Further to T4M's well constructed and thought provoking...

Further to T4M's well constructed and thought provoking post....here is a couple of quick very recent developments around Samsung that add further food for thought....who knows??????

1. Samsung straight out states it is looking for growth through M&A activity and...
2. Samsung just bought LoopPay to rival Apple and surely they will need a strong biometric security - whether that is fingerprint or eye based, we wait to see. But...we know they have patented hardware specs around the camera so maybe eye (iris, retina or cornea) will be the choice.

http://www.androidauthority.com/sam...acquisitions-with-56-billion-reserves-587990/

Samsung looks to advance in growth and acquisitions after a difficult 2014
By Jimmy Westenberg February 17, 2015

It’s no secret that Samsung’s mobile division struggled throughout 2014. From selling 40% fewer Galaxy S5 handsets than anticipated to swapping out dozens of mobile division executives last year, the Korean tech giant knows they have a lot of work to do in 2015 and beyond. And according to an interview with a certain Samsung exec, the company may have a pretty good plan to do so.

Just in this past year, Samsung has lost its spot for the top position in China to Xiaomi in the lower-end market, and has also felt the heat from Apple in the high-end market. Moreover, Samsung’s profits declined for the first time in three years in 2014. Even though Korean companies are notoriously more frugal when it comes to dividends, that didn’t stop the company from giving investors a massive 40% dividend boost and its first share repurchase since 2007. But now, the company plans to steer its $56 billion cash reserves toward arguably more important avenues, including mergers, acquisitions and overall company growth.

Robert Yi, head of investor relations at Samsung, told Reuters:
Dividends and other forms of shareholder returns are responsibilities that the company has for shareholders, so we will make efforts to meet them. But our primary objective is growth and that is what we are communicating to our shareholders.

In the past year or so, Samsung hasn’t made developments on any major mergers or acquisitions, which disappoints investors in the long run. It seems as though the company would like to change that mindset, Yi says:

We are primarily focused on M&A deals for companies that would be good fits to Samsung’s current businesses, and we believe that know-how and experience accrued from such transactions will make bigger M&A deals possible going forward.

Many crucial changes have been made in hopes to return major growth to the company. Among the ‘Project Zero‘ initiative with its upcoming Galaxy S6 and creating original smartphones like the Galaxy Note Edge, it seems as though the company is on the right track. Samsung has made a ton of sacrifices this past year, and hopefully cutting back on investor relations, among other changes, will become a vital move for the company.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...ormative-Digital-Wallet-Platform#.VOVdo8ks3IV

Samsung to Acquire LoopPay, Transformative Digital Wallet Platform
February 18, 2015 03:33 PM Eastern Standard Time

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has agreed to acquire LoopPay, the acclaimed mobile wallet solutions provider that turns existing magnetic stripe readers into secure, contactless receivers. LoopPay’s technology has the potential to work in approximately 90% of existing point-of-sale (POS) terminals, according to internal research, with no investment in new infrastructure required by merchants. LoopPay will join Samsung to strengthen the company’s overall efforts to provide users with seamless, safe, and reliable mobile wallet solutions.

“We are excited to take our relationship with LoopPay to the next level, by bringing consumers a mobile wallet solution that is not just safe and reliable, but also widely accepted at more locations than any competing service”

As part of the acquisition, LoopPay founders and veteran payment industry entrepreneurs Will Graylin and George Wallner will work closely with Samsung’s Mobile Division. LoopPay has built an advanced and widely accepted contactless payment solution using its patented Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology. LoopPay’s talent and technology, paired with Samsung’s world leading mobile technology, global presence, and distribution capabilities will help drive the next wave of innovation in the digital smart wallet.

“This acquisition accelerates our vision to drive and lead innovation in the world of mobile commerce. Our goal has always been to build the smartest, most secure, user-friendly mobile wallet experience, and we are delighted to welcome LoopPay to take us closer to this goal,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT and Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics.

Samsung has an existing relationship with LoopPay, having first identified the potential for the pioneering technology when it became a strategic investor along with Visa and Synchrony Financial. The investment, which was facilitated by Samsung’s Global Innovation Center, helped fuel LoopPay’s MST technology development.

“We are excited to take our relationship with LoopPay to the next level, by bringing consumers a mobile wallet solution that is not just safe and reliable, but also widely accepted at more locations than any competing service,” said David Eun, EVP of Samsung’s Global Innovation Center. “Through this deal we can significantly accelerate our mobile commerce efforts. LoopPay’s outstanding leaders and team have deep-rooted relationships with banks, card networks and merchants that will complement those Samsung has established over the years.”

Margaret Keane, President and CEO of Synchrony Financial, the largest provider of private label credit cards in the U.S. and a leader in promotional financing, as well as an investor in LoopPay, commented, “This is great news for our customers who can access their cards and make payments using LoopPay's contactless MST technology. Our goal is to offer valuable products for our clients, service providers, and our customers. We look forward to working with LoopPay and others to deliver secure mobile payment solutions for all of our 60 million active accounts.”

“LoopPay is focused on delivering a digital wallet solution that is dependable for consumers around the world, one that provides more value from card issuers and the merchants that serve them,” said Will Graylin, CEO of LoopPay. “We are excited to join the Samsung family to continue our goal of making smartphones trusted, secure smart wallets and unlock the limitless possibilities of mobile enabled commerce.”