Samsung, LG to try to win Europe's heart at 2011 IFA show

By Lee Youkyung
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's two major electronics firms, will woo European consumers with new smartphones, 3-D TVs and nifty appliances during an annual trade fair in Berlin this week, they said Thursday.
The 2011 Internationale Funkausstellung, better known as IFA, is set to kick off on Friday for a six-day run in the German capital with over 1,500 firms and buyers representing some 100 countries.
The trade show may offer a glimpse into the way firms from Europe and Asia are responding to the fast-paced, rattling changes that are reshaping the industry, observers said.
Europe's largest trade fair, which traditionally featured TVs and home appliances, has lately seen a rise in mobile gadgets and tablet computers, a trend that will become all the more clear during this year's fest, reflecting the mobile industry's unprecedented growth.
Samsung, the world's second-largest smartphone maker in the last quarter, is keen to promote its own mobile operating system, "bada," and new smartphones that are powered by the internally made mobile software. It will also display variations of the Galaxy series of smartphones and tablet computers, Samsung said.
LG, the world's No. 3 mobile phone vendor, which is still struggling in the smartphone market, is set to flaunt a range of 3-D products, from TVs to handsets, and new home appliances equipped with wireless communications functions.
But the two South Korean electronics firms are also facing mounting challenges from other Asian players. A day ahead of the fair's opening, Japan's Sony Corp. used the podium to unveil its first two tablet computers, pledging to catch up with Apple Inc.'s iPad that has dominated the sector and Samsung's Galaxy tablets, which are seen as the closest competitors to the iPad.
Other big announcements are expected from HTC Corp. and Toshiba Corp. during the trade show, according to media reports.
The Berlin show also comes on the heels of a series of big announcements from Silicon Valley last month, which signaled gigantic shifts in the global electronics and mobile business.
Less than one month before the start of the trade fair, Google Inc. announced its acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. while Hewlett-Packard Co. said it seeks to unload its personal computer business.
Last week, Apple's co-founder and chief executive officer Steve Jobs resigned and Tim Cook was named the new chief to open a new chapter in the world's largest smartphone and tablet PC maker.
Members of the C-suit from South Korean companies -- Choi Gee-sung, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics; Koo Bon-joon, chief of LG Electronics; and Kwon Young-soo, LG Display Co.'s chief -- are scheduled to visit Berlin with a troop of executives, company officials said.