Samsung’s fantastic force

It is difficult for anyone not to fall in love with design. Blocks of wood can be transformed into funky yet functional chairs or tables. Chalk that up to design. But in this era of designer indulgence, fashion rules over functionality. A pair of rhinestone-encrusted sandals with four-inch heels allows you to strut on the streets a la Sarah Jessica Parker, but you put yourself in danger of sporting varicose veins after hours of walking. If a designer could create fashionable yet functional (and comfortable to use) products, then you’d get the best of both worlds – style plus substance. You can of course, have too much of a good thing, so why stop there?

Samsung, a Korean consumer electronics company, has emerged as a fashion-forward, design-oriented brand. The company produces some of the coolest gadgets on earth, and it continues to reinvent itself to get even cooler.

Recently, Samsung invited journalists to the Lion City for CommunicAsia 2005. This event is the largest telecom trade show in the region. Six halls of Singapore Expo were packed with the latest, most advanced satellite dishes, fiber-optic cables and, of course, mobiles phones to swoon at. Indeed a place of oh-la-la technology.

Fact is, lifestyles are changing. This is definitely the year of mobile convergence: Internet and data are merging into one, and exciting applications are being introduced at warp speed. The mobile phone has become an essential device in this era of information and entertainment.

Samsung’s philosophy is to give users everything they want in a mobile phone – whether they are trendy femmes, techies, gypsies who love to roam (roaming, get it?), housewives, or music junkie. Whatever you are, there is a Samsung cell phone for you. You’re also assured that you’re getting a high-quality product that suits your needs.

"Samsung has a wide array of technological core competencies to harness good phones," says Sang Jing Park, the regional CEO and president of Samsung Asia. "Since we capitalize on trends, our mobile phones are sleek, compact, and are rich in media functionalities." The company strongly believes in the mantra that "the mobile phone is a hub." So, there is nothing else you need in the world but your handheld.

When I got to the exhibit, I was overwhelmed with Samsung’s new mobile lineup. There was the world’s first seven-megapixel mobile phone. Unbelievable? Yes, this seven-megapixel flash camera phone has 3x optical zoom and MP3 player as well. Say goodbye to digicams and hello to the mega V770. Samsung focuses on mobile cameras, where innovation moves at such a fast pace.

Samsung senior manager Christian Collins, who oversees the marketing strategy group of Samsung, says, "Samsung brings the latest technology to consumers to find strategies. We create a bond with them and ensure them of mobile confidence." Basically, they find out what is likely to sell before consumers know they want it. Now that’s just what you call anticipation.

From these strategies come the latest phones. The Samsung booth was divided into four exhibits with different themes like "Exciting," "Elegant," "Efficient," and "Evolution."

Gadget Guru

There are a lot of gadgets and gizmos we need today such as digital cameras, flash disks, MP3 players and, of course, a mobile phone. Imagine all these in your bag or pocket? Too bulky, eh? Well, Samsung found a way of combining everything into a single device. Whether you’re downloading hundreds of MP3s, or taking pictures, multimedia has never been more exciting.

If you want a phone that’s sleek, stylish and functional, check out the D600. This slide-up mobile will bring out the director in you. It has a two-megapixel camera, video recording, MP3 player, and external memory. "This mobile professional is a winning formula since it is good for business applications like printing Powerpoint files," adds Collins.

The ultimate music lover’s dream is to carry three gigabytes of music in any format so they could listen to genres like pop, rock, hip-hop, blues, or even classical. Say goodbye to boredom with Samsung’s i300, which has a 1.3 megapixel camera, video recording, Windows mobile OS. Hey, you can even make your very own music video with this gadget, just for kicks.

For the multimedia-junkie, the E730 will make you want to rock and roll. (A piece of trivia: This phone is featured in the Fantastic 4 promo.) This premium gadget is sleek, stylish, and comes with a 1.3 megapixel flash camera that makes wireless multimedia the in-thing. You can produce prints in an instant.

It’s Evolution, Baby

Is the Philippines ready for 3G? Maybe not now since we need networks to support this super advanced technology.

However, Park explains, "Samsung has a clear indication of 3G leadership. Our phones are revolutionary." What is this 3G phenomenon, anyway? Well, it is just like having a movie theater in your hand with video streaming and video-on-demand. Plus, there is video telephony, where you could have a virtual face-to-face conversation. You get the entire universe of digital data from entertainment to information in a Samsung phone.

For the next generation cinematographer, the Samsung Z700 boasts a twist LCD with three-megapixel flash camera and 8x zoom to capture those indie film moments. The handheld is maximized with the 3D graphics accelerator and 3D games. Impossible dream come true.

The Z500 is the world’s most compact 3G mobile that allows you to download pictures of your favorite stars like Brad Pitt, Axl Rose and Kate Moss. You could also take a blooper picture or video of your friend with the dual camera. By the way, it also includes an MP3 player to help you relax (and listen to New Age music or something).

Actually, I got really excited when I saw the 3G video-cam phone. Samsung’s Z130 has a rotating wide-view one-megapixel flash camera with 4x zoom. It has a picture editor so you can remove zits, or change your hair color to bleached blonde like Paris Hilton’s or Gwen Stefani’s.

Elegant Shot

Mobile phones are boring when they don’t look hip (or when too bulky). Samsung, together with Vogue, asked designers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson and Anna Sui to create designs for the fashion elite. Sadly, the mobile phones are for the American market only. Every woman would love a modern and trendy handheld. Talk about mobiles with choc full of features as fashion accessories. They could even be used to spice up outfits.

The Samsung E720 is the ultimate style statement with its sleek, super elegant contoured finish. Take movie star pictures of yourself with its one-megapixel camera using the self-portrait and multi-shot features. Its 88MB internal memory can store photos, songs and videos. The cool thing about this phone is that it has external keys, so you can listen to music like normal MP3 players.

For the adventurous type, Samsung’s E750 features the "kinetic interface" or the gesture recognition so you can shake the mobile to activate the phone’s features like the MP3 player or camera. It also has a dual display and digital compass on the phone’s exterior. It has one of the most eye-catching clamshell designs.

A must-have phone for fashionistas is the E530. It comes in yummy, cute colors like lavender pink, Valentine pink, chic white, oasis blue and festival orange. The Bluetooth and USB connector make data connection simple. I love its ultra-hip design and special functions for women. This is the phone for the Girl Power revolution.

Not all flashy mobile phones deliver what they promise and that is so uncool. Samsung’s goal is to rule the world of cool. With millions of dollars being spent on designing must-have mobile phones with the most advanced technologies, the South Korean company drives the mobile convergence revolution forward. Samsung creates the ideal mobile for customers by making it the hub of their universe.

"The key to Samsung’s success is that the company created a brand name by a combining the highest components of design, making it a platform and combining it with the technology. It is more expensive this way but more innovative and this ultimately brings more value to the customers," concludes Collins.