A Samsung smart watch and smartphones with bigger screens expected in Berlin

A smart watch from Samsung Electronics, an Acer smartphone that can shoot 4K video and a Sony one with a 20-megapixel sensor, plus a plethora of tablets and TVs are all expected at this year's IFA consumer electronics show.

Consumer electronics manufacturers from all over the world are once again heading to Berlin for the show, which doesn't open its doors to the public until Friday. By then, though, most of the new products will have already been announced at news conferences on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pebble E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android Samsung is expected to launch a smart watch, the voice-controlled Galaxy Gear, rumoredto allow users to keep track of calls, messages and social networks. The device will also have calorie and pulse monitors, and apps that take advantage of those features, according to media reports. The smart watch segment is being increasingly hyped, but expectations should in this case be tempered by the fact that the Galaxy Gear is a first generation device, and few vendors get everything right the first time.

The Korean company is expected to launch a new Galaxy Note too. When it launched the first phone-and-stylus combination back at IFA in 2011, the form factor had its detractors. But Samsung has managed to create a new product category, in which it now faces stiff competition from the likes of Sony and LG Electronics.

The Note's screen size has increased from 5.3 inches to 5.5 inches and is expected to be 5.7 inches on the Galaxy Note 3, with a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution. The Note 3 will have a 13-megapixel camera and Samsung is also expected to stick with a MicroSD card slot, in addition to the 32GB or 64GB of integrated storage.

The device will be powered by either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 or Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa processor. The company demonstrated a new model of the latter in July. The Exynos 5420 has four Cortex-A15 processors running at 1.8GHz and four additional Cortex-A7 cores at 1.3 GHz. It also has a six-core Mali-T628 GPU for improved graphics performance. Compared to its predecessor, the Exynos 5420 will also be more power efficient, according to Samsung. At the time, Samsung said the processor was scheduled for mass production in August.

Any large-screened new Samsung smartphone will probably have to duke it out with the Xperia Z1 Sony is expected to launch at IFA. In an effort to differentiate its new flagship from the competition it looks like Sony is taking a note from Nokia's play book by focusing on the camera, which will have a 20-megapixel sensor. The smartphone's specification is also rumored to include a 5-inch full HD screen and a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor.

Some smartphone and tablet vendors didn't want to get drowned out at IFA, so they have already announced products ahead of the show.

From LG Electronics comes the G Pad 8.3 tablet, which has an 8.3-inch screen with a 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution. It is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 600 Processor running at 1.7GHz and has inherited some features from LG's recently announced G2 smartphone, including the ability for users to knock on the screen to turn on the device. With a feature called QSlide, users will be able to control "up to three different apps in one window with no interruption."

The tablet will be rolled out in North America, Europe and Asia as well as other regions starting next quarter. Prices will be announced at launch time, according to LG.

Archos also wants a bigger piece of the tablet market and will show a number of new products in Berlin. Android-based tablets in its Platinum range will be made out of aluminium and have quad-core processors and screens with resolutions of up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. The tablets in the new ChildPad range feature a user interface designed for children, parental controls as well as a filtered version of the Google Play app store.

The rapid growth of the tablet market has left the PC sector struggling. Vendors are looking for new ways to lure consumers into buying a PC as well as a tablet.

Acer has announced the DA241HL, an Android-based all-in-one PC that has a 24-inch Full HD touchscreen and is powered by a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor. Via an HDMI connector it can also double as a display for a Windows 8-based laptop or desktop computer. The DA241HL will be available mid-October and cost from €429 (US$570).

LG, on the other hand, is hoping a screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio will help. Consumer interest in the format has increased since LG launched its first monitors last year, it said. Last week the company unveiled the V960 all-in-one PC, which has a 29-inch, 21:9 screen with picture-in-picture functionality, allowing users to browse the Internet while watching TV, the company said. LG didn't announce any details on when it will ship or what it will cost.

The TV sector is another part of the consumer electronics industry that has been struggling in the last couple of years. The addition of 3D has largely been a failure, so TV manufacturers have instead set their sights on 4K resolution sets, which have a 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution.

They face two main challenges -- lack of content and getting the price down to something a majority of consumers can afford. Recently, Samsung and Sony both dropped the cost of their 4K products, in Sony's case to around $4,000 for a 55-inch model.

Just like last year, all the major vendors are expected to show new 4K TVs, although it remains to been seen whether they have cheaper models in store. Rumors ahead of the show are mostly about 4K products that are out of reach for most consumers, including a 98-inch TV from Samsung.

One way to get around the shortage of 4K video content is to allow users to create their own, which is what Acer's Liquid S2 does. The device will be unveiled at IFA, and is the first smartphone capable of recording 4K video. The device has a 6-inch full HD screen and is also powered by 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. The Liquid S2 version will be available at the end of October. Pricing was not announced.

Sony Xperia Zl C6502 White (Factory Unlocked) 13mp *Snapdragon S4 Pro* 5" Hd, 3g Fast Shipping All the World By Fedex Sony's Xperia Z1 is also rumored to be capable of 4K video recording.

IFA opens in Berlin on Friday and will continue through Sept. 11.

Samsung starts mass production of DDR4 memories

Samsung Electronics has started mass producing DDR4 memories that it expects will go into enterprise servers in next-generation data centers.

A successor to the DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3), DDR4 memories are expected to offer higher performance, reliability and lower power consumption than its predecessor.

However, there have been some doubts as to whether the market is ready to transition in volumes from DDR3 memories which are still being designed into servers and other products. Some analysts have forecast that the component will get designed into servers and later PCs only by 2015.

Samsung said on Thursday that early market availability of the 4-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 devices, which use 20-nanometer process technology, will create demand for 16GB and 32GB memory modules.

Samsung did not immediately provide information on the schedule for shipment of the new memories. The pricing information is not available, a spokesman said.

Microelectronics standards body JEDEC Solid State Technology Association published in September 2012 the initial DDR4 standard.

Samsung SMART Camera gets smarter with Evernote integration

Dude, you got your Evernote in my digital camera!

Recognizing the growing importance of Evernote in the document and photo management space, Samsung is integrating the service into its WB250F SMART Camera. Now you'll be able to sync photos directly from the camera, without having to use a computer as an intermediary.

Like many new digital cameras, the $250 WB250F includes Wi-Fi, so you'll still need to be in range of a wireless network if you want to sync, but cutting out the middleman of having to download pictures to a computer should speed things up for those of us who are Evernote obsessed.

Samsung is also bundling three months' worth of Evernote Premium with the camera, giving you loads of extra storage space.

If you're not an Evernote power-user, this announcement might not initially seem a big deal, but those who rely on the system are likely to find myriad uses here. Let's look at a handful of potential use cases.

Documentation of events and items—The world has moved en masse to cameraphones, but even the best phone cameras don't give you the flexibility and power of a standalone digital camera. With high-power zoom, a better flash, and advanced options like color and style filters, a regular camera is always going to give you more to work with, not to mention overall better quality. For issues where resolution really matters—advertising, insurance claims, and such—a cell phone often just won't do. The ability to share very high resolution photos directly from the camera is a convenient time saver.

Easy sharing of photographs—Evernote is finding increasing utility not just as a personal database of documents and photographs but as a system by which teams can work on these databases together. Getting a digital photo from your camera to your co-workers generally means plugging it into your computer, copying the photos to your hard drive, then emailing them to those who need them. Even though you can send email directly from cameras like the WB250F, using Evernote to share photos is far easier and saves you the trouble of having to type in email addresses or select them from a tiny address book every time you want to send people a picture.

Instant backup—Another clever way to use Evernote is as a backup system. Considering how few of us back up our laptops or phones, how many people are really backing up their digital cameras? Evernote gives you another option for keeping backup copies of important photographs without having to connect to your computer directly. Just sync key pictures to the service and let a spare copy live in the cloud. Sounds like a perfect way to archive, say, photographic documentation of your property which you can use for insurance purposes.

The WB250F SMART Camera is available in cobalt black, white, red and dark blue.

Samsung posts record profit, but mobile slips despite Galaxy S4 launch

Samsung Electronics said sales and profits soared in the second quarter from a year ago, but increasing competition in smartphones hurt performance in its core mobile division.

The company said it booked a net profit of 7.77 trillion won (US$6.89 billion) during the April-June period, up 50 percent from a year earlier. Sales were up 21 percent to 57.5 trillion won.

The strong showings were marked by strong quarterly gains in every division except its core mobile business. Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S4 in April with a massive global marketing campaign, after introducing it at an event in New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The company said increased marketing costs and competition hurt its profitability during the period, pulling operating profit down 3 percent even as its sales increased.

Executives hinted in an earnings conference call that new high-end phones are on the way, noting that the product cycle of smartphones is now about a year and its component business expected a boost from new advanced handsets in the second half of the year. Jeeho Baek, an executive in Samsung's semiconductor business, said he expected more demand due to the company's "planned launch of a flagship smartphone model."

The company said that the recent explosive growth of smartphones is due to cool off in the near future.

"Although we expect the smartphone market to sustain growth in the third quarter, it is possible the pace of growth may slow down slightly," said Hyunjoon Kim, an executive in Samsung's mobile division.

Samsung is a dominant manufacturer of display panels, NAND flash memory and other components, but the vast majority of its sales and profit now comes from its mobile division. The company said the Galaxy S4 sold more than 10 million units less than a month after launch, but has been quiet about the phone's performance since. In some markets, such as Japan, the phone has been sharply outsold by rivals.

Samsung's earnings reported Friday were in line with the forecast it made earlier this month. Investors have been disappointed with the company despite the strong showing, and the company's shares are down nearly 15 percent over the last two months. A survey of analysts by Bloomberg taken before the earnings report predicted second-quarter net profit to be about 6 percent higher than reported.

Earlier this week, main rival Apple said profits were down 22 percent during the quarter, but analysts expected the decline as the company did not have a major product launch during the period. Apple CEO Tim Cook said new products will be released later this year.

The company said it booked strong sales in its chip business, and expects demand for DRAMs used in graphics to spike over the second half of the year due to demand from new gaming consoles. Both Microsoft and Sony are gearing up to release new game versions of their consoles.

Samsung unveils super duper high-speed 1TB SSDs

Samsung Electronics will offer a range of faster SSD drives for consumers from next month, including a zippy new 1TB drive meant for everyday use.

The company’s “840 EVO lineup” will be two to three times faster than its existing 840 drives, depending on the capacity, it said Thursday. The 1TB version has a sequential write speed of 520MBps, over double its predecessor, while the 120GB model can reach up to 410MBps, about triple the older version.

As NAND flash prices fall and adoption of SSDs spreads in consumer computers and laptops, terabyte-sized SSDs have become the new battleground for manufacturers. Samsung announced its newest drives under the slogan “SSDs for everyone.”

Micron unveileda 1TB drive, the Crucial M500, for consumers in January at the International CES show in Las Vegas, pricing it under $600, or 60 cents per gigabyte, far below rivals at the time. The first 1TB SSD, from OCZ, launched in 2011, still sells for over $2,500 online.

Samsung has yet to reveal the price for its 840 EVO, which it said will go on sale in August in major markets. The company’s sequential read/write speeds are slightly faster than Micron’s product, as are its 98,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) and 90,000 IOPS random read and write speeds.
The new SATA-based, 2.5-inch drives will come in sizes ranging from 120GB to 1TB, and will use Samsung’s NAND flash built using process technology smaller than 20 nanometers. The company’s previous consumer drives maxed out at 250GB.

Samsung also announced a new lineup of SSDs for enterprise storage, including a 1.6TB drive that has a sequential read speed of 2,000MBps and a random read speed of 740,000 IOPS. The company said it is the fist to build a 2.5-inch SSD based on NVMe (non-volatile memory express), an interface specification for solid-state drives that replaces the SATA interface now widely in use.

The 2.5-inch enterprise drives will also come in 400GB and 800GB sizes. Samsung said it plans to expand its enterprise offerings based on NVMe in the future. 

Samsung is taking pre-orders on its Ativ Book 9 Lite

Samsung announced this morning that it is taking pre-orders on its Ativ Book 9 Lite notebook PC, which was first announced on June 20. One of the most interesting features of the new notebook is the custom AMD CPU, which Samsung is describing as a “white-label” quad core.

“It’s something we wanted that was outside [AMD’s] roadmap,” Samsung PC Product manager David Ng told me in a briefing on Friday. Asked why Samsung chose to partner with AMD for this custom CPU, Ng replied “A huge part of it was the superior integrated GPU in AMD’s parts.”

SamsungThe Ativ Book 9 Lite will be available in two colors: "Marble white" or "ash black."
Be that as it may, Samsung tapped Intel’s new Haswell chips to power its flagship notebook—the Ativ Book 9—which made waves last month when Samsung revealed it would come equipped with a 3200 by 1800-pixel, 13.3-inch touchscreen.

The Ativ Book 9 Lite will also have a 13.3-inch touchscreen, but this one delivers a more down-to-earth resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels. And while Samsung has not announced pricing or availability of its flagship notebook, the Lite model is selling for a reasonable $800 and is expected to reach customers beginning July 28.

The new notebook will support Samsung’s SideSync technology, which lets you connect your Samsung smartphone or tablet, back up the device’s data to the notebook, and use that device as an accessory to the computer. So you can use the connected device as a second screen for your computer, and you can see a virtualized version of the connected device’s screen on the notebook.

You can also control apps running on the smartphone or tablet using the notebook’s mouse and keyboard. This feature makes it possible to do things like read text messages sent to your phone on the notebook’s screen, and then use the notbook’s larger keyboard to write text messages that will be sent through the phone. SideSync will work with any product in Samsung’s Galaxy line.

In addition to the quad-core CPU, the Ativ Book 9 Lite will be outfitted with 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 128GB SSD. It will have one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, a Mini VGA port, a micro HDMI, a three-in-one memory card reader, and a 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi adapter. The computer measures 0.69 inches thick and weighs 3.48 pounds.

Samsung shares fall despite increased sales

Samsung's sales may be up, but the mobile phone maker has failed to reach analyst estimates in its latest pre-earnings guidance.

The South Korean firm has predicted sales of 57tn won (£33bn) and operating profits of 5.5tn won for the second quarter of 2013, giving the markets a heads up on its results due on 26 July.

However, despite this showing a rise of over 4tn won in sales from the previous quarter, analysts had predicted operating profits of closer to 10tn won. By missing the mark, Samsung’s share price fell by almost 3% this morning – and around 17% since the beginning of June.

The fear is around its smartphone business, led by the Samsung Galaxy S4. Although sales are still expected to be strong, they are also expected to have slowed, with JPMorgan claiming the figure would be between 20% and 30% lower in 2013 than it had first predicted. This would lead to shipments of 60 million flagship handsets during 2013, rather than the previous 80 million figure that was touted.

This estimate was made in June following the launch of the lower-end, slimmed down version of the S4 – the Galaxy S4 Mini – which Samsung hoped could compete against its rivals, such as Apple, in emerging markets.

Instead, the announcement sent fears through its investors about lower profit margins and led to the firm having to meet with them in an attempt to quell fears.

During its last results call in April, where it announced overall profits were down from 56tn won to 52.87tn won sequentially, Samsung admitted it expected the market to stall.

“Looking ahead, Samsung anticipates smartphone sales to stay flat in the second quarter, but to pick up again in the second half of the year,” read a statement at the time. “As more mid- to low-end mobile devices enter the market and new premium products are rolled out, the race for market share will intensify.

“The company will strive to remain competitive amid difficult conditions by expanding the line-up of smartphones and tablets this year, starting with Galaxy Note 8.0 and the flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone.”

Samsung Cuts Its Forecast as Sales Growth Slows for Its Costliest Smartphones

Samsung, the largest maker of consumer electronics, said on Friday that it expected weaker profit and revenue, which analysts attributed to slowing sales of high-end smartphones. This is a trend that also bedevils Apple, its main rival.

Samsung, the No. 1 maker of mobile phones, aims its Galaxy models at the top end of the market. Apple sells its iPhone to these customers, too. And while sales of smartphones continue to grow over all, the rate of increase for the more expensive devices has been easing in recent months.

In recent days, BlackBerry and HTC, the Taiwanese phone maker, have also reported difficulties selling advanced smartphones.

In the United States, more than 58 percent of adult consumers who own cellphones own a smartphone, according to comScore, a market research firm. Only three years ago, it was 20 percent.

Rival smartphone makers like Sony and HTC have mounted a renewed challenge with their latest handsets. But for Samsung, the real problem may be that much of the growth in smartphone sales in coming years will be at the lower end of the market, where Chinese manufacturers are gaining share. Samsung simply does not have the most appealing models for those consumers. As smartphones become increasingly commoditized, prices will fall and profit margins will shrink.

“The concern is the future of the smartphone market, which is already saturated at the high end,” said C. W. Chung, an analyst at Nomura Securities. “The smartphone industry may be becoming more like the PC industry,” in which consumers make their buying decisions mostly on price, despite attempts by manufacturers to differentiate their products.

Samsung said it expected to post an operating profit of 9.5 trillion won, or $8.3 billion, for the second quarter, a 47 percent increase from a year earlier.

While many companies would envy such a growth rate, the forecast disappointed financial analysts, who had, on average, expected Samsung to post operating profit of more than 10 trillion won in the quarter.

Even before the news on Friday, some analysts downgraded their forecasts for Samsung. Investors have taken heed, and Samsung Electronics shares are down about 17 percent since the start of the year. (Apple shares are down about 21 percent in the same period.) Samsung shares dropped 3.8 percent on Friday in trading in Seoul.

In April, Apple reported its first year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings in a decade, as iPhones sales showed signs of slowing. The company sold 37.4 million iPhones in its fiscal second quarter or about 2.88 million phones a week.

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 got off to a quicker start than its predecessor model, the S3. It took only 60 days to sell 20 million S4 handsets, a slower pace than the older iPhone, but still far faster than the 100 days it took Samsung to sell that many Galaxy S3 phones.

While Samsung is also the world’s largest television maker, profit margins in that business have been squeezed by competition. So Samsung remains highly dependent on its mobile division, which delivered three-quarters of the company’s operating profit in the first quarter.

Samsung’s overall estimated revenue grew strongly in the second quarter, rising 20 percent, to 57 trillion won. But that, too, was slightly below expectations.

“With Samsung, the market had gotten used to upside surprises,” Mr. Chung of Nomura said. “But the previous quarters were abnormal. People need to adjust their focus.”

In March, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S4 amid considerable fanfare at an event at Radio City Music Hall in New York. While the new model has sold well in the United States, now at a carrier-subsidized price of $200, it has not performed as strongly as some analysts expected. It sells in China for about $850.

The cost of Samsung’s heavy marketing — it is a bigger worldwide advertiser than Coca-Cola — has eaten into profit margins. It also has the expense of opening Samsung shops inside more than a thousand Best Buy stores in the United States.

The high-end phone makers faced another profit-margin problem. As lower-price smartphones get more sophisticated and the advantage of higher-price smartphones is reduced, more people may shift to those lower-price phones, putting increased price pressure on companies like Samsung or Apple.

Mark Newman, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in Hong Kong, says he thinks investors became too pessimistic about Samsung. Profit margins will rebound in the second half of the year, he said. “At current valuations, the market is assuming the mobile business will destroy value,” he wrote in a note to clients. “We believe Samsung is cheaper than ever.”

Some analysts noted that even if smartphone profit margins fell and Samsung faced greater pressure from rivals, it could benefit because it is the biggest producer of the semiconductors used in smartphones and other computing devices. Prices of memory chips have also been rising in recent months after a long slump.

Samsung plans to post its official report of second-quarter earnings on July 26.


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Samsung predicts big earnings jump in Q2, still disappoints

Samsung Electronics predicted a big jump in profit for the second quarter compared to a year earlier, but the company's explosive growth is slowing amid signs its top end Galaxy smartphones are less popular than expected.

Samsung said Friday that its operating profit for the April-June quarter will probably be between $8.1 billion and $8.3 billion. This is at least a 44 percent gain from what it generated during the same stretch in 2012, and Samsung said sales are also likely up around 20 percent.

Those are strong gains, but analysts and investors had expected better. Bloomberg said a survey of 34 financial analysts predicted an average of $8.7 billion in earnings. A number of investment banks have cut their ratings on the Korean company in recent weeks, and its stock has fallen.

The results correspond to the launch of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4, released in April. The phone was a highly anticipated follow-up to Samsung's successful S3, and the company held a major launch event at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, with a live broadcast to people watching in nearby Times Square.

Samsung is now the world's largest smartphone maker as well as a dominant manufacturer of semiconductors and displays, but phones make up the bulk of its profits.

The company said it shipped 10 million of the handset in May, less than a month after the global launch, but has been silent since then about results. Many reviewers said the phone was more an upgrade from the S3 and complained about the large amount of Samsung proprietary software on the device. In Japan, the country's largest carrier NTT DoCoMo ran a summer campaign with big discounts for both the S4 and a Sony handset, and the carrier recently said that the slightly less expensive Sony phone is selling far better.

Since the launch of the original S4, Samsung has released several variations. These include a stock Android version, the Galaxy Zoom S4 with a better camera and screen, a "mini" version, and the Galaxy S4 Active, a more rugged, waterproof design.

Samsung typically announces a target range for its earnings a few weeks before its actual earnings announcement.

Cingular Sync by Samsung

November has been a busy month for Cingular, which launched the Sync music phone and BlackJack Windows Mobile smartphone, both by Samsung, and then the eagerly awaited Palm Treo 680. My original intention was to review the Treo 680, but I decided there just isn't enough to say about it: it's no slimmer than its predecessors, and Cingular will have to pack better, user-friendly e-mail software into it if it's going to attract non-corporate types, or indeed anybody but Palm customers in search of a replacement to their Treo 650.
 
The BlackJack was a bit of a letdown too. When it comes to managing personal e-mail, it can't touch T-Mobile's BlackBerry Pearl, and as far as the glitzy marketing campaign ("compact 3G PDA that can do it all"), just remember that it still runs on the cumbersome, unresponsive Windows Mobile platform. Many Windows Mobile devices have crossed my path of late, and none of them have been worth discussing at length. No, the smarter of Cingular's offerings tend to leave me dumb. It's the Sync, a jam-packed regular phone, that has held my attention. It's not perfect, but it is the key to Cingular's next wave of phones—phones I'm quite optimistic about. The Sync, aka Samsung SGH-a707, is pretty much RAZR slim. It's got a respectable talk-time battery life of up to four hours and a gorgeous, 2.5-in. LCD screen. Since it connects to Cingular's new highspeed data network, it can download files at broadband speed. Although the network is key to much of Cingular's ambitions, it is not required to access music, however. The Sync is so-named because you load music from your PC. Any MP3 or unprotected WMA files will transfer, but so will subscription downloads from Rhapsody, Napster, AOL and MTV Urge. In other words, if you pay $15 per month for all-you-can-eat music, the Sync will, in theory, act as a vessel for your downloads. I say "in theory" because the truth is, although I tested two Syncs with two separate music services, I never actually got one to transfer protected content. The bane of the subscription services, the reason they can't compete with iTunes, is that they don't work 100% of the time. In the past, my enthusiasm for the subscription model has been stymied by just such technical snafus. However, the kinks usually work themselves out, and I know that both Cingular and Samsung have been feverishly working to improve the synching capability of the Sync.  My love for this phone in fact has nothing to do with the music platform, though tracks do sound amazing through the Sync's hidden speaker. No, what I like best about the phone is its e-mail program. Easier to use than anything pre-loaded on the Treo 680 or the BlackJack, the Sync's e-mail manager requires nothing but your e-mail address and password for set up, and manages most major webmail providers, including the trickier ones like MSN's Hotmail and AOL's AIM Mail. You can even manage multiple e-mail accounts simultaneously. The interface is smooth and simple; in truth, I have never seen a better looking e-mail program on a standard cell phone. The only hiccup, and mind you, it's a biggie, is that you still have to key in your text with the number pad. Until the same phone comes out with a QWERTY keypad, it'll be more of an e-mail reader than anything else.  Cingular says that the e-mail program, making its debut on the Sync, will be loaded onto many other phones in the coming months. The company also says that the music synching system launched with the Sync will appear in more and more standard handsets. Even though I had troubles with both, I'm looking forward to the next "regular" phones Cingular has to offer. I don't need over-the-air downloads of overpriced music when I've got gobs of tunes on my computer; I definitely do need better access to my e-mail, much more of an on-the-go necessity. When it comes to getting these two key priorities straight, Cingular seems to be out in front, followed by T-Mobile. Sprint and Verizon Wireless are, sadly, bringing up the rear.
As the Earth's population booms and cities grow ever larger, the spotlight on energy innovation becomes greater. TIME looks into the new energy sources powering our world and sustaining our future.


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Cingular Sync by Samsung

COURTESY OF CINGULAR

November has been a busy month for Cingular, which launched the Sync music phone and BlackJack Windows Mobile smartphone, both by Samsung, and then the eagerly awaited Palm Treo 680. My original intention was to review the Treo 680, but I decided there just isn't enough to say about it: it's no slimmer than its predecessors, and Cingular will have to pack better, user-friendly e-mail software into it if it's going to attract non-corporate types, or indeed anybody but Palm customers in search of a replacement to their Treo 650.
The BlackJack was a bit of a letdown too. When it comes to managing personal e-mail, it can't touch T-Mobile's BlackBerry Pearl, and as far as the glitzy marketing campaign ("compact 3G PDA that can do it all"), just remember that it still runs on the cumbersome, unresponsive Windows Mobile platform. Many Windows Mobile devices have crossed my path of late, and none of them have been worth discussing at length. No, the smarter of Cingular's offerings tend to leave me dumb. It's the Sync, a jam-packed regular phone, that has held my attention. It's not perfect, but it is the key to Cingular's next wave of phones—phones I'm quite optimistic about.The Sync, aka Samsung SGH-a707, is pretty much RAZR slim. It's got a respectable talk-time battery life of up to four hours and a gorgeous, 2.5-in. LCD screen. Since it connects to Cingular's new highspeed data network, it can download files at broadband speed. Although the network is key to much of Cingular's ambitions, it is not required to access music, however. The Sync is so-named because you load music from your PC. Any MP3 or unprotected WMA files will transfer, but so will subscription downloads from Rhapsody, Napster, AOL and MTV Urge. In other words, if you pay $15 per month for all-you-can-eat music, the Sync will, in theory, act as a vessel for your downloads.

I say "in theory" because the truth is, although I tested two Syncs with two separate music services, I never actually got one to transfer protected content. The bane of the subscription services, the reason they can't compete with iTunes, is that they don't work 100% of the time. In the past, my enthusiasm for the subscription model has been stymied by just such technical snafus. However, the kinks usually work themselves out, and I know that both Cingular and Samsung have been feverishly working to improve the synching capability of the Sync.

My love for this phone in fact has nothing to do with the music platform, though tracks do sound amazing through the Sync's hidden speaker. No, what I like best about the phone is its e-mail program. Easier to use than anything pre-loaded on the Treo 680 or the BlackJack, the Sync's e-mail manager requires nothing but your e-mail address and password for set up, and manages most major webmail providers, including the trickier ones like MSN's Hotmail and AOL's AIM Mail. You can even manage multiple e-mail accounts simultaneously. The interface is smooth and simple; in truth, I have never seen a better looking e-mail program on a standard cell phone. The only hiccup, and mind you, it's a biggie, is that you still have to key in your text with the number pad. Until the same phone comes out with a QWERTY keypad, it'll be more of an e-mail reader than anything else.

Cingular says that the e-mail program, making its debut on the Sync, will be loaded onto many other phones in the coming months. The company also says that the music synching system launched with the Sync will appear in more and more standard handsets. Even though I had troubles with both, I'm looking forward to the next "regular" phones Cingular has to offer. I don't need over-the-air downloads of overpriced music when I've got gobs of tunes on my computer; I definitely do need better access to my e-mail, much more of an on-the-go necessity. When it comes to getting these two key priorities straight, Cingular seems to be out in front, followed by T-Mobile. Sprint and Verizon Wireless are, sadly, bringing up the rear.

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How Samsung can save Windows 8 tablets

Windows 8 tablets aren’t in good shape: Microsoft’s OS gets plenty of hate for its desktop functionality, and many people aren’t willing to pay premium prices for the ability to run Office—and not much else—on what amounts to be keyboard-less PCs.

Indeed, with Windows 8 and Windows RT making up just 7.5 percent of the total tablet market, many manufacturers are fleeing what they perceive to be a sinking platform. It looks really bad, right? Not so fast. At Thursday’s big Samsung event, the Korean tech giant might have just thrown Microsoft the life-preserver it needs to help keep Windows tablets in the game.

Here are three ways Samsung can lend Microsoft a helping hand.

After announcing another handful of Android smartphones (all with the name “Galaxy S4” and whatever noun Samsung decided to tack onto the end), the company surprised those in attendance by unveiling two new slates running Windows 8: the Ativ Q and the Ativ Tab 3. The Ativ Q is the more noteworthy of the two for its ability to seamlessly switch between Windows and Android, giving it access to a whole mess of software normally unavailable on Windows 8 devices.

The convertible Ativ Q runs both Windows 8 and Android.

One of the key problems with Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT (and Windows Phone 8 too, for that matter) is the lack of mobile-optimized software available for the platform. Windows 8 has the benefit of being able to run full-blown desktop applications like Photoshop and Steam, but these software heavyweights aren’t all that useful if you’re on the go and don’t have a mouse and keyboard plugged into your tablet.

But by allowing the Ativ Q to dual-boot into both Windows and Android, users can enjoy apps made specifically for mobile while still having access to a full desktop environment. Granted, not all Android apps are winners, but at least Samsung is providing options for people who don’t mind wading through a bit of junk to find a few gems. It’s also possible that Samsung would create custom software for the Android side of the Ativ Q, something to help it further stand out from other Android and Windows slates.

Samsung’s idea to combine Android and Windows 8 isn’t exactly unique: Earlier this year Asus launched an AIO desktop that transforms into a giant 18-inch Android tablet when you undock the screen. The combination doesn’t really make sense for a tablet that takes up most of your coffee table, but feels just right on Samsung’s more portable device.

Samsung can also help mitigate Windows 8 tablet pricing problems. Microsoft’s own Surface Pro runs high at $899 for the base 64GB model, while Dell’s Latitude 10, laden with much more modest specs, retails for $500. It’s difficult to convince people to drop such serious cash on a tablet when they can purchase a pretty decent laptop for the same price. A $500 price tag also puts Windows 8 tablet manufacturers in direct competition with Apple’s iPad, the 800-pound gorilla of the mobile market.

The base version of the Surface Pro will set you back $900—even more if you spring for this $130 Type Cover.

“Samsung has to reinforce the notion that a tablet experience doesn’t have to break the bank,” says Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.

So how will Samsung get there? By leveraging its own assets. Samsung is a massive corporate entity—it manufacturers everything from smartphones to washing machines, and essentially makes most of its components in-house, most famously mobile processors and displays. So by leveraging its various manufacturing branches, Samsung could bring its Ativ tablets to the U.S. at competitive prices.

We’re not talking Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire prices, but more along the lines of the iPad 2 versus the iPad with Retina display. A $400 Samsung Windows 8 tablet will still be a tough sell, but as Moorhead puts it, “It’s a different value proposition.” iPads are great for consuming media, but aren’t as skilled at content creation. Microsoft’s commercials may just be attacks against Apple’s tablet, but they do make a good point: Windows 8 is better for multitasking and productivity.

So when you put it that way, paying $400 for a Windows 8 tablet doesn’t seem so outrageous. Samsung’s vast resources will help in delivering a Windows 8 tablet at a reasonable price.

Samsung’s Ativ Tab 3 will likely retail for $400-$500 in the U.S.

All of Samsung resources will also come in handy as the company helps tackle Microsoft’s biggest problem: No one knows Windows tablets exist. “We haven’t see a lot of pure Windows tablets outside of the Surface,” says Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for the NPD Group. Indeed, putting aside Microsoft’s marketing push on TV and online, Windows tablet makers haven’t been doing much to increase Windows 8 tablet awareness. If you need a good example of what weak marketing efforts will do to a product, just look at Nintendo and the poor sales of its Wii U.

But luckily for Samsung, this is an area in which the company thrives. It spends a ridiculous amount of money on advertising—way more than Apple or Microsoft—to make sure people know about its products and what makes them so cool. It’s one of the reasons Samsung has been able to become the No. 1 smartphone maker in the world. With the power of Samsung’s deep pockets, awareness for Windows 8 tablets can increase and the platform can continue to grow.

The Ativ tablets are just one catchy commercial away from being a household name, much like Samsung’s line of Galaxy phones.

Selling people on Windows 8 tablets won’t be an easy task, but if anyone is up for the job it’s Samsung. The company has the corporate—and financial—muscle to push Windows tablets into the mainstream, but Samsung also doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to supporting mobile devices running Microsoft’s OS. Before we get our hopes up too high that Samsung can save Windows tablets, we should also ask how long it’ll stick by them before going back to exclusively making Android slates instead.