14 DAY TRIAL // Once fierce rivals, Samsung and Microsoft are now working together on a number of projects, and a new report claims that the two are planning to extend their collaboration with a partnership focused on HoloLens.
Microsoft presented HoloLens in January at its Windows 10 event and last month at the BUILD developer conference in San Francisco, but it said absolutely nothing about any potential price, partnership, or release date for customers across the world.
HoloLens incorporates hardware, machine learning, and Windows 10 to create interactive holograms, working independently of any computer or smartphone. The device allows you to use movements, vision, and voice to interact with holograms, thus creating a virtual world that would make communications and productivity more effective.
That’s exactly the reason Samsung wants to implement HoloLens tech in its own wearable devices, and a report published by Korea Times claims that negotiations between the two companies have already started.
Both will benefit from the deal
The report cites an anonymous source saying that Samsung believes that both companies would benefit from a partnership because the Koreans already have the know-how to build new wearables with sensor chips and processors, while Microsoft has the revolutionary technology that can power these devices.
Samsung, which already has its own headset called Gear VR, has recently agreed to install Microsoft software on its flagship Android devices, including Samsung Galaxy S6. Office, OneDrive, and Skype are now pre-installed on the S6 and S6 Edge, so such a deal would only be a continuation of the exiting collaboration between the two companies.
With HoloLens, Samsung is specifically looking at the health industry, the report adds.
“By using HoloLens technology, for example, a doctor can check a patient's health status via a three-dimensional (3D) virtual image. Also, the technology will promote 3D rendering and 3D printing industries, helping manufacturers to save costs,” a Samsung official was quoted as saying.
Microsoft isn’t willing to comment on this report right now, but time will tell if HoloLens tech can arrive on devices powered by what could become its competitors in the wearables industry. HoloLens is projected to see the light of day sometime this year “in the Windows 10 timeframe."