KT’s decision to bar internet access for Samsung’s Smart TV may end up in court. Samsung has hinted they may sue KT for compensation of damages as they enforced an internet restriction for apps and services accessing from Samsung Smart TV.

A long-term infliction of such unfair treatment could incur substantial damages on our consumers, which is why we are planning to swiftly resolve the issue through a possible compensation lawsuit.

KT is the largest internet service operator in South Korea and about 250,000 Smart TV owners will be affected with the decision.

Korea Telecommunications Commission (equivalent to FCC) said that KT’s move was inappropriate and may penalize them for violating laws.

Via

KT in South Korea has announced that they’ll cut off internet access to apps on Samsung’s Smart TVs from tomorrow. The move is a result of excessive bandwidth used by apps on these internet-enabled TVs.

KT is the largest fixed-line operator in South Korea and there are about 1 million Smart TVs in Samsung’s domestic market.

Excessive electricity use can cause a wide scale blackout, as we have experienced in September last year. Likewise, over-burdening the internet inevitably hurts other users.

Completely cutting off the access seems a bit harsh. Perhaps, KT and Samsung could work a way around or throttle internet speed when accessed from a Smart TV.

Source

Samsung today announced that they’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KT that will allow both companies to estimate demand and supply of phones. With the introduction of Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment both companies can keep a timely check on the inventories, future trends and manufacturing plans that will enable to decrease costs as well as make the supply chain more efficient.

Samsung has announced two Galaxy S II variants for its domestic market. First is the Galaxy S II LTE that was announced at the IFA sometime back. Boasting up to 5 times faster download speeds than 3G, the 9.5mm thick Galaxy S II LTE features a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus Display, 8MP camera, full HD video recording, TV-Out support via MHL, 16GB internal memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and 1850mAh battery.

The Galaxy S II LTE will be available through SK Telecom.

The Galaxy S II HD LTE on the other hand, is Samsung’s first Galaxy S II handset to sport an HD display. Galaxy S II HD LTE comes with a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display that supports a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. In addition to LTE, the phone supports HSPA+ and Rev. A and comes with the same set of features as Galaxy S II LTE.

Galaxy S II HD LTE will be available on all three Korean carriers – SK Telecom, KT and LG U+.

Samsung has announced a new candy-bar phone for South Korean customers whose main motive to use the phone is well, use as a phone. The SHW-A300 Minimalist Folder will be released on SKT and KT and features a 2.6-inch display with a large keypad and Hyperskin body to give the phone a luxurious look as well as protect it from scratches and fingerprints.

Additionally, the 105g phone features a 2MP camera, SOS, Bluetooth, music player, microSD card slot supporting up to 16GB, e-dictionary and more.

Its priced at 200,000 won.

Samsung has released the Galaxy Tab Android 2.3 update in its home market. The update is available on Kies 2.0 for all Korean Galaxy Tabs, which includes Galaxy Tab on SK Telecom, KT and LG U+.

Samsung also confirmed that Android 2.3 update for Galaxy A and Ace will be rolled out later on.

Download Kies 2.0

Source, Thanks Jeonn!

The first country that will get Samsung’s Galaxy S II device is none other than its home market, South Korea. Samsung phones are generally released in Europe first but it seems iPhone 4’s rise in South Korea has compelled Samsung to bring the phone first in its domestic market.

KT is expected to release the phone around April 25 whereas SKT hasn’t locked in any date yet.

Galaxy S II runs on Android 2.3 OS and features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, dual-core processor, HSPA+, 8MP camera with full HD video recording, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DLNA, 1650mAh battery and more.

Via

KT today announced to sell a WiBro-equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab in the South Korean market. The Galaxy Tab (SHW-M180K) will be based on Android 2.2 and allow users to share the WiBro connection with up to 5 other Wi-Fi devices.

Although most of the specs remain the same, one major change compared to other Galaxy Tab variants is the inability to make phone calls. However, to make up for this, KT will offer data plans at cheaper price.

Samsung, KT and Intel have teamed up to introduce a cloud-based LTE technology that will be will be demonstrated at MWC. The Cloud Communications Center (CCC)-based LTE will enable operators to make a server and modem act as a base station that helps to lower operational costs while at the same time, handle excessive data traffic.

KT is expected to begin trial CCC-based LTE service in Seoul from July.

Via

Samsung today announced SHW-A170K touchscreen phone that has already been announced by KT in October. Sure, the button icons look a bit different but rest of the features are same. The SHW-A170K takes the crown in South Korea for being the first phone with Near Field Communication (NFC) support.

NFC is a short-range communication tool that will allow users to pay or buy services with their phones. Samsung has also confirmed that the phone has the capability to read and write RFID tags but will be implemented in the near future.

As for remaining features, the phone has a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, 3MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, Easy Sharing feature, T-DMB and 3.5mm headphone jack.