Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands

HTC's closure of its South Korean office may seem yet another blow to the company this year, but don't be alarmed: we saw it coming. It's a given that Peter Chou's gang is cutting back in response to its recent weak performance, but the more interesting takeaway here is the fact that the South Korean smartphone market is one tough nut for foreign brands to crack open. Just walk into any carrier shop in Seoul and you'll see the shelves dominated by devices from Samsung, LG and Pantech. If you're lucky, you may spot the odd Sony, Motorola and HTC phones cowering in a corner. So why is that the case? Let's take a look at the how it all started.

Continue reading Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands

Filed under: Cellphones

Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Video: Racer crosses infield to intentionally wreck another competitor, fight ensues

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos

If you've never been to a local circle track race, you're missing what could very well be the cheapest and most thrilling form of entertainment on the planet. The cars aren't particularly fast nor the drivers necessarily the world's most skilled, but what the machinery and manpower lack in finesse, they more than make up for in heart. With real wheel-to-wheel action combined with local egos larger than the tracks themselves, something is terribly wrong if the night doesn't end in hand-to-hand combat. It's the hockey of motorsports.

Typically, the fisticuffs are confined to the pits and paddock, safe from prying eyes of the vast majority of the crowd. But spectators in Jeffersonville, Indiana recently got a show when one racer tore off across the infield of the Sportsdome Speedway to blindside another competitor at race speed. Fortunately, "race speed" in this instance is somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 mph and it doesn't appear anyone was hurt from the actual crash.

But that's not where the blood-boiling ended: both machines came to a stop, both drivers jumped from their cockpits and began beating the life out of each other before other racers and officials came to intervene. You can't make this stuff up. Check out the grainy video for yourself.

Continue reading Racer crosses infield to intentionally wreck another competitor, fight ensues

Racer crosses infield to intentionally wreck another competitor, fight ensues originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

View the original article here