Samsung is entering the South Korean e-book market with the introduction of the SNE-50K. This 5-inch e-book reader adds to the traditional book reading functions with the ability to write notes with a stylus.

 

 

Interestingly, indications have the screen being a touchscreen, with no confirmation about whether it uses e-Ink technology for the display.

The SNE-50K is launching in South Korea initially, with other countries possibly next year. The size of the reader makes it smaller than other e-book readers, thus making it more portable. Samsung is partnering the SNE-50K with the biggest bookseller in South Korea, Kyobo Bookstore. It has become standard practice for booksellers to introduce electronic readers of late.

The Samsung reader features no wireless capability, unlike Amazon’s Kindle.

 

Source : Mostreviews.com 

These are the results of a marketresearch conducted by MZA Consultants.

 

Having shown consistent yearly growth over recent years, the total global consumer cordless phone market declined last year. Growing market saturation in more developed markets, continued competition from mobile services and the global economic downturn impacted consumer spending in this area. Total base station sales fell by 11% to 105 million units and total handset sales declined by 13% to 159 million units.

DECT technology continued to dominate the market and increased its share of total base unit sales from 49% in 2007 to 61% in 2008. The market for 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz other digital technologies more than halved impacted by the fact that in many territories vendors are focussing more on DECT than these technologies. Analogue volumes also declined but at a much slower rate as these cost effective models still attract a large volume of customers in many world regions.

The greatest decline in volume was seen in North America where, despite strong growth in DECT volumes and DECT market share, the overall market declined by 20%.
The greatest declines in volume in North America were seen in the digital 2.4GHz and digital 5.8GHz sectors as many suppliers active in this sector focussed more heavily on DECT technology. Analogue declines were less pronounced as these models at competitive price points continued to attract cost conscious customers.

In EMEA a 6% decline was witnessed as growth in the Middle East and Africa outweighed declines in both Western and Eastern Europe. The market in APAC was flat whereas Latin America witnessed a 5% decline.

In what is a highly price competitive market many suppliers have had to re-assess their strategies of maintaining or increasing ASP through selling higher featured models. In reality, brand, aesthetics and price remain key factors in the consumer buying decision.

Supplier Brand Share
At a global level Panasonic (http://panasonic.net/pcc/tel) maintained their number one position in respect of total sales volume of all technologies with strong sales in all world regions contributing to their success (19% global share of base unit sales). VTECH (www.vtech.com) took number 2 position (11% global share of base unit sales), followed by Gigaset Communications (www.gigaset.com) in number 3 position (10% global share of base unit sales). These three suppliers are closely followed by Uniden (www.uniden.com) and Thomson/GE/Alcatel (www.home-electronics.net).

In respect of DECT technology market share Panasonic also took number 1 position followed by Gigaset Communications, with these two vendors accounting for almost 40% of total sales. Analogue technology units, although volumes are declining, still make up a significant proportion of total market sales with a share of 27%. In respect of analogue base units, VTECH lead the pack followed by Uniden.

The “other digital” segment (comprising primarily 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz) has seen a rapid decline in volumes, accounting for just 12% of total market sales in 2008. In this segment, Panasonic hold a commanding share of almost 40% followed by their nearest competitor, Uniden.
The market is increasingly fragmented with many localised players being significant in their own country or sub region, but lacking Global wide presence. Several ODM and OEM providers also achieve significant share of total sales through their provision of cordless telephones to many of the major brands, incumbent service providers and retail chains, these companies include VTECH, SGW Europe, Gigaset Communications, Uniden and CCT (partial list).

 

About this Release
The information contained in this Research Release forms an extract from MZA’s 2009 ompetitive Environment Module “The Global Consumer Cordless Telephony Market”. The full eport provides analysis of market volume and competitor market share trends for 50 ountries worldwide. The Forecast editions show trends for installed base, price points, arket volume and market value to 2014.

Panasonic is currently promoting its range of in-home communications solutions. After a very successful first quarter (April-June 2009), driven by impressive Mother’s Day sales, the focus is now on the end-of-year months leading into Christmas.

In an interview with Current.com.au today, Panasonic category marketing manager, mobile AV, Alistair Robins, talked about the ongoing shift towards DECT cordless phone technology. The DECT frequency band is 1.8GHz, whereas the DSS frequency bands are 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz.

Robins said that of the major frequencies for cordless phones, DECT is proving the most popular in overseas markets, with over 70 per cent of United States models now using that format. Second in the US is DSS, at just under 20 per cent.

Robins expects this trend to appear in the Australian market over the longer term, and is positioning Panasonic’s product offering to reflect that view.

Source: Current.com.au

Gigaset Communications, manufacturers of cordless telephones under the Siemens Gigaset brand in Europe, entered the U.S. telephony market this morning with a portfolio of DECT 6.0 phone products.

Topping the line is the company's new Gigaset One, which merges home and mobile Bluetooth phone systems by allowing users to make and receive mobile calls on any corded or cordless phone with or without a landline.

Gigaset One allows users to connect up to three Bluetooth cellphones with one-time, one-touch setup. Each connected phone will then have a unique ringtone. The device also helps eliminate poor audio quality and cellular dead zones, the company said.

"We know that most consumers value the reliability, performance and quality of a landline phone but want the option to merge their home and cellular phones. We are introducing Gigaset One today to provide consumers with the convergence solution they want from Siemens Gigaset, a brand they can trust," said Rod Keller, CEO of Siemens Gigaset, North America.

The Gigaset One will retail for $99.99 and is expected to be available next month in Staples and OfficeMax stores. It will then be rolled out to Best Buy and RadioShack as well as Verizon carrier stores, Keller told TWICE in a briefing.

Among the company's first DECT 6.0 phone systems for the U.S. market, the flagship Siemens Gigaset SL785 features a sleek, ultra-modern metal frame and full-duplex hands-free, Bluetooth and USB interfaces.

These cordless systems can be personalized with sounds and images with included QuickSync 4.0 software.

Users can load photos and ringtones from a PC to the phone. Different colors can also be assigned to callers or caller groups to enable quick visual recognition. The SL785, engineered in Germany, will retail for $189.

The step-down Gigaset S790 and S795 feature high-tolerance metal keypads and can be extended to up to six handsets. A 1.8-inch color display boasts an icon-structured menu, much like a cellphone's.

Designed for the home consumer and professional users, both systems offer a 500-entry address book and mini-USB interface for easy data synchronization. Both models will retail from $139 and be available in the third quarter.

Sales for the three months ended June 30, 2009 were $197.2 million compared to $205.8 million for the same quarter in 2008, a decrease of 4.2%. The Company's sales results for the second quarter of last year include two months of revenue from the acquisition of the Ericsson Enterprise Communications Business which closed on April 30, 2008.  On a sequential basis, sales decreased by 10.1% from sales of $219.3 million in the first quarter of this year as a result of the weak economic conditions experienced in several markets.

Gross margin was 45.6% of sales in the quarter compared to 42.5% of sales in the same period in 2008 and 48.0% of sales in the first quarter of 2009. Research and development expenses in the second quarter were $21.8 million or 11.1% of sales, compared to $26.8 million or 13.0% of sales in the same quarter of 2008.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $56.0 million or 28.4% of sales in the second quarter compared to $53.2 million or 25.8% of sales in the second quarter of 2008.  As a percentage of sales, SG&A expenses increased over the same period last year as operating costs could not be reduced as quickly as the decline in sales that was experienced during the quarter.

Amortization expense recorded in operating expenses was $5.6 million in the second quarter compared to $6.2 million in the same period last year.  The Company recorded interest expense of $0.2 million in the second quarter this year compared to $0.6 million in the second quarter of 2008 as a result of both lower interest rates and a lower long-term debt balance. Losses from foreign exchange were $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2009 compared to a foreign exchange gain of $1.2 million in the second quarter of 2008, due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar compared to the Euro and U.S. dollar during the second quarter this year.

Investment income totaled $0.7 million in second quarter compared to $0.8 million in the same quarter of 2008. While the investment income earned on excess cash in the quarter has decreased sharply compared to last year, the Company earned a higher amount of financing income on its leasing business.  Income tax expense was $1.2 million or 18.2% of pre-tax income compared to $0.4 million or 15.5% of pre-tax income in the same period last year.  

As a result, net income for the second quarter was $5.5 million or $0.40 diluted earnings per share compared to $2.1 million or $0.13 diluted earnings per share in the same period last year.

VTech Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings Ltd. announced availability of the LS6245 -- the first system of its kind capable of connecting landline and cellular phone calls simultaneously that can also be paired with up to eight Bluetooth -enabled devices.

Based on DECT 6.0 technology for secure and interference-free calls, the stylish VTech LS6245 cordless phone and digital answering system combines advanced Bluetooth features with the best call clarity and sound quality, for $79.95. As a result, consumers have an affordable, advanced and sleek home communications solution to avoid the traditional problems of using cellular phones in the home -- dropped calls and poor call clarity and range.

Working as a virtual two-line phone system, the LS6245 allows users to be on a landline call on one handset or base unit speakerphone, while using another handset for a cellular call at the same time. Users also can connect two cellular phones to the LS6245 simultaneously, and the first cellular phone call to come in will be routed to the cordless phone.

The LS6245 base unit also can be paired with up to eight separate Bluetooth devices, giving users multiple options for making and answering calls from Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices. For hands-free landline conversations, LS6245 users can make and receive traditional landline calls on the LS6245 using a Bluetooth headset or the handset and base station speakerphones.

Fashionably Functional Along with advanced functionality to handle cellular and landline calls, VTech designed the LS6245 to add a high-end touch to any room. The sleek LS6245 is button-free, featuring touch-sensitive technology on the handset and base unit keypads. The high-gloss, metallic black handset also offers a reverse color LCD display and a luminous, white backlit keypad for easy viewing.

VTech's LS6245 phone system is expandable with up to 12 handsets (using the LS6204 accessory handset, sold separately), requiring only a single phone jack at the base station. With more handsets throughout the home, users can easily take or make cellular or landline calls from any room in the house.

"The LS6245 smoothly combines mobile communication with the benefits of a landline home phone system," said Matt Ramage, senior vice president, product management, VTech Communications, Inc. "This system is an excellent solution for consumers who use their cell phones for primary communication, but don't enjoy dropped calls or keeping their cell phones on them while in the house. With its advanced capabilities and sophisticated design elements, the LS6245 marks a new generation in sophisticated home communication -- all at a budget-friendly price." Product Availability The VTech LS6245 is available now at http://www.vtechphones.com/ and Best Buy retail stores nationwide. To improve the customer experience on vtechphones.com, the latest site enhancements include new tools to help consumers choose the right phones to fit their lifestyles and interactive demos to virtually experience each product before purchase.