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WATCH: Samsung ventures into virtual reality, vies vs. Apple


Samsung executives spread out from Berlin to New York with one message: they are not laying down and letting Apple roll over them.
 
The company behind the first phablet: one part big-screen phone, one part small tablet is hoping to regain its lead in that category with the Galaxy Note 4.
 
The company's global marketing executive DJ Lee took the stage in Berlin:



 
 
"The Galaxy Note 4 will continue to set industry standards for how a smartphone should help our lives become more enriched, more enjoyable and more efficient."
 
To differentiate it in a crowded field of lower priced and higher priced competition, Samsung also launched a virtual sidekick to the phablet, teaming up with Facebook's Oculus to launch Gear VR. The virtual reality headset will put high-definition video watching and gaming literally in the face of consumers. That's something Apple can't do, says Jan Dawson, chief analyst, at JackDaw Research.

 
The Galaxy Note Edge did get some attention from the likes of Guenther Boguschewski. The curved screen on the side edge of the phone allows users to stay focused on the main screen without having to respond to calendar reminders or incoming emails:
 
"For me the most curious thing is the Galaxy Edge because I heard some rumors but it was years ago, so it was for me something new, and it was the most, the best device for me because the Galaxy 4 is similar to the Galaxy Note 3."
 
Similarity also plagued a refresh of the Gear smartwatch on its one-year anniversary:
 
"They are doing what Samsung does best, which is try lots of different things and see what works for them but I'm kind of afraid for them that none of these things is really going to knock it out of the park in a way that they'll be able to get the momentum going again."
 
And that's what Samsung needs to do - it's been overtaken as the smartphone leader in China and the Galaxy S5 is being outsold globally by an older iPhone, with a new challenge from Apple expected to be revealed next week. — Reuters