Smart Appliances to Come in Focus at Berlin Radio Show

The present and future of consumer electronics and the IT industry will be on show in the German capital from Friday at the Berlin Radio Show, an industrial gala that goes by the official title, Internationale Funkausswtellung (IFA).

This ranks as one of the two most famous consumer electronics trade shows in the world, along with International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Unlike at recent exhibitions, which focused on TVs, refrigerators and washing machines, this year's IFA will focus on smart TVs offering Internet access and 3D functions, new tablet PCs, and environmentally friendly consumer electronics.

Major players like Samsung, LG, Sony and Millet will join an estimated 1,500 exhibitors exhibiting the latest trends to about 250,000 visitors from Friday to Sept. 7.

◆ Smart TVs

The most popular item of the exhibition is smart TV.

Yoon Boo-keun, chief of Samsung's TV division, will host an event introducing a smart TV that has Internet search options which enable viewers to watch movies and video clips online. The new technology also allows people to watch images saved in a smartphone or tablet PC on a large TV monitor.

LG Electronics will be trumpeting the arrival of its latest 3D TVs, which emphasize the bundling of a cinematic viewing experience with PC functions and the addition of light glasses that add another dimension for viewers. To make its point to the broadest audience, the company has already sent 100,000 pairs of 3D glasses to Berlin.

LG is also using the opportunity to promote K-pop songs and other Korean Wave content on its Cinema 3D smart TV. Visitors will be able to access the company's specially developed "K-pop zone" online, where they can enjoy 120 clips of concerts and music video of popular singers like Seo Tae-ji, Big Bang and Kara -- all in 3D.

According to Seo Young-jae, chief of LG's smart TV division, the new content service will first be introduced in Korea and the United States in September. But by the end of the year, it will be expanded to 25 countries including France, Brazil and Indonesia.

◆ Upgraded Smartphones

Samsung will unveil its Galaxy Wave III series of smartphones that use Bada OS 2.0, an operating system developed by its own research team. The phones' beefed-up CPU offers 1.4 GHz to make multi-tasking smoother and quicker.

The show will also become the first event where Samsung unveils its highly anticipated 4G smartphone, the Galaxy S2 LTE, which offers wireless internet speeds up to 10 times faster than those available on 3G phones.

Additionally, Samsung is planning to reveal the Galaxy Y, its first smartphone under $200 ($1=W 1,072.), to penetrate further into the Chinese and Indian markets.

The company will show two new versions of its popular Galaxy Tab, adding 7.7-inch and 8.9-inch displays to the pre-existing 7-inch and 10.1-inch versions.