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Shakedown: Police Enter Samsung Offices in Search of LG OLED Documents

Wed Apr 10, 2013 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, LG, OLED (all tags)

Samsung spokesperson: "We have no reason to steal other companies’ technology, as we have the world’s best OLED technology."

Yesterday, South Korean police officers searched the offices of Samsung Electronics Co. according to a report from Bloomberg. The search comes as the latest episode of OLED espionage involving both industry leaders Samsung and rival LG.

LG Display is claiming that they did not direct the police towards Samsung, rather that the police have made their own determination with regards to the alleged theft. Son Young Jun, LG Display spokesman, "The latest investigation is related to large-sized OLED TV panel technology, but the police have made the allegation themselves."

Samsung and LG are already connected by police to criminal probes from July. At that time, six LG Display employees were charged with OLED tech-related theft from Samsung. LG has stated that the information in question with the July charges was not secret, and specifically did not contain trade secrets.

In response to inquiries regarding yesterday's visit from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Jun Eun Sun, a spokesperson for Samsung stated, "We have no reason to steal other companies’ technology, as we have the world’s best OLED technology."

OLED as a marketable technology has more than enough potential to justify concerns with regards to industrial espionage. As companies rush to bring products to market and to eager consumers, policing tends to lag behind, leaving open the possibility that displays may debut as hot products only to have their production and sale frozen while legal battles play out.

Source: Bloomberg

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A Learning Computer: What if a Samsung Smart TV's Features Were Taught to the User

Mon Apr 01, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Smart TV, Samsung (all tags)

The idea is to mimic video game feature introductions as a way to save the typical user from being baffled by a Smart TV.

Somewhere between all the features that are marketed and all the features that are useful, there are features on mainstream products such as Smart TVs that the non-enthusiast user should be enjoying, but are lost in the deluge of the entire feature package. over at Fast Company, there is an article detailing User Interfaces on products like Smart TVs, receivers, cell phones etc. are failing to win over the majority of users to the tune of a 48% return rate (2002) due to product dissatisfaction.

According the article, the issue is that the design of most interactive products fail "to take people’s changing capacity and experience into account." The article then outlines how "learning how to use complex products is like learning a computer game."

With a specific example of involving the Samsung E8005 Smart TV, an alternative user interface is defined that rewards the user's ability to operate the TV by opening up more functions. "Based on this concept, the interface of the future television and remote control should match the appropriate level of challenge to the user’s skill level. In this future interface, the skill level of the user dictates which interactions are available. Turn on the TV, can you get 10 XP; chose 'Watch Television' and you get 10 more. At that point, only the least challenging interactions, such as volume and channel, are displayed."

The example goes on to detail how this kind of user dependant set of features would gently plod the user to tryout other unlearned features. This could be streamlined into something as simple as an 'advanced mode' that has everything unlocked alongside the proposed learning mode.

Ultimately, the idea involves recognizing the level of comfort that the user has with the feature set and trying to increase that comfort level.

Source: Fast Company via The Verge

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Samsung Announces the "Smart Evolution Kit"

Wed Mar 20, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Samsung (all tags)

$299 add-on and remote adds latest smart features to some Samsung models.

Samsung has been promising that several of its 2012 model TVs would be upgradable through their Smart Evolution slot, and now that upgrade path has been more solidified. With the 'Smart Evolution Kit,' 7500 and 8000 series of Samsung LED TVs and 7000 and 8000 models of Samsung plasma TVs, can be brought to a 2013 level of Smart TV capability.

While upgrading a TV for $299, and even getting a new remote has its appeal, the market for recent TVs looking for a Smart TV upgrade may not be immediately apparent. And yet, Samsung is also featuring the Smart Evolution slot on its 2013 models. Owners heavily focused on Smart TV features and desirous of a significant upgrade of those features every year or two may be another group of buyers drawn to Samsung TVs.

Samsung's Smart Evolution Kit is expected to release in May.

Source: The Verge

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Samsung Offering 85 Inches of UHD for a Cheeky $39,999

Wed Mar 20, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Samsung, 4K TVs (18 posts) (all tags)

Pricing on the 110 inch model still up in the air.

Samsung's S9 85 inch UHD TV is a full inch larger than Sony's paltry 84 inch model, and Samsung will begin accepting pre-orders at the end of March. The UN85S9 includes Samsung's Precision Black Pro and a proprietary upscaler for upscaled UHD.

The TV also features Samsung's teased "unprecedented new shape," which sets the display in a stylish frame not functionally unlike a standing chalkboard frame. Included with the new display standard is Samsung's quad-core processor-powered smart TV capabilities.

The cost of this latest and greatest offering is $39,999, which dwarfs the prices of Sony and LG's 84 inch models. Samsung has previously teased 95 inch and 110 inch versions, which promise to be even more staggering pricewise.

Source: Engadget

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Samsung Showing Off Official Controller Add-On for The Galaxy S4

Fri Mar 15, 2013 at 10:30 AM ET
Tags: Samsung, Android (all tags)

With a 360 inspired controller, the Galaxy S4 is in position to bring controller precision to the flagship Android phone.

Samsung's Galaxy line of phones have emerged from a horde of indistinguishable Android phones and even the shadow of Google's own Motorola line to be one of the hottest products current in production. That status as an innovative must-have product has never been more clear than now in the time leading up to the release of the latest model the Galaxy S4.

Along with the full reveal of the phone ahead of its April 26 release date is a peripheral that has the potential to succeed where so many other add-ons have failed. That peripheral is a yet unnamed controller add-on, which connects via Bluetooth, and contains a retractable cradle for converting the phone into a serious portable gaming platform.

The controller is very much in the mold of the 360 controller and is expected in May. More importantly, the pocket sized controller will be compatible with 80 Android titles at launch and has also been demonstrated as working well when the phone is outputting to an external display.

Source: IGN

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Sharp Infused with $110 Million from Samsung

Wed Mar 06, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Sharp, Samsung (all tags)

Samsung takes a 3% stake in the troubled Japanese LCD pioneer.

Sharp, one Japan's biggest TV and display producers, has struck an important partnership with Samsung as signaled by Samsung's investment of $110 million. Sharp is currently responding to the turmoil that lead to $4.4 million October bailout.

Samsung's investment, which nets a 3% ownership in Sharp also follows Qualcomm's December investment of $120 million. For Samsung, one rational for the investment according to Deutsche Securities analyst Yasuo Nakane, is "a possibility that Samsung in return for its investment, may demand more preferential pricing in parts supplies." Considering the rarity of partnerships crossing over between South Korea and Japan, Samsung is likely also looking to gain access to Sharp's solar panel business.

Sharp currently supplies displays for both the iPad and iPhone, at least in Japan. Unfortunately for Sharp, it does not supply screens for the iPad mini, whose popularity has taken business away from the full-size iPad.

News of Samsung's investment helped shares in Sharp to jump as high as 19 percent, and time will tell whether the move will help Sharp overcome its troubled times.

Source:Reuters

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Samsung Announces TV Discovery to Help Users Find Content

Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, TV Discovery (all tags)

You'll be able to search across live TV, online content and on-demand programming

.

When it comes to entertainment, we're living in a fantastic time. There's more content available than we could ever hope to watch, which is unquestionably a good thing. That's a problem though, when it comes to actually sorting through all the noise and finding something you actually want to watch

.

Samsung's solution is called TV Discovery, and it allows you to search through live TV listings, on-demand programming, and online services. The last option is a bit fuzzy at the moment, as only YouTube is listed, but we'd love to see Netflix and Amazon show up on the list

.

TV Discovery is coming to Smart TVs within the next two months, and to smartphones and tablets shortly after that

.

Source: Engadget

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Samsung Announces TV Discovery to Help Users Find Content

Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, TV Discovery (all tags)

You'll be able to search across live TV, online content and on-demand programming

.

When it comes to entertainment, we're living in a fantastic time. There's more content available than we could ever hope to watch, which is unquestionably a good thing. That's a problem though, when it comes to actually sorting through all the noise and finding something you actually want to watch

.

Samsung's solution is called TV Discovery, and it allows you to search through live TV listings, on-demand programming, and online services. The last option is a bit fuzzy at the moment, as only YouTube is listed, but we'd love to see Netflix and Amazon show up on the list

.

TV Discovery is coming to Smart TVs within the next two months, and to smartphones and tablets shortly after that

.

Source: Engadget

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Deezer Music Service Hits Samsung, Toshiba and LG Smart TVs

Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Deezer, LG, Samsung, Toshiba (all tags)

The subscription based service offers 20 million on-demand songs and 30 second previews for non-members.

Music fans have a lot of options for listening to their favorite tunes, and owners of Samsung, Toshiba and LG TVs just got one more. The new service is called Deezer, and it offers on-demand access to 20 million tracks as well as radio channels. Both members and non-members can access the radio, and non-members can listen to 30 second samples of songs.

"We are committed to delivering a music revolution. Deezer is already available directly via a number of hi-fis and in-car entertainment systems—and of course on most smartphones, tablets and PCs—but we believe that putting Deezer at the heart of the TV experience marks the next innovation for music."

All of Samsung's capable TVs made in 2011 or later will have access to the service, but only in Europe. Every LG set from 2011 on will get Deezer, and Toshiba will only offer it on US TVs from this year.

Source: Electronic House

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Deezer Music Service Hits Samsung, Toshiba and LG Smart TVs

Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Deezer, LG, Samsung, Toshiba (all tags)

The subscription based service offers 20 million on-demand songs and 30 second previews for non-members.

Music fans have a lot of options for listening to their favorite tunes, and owners of Samsung, Toshiba and LG TVs just got one more. The new service is called Deezer, and it offers on-demand access to 20 million tracks as well as radio channels. Both members and non-members can access the radio, and non-members can listen to 30 second samples of songs.

"We are committed to delivering a music revolution. Deezer is already available directly via a number of hi-fis and in-car entertainment systems—and of course on most smartphones, tablets and PCs—but we believe that putting Deezer at the heart of the TV experience marks the next innovation for music."

All of Samsung's capable TVs made in 2011 or later will have access to the service, but only in Europe. Every LG set from 2011 on will get Deezer, and Toshiba will only offer it on US TVs from this year.

Source: Electronic House

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