An obsession over refrigerator

Over more than 10 years, in every consumer appliance exhibition, I have seen a self-computing or networking refrigerator with information window of LCD screen on the door. At the first time I saw this, it was pretty cool but wonder my mom or my wife gladly likes to pay more money for this LCD screen on pumpkin icebox. See beside photo, LG R-S73CT refrigerator in 2001. 730 liter, 15.1 inch full color TFT-LCD with touch screen, internet enabled. Reportedly LG had invested 55 developers and 15 million dollars to develop this refrigerator for 3 years and earned 75 patents.

LG's brand new smart refrigerator in 2011 CES.

Information LCD screenshot

Fundamentally there is no differentiation between 2001 model and present model except for easy implementing technically and extending its connectivity to smartphone. Persistently the maker have been asking us for watching for over 10 years how they would be smart regardless it is necessary or not. It was unaffordable and useless at 10 years ago, and now the smart Apps on tablet could do that if needed. The problem before being smart refrigerator we should realize how long barely people stand in front of refrigerator to read every threw information. If assumed that people really wants to know everything before opening refrigerator, the refrigerator sends every information to the tablet or kitchen monitor (may be a brand new appliance, but more efficient for monitoring every appliance in kitchen).  More significantly who is the master of our refrigerator? Imagine this, what happens if whole family know everything in their refrigerator now? How much old food we have, how many bottles, zipper bags...will you roll your sleeves up? Sometimes it's better we don't know its mess.

Samsung holds nearly 70% of cellphone market share in Korea

Reportedly, Samsung holds 68% of cellphone market in January this year in Korea. The estimated sold amount of Samsung is 1.58 million units of totally 2.32 million units volume in January. Especially Galaxy Note has been sold 700K units, 10K per a day, since its launching.
Meanwhile, Pantech is supposed to hold second place with 347,000 units sold amount (15% market share) in January. But surprisingly, Pantech achieved this with just smartphone without feature phone.

LG's DTV processor SoC

It might be a prior version of L9, using dual ARM cortext processor. It has single 700Mhz ARM11 core and 120Hz FRC(Frame Rate Coverter) followed by 3-D formatter. That means it enables maximum 60Hz Frame Rate in 3D mode. Also this SoC seems to enable time shifting with video encoder on 480p resolution, but i don't know well where that video file could be stored because of pretty small Flash (1GB by application diagram), no built-in SATA interface for HDD and other storage. In addition, I don't know why they didn't build DMA that is attached to AXI bus directly. No way!! In this architecture ARM11 processor does not much intervene in media data processing and let the dedicated hardwired processors do that by themselves.

Apple rejected Kakaotalk's updates

In past Jan. 31, Apple's Appstore rejected the applying for updates from several mobile messenger Apps like as Kakaotalk. Reportedly Apple detailed that Appstore will not allow anymore such an Apps which uses identification verifying via phone number and collects phone numbers of the third parties in user's cellphone. "At least the messenger Apps must stay back in same line of iMessage's level", said a related person of Apple. Accordingly the industry of mobile messenger service is embarrassed on this sudden reinforcing of guideline which is the article number 17 in "App Store Guideline". "The identification verifying process seems to be able to compromise as make sure user with agreement, but the preventing use of the third party's information could not be resolved at existing product architecture. Obviously present messenger is serving under user's agreement of using his(her) contact information.", said a person in charge of related industry.

The flow of ID verifying and adding contacts in present mobile messenger.
(1) Download Apps and install
(2) Identification verifying through registered phone number
(3) Transferring contacts information of user to service provider
(4) Messenger recommends user's friend after analysis

In this flow, Apple is escalating the privacy issue on (2)nd and (3)rd process.

This kinda mess should be happened infinitely as long as Apple makes a bundle into iOS with market verified third party Apps.

Smart Dialog System in Korean

by Postech Intelligent Software Lab (nlp.postech.ac.kr)

Multi-modal diaglog system for Smart home control

comparing to Creston's http://savememory.blogspot.com/2012/01/samsung-has-long-way-to-go-in-voice.html

Interactive Korean dialog system for Smart TV guide

Even this looks have application area limitation to TV guide, its recognition ability to natural language, context and semantic looks pretty good. However, the key point is how much heavy and where this software resides in now, windows application based on cloud server? or possible to port in Android or Embedded Linux?

Pororo Netbook for kids by Samsung

Feb. 6, Samsung is going to roll out the Pororo Netbook (Model code:NC110-Pororo) which has the case with the image of Pororo and his friends and includes several tens of Pororo contents like as whole episodes of Pororo season 1~3, puzzle games and Pororo drawing games. The retail price is $442.

Hardware Spec.

Display : 10.1 inch LED (1024x600), Anti-Reflective

O/S : Windows 7 Slater

Processor : Intel ATOM N2600

Graphic processor : Intel GMA 3600

Memory : 1GB DDR3

HDD : 320GB S-ATA

Built-in HDMI

More information, http://www.flickr.com/photos/samsungtomorrow/6799511171/in/photostream/

KT Tech should not have given up its transformer device

In early last year, KT Tech brought its world first transformer smart phone (project name was spiderphone) at IFA 2011 and finally KT Tech rolled it out with model name, KM-S300 in January this year. However, even this KM-S300 has diverse interfacing connectivity like as USB OTG, HDMI, WiFi and Bluetooth, but they skip to launch mother docking device, brainless tablet unlikely their first concept approaching at IFA 2011. Of course, they show enough its technical possibility based on KM-S300 to be extended to dummy devices. Now this KM-S300 became a general smartphone with give-away dummy game pad. But we feel some hungry on that.

ASUS rumored to unveil a transformer device, PadFone, in MWC 2012. As shown in Computex trade show, ASUS's PadFone is not different from basic transformer device. But global brand ASUS keeps going its progress, but KT Tech looks flop down and abandon to fly with the risk of brainless dummy tablet in limited domestic market.

ASUS's rumored transformer device in MWC 2012.

Source : http://www.bgr.com/2012/01/31/asus-rumored-to-unveil-a-redesigned-padfone-next-month/

[Relevant Post]
http://savememory.blogspot.com/2012/01/take-hd-sipderphone-km-s300-mouse.html

http://savememory.blogspot.com/2012/01/335ppi-hd-smartphone-tkae-hd-km-300-by.html

http://savememory.blogspot.com/2011/12/kts-spider-phone-updates.html

http://savememory.blogspot.com/2011/12/kts-spider-phone.html

TIZEN, its family tree

Source : http://youtu.be/zQyVG6xX7gc

Who is the key editor of TIZEN developer site?

A couple of weeks ago, TIZEN (www.tizen.org) has announced its source code and SDK opening schedule which will be nearly March in 2012. Also we have heard the rumor that Samsung is considering to merge its own proprietary mobile operating system, BADA with this TIZEN. Now we could take a look this sample code and references of TIZEN in its developer site, http://developer.tizen.org. When we explore this developer site, we find some interesting clues about the role of Samsung in TIZEN alliance.

Language support example with Korean in TIZEN

TIZEN SDK screenshot example

Where is the location of the red box map in this screenshot?

Here we are.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Suwon-si,+Gyeonggi-do,+South+Korea&hl=en&ll=37.256643,127.058687&spn=0.004961,0.010568&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.324283,86.572266&oq=suwon&hnear=Suwon-si,+Gyeonggi-do,+South+Korea&t=m&z=17

And his name is Hyunsik :)

[Relevant Post] http://savememory.blogspot.com/2012/01/tizen-smartphone-from-samsung-in-this.html

Partners profit margin in 2011 between Apple and Samsung

Jan. 30, according to the Korea Financial Supervisory Service and the securities industry, Samsung Electronics mobile key partners archived 5~11% range of the operating profit margin. This rate shows average 3 times more than Taiwanese key partners of Apple who listed in Taiwan stock market. In fact according to market research firm Strategy Analytics(SA), the average sales price of iPhone is $650, but its manufacturing cost was knows a half of retail price, $280. Apple's fourth quarter profit of last year, 4 times of Samsung's was supposed due to the Apple's strategies of strong cost saving of partners.

In fact, even though it looks perfect shareholders' taste, Samsung seems to have not much possibility to reduce this higher procurement cost from Korean partners unless they change its providing line card to China or Taiwan like as Apple. However, they never take an affair and  it is not just simple matter of business view for Samsung in Korea. Korean people and even government put implied pressure to Samsung as a leading company should grow Korean industry eco-system and make win-win relationship between conglomerates and  small-medium companies.


Samsung, Apple’s key partners operating profit rate (3Q, 2011)

Samsung’s partner		Apple’s partner
Partron (Antenna, Camera Module)	11%	Foxconn	1.5%
Daeduck (PCB)	9%	Compeq (PCB)	-2.2%
Intops(Case)	6.4%	Inventec Appliance	1.3%
S-mac(Touch Screen Panel)	5.3%	Pegatron(Mac Assem)	1.2%
SMD(AMOLED panel)	15%	Chimei Innolux	-12.7%