S. Korean firms to show new products at Europe fair

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean electric companies plan to showcase eye-catching products during an annual trade show in Germany next month to gain an upper hand in the rapidly changing smart technology sector, industry sources said Wednesday.
Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-biggest handset maker, will unveil the "Wave 3" smartphone that runs on the latest version of its own mobile software bada 2.0 during the Sept. 2-7 IFA show in Berlin, according to the sources.
The new bada smartphone will be equipped with the latest 4-inch super active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display, 5-mega pixel camera and 3-giga bite built-in memory chip.
Samsung's move might be part of its strategy to boost its smartphone lineup outside Google Inc.'s Android system, considering the Google-Motorola Mobility takeover. Bada takes up less than 2 percent in the smartphone operating system (OS) market, but the company expects that Bada can be an ace for Samsung as it is quite popular in Europe, analysts said.
Along with the bada smartphone line, Samsung will release 10 new strategic smartphone devices, including those with Android OS, and two new tablet PCs, sources said. Samsung will also come up with high-end home appliances that can be controlled by smartphone applications.
LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 electronic giant, will focus more on three-dimensional (3D) TVs and smart technologies for home appliances at the upcoming IFA.
LG will feature the 72-inch 3D TV with the cutting-edge film patterned retarder glasses and other 3D devices such as computer monitors, laptops and smartphones.
A refrigerator equipped with a monitor offering real-time news service and a smartphone-linked robot vacuum cleaner will be added to LG's home appliances lineup.
The sources said that corporate heavyweights, including Samsung chief executive Choi Ji-sung, will attend the IFA to promote their goods and secure their new items in the European market.
brk@yna.co.kr