VietNamNet Bridge - S Pen, the stylus for Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, was created with the significant contribution of Vietnamese engineers.

S Pen, the stylus for Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, was created with the significant contribution of Vietnamese engineers.

Do Duc Dung, head of SVMC’s (Samsung Vietnam Mobile Research & Development Center) project management division, confirmed that Vietnamese engineers joined forces to design the software of S Pen.

S Pen is a hardware device and needs a software framework which helps regulate the stylus. The framework is not only reserved for Samsung’s apps, but also for third parties’ apps. And SVMC was assigned by Samsung to create the framework.

There were two difficult tasks SVMC had to fulfill. First, it had to ensure the high quality of the work. “Every house needs a firm foundation on which to stand,” Dung said.

Vietnam would be able to approach high technologies when it integrates more deeply with the world.

Second, it had to follow a strict product launching schedule. Every time the Note is marketed, the framework must also be launched.

On the quality standards set by Samsung, Dung said SVMC not only has to satisfy requirements set by Samsung Group, but also the requirements set by Samsung’s partners. Samsung has made heavy investments in the research & development center in Vietnam and assigns a lot of responsibility to Vietnamese engineers.

When asked to comment about the opinion that Vietnam’s technology is so poor that it cannot make simple products like screws for Samsung, Dung said making screws was within Vietnam’s reach.

However, he stressed that being technologically capable to make screws and being capable of making screws with high economic efficiency are two different stories. Vietnam can make high-quality screws, but this doesn’t mean it can make them to order by partners with strict requirements on deliveries, quantity and at prices set by partners.

The same story can be seen in software development. SVMC not only has to satisfy quality standards, but also requirements on delivery time.

Note is a Samsung high-end product line, and those who buy Notes will have S Pen attached. However, other manufacturers, like Montblanc, also want the stylus which bears their brand and can be used for Note. Therefore, Vietnam has been asked to create software for the stylus which can meet customer requirements. 

Regarding the development strategy for the future, Dung said Samsung plans to develop products to run on multiple platforms, which would allow users to copy, move, and restore data on phones with different operating systems.

Dung said Vietnam would be able to approach high technologies when it integrates more deeply with the world.