Device Arena

Vacuum tube amplifiers deliver warm, natural sound

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., March 28, 2012 – Samsung Electronics America Inc., today announced the availability of new premium products incorporating vacuum tube amplifiers that offer rich, harmonious sound qualities. The Samsung DA-E750 Audio Dock (SRP: $799.99), Samsung HT-E6500W Blu-ray 3D 5.1 Home Theater System (SRP: $799.99) and Samsung HT-E6730W Blu-ray 3D 7.1 Home Theater System (SRP: $999.99) will be shipping this spring in the U.S. With these products, Samsung also underscores its commitment to extend its leadership in audio products with premium offerings.

New in 2012, Samsung’s patented vacuum tube amplifier technology allows audio enthusiasts to enjoy music the way it was meant to be heard. Vacuum tubes, which use a long-lasting heated cathode inside a glass bulb to amplify sound, offer a warmer, more natural sound compared to conventional audio systems utilizing transistors.

The vacuum tube is also combined with a digital amplifier, which delivers crystal clear sound and reduces unnecessary harsh sound distortions. By combining the best of both worlds in a compact form factor, Samsung has achieved a technology breakthrough that raises the bar in sound quality for mainstream audio products.

“With these offerings we’re taking our first step into a commitment to the premium audio market,” said Joe Stinziano, Senior Vice President for Home Entertainment, Samsung Electronics America. “Audio plays a critical factor in the overall home entertainment experience, and our innovative vacuum tube amplifiers will whet consumer appetites for premium sound quality.”

Sophisticated Design with Multi-device Support and Enhanced Connectivity*

Consumers will be able to use the DA-E750 with their Galaxy S II smartphones as well as Apple iOS devices, thanks to a unique dual docking structure. Its 2.1-channel woven glass fiber speakers and powerful built-in subwoofer deliver 100 watts of crystal clear sound with enhanced bass for a quality music experience. Consumers can use Samsung’s AllShare Play to share multimedia content between the audio dock and compatible smartphones, tablets, cameras and computers, or AirPlay to stream audio from iOS devices. The DA-E750 also includes analog (composite) input and connectivity via Bluetooth to MP3, WMA and WAV files from a broad range of devices – thumb drives, portable hard drives, music players and mobile devices – for the ultimate in flexibility.

The elegant design of the DA-E750 exudes the highest level of sophistication by combining classic design elements with a touch of luxury. The sleek high gloss wood finish is available in either mahogany or piano black, which is accentuated by the warm glow from the vacuum tubes inside the docks when in operation. For added convenience, the audio dock will simultaneously charge the Galaxy S II or iOS device while streaming music.

The Ultimate in Movie Theater Quality Entertainment in the Home

Samsung’s flagship Blu-ray 3D Home Theater System, the HT-E6730W, offers outstanding high-definition audio and superior video for the best all-in-one solution for any home entertainment room. The HT-E6730W is a 1,330-watt 7.1-channel system with two tower speakers and four additional speakers. Innovative swivel speakers are mounted on the specially designed front height speakers and may be turned upwards so sounds vertically cascade down onto the listener. The two rear wireless satellite speakers may be placed anywhere in the room without the need for additional wires to create a truly immersive vertical surround sound experience. A dual-unit passive radiator subwoofer provides clear, rich bass response.

Samsung’s vacuum tube pre-amplifier may be seen on the front and top of the system. The glass fiber cones in the speakers improve sound quality and minimize distortion, for the ideal combination of style and performance. Samsung’s Crystal Amp Plus technology offers pure digital audio playback and quality while also protecting listeners from unexpected jumps in volume.

The HT-E6730W seamlessly up-converts content to Full HD 1080p from a variety of sources, including DVDs, streaming video and connected media devices. Each home theater system employs a Samsung-developed system-on-a-chip (SoC), which has cutting-edge image quality enhancement algorithms, Samsung’s video processor and scaler, and various high definition codecs. The system also comes with built-in WiFi for easy access to Samsung Smart Hub, and AllShare Play. Newly designed for 2012, Samsung Smart Hub allows consumers to download hundreds of premium apps and use surf the web. They can also choose and manage their social networks via popular services such as Facebook or Twitter.

The HT-E6730W seamlessly up-converts content to Full HD 1080p from a variety of sources, including DVDs, streaming video and connected media devices. Each home theater system employs a Samsung-developed system-on-a-chip (SoC), which has cutting-edge image quality enhancement algorithms, Samsung’s video processor and scaler, and various high definition codecs. The system also comes with built-in WiFi for easy access to Samsung Smart Hub, and AllShare Play. Newly designed for 2012, Samsung Smart Hub allows consumers to download hundreds of premium apps and use surf the web. They can also choose and manage their social networks via popular services such as Facebook or Twitter.

The features of the HT-E67630W are also included in a 5.1 version, the Samsung HT-E6500W Blu-ray 3D 5.1 Home Theater System. The HT-E6500W, which includes two half tall speakers and two wireless rear speakers, offers 1,000 watts of sound. Its vacuum-tube power delivers brilliant sound by combining the best of digital and analog audio technologies.

The included Disc to Digital streaming service takes a consumer’s movies and unlocks them in the cloud, for easy access anytime, anywhere. Users have access to thousands of Samsung Apps through Samsung Smart Hub, and can leverage the system’s full web browser through built in WiFi support.

samsung.com

Public schools from Alabama, Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, and New York to each receive $100,000 of technology at an event with John Legend in Washington, D.C.
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., March 15, 2012 – Samsung announced today the five grand prize winners in its nationwide Solve for Tomorrow contest, a competition to raise enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education among U.S. public school students. The five grand prize winners were chosen from the 12 finalists selected in February to receive technology from Samsung, Microsoft, the Adobe Foundation, and DIRECTV. The winners are:

Lawrence County High School, Moulton, AL
Desert Wind Middle School, Maricopa, AZ
Davenport School of the Arts, Davenport, FL
Jefferson Township Middle School, Oak Ridge, NJ
Schoharie High School, Schoharie, NY

The 12 finalist videos can be seen at http://www.samsung.com/solvefortomorrow

Schoharie High School won the Community Choice Award through public online voting and will receive an assistance dog for their school in addition to the $100,000 of technology. All five schools will choose from a range of technology prizes such as smart boards, LED TVs, printers, laptops and software.

All five winners will be honored in a special Washington, D.C. ceremony in April with John Legend, the Grammy Award-winning recording artist and education advocate.

The contest is part of Samsung Hope for Children, the company’s philanthropic initiative focused on helping children lead healthier, smarter, and more sustainable lives.

“The passion this contest engendered was amazing to see,” said David Steel, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy of Samsung Electronics North America. “Schoharie High School received more than 100,000 votes as our Community Choice winner. That kind of public support is fantastic. Congratulations to all the winning schools as well as the other seven finalists. We hope that the challenge of this contest, together with the technology for winning schools, will help spark students’ passion to become the innovators of tomorrow through STEM education.”

More than 1,500 schools from all 50 states entered the contest that kicked off in August with an essay submission on how STEM can help the environment in their community. Twenty-five were picked to receive a video production kit containing $1,000 of technology – a Samsung laptop, camcorder, and Adobe software – to compete as semi-finalists and in the video phase of the contest.

samsung.com

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today that its 55-inch Super OLED TV has been a breakout hit at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, collecting numerous prestigious awards from influential media outlets including Popular Science, Stuff Magazine and G4 TV, as well as a Best of CES Innovations Award from CEA, the producer of the International CES.

• Popular Science – Best of CES 2012: Products of the Future. “After you’ve stood in front of this OLED beauty, it’s hard to look at normal TVs the same way again.”

• G4 TV- Best of the Best Products. “They’re gorgeous, they’re razor thin, the picture on it is looks amazing, the voice recognition is awesome and the motion recognition is awesome.”

• Stuff Magazine – CES Hot Stuff Award. “Ludicrously slim, amazingly bright and devilishly clever… it also has facial recognition and is one of the first TVs with upgradeable innards”

• “Best of CES Innovations 2012” in the Video Displays category —International CES. “Samsung’s KN55ES9000 is a beautiful masterpiece of accurate color reproduction and maximized performance. It provides a suite of advanced Smart TV features with a high performance dual core chipset.”

In addition, Samsung’s Smart Evolution, a feature of the Super OLED TV, was recognized with a CES Editor’s Choice Award from Popular Mechanics.

Samsung’s 55-inch Super OLED TV is a masterpiece that will be acclaimed by home entertainment and design enthusiasts alike. Super OLED technology delivers the ultimate in picture quality and thinness, since there is no need for a color filter as the OLED pixel unit comprises self-emitting RGB sub-pixels laid directly on the display panel, each emitting its own light. The technology is also able to differentiate varying degrees of blacks and shadows, so that users can enjoy unparalleled detail even in the darkest of scenes for the ultimate TV experience.

“Samsung is honoured that the journalist and trade community has recognized the Super OLED with so many prestigious awards,” said Hyunsuk Kim, executive vice president, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is a validation of our substantial investment in developing this technology, and in leveraging our long and successful history of creating innovative OLED products, including mobile phones, digital cameras and tablets.”

The Samsung Super OLED TV will be on display at the 2012 International CES, booth #12004, in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) from January 10-13, 2012. It will be available commercially worldwide this year.

samsung.com

Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Samsung”) today announced that the two companies have signed agreements to transition the current business relationship with respect to LCD panels.

Under the agreement, Samsung will acquire all of Sony’s shares of S-LCD Corporation (“S-LCD”), the two companies’ LCD panel manufacturing joint venture, making S-LCD a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung. In consideration for the share transfer, cash consideration of approximately KRW 1.08 trillion* will be paid to Sony by Samsung. Concurrently, the two companies have entered into a new strategic agreement for the supply and purchase of LCD panels with a goal of enhancing the competitiveness of both companies. The agreement also allows Sony and Samsung to continue cooperative engineering efforts focused on LCD panel technology.

For Sony, this transaction will enable it to monetize its shares in S-LCD and aims 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. With whole ownership of S-LCD, Samsung anticipates heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations.

Established in April 2004, S-LCD has continued to deliver advanced and cost-competitive LCD panels to both of its parent companies, contributing to the expansion of the respective parties’ TV businesses, and the large-sized LCD TV market overall. However, LCD panel and TV market conditions have now changed. In order to respond to such challenging conditions and to strengthen their respective market competitiveness, the two companies have agreed to shift to a new LCD panel business alliance.

The share transfer and payment are targeted to close by the end of January 2012, subject to necessary approvals from regulatory authorities.

As a result of this transaction, a non-cash impairment loss of approximately JPY 66 billion is expected to be incurred by Sony in the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, due to the reevaluation of its S-LCD shares. This loss includes an impact from the fluctuation of exchange rate. Despite this one-time loss, Sony estimates that the transaction will result in substantial savings on and after January 1, 2012 in respect of costs associated with its procurement of LCD panels. The current estimate of the yearly savings in respect of such costs is approximately JPY 50 billion, compared to LCD panel procurement costs estimated for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. Neither the one-time loss nor the estimated cost savings were included in Sony’s forecast of consolidated financial results for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, announced on November 2, 2011. Sony is currently reevaluating this forecast, taking into account this transaction and other factors that might affect its full year FY2011 consolidated financial results forecast.

Facts about S-LCD
Established
:April 26, 2004
Capital
:KRW 3.3 Trillion
(Samsung Electronics: 50% plus 1 share, Sony: 50% minus 1 share)

Representative
:Donggun Park, CEO
Location
:Tangjeong, Chung Cheong Nam-Do, South Korea
Production Items
:7th and 8th generation Amorphous TFT LCD
*Note: The final amount of such payment will be determined based on S-LCD’s financial statements as of the end of December 2011.

sony.net

First Smartphone to Combine Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the Power of America’s Fastest, Most Reliable 4G Network

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless, Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) and Google™ announced the Galaxy™ Nexus™ is available starting today in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

Customers can browse the Web, stream music and more at blazing speeds using the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. Galaxy Nexus customers can enjoy access to the 4G LTE network in 190 markets covering over 200 million people across the United States, and fly through the Web with fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps within the 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage area.

Galaxy Nexus runs Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, which brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. Galaxy Nexus offers customers a redesigned user experience with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Near Field Communications (NFC) sharing with Android Beam™ and a full Web browsing experience. The lock screen, home screen, phone app and everything in between has been rethought and redesigned to make Android simple, beautiful and useful. Galaxy Nexus also features an ultra-thin 9.47mm design with a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ Contour Display to watch movies, view pictures and play games that come to life in 720p (1280×720) resolution.

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) features:
• Redesigned user interface with software navigation buttons—a first for Android smartphones—and a dedicated recent apps button to make multitasking easy.

• Face Unlock – use state-of-the-art facial recognition to unlock Galaxy Nexus

• Android Beam™ – quickly share Web pages, apps, contacts and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping two compatible phones together

• Redesigned Camera – introduces panorama mode, 1080p video capture, zero-shutter lag for instant photo capturing, and effects like silly faces and background replacement

• People Application – browse friends, family and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution and check their latest status updates from Google+ and other social networks

• Cloud Services – keep email, contacts, photos, music, browser bookmarks and other data synced to the cloud and across multiple devices so customers never lose important data

• Google Music – upload up to 20,000 songs to the cloud, discover and buy new music from Android Market™, and stream it instantly on Galaxy Nexus and from the Web, free

• Google+ – Create a Google+ account right from the phone and check status updates, manage circles, quickly share updates and photos, video chat with up to ten friends with mobile hangouts, and chat with groups of friends with Google+ Messenger

• Support for Google Mobile™ Services – Gmail™, Google Maps™ with 3D maps and free turn-by-turn navigation, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube, syncing with Google Calendar™, a redesigned Google+ app and access to more than 300,000 apps, millions of eBooks, thousands of movies to rent, and millions of songs available to download from Android Market

Additional features:
• Dual-core 1.2 GHz application processor and HTML5 Web browser – optimized dual-core processing with Android 4.0 combined with lightning fast 4G LTE connectivity for fast downloading of graphics, applications processing and Web browsing

• Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G LTE or 3G connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices

• 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with zero-shutter lag for instant photo capturing, autofocus and LED flash with full 1080p recording

• Front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat

• Textured soft-touch back cover enhances the ergonomic feel and makes the phone slip-resistant

• Bluetooth® 3.0 technology – support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, human interface device (HID) and object push for vCard and vCalendar

• 1 GB RAM and 32 GB on-board memory (actual formatted capacity will be less)

Pricing and data packages:
• Galaxy Nexus is available now in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

• Customers that purchase a Galaxy Nexus by Samsung will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

samsung.com