Pantech Group’s domestic and international news release
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Absolute innovation in design and technology : Pantech’s “Vega Iron” revealed
- Innovative design featuring endless metal rim and jewelry lighting - Highest definition in the tradition of “a screen-oriented phone“ with the world’s first 5-inch in-cell display and minimized bezel of 2.4mm- Outstanding performance based on cutting-edge technology with metal antenna, 1.7GHz quad-core/ Giga Wi-Fi, and the longest battery life- User-oriented smarter UX with intelligent camera, voice recognition, gaze recognition, etc. Pantech has finally revealed the object of its ambitious, and highly secret, innovative design project: the Vega Iron. Pantech held a media day event at the Pantech R&D Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul, on April 18 to introduce its premium LTE smart phone “Vega Iron” (Model Name: IM-A870S/K/L)—the world’s first phone with an endless metal rim. The company says the name, “Vega Iron,” was chosen because it reflects the phone’s strong characteristics. Vega Iron represents Pantech’s strong desire to re-build its Vega brand image in the Korean market by delivering unique value through innovative design, the highest screen definition, advanced technology, and more user-oriented and smarter UX. □ Innovative design created by technology … the world’s first phone with an endless metal and jewelry lighting Pantech satisfies design and practicality through the use of highly attractive, yet completely durable, endless metal. In particular, endless metal was created by Pantech and the Vega Iron marks the first time for its application in a phone. The metal is put through several processes such as metal abrading, polishing, and hairlining (a process which makes microscopic lines in order to smooth the surface) before being applied to the phone. Endless metal protects the phone from external shocks through its firmness and durability, and is aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Moreover, jewelry lighting, most commonly used to spotlight jewelry in stores, is applied to the top of the phone, adding more uniqueness to the design. The elaborate full-duplex LED screen has seven light indicators (red, yellow, green, blue, etc.) for calling, messaging, SNS, battery status and so on that are controlled according to user settings and can even be seen when the phone is face down. The lights definitely give the feeling of luxury and compliment the smooth beauty of the endless metal.□ Highest definition in the tradition of screen-oriented phones … the world’s first high bright in-cell display and minimized bezel of 2.4mmVega Iron maximizes viewing pleasure by minimizing bezel size to the greatest extent possible and offering a full screen LCD with a 5 percent brighter and clearer picture than other LCD screens. This 5-inch in-cell display is the world’s first to offer significantly improved color quality, visibility, and viewing angles by raising the penetration ratio of light up to 94 percent. This means that compared to competitor products, users of Vega Iron can enjoy natural colors and bright and clear picture quality even under poor lighting conditions in and outdoors, and wide visibility from various angles. Moreover, the in-cell display seamlessly unifies the screen and front glass, increasing enjoyment of multi-media contents.Furthermore, Pantech has realized the world’s top-level technology with the Vega Iron’s zero bezels. The Vega Iron’s bezels measure 2.4 millimeters—the thinnest in the world—which allow for the highest screen ratio of 75.7 percent. The navigation bar can be adjusted to the 5-inch screen in full screen mode through user control of the location, shape, and height of the bar. □ Outstanding performance based on cutting-edge technology … metal antenna, 1.7GHz quad core and Giga WiFi, and greatest battery capacityThe Vega Iron is the result of edge-cutting technology and was created based on Pantech’s philosophy that smart-phones must satisfy customer needs.The Vega Iron is equipped with a metal antenna—the technology for which even global smart phone makers do not yet possess. Pantech’s metal antenna technology—the first in the world to use the phone’s endless metal rim as an antenna—was realized based on Pantech’s 20 years of know-how. The technology offers better antenna performance and completely solves the serious problem of low-receiving sensitivity while using metal materials. Vega Iron offers the fastest transmission speed ever through the operation of 4APs of the optimized 1.7GHz Quad-core chip (Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 Processor) simultaneously. The phone is also equipped with a Giga WiFi-supporting module, which makes it possible to download a 1 GB high definition video in 20 seconds—three times faster than the existing WiFi 802.11n (150Mbps), and four times faster than other LTEs.Vega Iron also removes customer concerns over battery capacity, as it is equipped with Pantech’s unique battery capacity optimization technology. Although it has a 2,150mAh battery, it innovatively reduces battery power consumption through optimizing the power consumption level of CPU, GPU and LCD, resulting in battery life that meets or surpasses that of 3,000mAh smart phones under the same conditions.Full recharging time has been reduced to 87 minutes due to Vega Iron’s high-speed recharging system in consideration of heat and battery life (50 percent of its battery can be recharged in 30 minutes).User-oriented smarter UX - Intelligent CameraVega Iron boasts an “intelligent mode,” which is most commonly applied to high-end digital cameras. Intelligent mode provides the optimal conditions by recognizing the circumstances. Its nine modes (close-up, landscape, indoors, etc.) enhance picture quality.- Voice RecognitionThe voice recognition function combined with the local engine method enables the phone to process the user’s commands faster and more accurately through a voice recognition engine loaded on the phone, even when it is not connected to a network. For example, saying “Hi, Vega” into the phone automatically operates the voice recognition function so that the phone’s main functions including screen unlocking, home menu, brightness, WiFi, camera, internet, video player etc, can be controlled by the voice.- Gaze RecognitionThe gaze recognition function enables the front-side camera to recognize the gaze which in turn operates the phone. Pantech has improved on its original motion recognition technology (launched in October, 2011), adding four new features: screen on, screen direction, pause video, and screen scroll.- V ProtectionV Protection is a privacy protection service with special security functions that allow the phone to follow the commands of lock phone, unlock phone, and initialize phone, even when the phone is missing, preventing personal information saved in the phone from being misused by others.Vega Iron runs on Jelly Bean, the latest Android OS (Android 4.1.2), and comes in two colors: white and black.Lee Jun-woo, CEO and president of Pantech, speaking about the new model said, “Vega Iron is a masterwork resulting from an almost 2-year flat-out effort from all Pantech members. It, along with Vega No.6, possesses the unique, differentiated value only Pantech can offer.”Strategy of the Vega brandPantech has declared the year 2013 as the company’s first year for brand image renovation. It is being proactive in its efforts to enhance its competitiveness through Vega R3, the 5.3-inch LTE smart phone, Vega No.6 Full HD, and Vega Iron. Vega is a young, imaginative, and trendy brand through which Pantech hopes its customers will find the highest levels of satisfaction—in technology and design.
2013.04.18 -
Pantech Declares the Opening of the Age of Smartphones for ‘Viewing’
- VEGA N˚ 6 - The nation’s first 6 inch-class full-HD LTE smartphone with crystal clear and sleek display - ‘V Touch’, the nation’s first back-touch technology … single-handed manipulation of large-screen smartphone thanks to another of Pantech’s revolutionary features following motion and voice - The nation’s first full-HD 30fps forward facing camera along with 13m back facing camera … the best camera phone around as acknowledged by photographer Kim Joong-man - “VEGA N˚6 Full HD will break new ground in the pleasure of viewing images,” said Lee Jun-woo, vice president of Pantech. Pantech has declared the opening of the age of smartphones for viewing images by launching a full-HD LTE smartphone for the first time in Korea. The smartphone with its crystal clear and sleek display is designed to maximize the pleasure of viewing images on a smartphone. Pantech, the third-largest handset producer in Korea, unveiled ‘VEGA N˚ 6 Full HD (Model: IM-A860S/K/L)’, the nation’s first 6 inch-class full-HD smartphone on January 28. The new handset goes on sale in February through all three domestic mobile carriers at a price of 849,000 won. The pet name of the new handset has been determined as ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’. The pet name contains the concept that the new handset features a 6 inch-class screen for the first time in Korea. The name also reflects the company’s will to become the second largest domestic LTE smartphone maker by taking the initiative in the competition for image quality and screen size, which have emerged as hot issues in the domestic smartphone market. ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ has six strong features as follows: ▲ The nation’s first 6 inch-class full-HD display ▲ ‘V Touch’, the nation’s first back-touch technology ▲ The nation’s first full-HD 30 fps forward facing camera (along with a 13m back facing camera) ▲ ‘V Protection’, a strong security function that can be remote-controlled ▲Upgraded super strong battery pack ▲ FLUX 1.7 UX which allows users to easily use the device with one hand. These features show Pantech’s strong will to make ‘VEGA NO6 Full HD’ a masterpiece of the smartphones produced by Korean handset makers. ■ Crystal clear and sleek display … the nation’s first 6 inch-class full-HD LTE smartphone By combining full-HD display and a 6 inch-class large screen, ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ has accomplished crystal clear and sleek image quality that has never been experienced by users before now. As full-HD images are added to Pantech’s Natural IPS Pro Display, featuring natural and rich senses of color, ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ offers a crystal clear and sleek display nearly 2.3 times clearer than ordinary HD displays. In particular, the 6 inch-class (5.9-inch) screen is most suitable for users to enjoy full-HD images with the naked eye. Thus, users can not only enjoy images with the same clarity as those on their PC through a smartphone, without having to expand them, but also have the pleasure of viewing full-HD content through a larger screen. ■ Single-handed manipulation of the large-screen smartphone … ‘V Touch’, the nation’s first back-touch technology Pantech, which introduced the revolutionary features such as motion recognition and smart voice, has unveiled another revolutionary feature with their ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ smartphone. ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ features the so-called ‘V Touch’, a function on which Pantech’s state-of-the-art technology has been concentrated. To ease single-handed manipulation of the large screen, Pantech has added a touch pad on the back of the device for the first time in Korea. Users can change displays, take a call or run applications by touching the pad with an index finger without having to use their other hand. ■ Excellent-quality images comparable to pictures taken by a DSLR … the nation’s first full-HD 30 fps forward facing camera and 13m back facing camera ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ has a 2m forward facing camera that can take full-HD pictures at up to 30 frames per second (fps) as well as VEGA’s 13.0 megapixel 13m back facing camera, these have been acknowledged by Kim Joong-man, a renowned professional photographer in Korea. When shooting a video film with its forward camera, users can speedily get a clear video film because they can take 30 images a second. Also, by using its backward facing camera, to which the ‘Blue Filter’ has been applied, users can take pictures of excellent image quality which can be compared to those taken by a DSLR. The ‘VEGA Remote Shot’ function, where the camera can be remote-controlled, has also been added on the ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ smartphone. The ‘VEGA Remote Shot’ function connects two devices with each other which are far away with a camera. This function makes it possible to take pictures by sharing images on a real time basis, and thus users can take pictures at long range using the large-screen smartphone more easily. ■ ‘V Protection’, a strong security function that can be remote-controlled ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ features a strong security function so that user’s personal information can never be revealed even if the phone is lost. By activating the remote control services, users can lock, unlock or initialize the data of their phone through VEGA Service Center’s website (www.vegaservice.co.kr) if they lose their phone. Simultaneously as initializing the data, a user can use data-locking services. Although the user may not request data-locking services, the locking function is automatically activated when the USIM chip is changed, so that the user’s personal information can never be misused. ■ Upgraded super strong battery pack ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ features a super strong battery pack which has been continually upgraded. The phone offers a battery with capacity of 3,140mAh, the highest among smartphones in Korea, which can be fully charged in just 2 hours, and a compact-sized 2-port charger which is easy to carry. Therefore its users can feel free to enjoy fancy and crystal clear multimedia content through the phone without worrying about battery. ■ FLUX 1.7 UX which allows users to easily use the device with one hand ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ is a smartphone which has been produced based on Pantech’s philosophy that cellphones should be manipulated by one hand. In developing the handset, Pantech has focused on the single-handed manipulation of the device in terms of the user interface (UX). Since the device offers a ‘one-hand control’, which enables users to easily enter text with one hand by moving the key pad, a video controller and dialer from side to side, users can enjoy the 6 inch-class large screen with single-handed manipulation. In addition, by supporting the ‘multi mini window’, which enables users to run up to 9 functions at the same time through small windows, ‘tablet view,’ which shows details as well as the related list on one screen, and other features, ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ offers a graphic UI so that its users can use the 6 inch-class large screen efficiently and enjoy full-HD images. The ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ smartphone runs on Jelly Bean 4.1 platform, Android’s latest operating system, and will be sold in two colors first – white and black. “The term ‘VEGA’ means the brightest star in the sky (SKY-model products),” said Lee Jun-woo, vice president of Pantech Co., Ltd. “In that sense, I am sure ‘VEGA N˚6 Full HD’ will break new ground in the pleasure of viewing (images).”
2013.01.30 -
Pantech to launch ‘Discover’ LTE smartphone with dual speakers in the U.S. Market
- Discover – The LTE smartphone with dual speakers which enables users to enjoy real sound - Streamlined design featuring soft curves … feels comfortable to use with excellent grip - Discover has revolutionary features such as motion recognition and smart voice which Pantech has introduced to the domestic market - Starting with Discover, Pantech plans to speed up expansionthe North American LTE market in 2013 Pantech will launch Discover (model: P9090)’, an LTE smartphone with dual speakers through AT&T, a US mobile carrier, according to a Pantech spokesman on January 11 (local time). What is attracting most attention with the Discover smartphone are the dual speakers located at the left and right side of its upper panel. Discover has been developed to satisfy the needs of U.S. consumers who want to enjoy multimedia content with excellent sound quality even from a smartphone. Pantech, which became the first Korean handset producer who installed dual speakers on a smartphone in 2011, has developed the Discover smartphone using their knowhow. Thus, Discover offers top-quality sound even though it is just a smartphone. As Discover has the stereophonic effect through its ‘3D sound solution’, its users can enjoy real sound as if they were at a concert or in a movie theater when they listen to music or watch a video through their smartphone. Another strength is Discover’s streamlined design which makes the smartphone look soft. In particular, the back of Discover has been designed to have soft curves so that its dual speakers can stand out. The streamlined design not only differentiates Discover from other smartphones, most of which have flat backs, but also offers excellent grip and feels convenient when gripping the phone with one hand. By launching Discover, Pantech will introduce its revolutionary features, which have already been unveiled in the Korean market, in the North American market for the first time. Discover has a variety of cutting-edge features such as ‘motion recognition’ which enables users to answer calls or change display screen with hand movements, ‘smart voice’, a voice recognition function, and ‘mini window’ which enables users to listen to music or watch videos through a small window. It also supports the ‘Pantech Easy Experience’ mode for those who want simpler user environments or who are not accustomed to using smartphones. By choosing this mode, users can execute several basic functions such as making a call and sending a message on one home display screen. Besides these features, ‘Discover’ features a 12.60 megapixel camera, the Android version of Ice Cream Sandwich and a Qualcomm one-chip MSM8960 processor, and it supports an LTE network. “Discover is an LTE smartphone in which the needs of the North American market and the revolutionary features of Pantech have been reflected, and we expect it will convey differentiated values to consumers,” said Shin Hak-hyeon, head of the Overseas Marketing Headquarters of Pantech. He added, “We will speed up making inroads into the North American LTE market in 2013, starting with Discover”. As a result of turning its attention to the North American LTE market with great agility, Pantech have succeeded in occupying fifth position in terms of market share in the third quarter of 2012 (according to the Strategy Analytics’ data for the third quarter of 2012). The strategy to develop products in which the needs of the local market and Pantech’s revolutionary features had been reflected has proved effectual before. Pantech plans to maintain the same basic strategy this year and to launch a variety of new products in a move to enhance and reinforce their position and status in the North American LTE market.
2013.01.10
