@CTIA: Samsung wows crowd with enthusiastic vision, humor

LAS VEGAS—Where Samsung is a supplier, competitor or customer, it was hard not to get enthusiastic over J.K. Shin’s keynote speech at this morning’s sessions at CTIA Wireless 2010. Shin, president of the mobile communications business for Samsung, talked about the device manufacturer’s vision for the future and, not surprisingly, debuted a new device that he promised would take the world by storm.
In a morning of keynotes filled with charts and video, and generally the type of conservative optimism that the industry has come to expect from CEOs of multibillion-dollar companies, Shin broke the mold, often shouting his pride in Samsung. In his introduction of the new Samsung Galaxy S (with extra emphasis on the S) Shin said this: “In the race to redefine the smartphone, the race has begun, and Samsung is already at the finish line.” While normally competitors might groan at such a statement, it was clear from the audience’s chuckles that Shin had won them over a bit. (Or else I was surrounded by Samsung employees sporting BlackBerry devices.)
Shin, who said Samsung was the No.1 handset seller in the United States, said that by 2013, more than 393 million people will use smartphones, and half of them will be first-time buyers. “The smartphone is not an exclusive device for wealthy users in developed countries.” Samsung’s vision going forward is simply to democratiize the smartphone regardless of cost, need or region of the world.
In the United States, users have sophisticated demands of their devices, Shin said, showing a fun video clip where interviewees expressed what they wanted from their devices. Answers ranged from more battery power to a mute button for one’s wife to one that can unlock car doors and do taxes. Samsung has embraced what it calls the Smart Life, which uses the device to connect, organize, integrate, entertain and be informed in a solution that users can customize for their own needs.
These new devices must have better screens, faster speeds and be able to deliver content. As such, Shin said Samsung is installing Super Amoled screens in all of its premium phones. The technology enables screens that are 20% brighter, offer better color representation and are 80% less reflective. In addition, devices can be slimmer and increase battery life by up to 20%.
Samsung also is moving from 800 MHz processors to 1 GHz processors in its devices. While Shin was a little less-forthcoming on its new content partnerships (stay tuned, he said), people should be able to watch, read and play anything and everything they currently do at home on a mobile device.