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Tag: Samsung

  • NCC, MTN, Samsung, Galaxy Backbone, others for NITRA’s confab

    The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Samsung Electronics West Africa, MTN Nigeria and other stakeholders in the information communication technology (ICT) industry have expressed willingness to  be part of an industry-wide forum that will tackle important issues in the industry.

    The seminar, a brainchild of the Nigeria Information and Communication Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), holds on Friday at Westown  Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos.

    With Foreign Direct Investment: An Impetus to Achieving Ubiquitous Broadband Penetration as its theme, regulators, industry leaders and other key stakeholders will share their thoughts on the subject matter.

    Sponsored by MTN Nigeria, Samsung Electronic West Africa, and Galaxy Backbone, the forum has also received the backing of the NCC, National Information Technology Development Agency of Nigeria (NITDA), and other industry stakeholders such as Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), ISPON, NCS, as well as other players in the industry.

    As the lead discussant at the forum, MTN Nigeria will examine the imperatives of Federal Direct Investments (FDIs) for further development of the nation’s ICT sector with a particular focus on broadband while Galaxy Backbone will give details of its activities in the area of e-Government strategy, Samsung will speak of innovation in mobile phone devices, as well as capacity building and skills acquisition.

    With an investment profile of over $13 billion (over N2 trillion) in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria is a market leader with over 62 million subscribers on its network, a total market share of 46 per cent as at June this year.

    Panel sessions will feature specific discussions on regulatory activities, operational activities, investment potential, as well as impediments to the ongoing move to attract further investment into the sector, which has been identified as an investment haven for telecom business by Pyramid Research.

    NITRA President, Mr. Emma Okonji, explained that the ‘NITRA Quarterly Seminar Series,’ which started this year, the third quarter edition has been packaged to highlight the imperatives of ICT investment in the country.

    “With over $32 billion local and foreign direct investment (FDI) and $10 billion needed over the next five years to build a robust Next Generation broadband network as the next growth frontier, the forum provides a veritable platform to tackle constraints to ICT investments.

    “So, the theme of the event could have been more apt and timely, as the forum is coming after Nigeria just entered into a new government and, of course a new chief telecoms regulator, that need to have first-hand opportunity to know what the industry feel about investment drive to further grow the industry,” he said.

    “It is our belief that a forum such as this will make us contribute to the development of ICT industry and would create a meeting point for both private and public sector stakeholders and experts to dialogues as well as being a melting point for cross fertilization of their ideas toward contributing to the policy roadmap to furthering universal access to ICT in the country,” he added.

     

  • Samsung introduces laundry solution

    Global home appliance innovator, Samsung Electronics West Africa, has launched the new additions to its home appliance laundry designed to elevate the everyday home experience for consumers, making laundry at home easier and even providing health benefits. Featuring outstanding performance, smart, consumer insight driven design and sleek functionality, Samsung displayed its latest innovations – including a new one-stop laundry solution at the launch of the new activ dualwash recently.

    Its Managing Director, Brovo Kim, said: “With today’s multi-tasking families busier than ever, we consistently hear from consumers that they need easy and convenient ways to tackle everyday laundry needs – like prewashing fabrics, treating stains and picking up household dirt. They are looking for home appliances with clever solutions that help them take care of their home efficiently so they have time to pursue the things they really want to do.

    “Our lineup of innovative and stylish laundry solution delivers on this consumer need. Samsung appliances are the ideal combination of simplicity, performance, technology and innovation.”

    Research shows that when it comes to laundry, the most tedious task is pre-treatment and pre-wash. Most homes don’t have a sink in their laundry rooms, requiring consumers to pre-treat/pre-wash elsewhere and bring the items to the machine. The simplest and most convenient way this can be done is through the latest top load washer from Samsung. This innovative and stylish product solves the most tedious laundry needs with a simple, yet revolutionary feature activ dualwash. The top of the active dualwash laundry machine includes a built-in sink with water jet and gentle scrubbing surface.  This convenient sink provides a separate space to pre-treat tough stains, like heavily soiled sports uniforms, or hand wash items like delicate fabrics. Once finished, the laundry and water can easily be poured into the machine. This all-in-one solution allows consumers to handle the entire wash process in the laundry unit instead of having to spread it out over multiple locations, avoiding mess and saving a considerable amount of effort.

    Speaking at the launch, the Director, Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Sunil Kumar said the active dualwash laundry machine also features the magic dispenser detergent drawer which creates a powerful water vortex, dissolving detergent and dispersing it evenly even before the wash cycle starts. “With this new technology, consumers can wash a normal load of laundry with virtually no detergent residue on their cloths or detergent drawer. The activ dualwash is the first Samsung top loader to feature this technology” he said.

    Activ dualwash is currently available in Inox, (16kg.) and Silver (13kg), Wine (8.5kg) and features a rear panel with a dual-cluster design and easy-to-access control buttons, which are fully protected from water splashes.

     

  • Samsung SUHD TV (2)

    Samsung SUHD TV (2)

    ut of the box, overall gamma on the UE65JS9500 tracked closer to 2.2 than our target of 2.4, although near-black point gamma was slightly higher owing to the dimming effects of the default [Smart LED] “Standard” setting, which may cause shadow detail to look indistinct.

    We shall explore the optimal [Smart LED] setting later in this article under the “Picture Quality” section, but dialling the [Gamma] value down got us close to 2.4 which is the reference EOTF (electro-optical transfer function) recommended by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for displays used in HDTV studio production, resulting in a contrasty yet realistic image.

    Of course, it’s highly likely that the yet-to-be-ratified extended dynamic range standard will use perceptual quantizer (PQ) EOTF instead of BT.1886, but until that day arrives we’ll continue calibrating to 2.4 gamma for non-HDR content.

    Colour

    Samsung claims that its NanoCrystal technology allows the company’s SUHD TVs to achieve 92 per cent of DCI-P3 colour space, a coverage that would have been even higher had the South Korean electronics giant not insisted on going cadmium-free (cadmium is an environmentally toxic material that’s regulated under the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive in the European Union). With [Colour Space] set to “Native” on the UE-65JS9500, we charted (using the latest version of CalMAN) a 91 per cent coverage of DCI-P3 colour gamut:

    However, most high-definition material available to consumers in the home (including Blu-ray movies and HD broadcasts) are still mastered to the smaller Rec.709 colour space. [Colour Space] “Auto” approximates this standard, but being the tweakers that we are, we couldn’t resist taking advantage of Samsung’s excellent RGB-based colour management system (i.e. [Colour Space] “Custom”) to calibrate the six primary (red, green, blue) and secondary (cyan, magenta, yellow) colours:

    As you can see from the CIE diagram above, we encountered some difficulties reining in the UE65JS9500?s inherently wide gamut, with red primary in particular exhibiting minor oversaturation across our measured colour points.

    Nevertheless, after balancing out the inaccuracies by making careful adjustments in the [Colour Space] “Custom” submenu,  delta errors (dEs) by and large dropped to below three (the commonly accepted perceptible cutoff for the human eye). Encouraged, we even ran a colour checker test which confirmed the JS9500?s accurate post-calibration colour performance.

     

    Picture Quality

     

    In most HDTVTest reviews, we usually start off by commenting on the display’s black level and contrast performance (the most important element of image quality), but for the Samsung UE65JS9500 we felt it more appropriate to open with a few paragraphs on Nano Crystal/quantum dot technology, which has a direct effect on many PQ attributes that we will subsequently cover.

    Quantum dots are extremely tiny particles (termed nanocrystals) that can be excited to generate specific wavelengths of light depending on their size. So far, their application in TVs involves placing these quantum dots on blue LEDs to produce very precise narrow spectrum bands of red, green and blue, which reduces light leakage and contamination compared with the traditional “White” LED method (i.e. blue LED + yellow phosphor).

    Besides allowing for more saturated colours and hence a larger gamut, the greater efficiency of NanoCrystal tech also permits higher brightness (37 per cent brighter transmittance from a redesigned cell structure according to Samsung) as less light is wasted, paving the way for HDR support with the JS9500?s quoted maximum brightness of 1,000 nits. Other side benefits include lower power consumption and deeper blacks, since not as much backlight intensity is needed to hit a specific luminance.

    Black Level & Contrast

    Perhaps assisted by quantum dots, the native black level on the UE-65JS9500?s SPVA LCD panel measured deeper than 2014?s UE65HU8500, coming in at 0.051 cd/m2 on both a full-black screen (auto-dimming defeated by displaying a pause icon from an OPPO Blu-ray player) and a 4×4 ANSI chequerboard pattern. Peak white was pegged at our normal target of 120 cd/m2 for critical viewing in a dimly-lit environment.

    Of course, the Samsung JS9500 is blessed with a crucial piece of technology capable of improving black levels tremendously, and that’s full-array local dimming (FALD). Its behaviour is governed by the [Smart LED] option in the user menu, which offers three settings other than “Off”, namely “Low”, “Standard” and “High”.

    Whilst Samsung told us that the 88in JS9500 holds 240 independently dimmable zones (20 horizontal and 12 vertical), they didn’t disclose the information for the 65in version. Curious, we ran our custom-authored test video which contained a small white box crawling both vertically and horizontally against a black background, and counted the number of zones that lit up as the white box moved across the screen. Using this method, we determined that there were 15 columns and 10 rows, giving a total of 150 dimming zones on the UE65JS9500.

    Among the three [Smart LED] intensities, we discarded “High” pretty much immediately after discovering that it dynamically boosted brighter portions of the image (full-field peak white measured 173 cd/m2 instead of the calibrated 120 cd/m2). Between the two remaining [Smart LED] options, “Low” manifested a touch more blooming, whereas “Standard” was more aggressive and rendered shadow detail marginally less visible. We couldn’t choose between the two, and we suspect most users will be happy with either setting, given the noticeable improvement in blacks and contrast.

    Backlight & Screen Uniformity

    Samsung has been leading the pack in this department over the past couple of years, though the brand suffered a small blip in early 2014 when its first curved LED and cannot put up with [LED Clear Motion], our favourite compromise is adjusting [Blur Reduction] to “8” and [Judder Reduction] to “0” after setting [Auto Motion Plus] to “Custom”, which improves motion definition without causing SOE.

    High Definition

    We played a bunch of our Blu-ray torture reference test scenes on the Samsung UE65JS9500, and were very happy with the results. The star fields in the opening clip of Pacific Rim and in most of Gravity looked suitably punchy without washing out the blacks or exhibiting distracting blooming/ haloing. The Uma Thurman buried alive sequence in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, which would send last year’s high-end Samsung LED TVs into a frenzy with the backlight flashing on and off, held stable throughout on the 65JS9500 even with [Smart LED] engaged.

    The swirling camera shot at the beginning of Chapter 12 in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallow Part 2 appeared buttery smooth, confirming the TV’s proper 1080p/24 handling. This low-APL scene is probably as difficult as they come for LCD displays to render without a hitch, but the Samsung JS9500 passed with flying colours. Shadow detail on Voldemort’s army and the hilltop overlooking Hogwarts remained clearly visible, although [Smart LED] “Standard” darkened it a tad versus “Low”. Blacks came across as prodigiously deep, and stayed so even when Lord Voldemort’s followers started firing magic bolts leading to bright explosions on the shield protecting Hogwarts.

    Throughout the sequence we didn’t spot any noticeable fluctuation in luminance on the UE-65JS9500; nor did we when we sampled Chapter 8 of The Dark Knight Rises as Batman stepped out from the shadows to meet Catwoman in the tunnel. We noted Batman’s and Catwoman’s already pale faces looking even more desaturated with [Smart LED] set to “Standard”; reverting to “Low” restored some colour to this challenging low-light footage.

    Moving onto brighter and more colourful material such as the opening zoo scene in Life of Pi, we found the UE65JS9500 acquitting itself well too. Various hues took on a vibrancy that’s intense yet always believable, with greens looking particularly lush and realistic. As is the norm for a VA-type LCD panel, contrast and colours do take a hit off-axis, so make sure you watch the TV straight on for the best experience.

    HDR

    Incidentally, our HDR (high dynamic range) demo on the Samsung 65JS9500 involved serving a few brief clips of Life of Pi (specially remastered by 20th Century Fox) from a USB stick – there’s just no consumer-friendly HDR content in the wild at this time of writing, even though the forthcoming Ultra HD Blu-ray format has embraced HDR into its standard.

    Nonetheless, we’re incredibly excited by what we saw on the UE65JS9500, and would go so far as to say that HDR offers the single most appreciable leap in picture quality among various UHD parameters, more so than 4K resolution or wider colour space. After all, didn’t the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) rank contrast ratio/dynamic range as the most important factor of picture quality, before colour saturation, colour accuracy and resolution?

    What HDR does is to expand the available scope from the darkest blacks to the brightest whites, so data that would have been lost (especially at the low and high ends) in a video system handicapped by lessened dynamic range are retained instead. In other words, the contrast difference is higher, yet shadow and highlight detail can co-exist simultaneously on screen without one or the other being clipped, contributing to a picture that’s super-rich in depth and detail.

    Courtesy HDTtest

     

  • Samsung launches DVM S, others

    Samsung launches DVM S, others

    Samsung Electronics West Africa has launch the world’s largest capacity DVM S VRF system and smart inverter air conditioners. Tagged The Samsung AC forum, the initiative was aimed at boosting the local industry’s knowledge of the various Samsung cooling solutions available in the market. The forum, which attracted about 180 attendees, took place at the Eko Hotels and Suites.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Brovo Kim stated that the AC technology and solutions are evolving at a rapid rate. The forum, he stated will bring Samsung partners up to speed on the company’s air conditioners both in the room air conditioner and system air conditioner segment.

    He said: “We want to keep our stakeholders abreast of the level of market research that goes into designing and producing Samsung air conditioners and cooling solutions, which are especially suitable for Africa and the Nigerian climate. The ultimate goal is to provide dependable cooling to keep consumers comfortable at all times.”

    The highlight of the forum was the introduction of Samsung “DVM (Digital Variable Multi) Super” system AC, which has the world’s first and largest single capacity outdoor of 26HP. It is credited as the next-generation modular system in the world of high-efficiency air conditioning and has undoubtedly changed the face of cooling associated with high-storied buildings.

    Samsung has also launched air conditioners with a five-year warranty on compressors, keeping in mind the energy conservation and eco friendly standards being set in the air conditioning environment. These air conditioners come equipped with R410A gas, which is, eco-friendly and Smart Inverter compressors capable of reducing energy consumption up to 40 per cent in line with global standards. The air conditioners can handle up to 50mtrs in piping length as against the conventional 10mtrs. Samsung air conditioners will also have a five-year warranty period on compressors.

    Its Director, Consumer Electronics, Mr. Sunil Kumar, said Nigerians are astute customers that are always on the lookout for the best that advancements in technology can offer. “Samsung’s innovative products offer excellent functionality with dependability and durability. The Samsung System Air Conditioners have a Eurovent certification in performance and are also corrosion resistant, which ensures greater operational longevity with voltage protection, dual digital inverter system and a smart management system,” Kumar stated.

  • Phone: Samsung Galaxy S6

    Phone: Samsung Galaxy S6

    I have  never been a big fan of Samsung phones. They’ve always being packed with great technology — the best displays, cameras, and processors — but all of that was overshadowed by poor hardware design and software bloated with too many unnecessary features.

    Samsung sold more phones than anyone original equipment manufacturer (OEM) else, but sales slowed and profits fell last year as other Android-phone manufacturers made similar devices at half the cost and Apple finally released two big-screen iPhone models.

    So Samsung started from scratch with its newest phone, the Galaxy S6. It has a new design constructed out of metal and glass and is the first Samsung phone to rival the iPhone in build quality.

    The Galaxy S6 has already gone on sale, starting at about $650. It’ll come in a version with a curved screen, called the Edge, that’ll cost about $100 extra. All the major US carriers will offer various on-contract prices and payment plans.

    The Galaxy S6 is the first Samsung phone I’ve enjoyed using, and it’s easily the best Android phone available today.

    And I bet it’ll be the best smartphone, period, for a lot of people.

     

    Design

     

    As pretty and solid as the Galaxy S6 is, I have one major gripe. It’s clear Samsung looked to the iPhone 6 for inspiration. From the front and back, the Galaxy S6 looks a lot like previous Galaxy phone models. But the rounded metal frame and punched-out speaker holes are remarkably similar to the iPhone 6.

    The other day, my colleague had her white iPhone 6 on her desk next to my white Galaxy S6. From certain angles, it was tough to tell which phone I was looking at. I’m glad Samsung started taking design seriously, but it’s a shame it looked to the iPhone for inspiration, especially considering it has been accused of doing just that in the past.

    imilarities aside, I really like the look and feel of the Galaxy S6. It always irked me that Samsung consistently had the best hardware but wrapped it all in kitschy faux leather or dimpled plastic that looks like a Band-Aid. The Galaxy S6 is built like the premium device it was meant to be, and it’s a refreshing new step for Samsung.

    The Edge model, which is essentially the same phone except with a curved screen, is unique and much more beautiful than the regular Galaxy S6. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s worth the extra $100 and the hit you take on battery life. Even Samsung admits it made the Edge just to look pretty. The curved screen serves very little purpose other than to draw attention.

    The new design comes with some sacrifices. Samsung had to ditch a lot of features fans loved like a removeable battery, waterproofing, and a slot to add extra storage. There was a minor uproar in the Android community after Samsung announced the Galaxy S6 because of that, but I don’t think its a big deal. The entry-level Galaxy S6 comes with 32GB of storage, twice the storage of the iPhone. That should be plenty for most people. Apple, HTC, and Motorola have all proved unibody phones with built-in batteries have mass appeal and don’t hurt the user experience. If anything, Samsung is way behind the competition by offering that now.

     

    Hardware

     

    The Galaxy S6’s camera is the best one I’ve ever used on a smartphone. Period. When I compared the iPhone 6 camera with the Galaxy S6 camera, I found that the Galaxy S6 took better pictures under most circumstances, especially in low light.

    But the real key feature is how easy Samsung made it to use the camera. A double tap of the home button launches the camera app so you can start shooting right away. The camera sensor is always on too, so you don’t have to wait that extra beat for the image to appear on your screen. Even if the Galaxy S6 camera was slightly worse than the competition, the ability to take shots so quickly still gives it an edge.

    Samsung also improved the fingerprint sensor embedded in the Galaxy S6’s home button. Last year’s model required you to swipe your finger across the button just right to unlock the device. And even then, it didn’t always work. The Galaxy S6’s fingerprint sensor is perfect. You just lightly rest your finger on the button and — poof! — the phone unlocks. It hasn’t failed on me once. (Eventually, the fingerprint sensor will be used with Samsung Pay, Samsung’s mobile payments system that will launch in the summer).

    The screen is wonderful too. At 5.1 inches, it’s a little bigger and a lot sharper than the display on the iPhone. Samsung has always made the best displays, and this is no exception.

    But the screen comes with a drawback. I noticed the battery life is a little worse on the Galaxy S6, likely because the screen is sucking a lot of power. I could make it through a full day on a charge, but just barely. You’ll likely find yourself charging your phone during the day just to be safe.

    Good news, though: The Galaxy S6 comes with a special plug that charges it a lot faster than normal chargers, which is perfect if you’re in a jam but don’t have enough time to charge your phone all the way. It’s also one of the few major smartphones that support wireless charging right out of the box, a feature I can’t believe isn’t standard on all phones these days. (I’ve loved plopping my phone on Samsung’s wireless pad at the end of the day. There’s no need to worry about fiddling with a plug.)

     

    Software

     

    Samsung is famous for bogging down its phones with apps and superfluous features. But with the Galaxy S6, a lot of that has been stripped out and cleaned up to the point where I don’t even feel like I’m using a clunky Samsung phone.

    The standard apps for calendar, messages, and email are all designed well and dead simple to use. And instead of relying on its own services, Samsung has teamed up with Microsoft, so you get Skype, OneNote, and the online storage service OneDrive right of the box. (If you’re still a fan of Samsung’s apps, you can download them through Samsung’s app store.)

    The user interface is better, too. Unlike years past, Samsung didn’t meddle too much with Android’s basic design, which is excellent on its own. Menus, notifications, and settings are much easier to manage no

    Courtesy: Business Insider

  • Samsung kicks off Galaxy S6 campaign

    Samsung Electronics West Africa has announced that the Future is Now with its latest exciting collection of smartphones, Galaxy S6 edge and S6 duos which will be available for pre-order in Nigeria.

    The devices will be available in 32GB and 64GB for the S6 edge and 32GB for the S6 duos.

    Its  Director of Information Technology and Mobile, Emmanouil Revmatas, said the Galaxy S6 edge and S6 duos represent new standards in design and performance, offering consumers an unmatched mobile experience.

    “Samsung is in the business of making life easier, simpler and more productive, delivering smart innovations that will transform the way people work and play. These devices are as a result of relentless innovation aimed at providing our customers with the best in technology,” said Revmatas.

    The S6 series was first unveiled on March 1 at the Samsung Unpacked event held at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, Spain. The phones are a combination of beauty and power comparable to a piece of fine jewelry. The Galaxy S6 duos is the dual sim version of the S6.

    Made out of a fusion of corning gorilla glass 4 and high tensile metal, the S6 edge features the world’s first dual curved glass display with an exquisite glass and metal finish giving it a refined look and feel. The device has a super fast charging feature that allows the device run for four hours on just ten minutes of charging, and charges to full battery in about 85 minutes for the Galaxy S6 edge and just 80 minutes for the Galaxy S6 duos. The Galaxy S6 series also comes with a state-of-the-art wireless charging technology that has evolved to make charging easier; simply place the phone on a wireless charger and charging starts.

    The devices run Android 5.0 Lollipop with 5.1-inch high-resolution displays. The 2,560 x 1,440 resolution allows the phone to show a high-resolution image in incredible detail. Consumers can buy the Galaxy S6 edge in two storage options of 32GB and 64GB.

    The Galaxy S6 edge has a 16-megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilisation, OIS, which enables users take better photos in low light. While the superfast-launching easy-to-use camera allows users instantly capture every precious moment, the tracking auto focus technology keeps every moving object in sharp/clear focus. Selfie lovers can rejoice in the boosted five-megapixel front camera with 90 degree wide angle.

    In addition, the camera can capture 360 degrees angle around an object and takes photos in less than 0.7 seconds through the new double-tap home button shortcut.  The OIS feature lets the lens move inside to correct blurry effects that result from movements of the hands while taking a picture. It also automatically adjusts the white balance.

    Like a jewel, the dynamic reflective surface produces profound colors at different light angles. Both devices will be available for order in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum at the beginning and Emerald Green later on for Galaxy S6 edge and Blue Topaz for the Galaxy S6 duos.

     

     

     

  • ‘Samsung, others disobeyed court order in contract deal’

    Samsung Heavy Industry Nigeria Limited and Total Upstream Nigeria Ltd are still working on multi-million dollar contract for the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit in Egina Field within OML 130, despite an order that parties maintain the status quo.

    Mr Olukayode Enitan, counsel to the plaintiff John Owubokiri, told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos, at the resumed hearing that despite the order, Samsung Heavy and Total Upstream Nigeria were still constructing the project.

    Justice Abang said if Enitan was sure that the defendants flouted the order, he should take the necessary steps.

    Samsung Heavy is contending that the court cannot hear the case.

    The court adjourned till February 26 for hearing of all applications.

    Other defendants include the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF); National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NPIMS; Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, CDMB; Samsung Heavy and Total Upstream.

  • Nigeria’s strategic to our business, says Samsung

    Nigeria’s strategic to our business, says Samsung

    samsung Electronics West Africa has said the Nigerian market is of strategic importance to its business in Africa, adding that the consumers have also offered tremendous support for its business.

    Its Director, Information Technology and Mobile, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas, who spoke after the firm partnered MTN on a promo that will make the holiday season more exciting for Nigerians in Lagos, said the initiative is part of the firm’s way of enabling its customers share in the joy of the season.

    “Nigeria is a very important market with high potential and it is very rewarding to know that people here support our business. The Samsung Galaxy Spin Wheel promo is our way of showing appreciation to our consumers for their loyalty and support throughout the year and our partnership with MTN Nigeria provides us with a platform through which we can achieve this goal. We look forward to having more initiatives of this kind in the years ahead,” he said.

    Revmatas reiterated Samsung’s commitment to developing best-in-class products and adding value through customer-centric partnerships to meet the ever-changing needs of its consumers.

    Also speaking, General Manager, Consumer Marketing at MTN Nigeria, Mr Richard Iweanoge said: “MTN is committed to bringing mobile data services closer to the doorsteps of Nigerians and our partnership with Samsung is yet another step in this direction. We believe that this initiative will propel smartphone penetration and increase data adoption in the country.”

    Iweanoge added that the collaboration will simplify the retail experience of individuals who are desirous of purchasing Samsung Galaxy devices by providing a one-stop-shop for their smartphone and internet data needs.

    He said: “Typically, Nigerians have to acquire their mobile device and mobile data plan from phone distributors and mobile operators separately. This special arrangement will further simplify our consumers’ retail experience and also cement MTN’s brand presence with Samsung’s customers.”

  • Controversy trails Samsung’s Egina FPSO contract

    The alleged $300 million cost variation requested by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), the major contractor handling the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will be used to produce oil from the French oil giant, Total’s Egina deepwater field located in oil mining lease (OML) 130, is getting more controversial.

    Contract for the FPSO was awarded in March 2013, about three years behind when it was supposed to be awarded. After it was awarded in 2013, following some disagreements with some sub-contractors, the project couldn’t be started till a few months ago.

    The cost of the project was $3.3 billion but as a result of the delay, Samsung submitted variation cost (increase) of over $300 million. The information filtered into public domain, which Samsung denied during the ground breaking ceremony in Lagos to mark the commencement of the project. A General Manager in Samsung Heavy Industries, Nigeria Operations, Mr. Frank Ejizu while fielding questions from reporters at the event, said the company didn’t submit variation cost of $300 million and that there was no alteration in the vessel’s design.

    However, investigation, showed that Samsung submitted request for cost variation in a 98-page letter addressed to Total with reference number EGN-10-KSMG-AEMG-LET-00671, dated September 23, 2014 and signed by the project director, J.R. Chung.

    The variation order request submitted by Samsung covers detailed engineering, impact on procurement and construction, expense for fast track and cost due to schedule Impact.

    It was learnt that the previous detailed engineering for the FPSO which was subcontracted to Worley Parsons Consortium, was altered by Total and Samsung said that under Article 22.1, the contractor should be compensated for engineering cost impact suffered due to Total’s initiated change orders.

    Samsung also noted that Article 15.8 under which the contract was awarded, also provides that the contractor should be compensated “for additional cost incurred in trying to mitigate the effect of adverse actions on work time schedule.”

    Samsung also made claims on cost expense due to schedule impact, noting that it “brings this claim for cost of schedule impact pursuant to Article 15.5(a)(b)(i) as a result of Total’s default in complying with Article 6.4 and Article 14.4.2-3, which is the default in timely clarification by Total impacting on the cost and work schedule on the contract, in addition to other factors affecting the project delay.”

     

     

  • Samsung expands retail presence

    Samsung expands retail presence

    Samsung Electronics West Africa, in partnership with accredited local partners, has stepped up its nationwide market expansion drive with massive roll out of Samsung brand stores across the country.

    In a statement, the firm said the retail expansion drive is designed to provide Nigerians with an exciting avenue to interact with Samsung’s full range of audio visual solutions and an extensive range of premium household appliances in one easily-accessible location, whilst creating widespread destinations where consumers can experience firsthand Samsung’s extensive product ecosystem and receive personalised service from trained sales consultants.

    Its Director of Consumer Electronics, Mr. Sunil Kumar, described the move as a confirmation of Samsung’s effort to make connected lifestyle products and solutions more accessible, and to offer the most consumer-centric engagement in a retail environment.

    “Over the years, Samsung has made strong in-roads with its consumers in Nigeria. We consider the country as a key entry point into Africa. With the growing importance of the region as a primary world market for our premium consumer electronics, maintaining a strong top-of-mind position in Nigeria holds considerable importance for us from a business perspective. Our ongoing expansion drive in the country marks our commitment to delivering excellent products and services to our consumers. We see bright prospects for Nigeria’s future economically, and we expect consumer sentiment to remain positive and indeed move from strength to strength.