Samsung

Samsung LED-free LCD a solid value

TV makers are pushing LED-based LCD TVs hard, in part because the newfangled backlight scheme allows thinner, more aggressive designs and slightly better energy efficiency. However, a larger part, we suspect, has to do with profit margins: TVs with LED backlights generally cost more than those with standard fluorescent, or CCFL, backlights. Samsung sells numerous so-called LED TVs, but the LNC630 series isn't one of them.

This midrange LCD uses the standard backlight, doesn't cost a fortune, yet manages in some ways--chiefly screen uniformity--to produce a better image than the company's edge-lit LED models. It also competes … Read more

Samsung debuts new QX, RF, NF and SF laptops

A year ago, Samsung wasn't much of a player in the laptop space aside from a few Netbooks. This year, however, the equation changed. We've seen Samsung midrange laptops that have offered great value for their components, with designs that seem to be getting progressively better. With the company's newest batch of laptop announcements, that trend seems to be continuing.

The NF and SF series of Netbooks and laptops adopt a similar design, with curved, glossy lines and raised walls around the keyboard deck. The look feels particularly suited to living-room use, as if these laptops were … Read more

Samsung: Galaxy Tab has leg up on Apple iPad

BERLIN--When Samsung debuted its Galaxy Tab on Thursday, it made a bold claim: the device is at least as good as today's dominant tablet, Apple's iPad.

"Honestly, I don't see anything [about the Galaxy Tab] that is weaker than the iPad," W.P. Wong, head of Samsung Mobile's product planning team, said at a press conference here at the IFA electronics show.

And in several ways, he said, the Galaxy Tab is stronger. It permits both picture-taking and video chat with front- and back-mounted cameras. Its weight of 380 grams (0.8 pounds) is considerably less than the iPad, which weighs 680 grams (1.5 pounds) without 3G and 730g (1.6 pounds) with it.

"In terms of the weight, you may not think it's a significant factor. But we think, through consumer research, that weight is very critical to enjoy the user experience," Hong said.

The product itself will begin shipping in late September or early October in Europe and by year's end in the U.S.

Samsung is already working to raise expectations about as high as they'll go.

"The Galaxy Tab will change our lives," Samsung Mobile President J.K. Shin said. "It is a true paradigm-shifter." … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet goes official

Samsung's plans to create the Galaxy Tab Android tablet can't come as much of a surprise at this point, but today's announcement at IFA 2010 marks the first time we're seeing official specs from the company.

Official pricing is still unknown, but we now know that the device is due to hit European markets in mid-September, and the U.S. and Asia by year's end. The Galaxy Tab's size and specs put it somewhere between the phone-like Dell Streak and the magazine-size Apple iPad. The Tab uses a 7-inch capacitive touch screen with a … Read more

Samsung tries to woo TV app developers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--App stores have transformed portable devices. Could TVs be next?

Samsung Electronics think so. The Korean company is here pitching Samsung Apps, an application platform and marketplace, to media and content providers, as well as individual third-party developers.

Samsung Apps, as the platform is called, has been rolled out in other countries, but the company came here for its first developer conference, called Free the TV Challenge, to introduce its new software development kit to more than 100 developers in the United States.

Since app stores have become a given for portables--no phone maker would dream of launching a new smartphone today without access to one--Samsung says people want that same experience when flipping through channels from the couch.

"Consumers want and expect choice and control. Not just on the go, not just in front of computer, but in the living room," Eric Anderson, Samsung vice president of content development, told the group gathered in the ballroom of the Fairmont hotel.

Part of Samsung's pitch to developers on Tuesday was that its position in TVs and mobile phones will provide a large enough window for developers. Samsung already sells 45 million TVs a year and 200 mobile phones, so the implication is that if its TV app store takes off, the developers in on the ground floor will have their apps broadcast to a large chunk of TV owning people or people who will buy one in the next few years.

So far, there are 88 apps already available on Samsung's TV platform, but the company says there will be 200 by the end of the year. Samsung has been selling Web-connected TVs with apps from the likes of Yahoo, Netflix, Blockbuster, Facebook, Twitter, and others since 2009. By opening the platform up to third parties, it expects that number to increase exponentially over the next few years. … Read more

Samsung Epic 4G now available from Sprint

If you've been waiting for the Samsung Epic 4G, it can now be yours, as Sprint's second 4G smartphone hits the streets Tuesday.

The Epic 4G will run you $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. However, you can also pick up the phone at Best Buy and Radio Shack to get an instant $100 savings and avoid the hassle of a mail-in rebate. Even better, Wal-Mart and Amazon are currently offering the phone for $199.99.

Unlike the other Samsung Galaxy S models, the Epic 4G features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a … Read more

Samsung Messager Touch lands at Cricket

Cricket Wireless, the little carrier with big plans to go national, added yet another handset to its lineup Tuesday. The Samsung Messager Touch comes hot on the heels of the Android-powered Sanyo Zio, which had its formal introduction last week.

The Messager Touch isn't a smartphone, but it offers a slider design with a full keyboard, messaging and multimedia features, and decent call quality. We've reviewed the U.S. Cellular Messager Touch only, but Cricket's version of the handset shouldn't differ too sharply. Cricket will sell the phone for $159 for its no-contract service.

Earlier this … Read more

Samsung Wave 723 set to hit Europe's shores

Germany will soon be able to say hello to the Samsung Wave 723, the newest model of the smartphone built on Samsung's open Bada platform. Samsung will release the Wave 723, also known as GT-S7230E, in Germany in September, and then it will gradually release it to other countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

The Wave 723's specs include a 3.2-inch WQVGA TFT-LCD screen, a 5.0 megapixel camera, 3G and 802.11 Wi-Fi support, and QVGA video recording and playback that includes support for H.264 HD video.

Of course, the phone … Read more

Samsung ships 1 million Galaxy S smartphones

Samsung has shipped 1 million Galaxy S smartphones in the U.S. since their mid-July launch, the company said Monday.

Samsung said the Android-based devices' success can be attributed in part to an aggressive ad campaign. The company has advertised Galaxy S phones on several major TV network shows. It was also quick to point out that its decision to offer the Galaxy S through multiple carriers has helped the smartphones attract customers.

Galaxy S is a line of Android smartphones, not a single device. The models released so far have been the Samsung Captivate for AT&T and … Read more