While BlackBerry 10 may have failed to keep the company relevant in the smartphone world, it looks to have inspired the Samsung Focus app which is due to debut with the Galaxy Note 6.
The BlackBerry operating system featured BlackBerry Hub, a communications service that integrates email, social networks and instant messengers. This means that users have a central location from which they can deal with messages, calendar invites and other notifications, writes Abhijeet M for SamMobile.
Samsung inspired by BlackBerry Hub
Now it looks like Samsung is about to introduce a new feature which works along the same lines, which will be released at the same time asthe Galaxy Note 6.. The new feature has been dubbed Samsung Focus, and it will integrate functions such as email. calendar, contacts and memos.
Bringing emails into the feature is one major advance, an Focus will allow users to view and respond to emails from various accounts. Google’s Inbox app already offers this functionality.
It is not clear whether Samsung Focus will include Gmail or only work with the default Android email app. Samsung continues to use the app despite the fact it went defunct with Android 5.0.
New Samsung Focus feature integrates individual functions
Samsung Focus will bring all of the important details to its main screen. It will list your appointments for the day and the next few days, as well as events that have just happened. You may see a reminder for a planned meeting, as well as an email sent by a relevant contact in the past few days.
You will be able to add events to your calendar in app, and manage invites. Samsung Focus will also have a memos feature to keep track of the tasks at hand, while a contacts page will collect all of the emails, messages and calendar invites from a particular person in one place.
Users will also be able to set priority settings for certain contacts, as well as setting priority for notifications which contain certain keywords.
Commentators report that the app has a clean interface, but it is not clear whether this is the final version. The user interface fits Google’s Material Design guidelines, and designers have not been as experimental as they were in the Good Lock lock screen alternative Samsung rolled out recently.
Galaxy Note 6 launch predicted in July
One possible change is the idea that the introduction of Samsung Focus will spell the end of the individual Calendar, Email and Contacts apps. While most users probably wouldn’t make much use of the individual apps, it seems unlikely that Samsung would get rid of them.
It looks as though the new app will be introduced at the same time as the Galaxy Note 6 phablet. Analysts believe that the Samsung flagship is due for a July launch, in order to steal a march on rival Apple and its iPhone 7 which is rumored to be released in September.
The high-end smartphone battle is set to enter a new stage with the release of new handsets from both major rivals. The Galaxy Note 6 is set to be a powerful device, if the latest rumors are true.
We could be about to see a Snapdragon 823 processor paired with 6GB RAM, which is an incredibly potent combination. Partner this with an OLED display and power users won’t go far wrong if they buy a Galaxy Note 6. It’s going to be an interesting fall as we see whether Apple can recover from a poor Q2, or whether Samsung will eat into its rival’s market share.
