Samsung at CES 2014: 4K streaming, big tablets, a bending TV, and Michael Bay – The Verge

Samsung estimates a drop in profits for the holiday quarter due to soft smartphone sales

2014-01-06T19:42:47-05:00

samsung logo stock

Samsung just announced earnings guidance for Q4 2013, and for one quarter at least it looks like the company's runaway financial growth will stall a bit. Reuters reports that operating profit for Q4 fell 18 percent quarter over quarter to $7.8 billion, a figure that missed analyst expectations. The miss was largely due to a one-time "special bonus" from the quarter; that bonus appears to have been related to special incentives given to mark the 20th anniversary of Samsung's "new management" strategy. However, it also appears that growth from Samsung's dominant mobile division will be the weakest seen since 2007, when the company first started …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung’s 15.6-inch Ativ Book 9 Plus drops high-res display for 14 hours of battery life

2014-01-06T18:00:03-05:00

Gallery Photo: Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 edition photos

Samsung is introducing a new 15.6-inch model of its Ativ Book 9 at the Consumer Electronics Show today. While the ultrabook maker unveiled its impressive 13.3-inch Ativ Book 9 Plus back in June, the 15.6-inch version drops the Plus moniker and the high resolution display in favor of battery life. Samsung has opted for a 1920 x 1080 resolution on its 15.6-inch display instead of the 3200 x 1800 one found on the 13.3-inch model. It's a significant difference for this ultrabook, and one that likely helps the company claim this particular model's battery will last 14 hours.

Aside from the display and battery life estimates, this 15.6-inch model lo …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Watch Michael Bay melt down onstage at CES

2014-01-06T17:40:17-05:00

via d35lb3dl296zwu.cloudfront.net

During Samsung's CES press event today, the company brought out super-action director Michael Bay to discuss the company's new curved HDTVs. Unfortunately for Bay, Samsung appeared to have issues with the teleprompters being used to cue onstage presenters. Then Michael Bay had a mini-meltdown. Then he peaced the fuck out. And we have the video.

Update: Michael Bay has written about the experience on his blog. Here's his take on the matter.

Wow! I just embarrassed myself at CES - I was about to speak for Samsung for this awesome Curved 105-inch UHD TV. I rarely lend my name to any products, but this one is just stellar. I got so excited to …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung launches Galaxy TabPro and NotePro tablets, including 12.2-inch models

2014-01-06T17:00:02-05:00

Gallery Photo: Samsung Galaxy TabPro and Galaxy NotePro pictures

Samsung is expanding its line of Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note tablets with new Pro models focused on multitasking and productivity. The new Galaxy TabPro will be available in three sizes - 8.4-inch, 10.1-inch, and 12.2-inch - while the Galaxy NotePro will only be available in the 12.2-inch size. All four tablets have 2560 x 1600 pixel displays, Android 4.4 KitKat, Wi-Fi and LTE options, and 8-megapixel rear cameras as well as 2-megapixel front cameras.

Samsung's goal with the new tablets is to better straddle the gap between a normal tablet and a laptop computer. The Galaxy NotePro and 12.2-inch Galaxy TabPro feature new four-pane multiwindow …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung reveals a wild bendable TV prototype and its curved, 105-inch Ultra HD TV

2014-01-06T17:00:02-05:00

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Samsung has made a habit of demoing some off-the-wall television designs at CES, and this year is no different. The strangest new design is a wild 85-inch prototype that the company's simply calling the "Bendable TV." The demo unit switched between a flat panel and a curved screen at the touch of a button, with a mechanical system pushing out the edges of the screen to achieve the transformation. It's eerie to see a 85-inch television bend before your eyes, and while it makes for a very impressive tech demo, we aren't sure what Samsung plans to do with the TV. The company claims there are situations where you might want to switch to a curved …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung announces major 4K streaming partnership with Amazon, Netflix, and others

2014-01-06T17:00:02-05:00

Gallery Photo:

In addition to inking a deal with Technicolor's M-GO streaming service, Samsung today announced a major partnership with Netflix, Amazon, Comcast, and DirecTV to provide 4K streaming to consumers via their latest UHD TVs. The company hopes that the deal will speed up widespread adoption of 4K in 2014.

Samsung detailed in its announcement that its plans to let consumers stream UHD content from each provider via applications on Samsung's Smart Hub. In addition to the new content options, the company announced what it calls its UHD Video Pack, a hard drive with movies and documentaries from studios like 20th Century Fox and Paramount. Samsung …

Read the full story at The Verge.