The virtual reality technology (VR) is slowly starting to be
mainstream with the presence of devices such as Samsung Gear VR and Google
Cardboard. Even so, the content ecosystem is still considered not so good, at
least according to Samsung. One thing that is considered to be lacking is a
browser that has a display and optimal navigation for VR.
This is the new initiative that's offered by the giant South
Korean technology company. Samsung has recently launched Samsung Internet for Gear VR, a web browser that's optimized for Gear VR.
Through this browser, Gear VR users basically can enjoy
various contents on the web in a more immersive way. The browser brings full
support for 3D videos, 360-degree videos and HTML5 videos that are widely
available on the internet. Everything can be enjoyed directly without having to
download the contents first to smartphones.
Because it doesn't rely on a touch, the navigation in VR
headset must be done in a different way. Samsung understands the need for a new
navigation mode, so that Samsung embeds voice input feature to this VR browser.
Furthermore, this browser also offers a Gaze Mode feature,
where users can activate a variety of menus just by glancing here and there,
without relying on the fingers at all. To keep things running smoothly, a
feature to import bookmark is also presented so that the experience can feel
more familiar.
Samsung Internet for Gear VR will be presented in the beta
version started on 2 December. The supported devices are Samsung Galaxy S6, S6
Edge, S6 Edge+, Note 4 and Note 5 - of course must be accompanied by Gear VR
headset.