No Love Lost For Samsung

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Addis Ababa, a few days ago and the Walta Information Center (WIC) (a private media outlet and Public Relations Center) said it was all set to use digital signage, spending as it did almost half a million dollars on 144 Large Format Display (LFD) screens from Samsung.

We love Samsung we really do...

Probably not much of a story in that in itself except if you think we were the only folks to give screen manufacturers a hard time you just have to see the love that Iyasu Ephrem, technical advisor to the project has for Samsung…

We quote “We are disappointed by Samsung’s approach in terms of software and technical support … We are not able to get the technical manual for the hardware and the software”.

He is quoted as saying that after persistent requests from Walta themselves, Samsung sent a team of three technical experts to assist in the project but capped that by addimg “However, our IT team’s progress was much better than the experts. Instead of training us we trained them”.

As a side note though surely everyone knows by now NOT to buy (or even use it if it is offered for free) a screen panel manufacturer’s digital signage software or perhaps that fact hasn’t trickled down to the Middle East yet?


5 Responses to “No Love Lost For Samsung”

  1. Hardnut Says:

    Delighted to read that piece Adrian. Ah Magic net aka Tragic net. Samsung should stick to their knitting.

  2. jason Cremins Says:

    A perfect example of why hardware manufactures should stick to what they know best and work with software providers to deliver solutions not just promises based on the offer of free software.

  3. Hardnut Says:

    There cannot have been much to read in the SW technical documentation. It must have amounted to all of 1 line: If Tragic Net fails to work please uninstall, go buy real software.

  4. Ken Goldberg Says:

    Yet another example of why projects should be led by consultants.

  5. luis Says:

    I have already installed a few hundred of DXN1, 2, 3A, 3B and 3x as I liked to call the different models for the DXN3s. All of those without Magic Info.
    Issue here is that Samsung does not listen. I am sorry, I mean, the core development of the hardware/application is not listening to the “real” people who are installing. They are only interested in thousands of systems sold.
    They are lacking a true DS software behind the hardware. They are lacking the input from the buyers.
    The modificaitons they made on DNX2, then on DXN3 were not complete. Meaning, it looked, when you saw the final product, that they just needed to “spit it out” asap to meet order requests.

    Now, to Samsung Corporate, if you want to offer me a job, I will re-engineer your product, both hardware and software, so you can really make a difference in the market place.

    I heard that Korea is a nice place to live…

Leave a Reply