Samsung, LG to wow spectators in Berlin

Next-generation TVs, handsets to highlight IFA trade fair

By Kim Yoo-chul

It has been a dismal year for the technology industry, but that isn’t keeping Korean giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics from shifting into showboating mode ahead of a major industry trade fair.

The IFA, which competes with the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for the title of the world’s largest electronics trade show, kicks off this year’s event in Berlin Friday.

Samsung and LG, which are always hell-bent on besting the other in every category, are each vowing to steal the show with their latest TVs, smartphones and white goods.

The theme of this year’s show will be “three-dimensional (3D)” and “smart,” as electronics makers look to integrate stereoscopic imaging and network technologies to a wider range of devices beyond just televisions and phones.

“Clearly, the advancement in 3D-related technologies and products will garner most of the attention in Berlin. And we know that everyone there will be looking for Samsung to generate some noise,’’ said Samsung spokesman Kim Choon-gon.

Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung and television division head Yoon Boo-keun will be in Berlin to mingle with partners and clients and also address the media on the company’s strategies and product trends.

Samsung, the world’s largest flat-screen television maker and the second-largest handset vendor behind Nokia, sees particular room for growth in the European television market.

Getting ahead in next-generation premium product markets like 3D TV will be crucial for the company to cement its global lead, Samsung officials said.

LG is looking to steal Samsung’s thunder in 3D TV and will use the IFA to promote its own stereoscopic television units it claims are cheaper and easier on the eyes than rival products.

Samsung had a 34.4-percent share in global 3D television sales during the first six months of the year, followed by Sony. LG, a latecomer in 3D television, was happy about its 12.4-percent share in the segment, which was enough to edge Panasonic for third place.

“We will put more focus on displaying 3D-equipped gadgets such as 72-inch 3D television and home theater systems as well as 3D laptops, notebooks, smartphones and gaming consoles,’’ said G.W. Kim, a senior LG Electronics spokesman. Kim added that the company’s booth at the IFA will feature more than 1,000 devices.

Koo Bon-joon, LG Electronics CEO and brother of LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, will be in Berlin, joined by LG Electronics’ television chief Kwon Hee-woon and white-goods head Lee Young-ha.

LG Display CEO Kwon Young-soo will be at the IFA to promote the company’s film-patterned retarder (FPR) 3D products and engage in business talks with potential European buyers.

Platform vs. hardware initiative

Samsung will also use the IFA to showcase mobile Internet devices based on its own software platform, called “Bada,” the Korean word for “ocean.”

Bada is an also-ran that trails leading mobile operating systems like the Google-backed Android and Apple’s iOS.

Samsung isn’t happy with Bada’s 2-percent share in mobile operating systems and looks to generate more buzz for the system at IFA.

Samsung believes that Bada will eventually benefit from the company’s massive manufacturing power that might lure more European mobile carriers to take the leap of faith.

Samsung will exhibit “Wave 3” smartphones with a 4-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen and a five-megapixel camera at the IFA, as well as cheaper Wave M and Wave Y lineups, a move seen by analysts as stressing the marketability of its OS system.

Wave M is Samsung’s first device to be installed with the company’s own instant messaging tool, ChatOn, which is clearly a direct challenge to Apple and its iSomethings.

The entry-level Wave Y, equipped with a smaller 3.2-inch display, will go on sale in October, said Samsung.

Samsung’s Galaxy-branded tablets and smartphones and computer products will be featured at the company’s booth in Berlin as well.

While Samsung is looking to use the IFA to promote its software capability, LG, which doesn’t have a plan to develop its own mobile OS, is still focusing on touting its hardware prowess.

LG is planning to exhibit new monitors that are the latest in chrome-industrial chic _ two super-thin, 23-inch LCD monitors.

LG will be presenting a 3D game conversion engine for smartphones, which allows developers to pump up the depth on their titles with a much smaller investment _ perhaps for LG’s own 3D smartphone, the LG Optimus, which will soon hit AT&T as the LG Thrill.

KT, the nation’s second-largest mobile carrier, will be showing face at the expo, which is quite a move as the IFA is a digital appliances exhibition.

KT will exhibit its cloud-computing-based products linking tablets to smartphones, said senior KT spokesman Lee In-won.

KT senior executive Lee Kyoung-soo will talk about the Android-based smartphone dubbed “Spider Phone,” Lee added.

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