ETCentric community member Lee Lanselle forwarded us news that Samsung has acquired SmartThings, maker of smart-home controllers, for around $200 million. While SmartThings will continue to operate independently under CEO Alex Hawkinson, its three facilities are expected to move to Palo Alto to become part of Samsung’s Open Innovation Center (run by former Google and AOL exec David Eun). SmartThings, which is owned by Physical Graph Corp., began in 2012 as a Kickstarter project. Continue reading Internet of Things: Samsung Purchases Startup SmartThings

David Eun, executive vice president of Samsung’s Open Innovation Center, took the stage at the D:Dive Into Media conference this week. “Given the media/content focus of the event, the conversation between Eun and host Kara Swisher revolved almost entirely around Samsung’s role in the world of content, production, connectedness and distribution,” writes Engadget. Eun also confirmed that Samsung is opening two new Innovation Centers. Continue reading Samsung Looks To a Future of Both Hardware and Software