Samsung set to launch foldable smartphone this year
Seoul, Sep 5 : Putting months of rumours to rest, Samsung Electronics has said it is set to launch a foldable smartphone this year, CNBC reported.
The smartphone may sound similar to a traditional flip phone which relied on a hinge to connect the two parts of the handset. But the South Korean tech major is likely to focus on creating an actual display that bends.
The President and CEO of IT and Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, D.J. Koh, was quoted as saying by CNBC late on Tuesday: "It's time to deliver on a foldable device after consumer surveys showed that there is a market for that kind of handset."
Further details of the device may be unveiled at the Samsung Developer Conference in November in San Francisco.
However, Koh gave no indication of when a full launch would take place or when it might go on sale.
"The CEO admitted that while the development process is 'complicated', the company has 'nearly concluded' it," the report added.
In July, Samsung announced that its recently developed flexible and unbreakable OLED-smartphone panel had received certification from the US-based global safety consulting and certification company, Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Developed by "Samsung Display", the flexible OLED panel is designed with an unbreakable substrate and an overlay window securely adhered to it.
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Shivakumar’s CM aspiration natural, high command will decide: Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Saturday that Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, as the state Congress president, naturally aspires to become chief minister. However, he added that the final decision rests with the party's high command.
Amid ongoing speculation about a leadership change within the ruling Congress, he wished Shivakumar "good luck".
"I have always wished him so. There is nothing else; we are good friends. He is the PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) president, and naturally, he has an aspiration to become the chief minister. Nobody can object to it. But it all depends on what the high command decides,” Parameshwara said in response to a question regarding Shivakumar’s aspiration for the CM post.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “Don’t always go back to the CM issue. Please understand there is nothing that I can tell you about it. If I were part of the decision-making body or inside the decision-making body, I could definitely provide information.”
Supporters of Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in line with a reported power-sharing agreement with chief minister Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections. Some have even claimed that "sweet news" is expected by May 15, which is Shivakumar’s birthday.
Speculation has been circulating within the Congress and political circles about a possible leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results of the Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
However, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday that there is no CM change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
On Friday, he said no date has been fixed yet to discuss a possible leadership change, while maintaining that any decision in this regard would be taken collectively by the party high command after due consultation.
Meanwhile, Parameshwara met senior Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan over dinner on Friday. Hariprasad had met Siddaramaiah earlier in the day.
Responding to a question about discussions at the dinner, as his name is also being mentioned for the chief minister post amid calls for a "Dalit CM", the home minister said there was no discussion about the chief minister issue.
“Hariprasad told me that he met the CM, but he did not disclose what was discussed between them. Hariprasad, Zameer Ahmed Khan, and I met over dinner, and we discussed the elections held in four states and one union territory. We analysed the national-level political situation and naturally discussed the state’s political developments,” he said.
When asked if he would travel to New Delhi to meet the party high command, Parameshwara said, “I will definitely go to Delhi. Nobody can stop me from going there. I will go when it is required.”
