Hasta La Gadget!

Here’s an odd one. Samsung, which has been known to be on better-than-average terms with the South Korean government in the past, is launching independent investigations in response to reports that “toxic materials used in chip making may have caused cancer in some of its employees.” In one of the more bizarre stories of the year, Samsung has recently come under fire from social and civic groups to actually look into the incidents, which were reported over a decade ago but were found to not be Sammy’s fault by the aforesaid government. This week, the company admitted that 22 of its employees (who worked at a chip facility outside of Seoul) had been diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma, and 10 of them had perished. Cho Soo-in, president of Samsung’s memory division, told the media that the firm is “deeply sorry about the loss of loved ones,” and that it “actively cooperated on epidemiologic investigations, which concluded there were no leaks of radiation.” We’ve got a feeling we know exactly what will be concluded here, but we’ll certainly keep an ear to the ground for anything atypical.

Samsung launches investigation of chip lines following cancer allegations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading LG LU2300 Android handset gets photos, ‘April or May’ release date?

LG LU2300 Android handset gets photos, ‘April or May’ release date? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How’s a company to follow-up on a point-and-shoot camera with two LCDs? Why, by tossing out a new one with integrated WiFi, of course! Originally teased last month, Samsung has gone ahead and rightfully introduced its new ST5000 and ST5500 over in South Korea, both of which tout 14.2 megapixel sensors, a 7x optical zoom and your choice of black or orange color schemes. The ST5000 gets gifted with a 3.5-inch rear touchscreen, while the ST5500 steps it up ever-so-slightly with a 3.7-inch AMOLED panel. The both of ’em can handle 720p movies at 30fps (H.264 format), and the HDMI output ensures that these will easily pipe footage to your nearby television. If you’re looking for built-in wireless for uploading or emailing pictures sans a PC, you’ll need to focus on the ST5500, but most every other internal feature on the big boy is also on the lesser guy. These seem to be headed out to South Korean shops as we speak, and we know that they’ll be landing within the next month over in Britain for £279.99 ($417) and £349.99 ($521), respectively. As for you Yanks? Be patient, we guess.

Samsung’s ST5000 and WiFi-infused ST5500 digicams emerge in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“[The] best companies in the world are collapsing. We don’t know what is going to happen to Samsung too. In the coming 10 years, businesses and products that represent Samsung today will mostly disappear.”

Never mind that analysts are predicting the most profitable year ever for Samsung Electronics. So what’ll it be South Korea: BubiBubi or pitchforks?

Lee Kun-hee returns as chief of Samsung Electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As it turns out, Korea operates two separate trademark systems for hardware and software. So while this doesn’t affect Android OS and its distribution, Samsung’s recent acquisition of the Android hardware trademark does forbid other manufacturers from releasing Android-branded devices — whether they be a mobile phone, a PMP, PDA, GPS, DMB, or any other snappily titled mobile computer — into the Korean market. This will be felt by local competitors like LG, who has an Andro-1 OEM handset in the works that would infringe Samsung’s newfound rights. The trademark previously belonged to local supplier Triplex, who’d held it since before Google’s OS came into being, and apparently using just four characters of “Android” will be sufficient to offend the authorities. Sammy’s clearly decided to aggressively pursue being the premier supplier of Android phones in its backyard, and rubbing LG’s nose in it must’ve been the chocolate frosting atop that eclair.

[Thanks for the translation, Didier]

Samsung acquires ‘Android’ trademark for mobile hardware sales in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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