Acer Aspire S3 Moto Razr XT910 Xperia neo V LUMIA 800 HTC Radar Galaxy Nexus Review: Nokia Lumia 800, with WP 7.5 Nokia has played its cards carefully with the Lumia, and the company supposedly worked very closely with Microsoft to bring the full Windows Mango experience to users. I'll be the first one to admit that the result is beautiful. Acer Aspire S3 Moto Razr XT910 Xperia neo V LUMIA 800 HTC Radar Galaxy Nexus HTC Radar with WP 7.5 Mango Review The HTC Radar is well put together, with great hand feel and likely to last. It may not have the massive screen of the HTC Titan, but that’s not necessarily all bad. Acer Aspire S3 Moto Razr XT910 Xperia neo V LUMIA 800 HTC Radar Galaxy Nexus Review: Galaxy Nexus The combination of Google's software and Samsung's hardware makes the Galaxy Nexus one of the best candidates to compete with Apple's latest iPhone, though its price is steep. Samsung showcases smart TVs, video-on-demand services

Samsung said its new ES8000 55-inch "Super OLED" 3D smart TV contained a dual core processor and was therefore capable of multitasking. Samsung would release TVs of this form as large as 75 inches. OLED or organic light-emitting diode is replacing LCD as it offers brighter and thinner screens than LCDs, and uses less power, yet is cheaper to manufacture.
However its TVs no longer would be controlled solely by a remote. Like the LG 55-inch OLED also announced today, Samsung TVs would be controlled by voice, gestures and face recognition.
Users can switch the TV on, open apps and perform searches using their voice or hand gestures.
The move by TV manufacturers to incorporate gestures and voice control means Microsoft's Kinect no longer controls the gestures space.
With 12 million sales of smart 3D TVs worldwide, Samsung claims to be supremely confident of the future of 3D TV and is developing a library of 3D content to promote it.

Samsung Electronics US president Tim Baxter said the new TV would include a single "smart hub" for apps, content and search, and an integrated camera. Users can individually configure their own personal apps when logged into the TV.
Samsung's pitch, that 25,000 companies were now developing apps for its platform, further shows how apps and content were now at the forefront of selling smart TVs.
Mr Baxter said almost 20 million Samsung apps had been downloaded worldwide.
In the US Samsung's media hub included a selection of 5000 movies and TV shows. Offerings include a special Angry Birds on-demand channel.
The ES8000 will be coming to Australia, but Samsung will launch separate video-on-demand services and catch-up services with local content.
Samsung is also offering a special interface for children, interactive fitness programs and Family Story, which lets family members organize photos and slide shows.
Samsung also announced a new range of WiFi-enabled cameras in the US capable of being operated remotely from a mobile phone. Photos can be uploaded directly straight from the camera to a PC or social network. The app also can be used for triggering the camera to take self-portraits.
Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphone which was also announced today will be available in Australia. It includes the ability to use virtual private networks to counter the spread of malware on the phone.
Samsung also announced two new Ultrabooks weighing just over 1 kg and sporting an aluminium body and backlit keyboard.
For the US, there was also a new washing machine capable of being controlled remotely by an iPhone/iPad app, but there is no indication of this being available in Australia.

Source: Google News

Samsung to buy Sony’s stake in LCD JV

OKYO: Samsung Electronics Co, the world's biggest television maker, agreed to buy out the stake of Sony Corp in their joint venture to make liquid-crystal displays used in televisions amid sluggish demand.

Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, will pay 1.08 trillion won ($935 million) in cash for Sony's entire stake in S-LCD Corp, a venture formed in 2004 to make TV panels, the company said in a regulatory filing today. Sony will take a charge of about 66 billion yen ($846 million) in the quarter ending December 31 after exiting the venture, the Tokyo-based company said in a separate statement.

The deal comes as Sony, the world's No. 3 TV maker, is streamlining its main TV operation, which is estimated to lose 175 billion yen ($2.2 billion) in the year to March, an eighth consecutive year of losses. Last month, Sony predicted it will post a fourth straight annual loss after the company slashed its TV sales target and the yen reached a postwar high.

"It's a step forward for Sony," said Shiro Mikoshiba, an analyst at Nomura Holdings Inc in Tokyo. "Canceling out the venture enables Sony to become more flexible in procuring panels. Still, Sony continues to face falling prices and heavy fixed costs."

'Substantial savings' Samsung had 50 percent of the venture plus one share of their joint venture, while Sony had 50 per cent minus one share, according to the statement. The two companies have also entered into an agreement for supply and purchase of LCD panels, Samsung said in the statement.

Sony shares gained 1.6 per cent to 1,394 yen at the close of trading in Tokyo today while Samsung fell 0.2 percent to 1.07 million won. The deal was announced after the stock market closed for trading. The Nikkei reported the news earlier today.

The transaction and the subsequent agreement will enable Sony to secure a flexible and steady supply of LCD panels from Samsung, based on market prices, and without the responsibility and costs of operating a manufacturing facility, Japan's biggest consumer-electronics exporter said in its statement.

"Despite this one-time loss, Sony estimates that the transaction will result in substantial savings," starting January, Sony said in the statement.

The Japanese company lagged behind Samsung and Seoul-based LG Electronics Inc in the global TV market last year, with 12 per cent of sales, according to DisplaySearch. In the US, Samsung and Vizio, founded in 2002, had the biggest share for flat-panel televisions, based on research from IHS iSuppli.

Sony reversed an annual profit forecast to project an annual loss of 90 billion yen, its fourth consecutive annual loss. 

 

Source: Google news