Samsung introduces social-networking gadgets

 

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By Mike Jennings in Berlin

Posted on 5 Sep 2009 at 09:14

Samsung has unveiled plans to build social-networking features into devices ranging from MP3 players to televisions.

Speaking at Berlin’s IFA trade show, Samsung’s executive vice president of visual displays, Boo-Keun Yoon, promised that the company would press on with plans to “break down the walls between various devices” so that customers can communicate across a wide variety of products.

Yoon emphasised the social side of new Samsung products, professing that “electronic devices should offer a space where people can engage with each other.”

This has manifested itself across several different products unveiled in Berlin this week. Michael Zoller, marketing director from Samsung’s European Visual Office, revealed the Internet@TV, an LED television that uses wireless internet to access widgets linked to services such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Zoller also promised that the devices would feature localised content including region-specific social-networking tools and widgets to deliver local news, sport and TV listings.

We were treated to a preview of the new service which Samsung plans to roll out across a variety of devices, including cameras, camcorders, laptops, digital photo frames, printers and MP3 players. The integration of DNLA technology across Samsung’s range allows for easy communication between the devices.

Zoller also explained how these services can be adapted to the customer’s personal preferences: the new Internet@TV, for instance, can scour YouTube to “create your own channel” based on your musical preferences, with an on-screen GUI allowing you to tweak options when necessary.