Samsung’s mobile unit boss lauds Indian engineers

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Samsung’s mobile unit boss lauds Indian engineers​

J K Shin, president of Samsung's mobile phone unit, praised software engineers in India and said the company was hiring more from the country to maintain edge in its fight against Apple.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Shin said, "There are many qualified workers from India that are very skilled in software."

Samsung has two research centres in India. The centre in Noida focuses on software solutions for hi-end televisions and digital media products while the one in Bangalore works in the area of telecom, wireless terminals, networking and SoC (system on chip). The company employs around 6000 people at the two centres.

"The technology industry is growing very quickly and it is too much of a burden to try to do everything in-house," Shin Told WSJ. He said the Korean company is also looking to acquire firms to bolster its capabilities. "There are small companies that we can acquire that have good research and development capabilities... If the opportunity allows, we will do mergers and acquisitions. There is something in the works right now."

Samsung launched its flagship Android phone - Galaxy S3 - on Thursday at an event in London. While the phone is powered by the operating software made by Google, Samsung has put a number of unique features in Galaxy S3. Some of these features like S Beam, which allows easy sharing of files between two Galaxy S3 phones, are built on the top of functionality provided by Google. But others, like SmartStay, are developed by Samsung.

With Apple, which is considered one of the most innovative technology companies, focusing heavily on the optimum mix of hardware and software, Samsung has started to take software part seriously in the last few years. Last year it hired Steve Kondik, the founder and lead developer of CynogenMod, a popular version of Android maintained by a community of developers. The Korean company also works on Bada, its own operating software for smartphones. Bada powers Samsung's Wave range of phones.


-Times Of India