Samsung imagines at CeBIT 2006

	Top of the world for Samsung Asia's top honcho Sang-Jin Park at the company's imposing three-level booth in Hall 1.

HANNOVER, GERMANY--An 8GB music handset. A 10-megapixel camera-phone. Mindboggling and a little ridiculous perhaps? After all, does anyone really need 10-megapixel images on a phone, not to mention the price of the media cards needed? And how big can the market be for a pricey 8GB MP3-phone?

But that's not the point, is it? As the Korean chaebol's regional chief Sang-Jin Park points out, it's proving that it can be done. Samsung believes it is leading the march toward convergence, and to this end the CEO and president of Samsung Asia is funnelling the group's energies toward three key convergence spaces for the mobile phone: Music, camera and TV.

"From our point of view, mobile phones are the locomotive to building up our brand name... Camera-phone, no problem. We can increase the megapixels to 10. Or 8GB hard drive. However, the readiness of the country we do business in is also important. We are ready, but the operators are not," said Mr Park, referring to mobile TV, HSDPA and WiMax.

Hence, it's not surprising that the extensive catalog of new Samsung offerings showcased at CeBIT 2006--including a few world's first--will likely not see light of day in various parts of Asia outside Korea and Japan. But that doesn't mean we can't look and lust.

Also a hot item and hot off the press was Samsung's Q1, which made its debut at the Hannover show. This Origami handheld rides on Microsoft's ultramobile personal computers (UMPCs), a new category of mobile computing devices that pack full PC functionality into a small, lightweight form factor.

Meanwhile, for this expo, we've picked some of the more cutting-edge products unveiled by the Korean giant.

Phones From WiBro to HSDPA, Samsung has it all covered, with some world-first breakthroughs in the camera- and MP3-phone segments. LCD TVs Another growth segment that the company has identified as one of the hottest markets to be in for the near future. Home A/V Blu-ray gets its spotlight, together with other home entertainment systems in the Korean chaebol's portfolio. Portable A/V MP3 players remain key in Samsung's strategy to reach out to today's tech-savvy youngsters. The YP-Z5 is its first large-capacity flash-based music subscription-enabled jukebox player.

Ultra Mobile PC The 7-inch Q1 gets airtime as a ultraportable PC that offers digital freedom with its diverse onboard offerings. Digital Imaging Multifunctional is the buzzword for its still and video shooters, while the goal to get smaller dominates its printers. PCs & peripherals These Napa notebooks are already in our Labs, while LCD panels get the headturning treatment. CeBIT 2006: Cars, curves and Cup fever As always, the tech expo CeBIT is a showcase of the bold and the beautiful. And it isn't just the hardware models we're talking about here.

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