BlackBerry seeks to win back Korean consumers with new phone

The president of BlackBerry Mobile expressed confidence on Friday that his company can grab South Korean consumers with the BlackBerry KEYOne Black Edition, but it remains unclear whether the entry-level premium smartphone can make a dent in a country dominated by Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc.

Alain Lejeune said South Korea is "a demanding and competitive market," but he said the BlackBerry KEYOne Black Edition will be a successful product in South Korea.

"This is an opportunity as we are bringing a product, which is well-accepted by consumers," Lejeune said in a news conference in central Seoul.

Alain Lejeune (R), president of BlackBerry Mobile, and Shin Jai-sik, head of the firm`s South Korean arm, pose for a photo with the BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition during a press conference in Seoul on Dec. 22, 2017. (Yonhap)

He said he does not consider Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 and Apple's iPhone X as rivals, noting KEYOne's strong batteries and tangible keyboards make the device stand out from other products.

The built-in battery capacity stands at 3,505 mAh, which the company says is enough for the device to run up to 26 hours, although actual life may vary depending on conditions.

Lejeune added the KEYOne smartphone will provide answers to what he calls "consumer fatigue" sparked by the market being filled with similar products with less innovation.

The Android-powered KEYOne model marks the first BlackBerry smartphone released in the market after the brand was purchased by China-based TCL Communication Technology last year.

Some consumers expressed concern over the future of the BlackBerry lineup after the purchase, but Lejeune said the partnership with TCL is an asset as it can improve competitiveness in the market.

The BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition comes with a 4.5-inch display with a physical QWERTY keyboard, which is the key feature of the firm's smartphones. It is also the first BlackBerry device to be printed with the Korean alphabet.

"We provide the best typing experience for hangeul," Lejeune said.

The device is currently provided through CJ Hello Co., a local budget operator that borrows networks from mobile carriers. The factory price stands at 583,000 won ($539), while discounts up to 250,000 won are provided depending on monthly plans.

Lejuene said South Korea holds a strong community of BlackBerry fans, and that the company will continue to release more products in one of Asia's biggest smartphone markets.

There is no data on how many people use BlackBerry phones in South Korea. (Yonhap)

애플 "구형 아이폰 속도 의도적으로 늦춰" 인정

© AFP=뉴스1

애플이 20일(현지시간) 구형 아이폰의 성능을 의도적으로 저하했다는 의혹을 인정했다. 낮은 기온이나 노후 배터리가 탑재된 아이폰에서 갑자기 전원이 꺼지는 현상을 막기 위해 처리 속도를 느려지도록 만들었다는 것이다. 

문제의 의혹은 아이폰 프로세서의 속도를 측정하는 어플 개발사인 프라이메이트 랩(Primate Labs)이 지난 18일 블로그에 "아이폰6s와 7모델을 측정한 결과 기기가 오래될 수록 성능이 느려지는 현상을 확인했다"며 관련 데이터를 게시하면서 처음 불거졌다. 

이에 대해 애플은 이날 성명을 내고 "아이폰 배터리가 프로세서가 요구하는 최대치의 전력을 공급하는데 문제가 있을 때 전력 수요를 줄이기 위한 조치였다"며 의혹을 인정했다.

다만 이는 애플 제품 뿐만 아니라 모든 리튬이온배터리가 노후화되고 충전 주기가 길어지면 큰 폭발이 발생할 수 있다는 사실엣 비롯된 것이라고 해명했다. 그러면서 배터리가 차갑거나 전력이 낮을때도 같은 문제가 일어날 수 있다고 덧붙였다. 

애플은 이날 낸 성명에서 "디바이스가 예기치 않게 꺼지는 현상을 막기 위해 지난해 출시된 아이폰6, 아이폰6플러스, 아이폰SE에 이런 기능을 적용했다"며 "올해 iOS 11.2가 탑재 된 아이폰7에도 해당 기능을 확장했고, 앞으로 다른 제품에도 이 기능을 추가 할 계획"이라고 밝혔다. 

아이폰 프로세서는 성능이 저하된 배터리에 대량의 전류가 공급될 경우 배터리가 전류를 전달해 디바이스 전자기기를 손상시킬 수 있다. 이를 막기 위해 아이폰은 전원을 차단해 프로세서를 보호한다. 

애플은 "지난해 말부터 확대된 아이폰의 갑작스런 전원꺼짐 현상을 막기 위해 저온의 환경이나 배터리가 노후화된 디바이스는 속도를 저하시키는 방식으로 소프트웨어를 수정할 수 밖에 없었다"고 강조했다. 

이 문제는 보증 기간 시 79달러를 내고 아이폰의 배터리를 교체하면 해결된다. 하지만 그간 시장에서는 애플의 배터리가 교체·수리하기 불편하다는 소비자들의 비판이 끊이질 않아왔다.  

Samsung to start sales of limited Galaxy Note 8 case

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it will start sales of a smartphone case exclusively designed for the flagship Galaxy Note 8 next week in South Korea.

Samsung said if users place the Galaxy Note 8 inside the case, a special theme will automatically be applied to the smartphone, displaying a unique skin in the background. 

The case is jointly produced by 99AVANT, a local design firm.

(Yonhap)

The South Korean company said only 99 units of the case will be available for sale, which kicks off Tuesday through its website.

Each case will come with a different number from one to 99.

The price tag on the special package, which covers the case and the black-colored 256-gigabyte Galaxy Note 8, stands at 1.99 million won. The smartphone was earlier released in the country for 1.25 million won. (Yonhap)

Samsung launches Galaxy A8 with dual front camera

Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday the new mid-end Galaxy A series with the first dual front camera and a new brand number sequence resembling the premium Galaxy S series, in a move to raise the brand’s profile and boost global sales.

“With the release of the Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus, we’re bringing our customers’ favorite features from our flagship smartphones, such as the infinity display and our first dual front camera with live focus, to our Galaxy A series,” said Park Jun-ho, vice president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile communications business. 



The Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus, which go on sale in January next year, will sport a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel dual front camera made up of two separate cameras, in a first for Samsung phones. 

The new camera will enable users to switch between the two to take different types of selfies -- from close-ups to portraits with clear backgrounds, the firm said. 

Samsung’s adoption of the dual front camera is intended to set the phone apart from other mid-end handsets, and it is unlikely be to be adopted in the upcoming flagship phone Galaxy S9, according to an industry insider.

The Galaxy A8 series will also have an advanced live focus feature that allows users to adjust the bokeh effect before or after they take a picture. Bokeh refers to the aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photograph. With an added hyperlapse feature, users can create time-lapse videos. 

Like the Galaxy S8, the new A8 series will have an infinity display with an 18.5:9 display ratio.

What is notable from the launch of the new mid-end smartphone is that Samsung made the brand names of the Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus similar to those of its flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus series. Samsung said this is to make the Galaxy A series share the same system as its premium products. 

The Galaxy S series is Samsung’s highest end smartphone followed by A series and J series. The tech firm said in its conference call in September, “Due to the rising portion of budget phones, the profits of the mobile division fell (in the third quarter).” 

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)

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Samsung to launch luxurious flip phone

By Kang Seung-woo
Samsung Electronics is set to release a premium flip phone, estimated to be worth 3 million won ($2,760), in China later this month.

Samsung Electronics' W2018 phone / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

According to the global tech giant, Wednesday, Samsung and China Telecom held an event last week to unveil the W2018 -- the 10th anniversary device of its high-end flip-style W Series that was first released in 2008. 
Although Samsung has yet to confirm the price of the device, the China-exclusive phone is expected to be priced higher than the previous edition, the W2017, which had a price tag of 20,000 yuan (3.3 million won).
"The price for the new model will be set soon," a Samsung official said.
Although the retro-inspired W2018 is nostalgic of old flip phones of the 1990s and the early 2000s, the phone fills the bill, featuring modern technology on par with that of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S8 and Note 8 smartphones, both of which were unpacked earlier this year. 
The flip phone, with dual 4.2-inch full-HD AMOLED displays, is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 and comes with 6GB RAM and either 64GB or 256GB of internal storage. It also packs a 2300mAh battery.
Virtual assistant Bixby, with its dedicated button to summon it, and a fingerprint reader at the rear are also available on the W2018 like on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. Last month, Samsung began to support a Chinese version of its artificial intelligence program. 
The phone will come in gold and platinum and run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
However, the most impressive feature of the brand new flip phone is its camera.
The W2018 features a 12-megapixel rear camera with the widest ever aperture of f1.5 on a smartphone, which allows users to capture sharper images in low light conditions.
The camera automatically switches to f2.4 aperture when there is enough light.
When it comes to aperture, the lower the f-stop number, the sharper a picture will appear.
It also has a 5-megapixel front camera.
There is widespread speculation that Samsung may take the camera technology to the upcoming Galaxy S9, which is anticipated to be released in February or March of next year.
Meanwhile, Samsung said there is no chance that consumers outside China will get their hands on the W2018 phone.
"As the W line has been a China-exclusive, we do not have any plans to release the W2018 in other countries," the official said.