Samsung's new CEO Kwon Oh-hyun.
(Credit: Samsung)Samsung has decided to replace CEO Choi Gee-sung with the head of its components operation, according to reports.
Samsung's components business chief Kwon Oh-hyun will now head up the company as chief executive officer, according to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. Kwon will continue to run Samsung's component business, but will now be tasked with handling "corporate-wide affairs," Samsung reportedly said. However, the presidents of Samsung's TV and appliances and telecom and IT divisions will not have to report to Kwon.
Although Choi is no longer chief executive, he hasn't been let go. Quite the contrary, he will now head up the Samsung Group Corporate Strategy Office, a central body that rules over the organization's dozens of companies. Samsung Group is controlled by the chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Kun-hee.
According to Reuters, Choi has acted as a mentor to Lee Kun-hee's son Jay Y. Lee, who is expected to take over the Group when he's ready for the job. One source, speaking to Reuters, said that Choi will aid Jay Y. Lee in understanding the strategy behind Samsung's many businesses, not just electronics.
Choi made headlines last month after meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook in San Francisco to discuss their patent lawsuit battles. Although the discussions were meant to help the companies come to some form of an agreement, that apparently hasn't happened. Whether Kwon will be actively involved in the legal cases surrounding patents and Apple is unknown at this point.
CNET has contacted Samsung for more details on its reported CEO swap. We will update this story when we have more information.
Samsung Unveils Cloud-Based Gaming Service Powered by Gaikai - PC Advisor
Samsung is jumping in the gaming fray with a cloud-based service built into its high-end 7000 series HDTVs. The back-end infrastructure for the service will be performed by Gaikai, which provides cloud-based gaming services for a number of companies, including Electronic Arts and LG.
The service is currently entering beta testing. At launch, Samsung's cloud gaming service will support wired and wireless gamepad controllers from several manufacturers. Keyboard and mouse support is being considered, but won't be available at launch.
Samsung's public relations director, Ethan Rasiel, said only 2012 models of the company's series 7000 TVs would offer the service because those units have dual-core processors offering the performance needed to deliver a good gaming experience. While the games are rendered on cloud-based servers and streamed to the HDTV as a video stream, the system also needs to react to game controller inputs in near real time for optimal gaming.
Gaikai's cofounder and chief executive, Dave Perry, delivered an impassioned message about making games more accessible, noting that the barriers to entry to play even demos of games is often so high that potential customers lose interest. Gaikai's goal is to offer full game access for short periods of time, to give potential buyers a taste. Perry offered survey statistics noting that game buyers preferred actual hands-on through demos over any other form of advertising when making buying decisions.
Perry demonstrated several games running on a Series 7000 TV, including Bulletstorm and World of Warcraft.
Gaikai only streams PC game titles, including those console games that have been ported to the PC. The service will enter beta testing later this summer. Full rollout plans and pricing haven't been set.
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