Samsung Galaxy Note 6 To Target Business Users By Borrowing BlackBerry Features

Samsung has had a successful 2016 so far, with its Galaxy S7 smartphone selling in bigger numbers than expected. Now it is looking to repeat that success with the launch of its other flagship device, the Galaxy Note 6, which could be aimed primarily at business users who used to favor BlackBerry.

According to a report from SamMobile, the South Korean company will launch a new app called Samsung Focus on the Galaxy Note 6. The new app will take its cues from BlackBerry Hub, a central location for all forms of communication on the BlackBerry 10 operating system, pulling in everything from emails and calendar appointments to social media alerts, instant messages and phone calls.

BlackBerry Hub is already available to all Android users as a standalone app on the Google Play store, but Samsung is clearly looking to offer customers something different. According to SamMobile's report, the main page of the app will show your upcoming meetings as well as appointments for the following days and even previous days.

Calendar appointments will be grouped with emails from those participating in the meeting, and you will have the option of replying to emails from a number of accounts, though it is unclear if this will include Gmail accounts.

“From what we have seen, Samsung Focus has a clean and modern interface, unlike any previous Samsung app, although there’s no telling if the same interface will be used in the final version,” the report says.

Since the demise of BlackBerry, every smartphone manufacturer has been seeking to replace the Canadian company as the de facto enterprise option, an segment that's become even more significant now that the smartphone market has slowed dramatically.

Apple and Microsoft have played up the enterprise capabilities of iOS and Windows 10 Mobile recently, but Android is typically seen as the least secure operating system. However, Samsung has made a lot of strides in recent years to make its devices more appealing to business customers.

A key part of this is Samsung Knox, a system that allows users to keep business and personal data separate on the same device, and which forms a central part of the Samsung Approved for Enterprise program. In October 2014, the National Security Agency approved some Samsung Galaxy devices under a program for quickly deploying commercially available technologies.

A big part of the success of the Galaxy S7 this year was its launch time, a full month earlier than the Galaxy S6 last year. Samsung is reportedly set to do something similar with the Galaxy Note 6: It's expected to launch in July vs. August, the month the Galaxy Note 5 launched last year.

The new smartphone is set to come with a number of other enterprise-friendly features, including a large 5.8-inch screen; IP68 waterproof rating; USB-C port for fast charging and quick data transfer; and possibly an iris scanner for improved security.

Additionally, it reportedly will come with the latest version of Android — codenamed Android N — which offers proper multitasking on Google's operating system for the first time, another appealing factor for enterprise customers.