BlackBerry might have lost to Apple and Samsung in the hardware business, but its hold on software is still strong. Samsung will soon be releasing the Galaxy Note 6, and SamMobile claims that the Korean firm will introduce an app called Samsung Focus for the device that is inspired by BlackBerry Hub.
BlackBerry Hub – an inspiration for Samsung
BlackBerry knows very well how to create solid, functional software, and the Priv device from the Canadian firm demonstrates this well. The Priv showcases BlackBerry Hub as a kind of one-stop shop for all the communications, including phone calls, text messages, e-mails, notifications from social media, etc. This app is actually useful for people who do not like using multiple apps to get notifications and want them in one spot.
Following in BlackBerry’s footsteps Samsung now plans a similar Hub-like service that will shuffle calendars, emails, memos and contacts into one location. The main screen will serve as a kind of scheduler that will intelligently display the user’s agenda, email follow-ups and relevant events they must attend to in a day.
The users will also be able to change their notification settings to give priority to some messages based on the sender or content with the ability to flag keywords. It is possible that viewing options will expand on past standard temporal sorting to include contextual groupings. For example, this will allow users to see all items related to specific tasks on their to-do lists.
Design decisions unlike Samsung
The Hub-like feature set for the Focus may not be the most interesting thing about this rumor, but rather, it is the design decisions Samsung is making in crafting the app. It will probably be among the least Samsung-looking apps ever from the company. Instead, it could be a by-the-books Material Design UI that will be easy to navigate and not have anything significant to distract users.
Though Samsung may not do away with the individual Calendar, Email and Contacts apps after launching Focus, it will surely give a good reason for many users to not open these individual apps. It is likely that Focus will help users streamline many other tasks than those mentioned above for easy access, but it does look like a solid start. It is expected that Samsung will not restrict the feature to the GN6 and future Galaxy models. Rather, it is expected to release the feature on earlier phones as well, like the Galaxy S7.
