers real-time driving directions based on information from other drivers.

Still, Google’s push into ride-sharing could portend a clash with Uber, a seven-year-old firm valued at roughly $68 billion that largely invented the concept of summoning a car with a smartphone app.

Google and Uber were once allies—Google invested $258 million in Uber in 2013—but more recently have become rivals in some areas. Alphabet executive David Drummond said on Monday that he resigned from Uber’s board because of rising competition between the pair. Uber, which has long used Google’s mapping software for its ride-hailing service, recently began developing its own maps.

The two also are racing to develop driverless cars. Google has led the way with such technology, founding a project in 2009 that has now amassed more than 1.8 million miles of autonomous driving with its test cars. Uber earlier this month bought Ottomotto LLC, a six-month-old driverless-truck startup founded by Google veterans. Uber said it plans to start testing robotic taxis in Pittsburgh over the next several weeks, beating Google to a commercial test of self-driving technology.

Uber and Lyft declined to comment.

Waze is one part of Google’s larger ambitions to upend transportation. Google is considering testing its driverless cars in a ride-sharing service, people familiar with the matter said, and executives have identified ride-sharing as a potential business model for its self-driving technology.

Waze’s path in new markets could mimic its development in Israel, where the company was founded, according to the person familiar with the matter. Google started testing a carpool service for Israeli commuters on Waze last year, and it quickly expanded. The Waze ride-sharing service is now available at all hours in most parts of Israel.

In the San Francisco pilot, any local Waze user can sign up as a driver, but ridership is limited to roughly 25,000 San Francisco-area employees of several large firms, including Google, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Adobe Systems Inc. Riders are limited to two rides a day—intended to ferry them to and from work.

In the planned expansion, anyone with the Waze app in the San Francisco area could sign up to be a rider or driver, the person said. Though Google currently doesn’t collect a fee, the company is exploring different rates in Israel and San Francisco, the person familiar with the matter said.

Ben Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie GroupLtd., said a Waze ride-sharing service is a natural next step for Google, which has made clear its intentions to move into transportation. He warned that the company would need to navigate several potential pitfalls, including legal and safety issues.

“I don’t think they’ve had any significant experience in a lot of the issues that will surely arise around” starting a ride-sharing business, Mr. Schachter said.

Like Uber and Lyft, Waze’s drivers aren’t employees of the company, the person said. Unlike Uber, Google doesn’t plan to vet drivers for a Waze service, instead relying on user reviews to weed out problem drivers, the person said.

Waze, which operates as its own unit within Google, boasts 65 million active users, many of whom alert other users to police or traffic accidents—a hallmark of the app.

Robert Rickett, a 29-year-old nonprofit worker in Sacramento, Calif., said he uses Waze for navigation daily, particularly while driving for Lyft in the evenings. But he said he wouldn’t abandon Lyft for a Waze ride-hailing service, unless it offered him better opportunities as a driver.

Still, he noted Waze’s positive reputation among drivers is a big advantage—though he admitted he didn’t know Google owned the service.

“They have a lot of people who trust Waze,” he said while driving two Lyft passengers across the Bay Bridge into Oakland, Calif. “If they can capitalize on that, they could pull some market share.”

  

Unlike Uber and its crosstown San Francisco rival Lyft Inc., which each largely operate as on-demand taxi businesses, Waze wants to connect riders with drivers who are already headed in the same direction. The company has said it aims to make fares low enough to discourage drivers from operating as taxi drivers. Waze’s current pilot charges riders at most 54 cents a mile—less than most Uber and Lyft rides—and, for now, Google doesn’t take a fee.

Google is moving onto Uber Technologies Inc.’s turf with its own ride-sharing service in San Francisco that would help commuters inexpensively join carpools, said a person familiar with the matter, jumping into a booming but fiercely competitive market.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., began a pilot program around its California headquarters in May that enables several thousand area workers at specific firms to use the Waze app to connect with fellow commuters. It plans to open the program to all San Francisco-area Waze users this fall, the person said, with hopes of expanding the service if successful. Waze, which Google acquired in 2013, offers real-time driving directions based on information from other drivers.

Still, Google’s push into ride-sharing could portend a clash with Uber, a seven-year-old firm valued at roughly $68 billion that largely invented the concept of summoning a car with a smartphone app.

Google and Uber were once allies—Google invested $258 million in Uber in 2013—but more recently have become rivals in some areas. Alphabet executive David Drummond said on Monday that he resigned from Uber’s board because of rising competition between the pair. Uber, which has long used Google’s mapping software for its ride-hailing service, recently began developing its own maps.

The two also are racing to develop driverless cars. Google has led the way with such technology, founding a project in 2009 that has now amassed more than 1.8 million miles of autonomous driving with its test cars. Uber earlier this month bought Ottomotto LLC, a six-month-old driverless-truck startup founded by Google veterans. Uber said it plans to start testing robotic taxis in Pittsburgh over the next several weeks, beating Google to a commercial test of self-driving technology.

Uber and Lyft declined to comment.

Waze is one part of Google’s larger ambitions to upend transportation. Google is considering testing its driverless cars in a ride-sharing service, people familiar with the matter said, and executives have identified ride-sharing as a potential business model for its self-driving technology.

Waze’s path in new markets could mimic its development in Israel, where the company was founded, according to the person familiar with the matter. Google started testing a carpool service for Israeli commuters on Waze last year, and it quickly expanded. The Waze ride-sharing service is now available at all hours in most parts of Israel.

In the San Francisco pilot, any local Waze user can sign up as a driver, but ridership is limited to roughly 25,000 San Francisco-area employees of several large firms, including Google, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Adobe Systems Inc. Riders are limited to two rides a day—intended to ferry them to and from work.

In the planned expansion, anyone with the Waze app in the San Francisco area could sign up to be a rider or driver, the person said. Though Google currently doesn’t collect a fee, the company is exploring different rates in Israel and San Francisco, the person familiar with the matter said.

Ben Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie GroupLtd., said a Waze ride-sharing service is a natural next step for Google, which has made clear its intentions to move into transportation. He warned that the company would need to navigate several potential pitfalls, including legal and safety issues.

“I don’t think they’ve had any significant experience in a lot of the issues that will surely arise around” starting a ride-sharing business, Mr. Schachter said.

Like Uber and Lyft, Waze’s drivers aren’t employees of the company, the person said. Unlike Uber, Google doesn’t plan to vet drivers for a Waze service, instead relying on user reviews to weed out problem drivers, the person said.

Waze, which operates as its own unit within Google, boasts 65 million active users, many of whom alert other users to police or traffic accidents—a hallmark of the app.

Robert Rickett, a 29-year-old nonprofit worker in Sacramento, Calif., said he uses Waze for navigation daily, particularly while driving for Lyft in the evenings. But he said he wouldn’t abandon Lyft for a Waze ride-hailing service, unless it offered him better opportunities as a driver.

Still, he noted Waze’s positive reputation among drivers is a big advantage—though he admitted he didn’t know Google owned the service.

“They have a lot of people who trust Waze,” he said while driving two Lyft passengers across the Bay Bridge into Oakland, Calif. “If they can capitalize on that, they could pull some market share.”

How Samsung Helps its Internal Innovators to Spread their Wings

Imagine being able to create your own business with the help of your existing employer. Even better, imagine being given the resources and time off from your daily duties to help your venture become a success. It might seem like an unlikely idea, but it’s one that’s taking place right now under our roof here at Samsung.

Samsung has a legacy of building market-leading products. Chances are that you probably have a piece of Samsung technology in your home or workplace. However, a company can never rest on its laurels and that is no less true for Samsung than any other firm that wants to innovate into the future. And with the link between creativity and productivity so clear, Samsung created a program that clearly shows that ethos. As well as continuing its traditional business units, the company is also helping our workers to think outside the box and the results are already evident.

The Samsung C-Lab (short for Creative Lab) was set up to enable Samsung employees to nurture their own business ideas and give them the tools, the time and the support to become fully fledged businesses. The program encourages progressive thinking by giving workers the go-ahead to develop ideas, even if those ideas don’t necessarily fit within a currently existing area of our business. The only pre-requisite is that the idea is genuinely innovative and can demonstrate itself as such by gaining the approval of other colleagues. The end result is a new product or service that could be developed further by Samsung, or stand on its own two feet as a business in its own right.

The great thing about the C-Lab is that Samsung enables workers taking part in this program to dedicate themselves to their projects 100%. They can take between six months to a year away from their usual day jobs and spend it working on their ideas. They’re given free rein to experiment, which means unbridled creativity. It’s a positive move that helps Samsung’s people to unlock their potential by doing something they’ve never done before.

The C-Lab is a win-win situation. The workers are empowered to explore and create in ways that differ to how they are usually able. And for Samsung, the C-Lab keeps us at the forefront of innovation by taking a different approach.

Changing Business

The C-Lab was created in 2012, based on the experiences that Samsung’s management had in Silicon Valley. They had seen how the entire business environment was changing. The startup scene there in particular was booming, with large numbers of companies receiving investment on the back of original ideas and growing aggressively. It wasn’t the traditional types of businesses we were used to seeing thrive on such a scale. These startups were fleet of foot and able to move very quickly without being hampered by legacy thinking and bureaucracy. They were agile enough to move and change rapidly.

Technology in particular was in 2012, and still is, a huge growth area for startups. Internet and software companies, for example, accounted for two thirds of VC investments in 2014. It’s a clear indication of the type of firms that were emerging a few years ago. Similarly, when looking at angel investments, internet companies accounted for almost half. It was obvious then that the appetite for entrepreneurship was there, especially in tech.  It called for Samsung to listen to the market and respond accordingly in order to bring about a ‘challenger spirit’ within its ranks.

A Break from Tradition

Operating as a startup is easy when you only have a few members of staff on your books. Samsung is now finding that it is possible to introduce some of the elements that typify a startup within its own business. But it does involve some radical adjustments to make it work.

One of the aspects that we introduced with the C-Lab is holacracy, or a flatter way of organizing and managing teams.

“In a similar way to many of the startups of Silicon Valley, the C-Lab’s structure isn’t governed by hierarchical systems. Instead, each team has a leader and project members. That’s it. It works because the absence of a set-in-stone structure enables everyone to get their hands dirty, and contribute and work collaboratively to help the project meet its goals. They’re no longer tied to uniform tasks, they receive performance-based rewards and are encouraged to set challenging goals that help them to excel.” said Stan Kim, a director of C-Lab at Creativity & Innovation Center.

Perhaps the most notable tenet of the C-Lab approach is that failure isn’t a bad thing. It’s part of the exploration process that helps the most innovative of companies to hit the eureka moment. If workers aren’t afraid of failure, they can experiment and possibly create new things that they wouldn’t otherwise have the breathing space to do.

What’s more, C-Lab teams get to work flexibly, meaning they can work when and where they want. It’s a reimagining of how teams work and collaborate.

Samsung feels that the benefits of this type of structure can be far reaching. By calling on the strong leadership and culture of the existing organization, along with the challenger spirit of small, innovative organizations, we’re able to benefit from hybrid innovation. It’s a model that enables the business to have the best of both worlds.

Ideas Search

Discussing ideas is a breeze as well. Any Samsung employee can suggest and evaluate ideas through the company-wide collective intelligence platform ‘MOSAIC’ or via email. Ideas can be submitted either individually or as a team.

After the submissions of ideas, they are screened based on how specific, innovative, and marketable they are. Next, the ideas are developed using the “Lean approach” to ensure they are as efficient as possible. The ideas then proceed to the voting stage, where Samsung employees get their voices heard. Voters choose their favorite ideas that will continue to the next round, and after a final review by a group of experts, it’s time for the final presentation. Here, a selected audience plays the role of venture capitalists and after each presentation, they decide whether they would invest in the idea.

Around 15-20 ideas are selected each year using this process and they are the ones that become official C-Lab projects.

The Next Step

The selected C-Lab members start developing their ideas that they hope will become full-scale businesses. As team leaders, they can select colleagues who they want to work with through Talent Audition, a unique job posting program. As a team, they pursue a shared goal and decide on the best ways to reach it. And because C-Lab is an open project, employees are allowed to recruit members from outside Samsung if they can’t find the right people inside the organization.

In the end, many find that the hard work pays off. When C-Lab projects are completed, those that are closely related to a division’s business (such as TVs or home appliances), are transferred to each division for further development to launch on the market. Other projects, which are not transferred to divisions, are supported to launch an independent company as a fully-fledged startup. Not bad for something that started out as a grassroots idea on the Samsung shop floor.

C-Lab has been an incredible incentive for employees. At Samsung, innovative thinking is recognized with an opportunity to take the idea to market. Samsung invests money as seed capital to help employees launch their business. In addition, the company offers counsel by way of technology and management expertise during the early stages of their business to ensure stable growth. Despite all this, the startups maintain their independence.

The Measure of Success

The main objective of the C-Lab since it was established is to drive and encourage employees. Employees are empowered to kick-start creative ideas and get hands-on with technology development that may lead to a new business opportunity. Given that objective, the results have been encouraging. The number of projects submitted to internal idea contests has increased for the past three years. Meanwhile, sharing ideas has become a natural part of internal culture as employees realize that the more they share new ideas, the better chance they have of developing and creating new business opportunities.

The ideas that have blossomed are a real testament to the success of the C-Labs. Some 46% of projects are transferred to various Samsung business divisions, and 18% are spun off to become businesses in their own right. But it’s the people behind the businesses who are the real stars. Through the program, they are able to be bolder in their thought processes and dream big. They unlock their full potential and are given the right amount of support and autonomy to be successful through the use of their own ideas. That’s a priceless opportunity.

The Future

Samsung is planning to increase the opportunities for employees to participate in C-Lab projects. New locations are already in the works, including a physical space to increase synergies between projects and personnel, the Seoul R&D Center for software and spinoffs, a tech shop and a new exhibition hall in Suwon, plus an additional R&D base at Seoul National University.

There has been firm believes within the company what the C-Lab can achieve and so we’re opening up the program in a way that will continue to provide more chances to get employees involved. The more people get involved, the more they are able to engage their own workforce to go the extra mile in how they approach their work. Samsung encourages staff to become personally invested in innovation, which, as a concept, is very powerful.