Paper tickets could soon be a thing of the past, after Samsung announced it is to use ticketless technology at live music events across the UK.
The scheme will start with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ gig at Knebworth on 23 June, with attendees each receiving a wristband instead of a ticket. Each will use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
The wristbands themselves can be synched with social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, while hosts can also correlate competitions surrounding their events through them.
Samsung has also announced that it will begin implementing NFC technology via smartphones as an additional method for people to gain access to gigs and festivals.
Those attending The Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ gig on 23 June should head to the Samsung Galaxy Note experiential stand where they will be able to collect their RFID wristband that will gain them entry to the gig.
RFID wristbands will also be used by Samsung at the music and wakeboarding festival, Wakestock in Cardigan Bay, Wales on 6 to 8 July.
Do you think RFID and NFC are the future? Let us know in the comments below...
Pic: Brennan Schnell/Eastscene.com
Motorola Xoom 2 says buongiorno to Alitalia's cockpits and cabins (video) - engadget
Motorola Mobility Takes Motorola XOOM™ 2 to the Skies with Alitalia
ROME – June 19, 2012 – Today marks a unique opportunity between Motorola Mobility and the Italian airline Alitalia, which will revolutionize aircraft service and in-flight entertainment. Alitalia and Motorola Mobility have always been at the forefront in offering innovative technology solutions: Alitalia to flight assistants and customers and likewise Motorola Mobility to consumers. Today they anticipate that airlines will need more sophisticated technologies, focused on enhancing customer satisfaction.
Alitalia will be among the first airlines in the world to provide their crew with a tablet, Motorola XOOM™ 2, which will contain all relevant information on high value customers. This includes not only the profile of each passenger, but also their preferences in terms of the on-board menu, seating, travel history, as well as any inconveniences they experienced in the past. This will enable the staff to identify all the high value customers and to customise the service according to their needs.
Thanks to the wide range of programs and tools configured on each device and the ability to connect to the web, Alitalia staff will be able to receive updated information in real-time and perform all operations on board without having to print and carry, achieving great improvements in terms of time, efficiency and speed of updates. The flight attendants will also use the Motorola XOOM 2 to access the aircraft's internal manuals from the palm of their hands.
Motorola XOOM™ 2 tablets will also be introduced as Alitalia's in-flight entertainment services (IFE) for Business and Magnifica Class passengers on mid as well as long-distance flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Beyruth, Riyadh and Teheran that are currently without an IFE service. Thanks to the tablets and the preloaded content, passengers will enjoy free access to a wide range of movies, music, online magazines and video games - all from Motorola XOOM 2's gorgeous 10.1-inch widescreen HD display.
But there is no need to be on the plane to take advantage of the Motorola XOOM 2. The Motorola XOOM 2 tablets will also be placed in 10 Alitalia lounges (Freccia Alata) so travelers can keep up to date on the latest news before embarking on their flights. A demo area within the Alitalia flagship store in Rome will provide useful suggestions to passengers on how to use the best technology of Motorola XOOM 2.
"Today we have made another further step ahead in our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy" says Marco Sansavini, director of sales, Distribution and Customer Care in Alitalia. "It is a priority project for the new Alitalia, which involves the training of 9,000 people. Alitalia wants to make the onboard flight an extraordinary experience and the tablets will enable the crew to always stay online and in touch with the needs and preferences of its passengers. Alitalia will be one of the first airlines in the world that will use this innovative way to manage its clients. The tablet will also be used as a source of entertainment for passengers of six medium and long distance destinations and for the guests of our lounge rooms "Freccia Alata".
"With its cutting edge technology and host of entertainment features, Motorola XOOM 2 is the perfect travel companion for Alitalia passengers," said Maurizio Angelone, vice president and general manager, Mobile Devices, EMEA, Motorola Mobility. "Tablets have increasingly become a must-have device for staying connected, whether at home or on the go, and we anticipate the transportation industry will make tablets an integral part of their consumer offering in the years to come."
Samsung Prevails in Apple Patent Case, Awarded Damages - PC Magazine
A Dutch court today found Apple liable for infringing on one of four Samsung patents.
With the iPhone 4S, Apple has infringed on a Samsung patent that governs an "apparatus for encoding a transport format combination indicator for a communication system," according to The Hague, which also awarded damages.
In a statement, Samsung said it "welcomes the Court's ruling, which reaffirms Apple's free-riding of our technological innovation." The company pledged to "seek adequate compensation for the damage Apple and its products have caused."
"For decades, Samsung has heavily invested in pioneering the development of technological innovations that have enabled the operation of advanced devices, including those widely adopted by other mobile device manufacturers," Samsung continued. "We will continue to defend our innovations and protect our intellectual property rights to stop Apple's free-riding of our technology."
Apple was not found to infringe on three other 3G patents, according to patent blogger Florian Mueller. But as he pointed out, "there's some symbolic significance in the fact that after more than a year of litigation, Samsung has finally won a ruling in an offensive case."
"All patent assertions by Samsung against Apple that previously came to judgment were dismissed," Mueller said, pointing to the company's failure to secure iOS device injunctions in France and Italy and three losses in Germany.
"Samsung has approximately 100,000 patents worldwide. At some point it had to win something," Mueller quipped, though given the dozens of complaints currently being hashed out around the globe, "the impact of today's ruling is minimal," he said. "It's not even clear that Samsung will make enough money as a result of this infringement finding to offset the 800,000 euros it now owes Apple in legal fees because it lost with respect to three of its four patents."
The news was first reported by Dutch IDG website Webwereld.
In March, the same Dutch court ruled that Samsung is not allowed to pursue injunctions on "essential" patents if Cupertino is willing to negotiate a licensing deal.
The battle is far from over. Just this week, the Federal Circuit denied Samsung's request for a rehearing regarding the Galaxy Tab 10.1, while a California district judge also rejected Samsung's request for clarification regarding its right to present workarounds for three Apple patents.
For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.
Apple aims to reopen patent fight against Google's Motorola - The Guardian
Apple will try to salvage a high-profile lawsuit against Google's Motorola Mobility unit on Wednesday at a crucial hearing in the smartphone patent wars between the two technology companies.
Sitting in Chicago, federal judge Richard Posner will hear Apple argue that it should be able to seek an order barring the sale of some Motorola phones. Posner's decision could affect the iPhone maker's ability to negotiate favourable licensing agreements in its legal fights against Motorola and other competitors including Samsung and HTC.
Apple has waged an international patent war since spring 2010, part of its attempt to either limit the growth of Google's Android or to restrict the number of iPhone-like features that it offers. So far it has had little effect; Android has gone in that time from around 100,000 phones being activated every day to more than 900,000 a day, and from less than 8m devices in use worldwide to more than 390m. Opponents of Apple, meanwhile, say it is using patents too aggressively in its bid to stamp out competition.
Motorola was first to move, suing Apple in October 2010, a move widely seen as a pre-emptive strike. Apple filed its own claims against Motorola the same month. Among the patents being asserted are some originally filed by NeXT Computer, the company set up by the late Steve Jobs which was then bought by Apple in 1996.
Posner issued a series of pretrial rulings that eliminated nearly all of Motorola's patent claims against Apple, while maintaining more of Apple's claims against Motorola. That meant Apple had more to gain at the trial, which had been set to start last week.
But earlier this month Posner cancelled the trial, saying in a tentative ruling that neither side could prove damages. An injunction would be "contrary to the public interest," he wrote.
Last week however Posner granted Apple's request for a hearing on a possible injunction, and ordered both sides to submit legal arguments in advance. Those documents were filed under seal on Monday.
Motorola may also ask for an injunction on the one patent in the case that it can still assert against Apple.
A clear victory in one of the US legal cases could strengthen Apple's hand in negotiating cross-licensing deals, where companies agree to let each other use their patented technologies, or to apply for bans on sales or changes to how devices which infringe its patents function.
So far, though, Apple has shown little inclination to license its patents to Android device makers, although it signed a Apple cross-licensing deal with Finland's Nokia in June 2011 in an out-of-court settlement after a protracted battle between the two over patents.
By contrast Microsoft has persuaded a number of Android handset manufacturers to sign cross-licensing deals which in effect mean that it gets paid a stipend every time one of the handsets is shipped.
Apple and Samsung are scheduled for trial on 30 July in federal court in San Jose, California.
Samsung Galaxy S III: To buy or not to buy? - Computerworld
So, I just finished reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S III.
It's a funny thing, reviewing a phone as highly anticipated as this one. As I wrote in my review, the Galaxy S III is a true rock star device -- practically a celebrity -- what with the insane attention leading up to its release and the larger-than-life marketing Samsung's wrapped around it ever since.
I think all the hype has a lot of people thinking the Galaxy S III is hands-down the Android phone to own right now -- the latest and greatest, bar none, with every other device looking like dirt in comparison. Let me tell you something: That simply isn't the case.
Don't get me wrong: The Galaxy S III is a great phone. A fantastic phone, even. There's a lot to like about it. But that doesn't mean it's the best phone, period. With the ever-increasing number of impressive high-end Android devices out there these days, such a singular distinction is almost impossible to achieve.
Here's the truth: The Galaxy S III is one of the best Android phones available right now. So is the HTC One X, with its phenomenal screen and top-of-the-line camera. And the HTC One S, with its spectacular build and design. And the Galaxy Nexus, with its unmatched (and untouched) pure Google Ice Cream Sandwich experience. Personally, I'd pick any of those over the new Galaxy S III, even if they don't have the same level of hype surrounding them.
That's not to say you should, too; it just boils down to personal preference and priorities -- in other words, what you want in your phone. The Galaxy S III has sexy hardware and stellar performance. It also has a great camera, a removable battery, and the option to add external storage. Those are all pretty enticing features.
At the same time, though, it has a woefully flawed button approach, and its software -- while filled with some interesting and innovative features -- is a far cry from the sleek simplicity of Google's stock Ice Cream Sandwich OS. (Don't even get me started on the upgrade implications.) HTC's phones aren't stock ICS, either, of course, but they're far more forward-looking in terms of UI; between the buttons and the interface, the Galaxy S III feels in many ways like you're living in Android's past.
For some people, that won't matter. And that's perfectly fine. My point is that just because the Galaxy S III is getting a lot of attention -- and, to its credit, has some very impressive qualities -- doesn't mean that it automatically trumps everything else.
In the big picture, Samsung's making it increasingly clear that it's working to build its own brand, its own following, and its own ecosystem. Samsung's newly appointed CEO reinforced this concept in a recent speech, where he discussed the need to strengthen the company's proprietary smartphone software and focus on creating a unique user experience.
The Galaxy S III reflects this ambition. The phone is about much more than its individual parts; it's about the overall experience those parts add up to provide. And that experience clearly revolves around Samsung's -- not Google's -- vision for what an Android phone should be. The ultimate question is whether that vision works for you.
My in-depth journey starts here:
Samsung Galaxy S III review: A rock star phone, but does it deliver?
Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) release date: NOW (ish) - Computerworld
The Samsung Galaxy S3 (OK then S III) is here. The release date is upon us. Not only that, but the reviews are in. And Samsung has added a surprise enterprisey feature: its SAFE software, integrating with Mobile Device Management (MDM) and adding various security features. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers avoid the boring phrase "iPhone killer."
By Richi Jennings: Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: Olly the Octopus's Occupy Price Tag...
Matt Hamblen rambles on and on:
Some U.S. carriers have begun taking pre-orders...one of the biggest U.S. carriers has seen 44% of the pre-orders being made by business users. ... [The] BYOD trend is in full swing.
...
The Galaxy S III has features that will attract business users, including a larger screen...and access to faster LTE networks. ... One benefit of Samsung's approach is that [it's] not creating its own MDM but is partnering with an established crop.
Carly Page spills her alphabet soup:
Samsung has launched an enterprise friendly version of its Galaxy S3.
...
[It] boasts a number of security features [such as] "Samsung Approved for Enterprise (SAFE)" software...with support for 338 IT policies [including] on-device AES-256...improved Microsoft Exchange functionality, remote access and support for...VPNs and...MDM, making the smartphone suited for...BYOD.
And Kevin C. Tofel is awestruck:
Galaxy S III is at the top of the hardware class [with] a large 4.8-inch...display, but [it] doesn’t feel overly large.
...
Samsung includes 2 GB of memory. ... It’s the fastest Android phone I’ve ever used [in] everyday use. ... The battery is fairly generous, able to power through a day on a full charge in my tests. ... I think most will be fine with the build quality and overall phone aesthetics.
...
Not only is this the best Android phone currently available...but it may be for some time. ... More than any phone prior, the Galaxy S III rivals the iPhone in many areas...and I say that even after using the iOS 6 beta.
Seth Porges agrees:
[A]fter using the Galaxy S III for a day, the iPhone’s 3.5-inch screen feels almost miniscule. ... The phone is surprisingly light [but not] cheap and flimsy...[it] feels solid.
...
And if you actually use this thing to make calls (remember those?) you have nothing to fear. ... Samsung takes this product seriously, and you can tell. ... [It's] a phone you want to live with.
But Devindra Hardawar does have one criticism:
Undeterred by Apple’s legal team...S Voice looks and functions very much like Siri. But...Samsung...hasn’t yet cracked the secret.
...
I often had to repeat myself several times...and forget about trying to ask S Voice anything if there’s a bit of background noise. ... Asking S Voice for the nearest Japanese restaurant sent me to locations in Manhattan (I live in Brooklyn).
Meanwhile, JR Raphael is his usual comprehensive self:
Galaxy S III will land on all four major U.S. carriers as well as...U.S. Cellular. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile are all targeting June 21. ... Verizon is currently showing ship dates of July 10. ... U.S. Cellular is aiming to have its devices ready by mid- to late-July.
...
AT&T will sell a 16GB version...for $200. Sprint [and] Verizon...will offer 16GB versions for $200 and 32GB versions for $250. ... U.S. Cellular [too, after] a $100 mail-in rebate. Those prices are all dependent upon...new two-year contracts.
...
All of the carriers will offer the phone in white or blue. ... AT&T [will also] offer an exclusive red version...later this summer.
And Finally...
Olly the Octopus's Occupy Price Tag
Motorola Mobility Brings the Longest Talk Time of any Smartphone (1) to Saudi Arabia with RAZR MAXX - TMCnet
(ENP Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ENP Newswire - 20 June 2012 Release date- 19062012 - RIYADH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - All day, every day - that's how much you use your smartphone.
With its impossibly thin and lightweight design, Motorola RAZR MAXX boasts features with the wow factor and a battery that can handle even the most demanding lifestyle. From today, customers across Saudi Arabia will be able to start talking, texting, typing, watching and more for even longer.
RAZR MAXX delivers up to 17.6-1 hours of talk time so you won't spend your day plugged into the wall. However its 1GB RAM combined with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and Android operating system will ensure you are always entertained, delivering a lightning-fast user interface and the power to multi-task like never before. You can rock your playlists while checking email, breeze through photos - all day, every day, all at the same time.
Still seriously thin at just 8.99mm, RAZR MAXX is the exact opposite of frail. It's made strong with KEVLAR fibre, while Corning Gorilla Glass defends the hyper-vibrant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display from scratches and scrapes. And every part of the Motorola RAZR MAXX is protected by a splashguard coating, which even extends to the electrical boards inside, ensuring a go anywhere, do everything attitude.
Smart Actions, the remarkably intelligent application exclusive to Motorola Mobility, pushes the limits even further by automating everyday tasks based on triggers like time of day, location, battery levels and more. Never forget to put your phone on silent in meetings, turn up the volume when your boss calls and even maximize your last ounce of power by dimming the display and turning off power hungry services.
Motorola RAZR MAXX also comes preloaded with the Motorola MotoCast app-2, giving you the power to stream or download content from a home or work computer straight to the device so your docs, pics and music are always available - anytime, anywhere. No uploading to a third party means no wasted time or forgetting to upload that crucial presentation, and everything stays protected, right on your computer.
'RAZR MAXX isn't changing the rules - it's creating a whole new game. Building on the RAZR heritage it combines the pinnacle of design with mind-blowing power and an incredible battery life that is perfect for people who want to push their smartphone to the limits,' said Raed Hafez, managing director for Motorola Mobility, Middle East & Africa. 'Whether you want to watch hours of movies, or don't want to worry about charging between meetings, this latest smartphone from Motorola redefines boundaries and banishes the low battery beep to history.' Motorola smartphones offer some of the industry's most powerful enterprise features available, and Motorola RAZR MAXX is no exception, including government-grade encryption and productivity tools that rival the capabilities of desktop PCs. Collaborate in real time with GoToMeeting and create and edit files right on your phone with QuickOffice.
Availability Motorola RAZR MAXX is available from selected major retailers from SAR 2099. More information available on www.motorola.com/razrmaxx About Motorola Mobility Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.
About Motorola Mobility Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.
Certain features, services and applications are network dependent and may not be available in all areas; additional terms, conditions and/or charges may apply. Contact your service provider for details. All features, functionality and other product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation 1 Comparison based on manufacturers published talk times as of 29/02/12 for 3G smartphones with voice carried over a 3G network. RAZR MAXX talk time is up to 17.6hrs. Battery performance depends on network configuration, signal strength, operating temperature, features selected, and voice, data and other application usage patterns.
2 MOTOCAST supports many popular file formats and codecs. Additional software is necessary to enable use of unsupported files on your mobile phone. DRM-protected content is not supported. Respect the rights of copyright owners by only using MOTOCAST to stream and sync authorized content.
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. Corning and Gorilla are registered trademarks of Corning Incorporated. KEVLAR is a registered trademark of DuPont used under license by Motorola Mobility, Inc. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. 2012 Motorola Mobility, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Draw Something: which apps should be turned into TV shows? - The Guardian
You may know Draw Something as the Pictionary-style iPhone app that you downloaded, became obsessed with, grew tired of and bitterly deleted over the space of a single weekend back in March. But now Draw Something is so much more than that. Now it's on its way to becoming a TV programme.
Earlier this week it was revealed that CBS has won a bidding war to produce a pilot for a Draw Something gameshow. No details have been confirmed, but according to Variety, the series is expected to include "teams of celebrities and everyday users, [and] viewers can also play along at home for a chance to win prizes".
While it'll be interesting to see if Draw Something can become more than a mere Win, Lose or Draw clone – not to mention whether it can effectively replicate the app's never-ending, wearying oppressiveness, as contestants spend every microsecond of their precious free time joylessly scratching 70 different pictures of a giraffe or Barack Obama or a hat onto a screen again and again at the cost of their most important personal relationships – it might just be the tip of the iceberg. If Draw Something is a success, the app spinoff might look increasing attractive to TV companies.
So there's only one thing to do: get in on the act. Television commissioners must be straining at the leash for pitches based on phone apps, so here are a few for them to chew over. If anyone needs me, I'll be buying a mansion on hire purchase.
Angry Birds
Already Angry Birds, perhaps the best-known phone app of all time, has moved from app to animation, with 52 weekly short animations to be released later this year, and a feature film on the way. Which is all very well, but what about a TV entertainment show? Picture the scene: Joe Swash, Dean Gaffney and someone out of Hollyoaks all dressed up as birds, being fired from giant catapults into the side of several buildings. It'd be just like The Golden Shot, but with an exponentially higher insurance premium.
Temple Run
In Temple Run, you control a man as he recreates the boulder scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark by sprinting through a never-ending obstacle-littered ruin, chased by a pack of furious monsters. So it goes without saying that the Temple Run TV show should be exactly this. Part Total Wipeout, part Crystal Maze, we'd pick a member of the public to pelt through a real-life recreation of the Temple Run course. Forever. The show only ends once the contestant, broken and exhausted, relents and is eaten by the monsters in a harrowing bloodthirsty orgy of violence. Richard Hammond to commentate.
Song Pop
Song Pop is a simple Name That Tune-style app, where users compete with each other to guess the name and performer of a song based on a short snippet. This obviously has tons of potential for television. We could introduce a karaoke element to it, to see if contestants can remember the words. And we could get Shane Richie to host it. And it could be on Sky2 all the bloody time. Oh, no, hang on, I've just invented Don't Forget the Lyrics, haven't I? Sorry, disregard.
Fruit Ninja
David Cameron karate-chops hundreds of watermelons into pieces over and over and over for half an hour. Then he pulls a funny face and the end credits roll. This, I believe, will be the all-time pinnacle of the televised app spinoff genre.
So that's how I will make my fortune, but what about you? Which apps would you like to see turned into TV shows? Leave your thoughts below.
Samsung, LG bet big on OLED TV screens - Times of India
Undeterred by the 3D and internet-connected TV flops, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are hoping "OLED'' technology will keep them ahead in an intensely competitive business that has caused losses in the TV division of Japan's Sony for the past eight years.
The arrival of flat screen televisions 15 years ago was an advance in TV technology that tantalized consumers nearly as much as color televisions in the late 1960s. The first generation of flat screens now look positively obese next to the most recent ultra thin TVs. Picture quality has also made giant strides.
But for most consumers, such incremental changes matter less and less. Why pay for great picture clarity when good quality will do. And why pay a premium for a TV when smartphones and tablet computers can offer a similar function and much more.
When South Korean Lee Sang-hyun decided to get his first television, his priority was to find a reasonably priced TV with a screen big enough to play games. The 30-year-old had a tight budget after splurging on pricey gadgets: an iPhone, an iPad and a laptop computer.
To slim down, the 30-year-old South Korean picked a 42-inch plasma TV without fancy features. He paid 640,000 won ($550)--less than half of the highest-end television of the same size.
Consumers like Lee epitomize the tough challenges facing makers of high-end displays. As TVs no longer enjoy a monopoly over broadcasting moving images, consumers' viewing habits are changing. People are spending less time to watch live TV shows in the living room. Smartphones and tablet computers can stream live shows and videos on demand.
But Samsung and LG are giddy about a technological leap that they are comparing to the invention of the first color TV in the early 1950s. Short for organic light-emitting diode, the wafer-thin OLED TVs boast vivid, saturated colors and deeper contrast than the TV displays now available.
They hope the technology will help them command premium prices in the face of quickly eroding TV profit margins and heightened competition from Chinese makers.
There is at least one catch in the near term though. As Samsung and LG are not yet prepared for mass production, the premium for this new technology will not be just a couple of hundred dollars. It will be several thousands.
Set to hit shelves in selected European, Asian and North American markets in time for the Christmas shopping season, the 55-inch OLED TVs by Samsung and LG will cost at least $9,000. That's more than twice as expensive as the top 55-inch model currently available.
OLED "is the closest to the display of dreams," said Lee Kyungshik, vice president of Samsung's TV business.
Samsung's visual display division, which makes TVs and home entertainment systems, accounted for about 17 percent of the company's 45.3 trillion won ($39 billion) of revenue in the first quarter. LG's home electronics division contributed more than 40 percent of its 12.2 trillion won of quarterly revenue.
Samsung and LG have reason to be proud of their latest achievement in display technology. Even though Sony showed off the first OLED TV in 2007 with an 11-inch screen, a bigger display never followed.
"Until the end of next year, only two companies in the world will have a capacity to make (large screen) OLED TVs: Samsung and LG," said Jang Moon-ik, director of LG's TV business.
The last year was tough for the entire TV industry as the European debt crisis and a slow turnaround in the US economy sapped demand for consumer electronics. The notable exceptions were smartphones and tablet computers.
Sales growth in LCD, or liquid crystal display, TVs slowed and plasma TV sales dropped. In 2011, worldwide annual TV shipments fell for the first time since 2004, according to NPD DisplaySearch.
The feeble global demand hit Sony Corp. especially hard. It lost a record $5.7 billion in 2011. It was the eighth straight year that once-trend-setting Japanese firm lost money in its mainstay TV business.
Samsung and LG weathered the downturn in the TV industry well enough to keep cash to invest in production lines for the new display technology. They think its profitability will not fall as quickly as LCD TVs because the technological gap is wide enough to keep late-coming rivals at bay.
Others disagree
"The problem with the current business model is that it has a lot of imitators," said Paul Gray, a director TV Electronics & Europe TV Research at DisplaySearch, in an email.
"The fact that Sony and Panasonic and AU Optronics Corp. are already trying to break into OLED for large screens suggests that future margins will be severely damaged by companies trying to enter the market,'' he said.
News reports last month said Sony and Panasonic are in talks to form an alliance for the OLED TV business.
For Samsung and LG, a bigger challenge may not be coming from Japanese, Chinese or Taiwanese rivals but from a shift in viewing habits.
"I just needed a TV to play games and to me the screen quality didn't make a big difference," said Lee, the 30-year-old South Korean office worker. "I would have cared more about its thinness if I were buying a computer monitor."
He said he might consider upgrading to a new television for a better screen after one or two years. By then, OLED TVs will be more affordable but less profitable for the makers.
DisplaySearch forecasts the price of a 55-inch OLED TV to decline to around $4,000 by the end of 2013 and to continue falling to about $1,500 by the end of 2015.
That price forecast is good news for consumers. For Samsung and LG, however, it means they will still be grappling with keeping their TV businesses on a sustainable footing.
"There are no single quick fixes," said DisplaySearch's Gray. "Success in the TV industry will also depend on understanding what the TV is used for in all the new interactive possibilities."
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