Sprint (NYSE: S) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile)1, the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States2, today announced that Samsung Moment™ will display a mobile phone demonstration of the North American mobile digital TV broadcasting standard during International CES 2010 in Las Vegas on January 7 – 10, 2010. Samsung Moment, exclusively from Sprint, will receive live digital TV using Samsung’s Mobile DTV Chip, the world’s first single-chip solution for the recently approved Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Mobile Digital TV standard. The ATSC Mobile Digital TV chip will allow Samsung Moment to receive live TV programming from local broadcast stations, including prime-time network programs, local news and sports and emergency alerts.
“It is truly an amazing experience to watch local and network television on Moment with the benefit of its dynamic screen. This trial is a great opportunity for Sprint customers.”
The companies also announced that the Mobile DTV-equipped Samsung Moment was selected for a showcase with Sprint customers in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets during the first quarter of 2010 — this is the first-ever consumer showcase of this technology. Moment was selected because of its 3.2-inch AMOLED display screen, which delivers crisp colors, bright pictures outdoors, and wide viewing angles. Samsung was the co-developer of the ATSC standard that is making mobile digital TV broadcasting possible on mobile phones, laptops, USB drives and other mobile devices. Samsung’s single-chip implementation of the standard—the world’s first—enables reception at lower power, size and cost than previous multi-chip solutions which separate the tuning and decoding functions between two or more chips.
“The selection of Samsung Moment as the first trial handset for mobile digital TV in the U.S. is an enormous honor for Samsung Mobile,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”
“Samsung Moment is already a customer favorite with its integrated and innovative Android™ platform so we are very excited to be able to offer it with the Samsung’s Mobile Digital TV chip to customers in the Washington and Baltimore areas,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “It is truly an amazing experience to watch local and network television on Moment with the benefit of its dynamic screen. This trial is a great opportunity for Sprint customers.”
“We are delighted to include the Samsung Moment as a key device to be used by Sprint customers during the Consumer Showcase in Washington DC this spring. Mobile DTV technology will allow DC area consumers to watch their favorite live programs with instantaneous access to local news, weather, emergency information, and of course their favorite entertainment programs broadcasted by eight local TV stations,” said Brandon Burgess CEO of ION Media Networks and President of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).
The OMVC is actively promoting mobile digital television technology within the U.S. broadcast industry to achieve widespread market penetration in 2010.
Samsung Moment, without the Mobile DTV chip, originally launched in November 2009 as Samsung’s first U.S. handset integrating the open and innovative Android™ platform with the high-speed connectivity of America’s most dependable 3G network3 (EVDO Rev. A.) and one of the best values in wireless with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM calling feature, available on Everything plans with data.
Samsung Moment represents a new generation of portable Internet access devices and provides access to built-in Google™ mobile services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™, as well as thousands of applications available in Android Market™. Moment is powered by an 800 MHz processor, making this device one of the fastest wireless phones available today. Moment is also designed with a full QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy messaging and email entry.
Customers can purchase Samsung Moment without Mobile DTV capabilities through all Sprint channels including Web (www.sprint.com), Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and our national retail partners. Retail pricing is currently $179.99 (excluding taxes) after a $50 instant savings and a $100 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement.
As charter members of the Open Handset Alliance™, Sprint and Samsung are closely aligned with the Android community. Through Android Market, Samsung Moment users can download more than 20,000 applications, widgets and games on their phone. Pandora®, ShopSavvyTM, TwitterTM, ShazamTM, amazon.com®, USA Today®, Flixster®, PacManTM, CraigslistCheckerTM, and MySpaceTM Mobile are among the countless well-liked applications already available on Android Market. Additionally, customers can access Sprint Navigation and Sprint exclusive applications NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM already preinstalled on the device. Samsung Moment is a perfect solution for anyone who wants the freedom to stay connected on the go and enjoy a PC-like experience.
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving almost 49 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
1 Samsung Mobile is proud to provide ENERGY STAR-qualified power adapters with its mobile phones and accessories. ENERGY STAR qualified products use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.
2 Based upon reported shipment data from Strategy Analytics Q3 2009 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Report.
3 “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength for the top 50 most populous U.S. markets (including Puerto Rico) from January 2008 to July 2009. Not all services are available on 3G, and coverage may default to a separate network when 3G is unavailable.