BlackBerry denies report of takeover talks with Samsung

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 | 6:56 PM    

(AP) — BlackBerry Ltd denied a report Wednesday that it has had talks with Samsung over a possible takeover of the Canadian company.

“BlackBerry has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.

A Reuters report, citing a person that it didn’t identify, had said Wednesday that executives met last week to discuss a potential deal. South Korea-based Samsung reportedly offered to buy BlackBerry for $13.35 to $15.49 per share, valuing the company at as much as $7.5 billion.

BlackBerry shares slid 16 per cent after the company’s statement. The stock had jumped nearly 30 per cent, or $2.89 Wednesday to close at $12.60.

Samsung declined to comment.

Any foreign takeover would also require approval from the Canadian Government. Asked if the Canadian Government has been approached about the deal, Jessica Fletcher, a spokeswoman for Canadian Industry Minister James Moore, said: “We don’t comment on rumours and speculation.”

BlackBerry has not been able to compete with Apple Inc’s iPhone or Android smartphones made by Samsung and other companies. It now holds a small fraction of the US smartphone market. It had nearly half the market in 2009.

The company has been expanding its efforts to sell mobile-security software on its rivals’ smartphones and tablets to help counter the waning popularity of its own devices. It unveiled its latest phone, the Classic, in December. Aimed at the business user, the Classic has a traditional keyboard, unlike the touchscreens that are on the most popular smartphones. But whether BlackBerry will sell enough of them to stay relevant in the hardware business is unclear.

Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserver

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

View the original article here

BlackBerry denies report of takeover talks with Samsung

Samsung MoBay opens today

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter

Wednesday, February 12, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James — SAMSUNG Electronics is reinforcing its presence in Jamaica with the opening of a second Experience Store, this time at the Sagicor Montego Bay Shopping Centre in St James today.

This follows the success of the flagship location opened in Kingston last September.

“We are very excited about opening a second store here in Montego Bay. Jamaica has been so good to us that we are expanding our business in Jamaica,”Michelle Alvarez, project manager Samsung Experience, Samsung Electronics Latin America, Miami office told the Jamaica Observer during a telephone interview.

The Montego Bay store will feature the most popular in-demand and innovative Samsung mobile and consumer devices on the local market, including cameras.

Alvarez noted that the store will not only cater for locals but also tourists.

“We really want to expand into the Montego Bay area and try to reach the local market as well as to take advantage of the tourists that might go over there and enjoy Montego Bay,” Alvarez said.

The world’s first Samsung Experience Store opened in December 2012 in Paris; while the Montego Bay location, the region’s fifth Samsung Experience Store, is one of many executed as part of a 2013-2014 Caribbean expansion project.

Meanwhile, Jorge Lopez, product manager for the mobile division, Samsung Electronics Latin America, Miami office, said if the demand exists the company might open a third Experience Store in the island.

View the original article here

Samsung MoBay opens today

Samsung committed to build sporting ties in Jamaica

Sport

BY SANJAY MYERS Observer staff reporter myerss@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, December 31, 2013

THE inaugural Samsung Cup youth football tournament is done and dusted, but the technology firm is committed to extending sporting ties with Jamaica.Karen Gardener, the sales manager of Samsung Electronics Latin America, said the tournament, held across 48 schools island wide, is just a peek into what the company has planned.“Samsung is excited to inaugurate its first Samsung Cup in Jamaica this year,” she said recently in response to e-mailed questions from the Jamaica Observer.“The Samsung Cup is part of an overall initiative by Samsung to support the development of sports in children. For the short term, we really hope to have a major impact on the lives of the children and the schools that participate.“This is just the beginning of a long-term relationship and we hope we have proven our interest and commitment to positioning the brand as a leader in Jamaica, both in technology and in youth sports initiatives. We look forward to continuing to expand in Jamaica and creating additional initiatives in the region,” Gardener said.“The beauty of the Samsung Cup is that we have been able to get the support of the Ministry of Sport and the Jamaica Football Federation, as well as the collaboration of JISA [Jamaica Independent Schools" Association] and INSPORTS [Institute of Sports], to help approve all the schools participating in the tournament,” she added.Gardener said the initiative began in 2012 with five countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. It was extended this year to a further five nations, including Jamaica, in 2013.In the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, the youth initiative has taken the form of a baseball competition.Earlier in December, the St James-based Irwin Primary School won the rural area title, while Holy Family Primary, located in Central Kingston, took the urban area title. Holy Family went on to beat Irwin 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out after the teams were locked 0-0 at full time, for the all-island trophy.Gardener said Samsung “received much positive feedback” about the tournament from the schools, parents and spectators. She said the “collaboration of many partners” made it “a remarkable experience for the players participating”.

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

comments powered by

");
var s = document.createElement("script");
s.type = "text/javascript";
s.src = "http://scripts.chitika.net/getads.js";
try {
document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(s);
} catch(e) {
document.write(s.outerHTML);
}
}());

View the original article here

Samsung committed to build sporting ties in Jamaica

Win SumFest 2013 Tickets & Samsung S3 Giveaways

Entertainment

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Get your copy of this Friday’s Observer for Reggae SumFest 2013 Tickets & Samsung S3 Giveaway. Courtesy of Digicel and Jamaica Observer.

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

comments powered by

View the original article here

Win SumFest 2013 Tickets & Samsung S3 Giveaways

Samsung puts curve in OLED TVs

SEOUL, South Korea – After delays, Samsung Electronics Co. rolled out Thursday a curved TV that uses an advanced display called OLED.

The 55-inch TV will sell for 15 million won (US$13,000) in South Korea, more than five times the cost of LCD televisions of the same size.But Kim Hyunsuk, the executive vice president of Samsung’s TV division, said the company is optimistic about demand for the high-end TV.“OLED is about picture quality,” Kim told reporters. “We are sure that we realized the perfect picture quality.”It remains to be seen if consumers will be willing to pay a premium for enhanced imagery. The TV industry has been struggling to excite interest with its latest technologies. Attempts to boost sales by introducing 3-D TVs and TVs that are connected to the Internet have failed to end the downturn in the TV industry in recent years.Samsung is not the first to introduce a curved TV using OLED. In May, its rival LG Electronics Inc., the second-biggest TV maker, launched a 55-inch curved TV in South Korea.LG’s model, which also sells for 15 million won, is not sold outside South Korea.LG spokesman Kenneth Hong said the company will ship curved OLED TVs to other countries in the near future.Samsung will ship its curved OLED TVs to overseas markets starting July, Kim said. The company does not plan to manufacture flat OLED TVs this year, he said.The concave display gives viewers a sense of being immersed in the images, according to Samsung.Samsung and LG, which are the only TV makers in the world to begin commercial sales of OLED TVs, had promised to launch them in 2012 but delayed the launch to this year.The two South Korean TV giants tout OLED, short for organic light-emitting diode, as the next-generation display technology that will eventually replace older displays. But mass producing OLED displays still faces many challenges, leading to high prices.In addition to curved OLED TVs, Samsung launched two ultra-HD TVs, with about four times the resolution of regular high-definition TVs.

View the original article here

Samsung puts curve in OLED TVs