Day: April 25, 2008

“AM South Korean conglomerate Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SSNLF.PK) reported a 37% surge in its profit for the first quarter, as strong sales of flat-panel displays and mobile handsets offset a weak performance at its computer chip division. Revenue for the quarter climbed 19%. The company expects sales volume and panel prices to increase in the second quarter for its LCD business, and expects stagnant memory market will continue throughout the second quarter for its semiconductor division. The results come on the heels of the indictment of the company’s chairman Lee Kun Hee last week on charges of tax evasion and breach of trust, after a protracted probe into allegations of corruption at the company. However, dropped bribery charges against the company’s chairman was dropped by the special prosecutor, Cho Joon Woong, who said that his special investigation team was unable to gather requisite evidence to prove the charge. According to Woong, Lee is guilty of avoiding 113 billion won or US$114.3 million in taxes by using other people’s names to execute profitable stock transactions. Nine other executives, including Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, were also charged.Last month, Samsung slashed its sales growth outlook for the year 2008 citing the economic downturn globally. At its annual shareholders’ meeting in Seoul, the company’s Chief Executive Yun Jong-yong said he expects sales growth of over 10% for 2008 compared to the company’s forecast in February of 15% plus sales growth.” Read more here:

“According to German heise online, Vodafone Germany is releasing next month two DVB-T phones, the LG HB620T mobile phone and the – already well known – GIGA-BYTE GSmart t600 Windows Mobile Professional smartphone.While I’ve recently seen a t600 which was running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1, it’s not yet clear if Vodafone Germany, which previewed the t600 on last month’s CeBIT, will release the GSmart t600 with newer and just recently announced Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional version or with Windows Mobile 6.Nevertheless, the release of the LG HB620T and the GSmart t600 is quite groundbreaking for the German mobile TV market since both devices will operate on DVB-T (digital terrestrial TV) instead of of DVB-H (digital terrestrial TV for handheld devices as suggested by European Commission). Earlier this year, the German regulation authority has given the DVB-H license to a start-up company called “Mobile 3.0″ instead of giving it to a joint venture, formed by German T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2. As a result, it seems that these three mobile operators have no further interest in supporting DVB-H anymore but it looks like Vodafone Germany is the first to officially support DVB-T instead now.While Vodafone hasn’t released any official information yet, according to heise online both – the LG and the GSmart – should be on sale in May for something around 100 Euro (with a 24 months contract, for sure).” via .theunwired.net

“Today Skype released a beta version of Skype for mobile phone, works on about 50 of the most popular Java-enabled mobile phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. The beta version of Skype mobile is available worldwide with a feature set that includes chat, group chat, presence (seeing when your contacts are online), and receiving calls from Skype users, and through SkypeIn.Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls from the mobile handsets are initially supported in seven markets: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.“These are still the early days for making Skype calls on mobile phones, but we’ve already made great strides in this space,” said Gareth O’Loughlin, general manager, mobile and hardware devices. “Among other things, we have a great relationship with 3, the mobile operator, which has brought the mobile Skype experience to eight markets through the 3 Skypephone and a range of other packages and phones. Skype for your mobile will expand the available options even further.With its beta version, Skype for your mobile enters a public testing phase that will help Skype gauge the response of technology-savvy users whose feedback will help tweak the offering. This phase is expected to last several months, after which a public version of the application will be made available to millions of mobile phone owners around the world.There are two ways to get the beta version of Skype for your mobile: as a direct over-the-air download to a compatible mobile phone, or it can be downloaded to a computer and then transferred to the phone. For instructions, please visit www.skype.com/go/mobiledownload . This Web page also includes a directory of currently supported mobile phones and the list of markets where the full feature set is available.” via slashphone.com

“Since the U900 is Samsung’s flagship they will extend its life span with new colors, which will guarantee it a place on the shop shelves for at least 1-1,5 years. For those who plan to stay with their new handsets for this long the U900 is an interesting proposal, as despite its price going down over time it won’t lose its charm and the hype that surrounds it. As far as Samsung’s other handsets are concerned, normally they last 6-8 months, and after that they become obsolescent. ” Read more here: