An additional twenty Samsung Electronics IT and mobile products, 2 printers, 3 monitors, 13 mobile phones, 1 ultra-mobile PC, and 1 solid-state drive, were so honored. Meanwhile, Samsung Techwin received its first CES Innovations Award, for a digital camera.
Importantly, the Samsung Bluetooth speaker system and "UbiCell" personal base stations received the coveted Best of Innovations 2008 accolades. The Bluetooth speaker system automatically detects and connects Bluetooth-enabled MP3 players and mobile phones that come within range. The user can enjoy MP3 audio files in 3-channel surround sound without having to take any special steps.
Samsung developed UbiCell, the world's first home-use base station, to solve the problem of mobile service shadow areas. This next-generation, book-sized unit is easy for anyone to install and works with users' existing mobile phones to provide secure, indoor wireless service over existing broadband networks.
The products scheduled for display during CES each year are judged in advance by three-member judging team comprised of an independent industrial designer, an independent engineer, and a member of the trade press. Those items found to have the best designs and technology are recognized with the CES Innovations Awards. The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) endorses and acts as an advisor for the Awards.
Samsung Electronics won twelve of these prestigious awards in 2007 but the total for 2008 has surged to 32 and covers a wider range of product categories. Meanwhile, Samsung Techwin also picked up one (for a digital camera) this time.
Samsung Electronics is the world's foremost TV maker and received CES Innovations Awards for two of its PDP TVs last year.
However, four Samsung TVs were so honored this year, including one LCD TV, one DLP TV and two PDP TVs. Moreover, the company has proven its design and engineering prowess in the audio/video segment (awards won for a video/MP3 player, home theater system, camcorder, and the Duo combo HD disc player) as well as the consumer electronics segment (with an award-winning refrigerator).
In addition, the company has bolstered the position of IT and display products. Samsung has enjoyed great success with its ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC) and printer lines, and two printer models were singled out for CES Innovations 2008 Awards. One is the world's slimmest and most compact monochrome laser printer with an exceptionally elegant design. The other is the world's smallest multifunction monochrome laser printer. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has once again held the top share of the world market for monitor sales in 4Q 07, and three of its monitors were honored with CES 2008 Innovations Awards.
Samsung Electronics has long remained the frontrunner in the world memory chip market. The company's stature in the memory business was furthered by its first ever CES Innovations Award for a solid-state drive (a 64GB model).
Samsung is also among the world's top makers of mobile phones, winning CES Innovations Awards for three mobile phone models in 2007. The company's leadership was even more pronounced this year, as the total awards for mobile phones and accessories jumped to 13. These included a home-use base station, four Bluetooth headset models and eight different mobile phones (the Blackjack 2 and UpStage among them).
In sum, Samsung Electronics continues to be an innovation leader in the global electronics industry. This fact was borne out by the haul of CES 2008 Innovations Awards, ranging from displays to audio/video products, and consumer electronics to IT and mobile products.
