Samsung said Friday profits shot up in the three-month period through December, with a big boost from its burgeoning lineup of smartphones and tablets.
The Korean electronics manufacturer said it booked 4 trillion won (US$3.6 billion) in net profit, up 17 percent from a year earlier, while revenue rose 13 percent to 47.3 trillion won.
Samsung’s products range from large-screen TVs to semiconductors, but its mobile division was the star of the latest quarter, generating nearly half of its operating profits.
The company cited strong performance in its Galaxy handset line and flat-screen TVs. Samsung said it will continue to broaden its smartphone lineup with both high-end models like the Galaxy S II and mass-market phones like the Galaxy Ace. It will also try to create new product categories, as with its Galaxy Note, a 5.3-inch mobile device with a stylus that it bills as something between a phone and a tablet.
“We are actually generating new demand in the Note category. That will be continued based on our hardware competitiveness with the addition of brand and user experience,” said Younghee Lee, a vice president in the company’s mobile division during the earnings call.
The Note launched in Europe late last year and is due out in the U.S. soon with AT&T. Samsung said it will continue to come out with devices that run on high-speed LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, which it has been faster to embrace than rivals like Apple.
The company’s success across a wide range of consumer electronics has come as many of its competitors attempting the same thing have faltered. Sony, which presents its quarterly earnings next week, is on course for a US$1 billion loss in its current fiscal year through March.
Samsung said that even with the strong showing over the holiday season, overall 2011 profit slipped 15 percent, weighed down by its large component businesses, which include DRAM and NAND flash memory as well as the LCD panels used in TV sets and monitors.
The quarterly earnings were in line with the guidance the company released earlier this month. Samsung’s fiscal year coincides with the calendar year.
The Surface has been around since 2007, but the new and improved SUR40 is a much more usable device. Microsoft and Samsung were showing off the new touch-capable table in NYC today, and I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with it.
The specs in and of themselves are impressive: 40-inch 50-point multitouch screen with a 1080×1920 resolution, AMD processors, 1GB of memory dedicated entirely to graphics, a 4-inch profile, and a host of USB/HDMI ports. It’s the computer you always wanted, save for the fact that it looks like a kitchen table and costs about $9,000.
But chances are this won’t end up in your living room. Instead, it’ll show up in your favorite retail store, at a hotel, or at the mall. That’s because this device has been specially engineered for that environment, and the needs presented within it.
That is where PixelSense comes into play. It’s an engineering technique that basically replaces the original five cameras on the Surface with hundreds and possibly thousands of tiny sensors embedded straight into the LCD panel. That means it’s no longer the conductivity of your finger directing the screen, but the screen reading your movements.
In fact, the screen sees you even as your hand hovers over the table; Microsoft has simply told it not to recognize that.
Another cool feature of this PixelSense-equipped screen is that it can detect the orientation of your finger. That means that if I want to drag an image of some shoes I’m interested in over to my corner of the Surface, the screen immediately recognizes the direction of my finger (and thus, which direction I happen to be facing) and can realign the image to face me.
But that’s just a tiny piece of what makes this thing awesome. Since the screen reads everything (and not just conductive energy), it can also handle real world objects. Oh, and it can tell which way they’re facing thanks to a small optical tag located on the bottom of the object.
Before I delve into it, just think about the retail implementations of this. Here’s one I didn’t see in action but thought would be cool:
You walk into a Foot Locker and see a pair of Nikes that are calling out to you. The only problem is that they only have them in all white and you know you’ll scuff them up. You’d prefer something a bit louder. Perhaps a royal blue?
Plop the shoe down on the Surface where a unique optical tag on the sole of the shoe can be read. Instantly you’re in Nike ID, customizing that same pair of shoes into what you want them to be.
As it does with just about any product, the Surface will generate a Microsoft tag for your shoes that can be read by your smartphone, which can then take you to a purchasing site or be saved for girlfriend’s input.
The new SUR40 is made with Gorilla Glass and is also spill resistant, using drains around the bezel to keep any spilled liquids out of the internals. Again, perfect for retail. What’s interesting is even a few drops of water are read by the Surface thanks to PixelSense.
In short, it’s all about interacting in a new way with the brands you enjoy. I saw a few different implementations of it and found myself wishing that all shopping was done this way.
For example, FujiFilm has a deal in place in Australia (but was too shy to name the retailer just yet) where the Surface can be used to make picture books. Just plug in your USB, SD card, or the like, and your pictures are then uploaded to the device (no worries, they’re never saved to the hard drive). From there, you can drag, drop, customize, add text, and finally print out a receipt to be taken to the front counter.
Absolut Vodka also has a Surface-friendly app, though no one was that clear on whether or not it’ll be live in any venues anytime soon. Still, the app lets you be the DJ, and offers different mixed drinks based on the music you’re playing. Again, you can whip out your phone to read the tag matching this or that drink and save the recipe straight to your phone.
Kia has an app that works in a very similar way to my imagined Foot Locker/Nike app, which will let you customize the vehicle (paint job, interior colors, rims, entertainment system, etc.) while you’re in a dealership.
If high-end makeup is your thing, you’ll also be excited to learn that Neiman Marcus’ luxury beauty brand Le Métier de Beauté is using the SUR40 as a consultation table in the coming months. You can customize shades of certain eye shadow or blushes which appear on-screen as soon as the actual product is placed on the table, save the “recipe” of your end-result to your phone, along with a picture of yourself post-makeover. That way you can go back home, apply the makeup yourself, and still look like you walked out of the salon.
Two of my favorites mostly concern information, and the transference of information.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), for example, created an app that lets you work out your finances, savings, and any other special offers from the bank right on the Surface. That way you aren’t relying on the employee to give you information that is in your best interest, but can actually see the effects of whatever change you might be making to your account right in front of you. Full transparency is something the banking industry could use a hearty helping of, and also something that would probably lead more bank users to participate in programs and special offers.
Microsoft also showed me an app that will map out the inside of an airport and show you various retailers and food vendors in your terminal. The app not only shows special deals and offers from said vendors, but gives you the time it takes to walk there so you don’t miss your flight.
Of course, the possibilities are endless. If you have a loyalty or member card at a certain retailer, you can use that on the Surface to bring up your information and see if you have any rewards points to go towards a purchase, or take a look at which products are on sale. Companies can also choose to use the SUR40 for product comparisons, removing the employees and all of their “sell-more” mentalities from the purchasing decision.
Performance-wise I didn’t see any hiccups or issues at all, and I’d honestly love to have one of these in my living room as a coffee table. Sadly, I’m about $8,400 short. (The SUR40 costs $8,400.) Luckily, it’s available and shipping now so if you’ve got the dough it can be yours for the buying. If not, it’ll still be a lovely new technology to have in stores, train stations, and the like, and I can’t wait to see this thing roll out big time.
Take the best Android smartphone and put it next to the best Windows Phone. Know what you get? A couple of big-ass phones. Hit the break for a quick look at the Samsung Galaxy Nexus against the Nokia Lumia 900.
Cricket plans to release their first tablet package tomorrow (Dec. 16), consisting of the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a Crosswave Mobile Hotspot (with one months service) for $595. The Galaxy Tab has a retail of $499, and the hotspot rings up at $149.99, so in reality this isn't a bad deal if you're looking for cheap monthly mobile broadband access and a shiny new tablet to go with.
According to the press release (find it after the break) corporate Cricket stores should have the bundle, as well as just the Galaxy Tab for $499, on shelves starting tomorrow. You'll be able to enjoy everything you love about Android and the Galaxy Tab, with some no-contract 3G data to go along with it.
Intel has taken on a challenge from Samsung Electronics head-on by picking up the pace and regaining its long-held dominance in the worldwide chip market.
I’ve always been something of a fan (a proponent, even) of white phones. Back in another life when I was consulting mobile manufacturers on their phone designs, it was always one of the first questions I’d ask: “This is great! Can you make it in white?”
Back then, everybody acted like I was crazy. “White is too hard to keep clean!” they’d assure me. “The white bezel makes the black screen look smaller!” they’d say. These days, of course, white phones are all the rage.
Sometime before the holidays, another flagship phone is now set to hop on the big list of handsets with snowy variants: the Samsung Galaxy S II.
News of the hue-less model comes straight from Samsung themselves, though the announcement lacks details beyond its launch window of “in time for the holidays”.
The announcement was made in partnership with T-Mobile, and only confirms that T-Mobile will be getting the white model. This is particularly interesting, as pictures of an identical white variant leaked out just days ago… but for AT&T. No official word yet from AT&T on when they might get it, but I’d guess that “in time for the holidays” window is the same across the board.
Samsung launched another volley in its global legal battle with Apple on Monday, filing claims to block the sale of the iPhone 4S in Australia and Japan.
The Korean electronics manufacturer said it had also filed to immediately block sales of the older iPhone 4 and iPad 2 in Japan. The legal attack is the latest in a series between the two companies around their competing tablets and smartphones, which has seen Apple win several early victories.
“We will no longer stand idly by, and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property,” Samsung said in a press release.
Samsung said it had filed a legal injunction in the Tokyo District Court based on one patent related to High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and three user interface patents. The Australian motion was filed in the New South Wales Registry on three patents related to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and HSPA.
The user interface patents Samsung said were violated in Japan include the small airplane icon that appears when an iPhone is in “flight mode,” a patent for customizing a phone’s home screen and a layout for browsing applications on sale via a phone.
Last week, Apple won an interim injunction to prevent the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, and then Samsung had its parent infringement claims rejected at a district court in the Hague.
Apple stopped Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany in October, and in August a court in the Hague banned the shipments of three Samsung smartphones in Europe, though the Korean company came up with an update that circumvents the patent in question.
Japan was one of the first countries in the world to sell Apple’s iPhone 4S. At the launch Friday morning, hundreds lined up in the streets throughout Tokyo to buy the phone, and the heavy demand took down registration servers at a major carrier for several hours.
Oh well. Where’s that iPhone 4S pre-order link? Samsung and Google decided that “it is just not the right time to announce a new product” and postponed the scheduled Nexus Galaxy/Prime and Ice Cream Sandwich debut. The two companies were supposed use the CTIA stage next Tuesday to unveil the next-gen superphone and Google’s latest Android incarnation. But that’s not going to happen per a joint statement released this morning.
Samsung and Google decide to postpone the new product announcement at CTIA Fall. We agree that it is just not the right time to announce a new product. New date and venue will be shortly announced.
This takes the event off the books for next Tuesday, October 11th. The mobile world was expecting the big unveiling of the Nexus Galaxy (or Prime, if previous rumors are believed). Details leaked yesterday concerning the so-called superphone that places a 1.2GHz CPU, backed by 1GB of RAM at the core. The phone is said to include an NFC chip, 32GB of storage and a 5MP camera with a 1080p recording mode. Of course none of this was confirmed. Next Tuesday was going to be a big day for mobile nerds.
Eric Schmidt previously stated that Google would launch Ice Cream Sandwich by November. Hopefully Google stays true to its word and the Nexus Galaxy/Prime event will be back on the books sometime this month.
But fear not. A leaked demo video hit the interwebs today that might satisfy your Ice Cream Sandwich craving. It’s hard to tell if this is the real release or just a clever Android 2.x launcher, but we’re leaning more towards the former. The video doesn’t have any glaring goofs or obvious flaws. The OS shown is silky smooth, the animations are right, and there’s certainly a Honeycomb feel throughout the whole thing. If that video is indeed Ice Cream Sandwich, current Android owners might want to hold off jumping on the 4S bandwagon. A beast is nearly upon us.
Samsung Friday announced the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus tablet, an update that is lighter and more powerful than the original, and runs a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.
Microsoft on Tuesday gave the 5,000 developers attending its BUILD conference preview units of a Samsung tablet running a version of the upcoming Windows 8 software.
Recent Comments