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

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

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

LTE will transform the mobile-broadband user experience, providing the ultra-high data speeds anywhere, anytime. LTE will bring unparalleled services such as Internet TV, mobile video blogging, on-line video games and high speed mobile business environment.

Commercial LTE networks scheduled to offer services to consumers in 2010 will bring data rates far above what is possible in today’s mobile broadband networks allowing users to stay connected and enjoy seamless, high-quality, online services even while on the move.

Samsung and Ericsson have together developed necessary procedures to accomplish this end to end integration program. Through extensive testing in Stockholm, Samsung LTE dongles and Ericsson’s infrastructure have complied with the industry standard for commercial deployment, 3GPP Release 8 March baseline.

Johan Wibergh, Senior Vice President and Head of Networks at Ericsson says: “This is the first time a commercial, standard compliant LTE device demonstrated full interoperability with a live network. It is an important milestone for Ericsson and the mobile industry. Ericsson looks forward to using our leadership in LTE technology to help our customers to move into a new era of communications, improving the user experience for their mobile broadband customers. The cooperation with Samsung has been successful and shows that LTE services soon will be ready for the market”.

“We are excited to announce the first commercial LTE device that is fully compliant with the standard and compatible with live LTE networks,” said Byungduck Cho, Executive Vice President of Research and Development Centre, Digital Media and Communications Business in Samsung Electronics. “This mobile device will take the user experience to the next level by offering users a full broadband Internet experience on a LTE infrastructure.”

LTE enables unprecedented performance in terms of peak data rates, spectrum efficiency and delay. LTE can be deployed both in new and existing frequency bands and is designed to minimize the cost of network operation and maintenance.

The end-to-end connection was provided via LTE FDD technology, using Ericsson’s own live LTE network and the world’s first commercial LTE device from Samsung.

Ericsson

Samsung Intrepid features Windows Mobile® 6.5 Professional, and improves on previous Samsung Windows phones with a user experience that offers a customizable Today screen to display the features the user accesses most often and shows important information like new emails, text messages, missed calls and calendar appointments. It also has a richer Internet browsing experience and new personalization options including a diverse selection of designer themes and the ability to create an original look for your phone with the built-in theme creator.

Samsung Intrepid adds to Sprint’s robust line of international devices allowing its customers to leverage America’s most dependable network domestically and other high-performance, world class networks abroad. Global business travelers can rest easy knowing Sprint has a solution to keep people connected when they travel in the United States and abroad.

This device is a strong addition to Sprint’s business device portfolio and features a 2.5-inch touchscreen interface with 320×240 resolution, full QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel camera and camcorder, and combines a robust mobile office experience with all the must have Microsoft Office Mobile-capabilities like corporate email and the ability to view attachments and manage your calendar. Additional business features include:

It will be available on Sunday, Oct. 11 for $149.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement, and after a $50 instant savings and $100 mail-in rebate, at Sprint stores, Web sales (www.sprint.com), Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1), Sprint Business Direct and select third-party dealers.

“Combined with America’s most dependable 3G network and Sprint’s affordable rate plans, Samsung Intrepid is a great value for our customers who want a Windows phone with International capabilities,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “This phone offers the robust enterprise capabilities of Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, and a best-in-class email experience with smooth Web surfing and access to applications that are both useful and fun.”

“Samsung Intrepid makes it easier for people to do more on the go by giving them the choice to use voice or touch input on a sleek new Windows phone,” said Andy Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communication Business. “Samsung Intrepid on Sprint’s reliable network is a great example of how customers benefit when industry leaders rally around a common goal – in this case convenience.”

“Samsung is excited to have the Windows phone operating system integrated into the new Samsung Intrepid,” said Omar Khan, senior vice president of Strategy and Product Management for Samsung Mobile. “Intrepid’s global connectivity, Wi-Fi capabilities touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard options combined with document editing, imaging and messaging capabilities and enhanced multitasking make this device a perfect fit for international business and personal use.”

Innovative Features and Applications

Featuring Internet Explorer Mobile® 6, Samsung Intrepid offers powerful Web search capabilities with a touch-friendly user interface and Bing™ for mobile information while on-the-go, the ability to view Web sites in Mobile or Desktop view and better zoom, scroll and pan features for easier Web site navigation and an Adobe Flash Lite® plug-in that allows Samsung Intrepid users to enjoy rich Flash-based games, videos and other interactive Web content on their phone. Additional upgrades over previous Samsung Windows Mobile phones include:

Samsung Intrepid from Sprint is the first device to offer Microsoft Corp.’s TellmeTM mobile experience, which allows customers to use their voice to dial a contact, compose a text message and search the Web using America’s most dependable 3G network. The Tellme application can search business listings, traffic, maps, driving directions, movies and weather, instantly with the touch of a button and a person’s voice. With Tellme, Samsung Intrepid users only need to push a button and say ‘coffee shop’ to get the location of nearby cafes.

Worry-free Pricing Plans

With its powerful data experience, Samsung Intrepid will benefit from the value of Sprint’s Everything Data plans, with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM, which gives customers unlimited mobile calling on the Sprint network to and from any U.S. wireless carrier, unlimited nationwide texting, email, Web browsing and much more, starting at just $69.99. For customers that want Sprint’s Simply EverythingSM Plan that offers a truly unlimited experience for only $99.99 per month, and they can save $1,200 over two years vs. a comparable AT&T iPhone® plan3. (All price plans exclude surcharges and taxes. Other exclusions apply.)

Sprint also offers great value on international service plans for Samsung Intrepid. The Worldwide Data plan gives customers email and Web access in more than 145 countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations using CDMA technology, and with GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. The plan is available for $69.99 per month, or just $40 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges) as an attachable to Simply Everything, Everything Data, Everything Data Family or Business Advantage Messaging and Data.

Sprint international voice roaming rates range from $0.59 to $5.99 per minute, depending on where customers are calling. Customers making frequent calls while in Canada can take advantage of a specific service plan for $2.99 per month which allows calls to be made and received at $0.20 per minute. Customers also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international voice and data services.

Sprint provides voice coverage in 195 countries and data coverage in more than 145 countries. The Sprint Worldwide voice plan (International Voice Roaming Discount Plan) enhances the value proposition for Sprint’s International devices like the Samsung Intrepid, HTC Touch Pro II and the Blackberry Tour. Customers can add the plan at anytime for $4.99/month; discounted prices available for more than 110 countries; discounts range from $0.10/minute to $3.00/minute with plan. For more information on Sprint’s International Services, go to www.sprint.com/international.

Sprint offers an additional value as the only wireless carrier to offer Ready Now with trained retail associates that work one-on-one with customers to personalize their Samsung Intrepid, set up features and demonstrate how it works before the customer leaves the store. Customers have the choice of sitting down with a Sprint retail associate at the time of purchase or they can schedule an appointment for a later time at www.sprint.com/storelocator.

The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) reaches more than 269 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports. The Sprint Networks (inclusive of data roaming) have more than twice the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network and more than 20 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, both based on square miles4.

1 Based upon reported shipment data from Strategy Analytics Q1 2009 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Report.

2 Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength for the top 50 most populous US markets (including PR) from January 2008 to July 2009. Not all services are available on 3G, and coverage may default to a separate network when 3G is unavailable.

3 Savings based on publicly available information comparing AT&T Nation Unlimited plus required iPhone data plan and optional unlimited text messaging totaling $149.99/month for AT&T as of publication date, excluding taxes, surcharges and fees. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

4 Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/01/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles. Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/1/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles.

Sprint