The IT Nerd

The newly unveiled Samsung Galaxy S25 Series is officially available for purchase at Samsung.com/ca as of yesterday. 

The Galaxy S25 Series also pairs seamlessly with the new Galaxy Book5 Series. For example, through Storage Share you can directly access files from connected devices without having to download them individually, using your phone, tab and PC as one device. You can also multi-task across devices thanks to Multi Control, as well as Quick Share files quickly and easily between devices.

For more on the Galaxy Book5 Series, please see here.

Samsung at Galaxy Unpacked in San Jose, California, Samsung has announced its newest smartphone lineup – the highly anticipated Galaxy S25 Series. This new device lineup includes the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra, all of which will soon be available for pre-order. You can find more information on the S25 Series here, as well as some key new features below: 

• New ways to get things done 
• Cross App Action: Long press the power button to open Gemini, naturally speak and explain the tasks you want completed, and let AI combine the tasks and complete them for you.  
• Now Brief: Shows AI-powered insights of your sleep, the weather forecast and even communicates your schedule for the day.  
• Auto Suggestions: This feature can help you be more productive by suggesting things like turning on your smart washing machine based on your perceived routines or turning on maps to help you navigate to your destination.  
• Multimodal Search: Allows you to search for a whole range of things easier, including humming the tune of the song you don’t remember.  
• New ways to create  
• Audio Eraser: Removes background noise and conversations in video content, isolating and distinguishing the sound you’d like to hone in on. 
• Auto Trim: Removes unnecessary footage like “ums” and blank spaces in video content. Can also use keywords to help AI know which clips or sound bites to trim out of the video. 

I got an advance look at these devices last week and I have some pictures to share:

One new feature that caught my eye was the morning brief feature which summarizes all your email and notifications among other things on one screen. That makes it easy to figure you what your priorities are when you wake up in the morning.

In terms of accessories, Samsung will have a good selection of first party cases available at launch.

A third party accessory that caught my eye was this:

This 3 in 1 wireless charger and case allows you to charge your S25, Galaxy Buds, and Galaxy Watch on one stand.

The case is required to have your S25 attach to the stand as it has magnets in it to allow that attachment to happen.

And here’s the S25 on the stand. Pretty cool.

Here’s the specs of the different S25 models:

Pricing starts at $1198.99 and goes up to $2458.99. Pre-orders should be live shortly or may already be live by the time you read this.

Samsung has unveiled its new “AI for All” vision at CES® 2025, with the focus of making AI an “Everyday, Everywhere” experience. Building on a decade of connected home leadership, Samsung is leveraging the power of AI to bring intelligence to every day, enabling people to experience a more personal, impactful and empowering world.

Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division, opened Samsung’s CES 2025 press conference by introducing the company’s roadmap for Home AI, a plan for redefining the meaning of home by providing truly personalized services across all intelligent, connected devices. This strategy, alongside Samsung’s innovations in AI-powered devices across mobile, home appliances and visual display, is a testament to Samsung’s longstanding commitment to human-centric innovation and brings the power of AI to everyday experiences to make life better for all.

Later in the press conference, Jonathan Gabrio, Head of the Connected Experience Center at Samsung Electronics America, expanded on Samsung’s Home AI vision, underscoring the company’s commitment to integrating AI across the entire connected experience to cater to diverse lifestyles. From single person households to multi-generational families under one roof, Home AI learns from habits and adapts to individual routines for a hyper-personalized smart home experience.

Security and Privacy are at the heart of Samsung’s strategy for Home AI. Samsung recognizes that as users introduce more connected devices into their homes and AI becomes more personal, it must also protect users’ privacy. To meet these evolving needs, the company has extended its security capabilities. Now, Samsung Knox Matrix protects home appliances along with mobile devices and TVs with its signature blockchain technology, ensuring that connected devices are working together to protect the user’s data from digital threats. With Knox Matrix Dashboard, a transparent privacy control, Samsung offers simplified security management across the entire connected home. As information syncs across devices, Knox Matrix’s Credential Sync ensures that data can only be encrypted or decrypted from the user’s devices, and Samsung Knox Vault adds another layer of protection, keeping sensitive information like passwords or PINs isolated in a secure location.

Samsung’s One UI provides an integrated software experience across all connected Samsung devices, enhancing interoperability, empowering users with AI-based features.

Underpinning it all is SmartThings, Samsung’s smart home platform that brings intelligent connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world. With Samsung’s belief in open innovation and partnership as a foundation, SmartThings is being equipped with the latest AI technology to streamline and personalize the smart home experience for complete convenience. SmartThings Ambient Sensing intuitively understands the user’s environment and situational context by analyzing even human movements and ambient sounds through connected devices within the home, thereby enabling those devices to intelligently and seamlessly respond and adapt to daily routines.

Bixby Voice, an enhanced AI voice assistant, will be integrated to increase usability. The assistant has been trained so that it can recognize individual voices and respond to commands in a way that works best for each user.

These Home AI updates free up time previously spent on home management, allowing users to focus on what matters most and explore new passions. Samsung’s new Galaxy Book5 Pro and Galaxy Book5 360 are AI PCs built to boost productivity with Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) and enhance creativity with features like AI Select and Samsung Studio. AI Select works to make browsing a breeze, while Samsung Studio lets users edit across their Galaxy smartphone, tablet or PC wherever inspiration strikes, at home or on the go. Powered by the NPU, Photo Remaster upscales low-resolution photos into high-quality visuals, while Storage Share lets users directly access the files on their smartphone from their PC, avoiding the process of downloading.

With productivity comes proactivity, too. When AI and Samsung Health combine, users are empowered to take control of their health and wellness. Through a newpartnership with Dexcom and with AI-driven health insights gathered on the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch, Samsung is helping users make sense of their data and arrive at more informed decisions about their well-being. These new capabilities will further improve the overall experience of Samsung Health.

Samsung’s latest screen experiences, powered by Samsung Vision AI, bring unexpected joy to users’ days through unparalleled personalization and exciting new features. The AI Screen experience infuses intelligence into TVs, bringing Generative Wallpaper, Live Translate and Click to Search to users. At the forefront of this technology is the Neo QLED 8K, which provides Samsung’s most advanced viewing experiences though AI features like 8K AI Upscaling Pro, Auto HDR Remastering Pro and Color Booster Pro — all of which work behind the scenes to intelligently enhance picture quality. Plus, The Frame’s art experience is expanding, allowing all Samsung QLEDs to come with a digital collection of over 3,000 art pieces, making it so that they can turn any room into a personal gallery.

Samsung’s commitment to its Screens Everywhere strategy is reflected in new display options for its appliances, including its new refrigerators with 9″ AI Home displays and other devices with 7″ screens. Consumers will be able to enjoy heightened functionality — including various entertainment services, AI features such as AI Vision Inside and direct access to the online grocery service Instacart — on a broader range of products.

Beyond the home, Samsung’s AI innovations are set to transform the business environment with SmartThings Pro. Created to bring the same AI-powered digital solutions to business partners as SmartThings offers consumers, SmartThings Pro is a B2B solution spanning multi-residential homes to retail spaces, hotels, schools and more. Since its launch last June, SmartThings Pro provides businesses with integrations to better understand energy usage, proactively identify devices with maintenance needs and offer comprehensive control of connected solutions. Samsung is working with partners to create an innovative platform, Future Innovation Technology (FIT), for larger businesses and buildings to set automated climate controls that save energy.

The company is also working with Samsung Heavy Industries on a new SmartThings collaboration that uses the Matter connectivity standard to connect with compatible ships. SmartThings for Ships[9] offers a Pre-Sailing Mode, which allows captains and crews to automate when the engine starts and turn on settings for temperature and lights, saving time and energy. Meanwhile, Care Mode provides a complete view of a ship’s power, AC systems and smoke alarms, while Protection Mode constantly monitors for — and will alert captain and crew to — any abnormal activity.

Additionally, Samsung is expanding its SmartThings and automotive integrations in a new partnership with Hyundai Motor Group to bring SmartThings to Hyundai EVs. With the expanded ecosystem, users can now use SmartThings Find to easily locate their parked car, even in crowded parking lots. With the power of Home AI, SmartThings can make recommendations on when to recharge EVs based on schedules and rates. And if there is a neighborhood power outage, it will automatically activate Battery Backup Mode, which works alongside AI Energy Mode to extend the battery energy to power home essentials.

Finally, Inhee Chung, Vice President of the Corporate Sustainability Center, underscored how Samsung’s AI for All vision is rooted in the brand’s commitment to harness the power of advanced technology for a better, more inclusive world. Samsung is introducing diverse and enhanced accessibility features through its AI-powered devices and services, starting with the ability to automatically sync accessibility features across home appliances from a smartphone.

From the first half of this year, Bixby will automatically have connected devices display text in high contrast or provide a voice guide for family members with low vision, all by simply recognizing their voice. For those with low vision, AI is improving Audio Subtitles by lowering foreign language audio and reading out the subtitles in the language of the user’s choosing.

Chung also discussed how initiatives like Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, Samsung Innovation Campus and the company’s work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are enabling the next generation of innovators. Today, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenges more than 2.6 million students across 66 countries to use STEM to address challenges in their community. In particular, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last year, Samsung and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched a digital community “Together for Tomorrow, Enabling People” and appointed the top 10 teams globally from Solve for Tomorrow as community ambassadors. Meanwhile, Samsung Innovation Campus has helped prepare nearly 180,000 young people across 33 countries for the workforce through training on emerging technologies like AI, IoT and big data.

Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, joined VP Chung on stage to provide an update on Samsung and UNDP’s partnership to harness the power of technology for good. Since its initiation five years ago, the Samsung Global Goals app[11] has raised over $20 million thanks to nearly 300 million users who are using a Galaxy smartphone, tablet or watch. Plus, Samsung and UNDP’s joint work through the Generation17 initiative continues to inspire extraordinary young leaders around the world who are mobilizing their communities to advance the Global Goals.

Finding the perfect holiday gift can be challenging, and gifting a gift card can feel impersonal.

If only there was a fun, free and sentimental gift you could give your loved ones…

Until December 22^nd, Samsung Canada invites Canadians to discover the magic of the perfect holiday gift for their loved one at its cozy and creative Galaxy Gift Station at Toronto’s STACKT Market.

At this limited time pop-up, visitors will have the chance to:

• Get cozy with a warm apple cider and create amazing art with the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, S Pen and Galaxy AI.
• Select a giftable merch item (anything from a tote bag to a T-shirt, to an ornament, to a poster), onto which your unique work will be printed.
• Bring to life your personalized holiday gift and take it home for your loved one to enjoy!

Plus, visitors will be able to get their hands on the Galaxy Z Flip6, create a custom holiday card, and enter a contest to win art made by Pony!

Now I did have a chance to head to STACKT to try and get into this event. But unfortunately the lines were an hour plus to get in. Thus you’ll have to settle with these pictures:

Samsung Canada has announced the launch of this year’s Solve for Tomorrow contest and is now accepting applications from Canadian classrooms, from grades 6-12. With just four weeks left to register, this nationwide competition, now in its 10th year, encourages young minds to harness the power of STEM to address real-world issues. 

With the spotlight on critical themes such as environmental sustainability, equity for equity-seeking groups, and health in communities, this year’s contest challenges students to create solutions that could spark meaningful change. 

Key Highlights: 

• Who: Canadian students in grades 6-12, with teachers submitting applications on their behalf 
• What: Annual competition designed to foster STEM-based innovation to solve real-world problems 
• When: Applications are open until December 20, 2025 – just four weeks left to apply! 
• Prize: $125,000 in Samsung technology and vouchers for finalists and winners 

Find out more details here.

Ready or not, ‘tis the season for holiday shopping and great deals. And as everyone starts scrambling to find those perfect gifts for their loved ones, Samsung is here to help.

The number of gifts and gadgets to choose from can feel endless and overwhelming. But imagine there was one item suitable across the board – for the studious sister, the nephew that’s always gaming, the mother that’s always multi-tasking, or the husband who just loves his Netflix and chill. What if we told you there is?

Enter Samsung and the Galaxy Tab S10 series that has something for everyone: 

• For the student: Circle to Search with Google makes math easy— automatically calculating complex formulas. And it can also offer handwriting help with the ability to decipher your handwritten notes. Plus, experience the power of Circle to Search with Google on a large screen. Just circle, highlight, or tap an image or text to get Google Search results. You can even get instant translations!
• For the gamer: Rev up the excitement with an ultra-fast, powerful processor. When the action really heats up, it keeps cool with the larger Vapor Chamber system — built to efficiently cool the longer you game, or binge videos.
• For the busy bee: Take notes while staying completely engaged in what you do, from summarizing your grandmother’s secret recipe to condensing business meeting minutes — just record and Galaxy AI can transcribe, format and summarize notes. 
• For the movie lover: Dive into an immersive experience with incredible resolution and ultra smooth visuals with the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. And even watch outside or on those long winter road trips to the cottage with no glare, thanks to Vision Booster!

There are some promotions will be running in-stores and online that you should be aware of:

• $350 Enhanced Trade-In on the Tab S10+ between Nov. 20-Dec. 5
• $400 Enhanced Trade-In on the Tab S10 Ultra between Nov. 20-Dec. 5
• $150 Promo Code on the Tab S10+ for Non-Trade-In customers between Nov. 20-Dec. 5
• $200 Promo Code the Tab S10 Ultra for Non-Trade-In customers between Nov. 20-Dec.

Did you know that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 not only has fun and creative features for the everyday user, but can also help businesses and professionals work more efficiently?

From allowing you to communicate whenever and wherever to completing multiple tasks at once, users of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 have productivity hacks at their fingertips:

• Eliminate menial tasks: Employees can transcribe, translate and summarize voice recordings with Transcript Assist.
• Have a personal digital assistant: Employees can translate, summarize and auto format meeting notes with Note Assist.
• Multi-task like the pro you are: Staff can join a video call on the top half of the screen and jot down notes on the bottom half of the screen with FlexMode.
• Communicate anytime, anywhere: With the dual screen, professionals on both sides of the conversation can speak, then see and hear real-time translation when networking or attending international work functions, helping them communicate their needs clearly to one another.
• Productivity on the go: PDF texts in other languages can be translated and overlaid perfectly when opening the file through PDF overlay translation in Notes. This feature even supports texts in images and graphs.

These hacks have also been vetted and embraced by business owners, including Fatima Zaidi – founder and CEO of award-winning female-led Canadian podcasting agency Quill Inc, who said “In my experience, the time and cost savings helped me level up, build momentum and really scale my company,”  when speaking about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.

For more insights on how  the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 can take a business’s productivity to the next level, check out Samsung’s business page here.

Samsung Canada, in collaboration with Canadian artist Nicolas Abtan, has launched Re:Frame, an innovation art installation showcasing 3D art pieces integrated with Samsung’s The Frame TV, blending cutting-edge technology with contemporary local art. The installation runs from October 5^th through October 20^th, 2024, between the hours of 12:00-8:00 PM, at The Well (486 Front Street West) in Toronto.    

Samsung’s Re-Frame installation invites Canadians to experience how technology transforms art into a new, accessible dimension. Art lovers can meet Nicolas Abtanwhile experiencing his dynamic 3D art creations, brought to life on The Frame. Visitors will also have the chance to win a 55″ The Frame TV with one of four of Nicolas Abtan’s 3D art pieces displayed in the Re:Frame collection. Visitors can fill out a form via QR code on site for a chance at winning. The winners will be drawn on October 22 and announced on Samsung Canada’s Instagram and TikTok pages later this month.

The Frame transforms any space into a gallery through immersive 4K QLED technology. With the Art Mode feature, users can display their favourite pieces of art with lifelike clarity and Pantone validated colours.

To explore The Frame, visit https://samsung.com/ca/tvs/the-frame.

Samsung recently launched the highly awaited Galaxy Ring, budget-friendly Galaxy S24 FE and AI-ready Tab S10 Series. As of today, all 3 devices are officially available in stores across Canada and at Samsung.com. If you want to see my coverage on these devices, click here and here.

What’s more, the recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 is available for purchase on Samsung.comstarting today. This exciting new laptop will also be available in-stores for retail purchase in the coming weeks.

Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 – Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 changes the game for PC displays. Featuring the Intel Arc GPU, it boasts Galaxy Book’s best graphics performance yet. Users can also create anytime, anywhere, thanks to the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with Vision Booster, improving visibility and reducing glare, and experience a cinematic-like viewing experience with 3K super resolution and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Complete the PC experience with Galaxy’s signature in-box S Pen, which lets you write, draw and fine-tune details with responsive multi-touch gestures. Plus, all-day battery life supports up to 25 hours of video playback, helping users accomplish even more.

Pricing: $2,499.99

Samsung today unveiled the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10+, Samsung’s first tablets purpose-built for AI. The premium hardware includes 14.6-inch and 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays — the ideal canvas for the intuitive S Pen bundled with both models. Performance upgrades for the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra include an 18% increase in CPU, 28% increase in GPU, and 14% increase in NPU compared to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

This improved processing power enables faster and more responsive Galaxy AI features, which are now easily accessible with written prompts using the new Galaxy AI Key on the Book Cover Keyboards to customize the AI assistant. Innovative software includes features such as Note Assist and Drawing Assist, optimized for the tablet form factor. The Galaxy Tab S10 series also acts as a home AI device, with a 3D Map View available through SmartThings that gives a visual overview of the home and all connected devices to streamline device management across the SmartThings ecosystem. Robust Samsung Knox security also provides data privacy and control.

Built on Samsung’s legacy of providing powerful experiences, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10+ harness significant leaps in AI processing power to deliver a supercharged experience. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra includes an 18% increase in CPU, 28% increase in GPU, and 14% increase in NPU compared to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Coupled with a long-lasting battery life and Super-Fast Charging, the Galaxy Tab S10 series can be used for longer, with less time spent waiting for it to charge.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s 14.6-inch display and Galaxy Tab S10+’s 12.4-inch display  both feature innovative Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology and offer a vibrant yet natural viewing experience, even outdoors. Details are clear with its advanced anti-reflective technology, minimizing distracting glare and reducing reflection. The series’ quad speaker setup is further enhanced with AI-powered Dialogue Boost, which amplifies voices over unwanted noise to create ultra-clear audio. And for use on the go, the Galaxy Tab S10 series offers an IP68 rating further protected by enhanced Armour Aluminium.

The Galaxy Tab S10 series offers an efficient experience — enhancing productivity —and serves as the ideal canvas to let out your creative side.

• With Note Assist and the intuitive S Pen, notetaking is a breeze on the tablet’s large display. Schoolwork, note-taking, and personal journaling become more efficient with automated transcriptions and summaries provided by AI.
• With PDF Overlay Translation, the Galaxy Tab S10 series can also seamlessly translate PDFs via an on-screen overlay. 
• Handwriting Help cleans up untidy handwritten notes, too.
• Galaxy AI’s Sketch to Image makes the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra great for turning imagination into reality, acting as a creative assistant for overcoming mental roadblocks.
• With Circle to Search with Google on the Galaxy Tab S10 series, you can Circle to search anything without switching apps. Instantly translate anything you see on your tablet with Google. Without switching apps, you can translate any image, video or text in two taps. Quickly get the info you need, then get right back to what you’re doing. Circle to Search can even recognize and outline steps for solving physics and math problems.
• The Galaxy S Pen’s Air Command provides instant access to your AI Assistant features without toggling between menus. These AI Assistant apps can also be easily launched by the Galaxy AI Key on the Book Cover Keyboard with written prompts, making it easier for users to choose between Samsung’s Bixby and Google’s Gemini for a customized AI experience.

I had a look at these new tablets earlier this week and here’s my first impressions:

This is a picture of the S10 Ultra with the optional keyboard case. But the S10+ version has an option for the keyboard case as well.

And what’s cool about the case is that you can hide the S Pen underneath a flap on the case so that you don’t lose it.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10+ will be available in Canada from September 26, 2024 for pre-order , and offered in two colours: Moonstone Grey and Platinum Silver. For more information about the Galaxy Tab S10 Series, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/ca/tablets/galaxy-tab-s/galaxy-tab-s10-ultra-wi-fi-gray-256gb-sm-x920nzaaxac