Episode 187. Always looking for a way.
Daewon hyung answered my question.
“It’s almost over. Maybe next month we will be able to apply it to a real product. But Bluetooth chipsets are ours, but there aren’t many companies that make wireless earphones or microphones, so will this help sales?”
“It’s because we don’t have an environment where we can use Bluetooth usefully right now. As a guarantee, if our D-Phone 2 goes out with Bluetooth, wireless products will pour out. Consumers will want it.”
“Imagine. With just one wireless earphone in your ear, you can make calls and listen to music at will. In the case of driving, you can use your smartphone even while holding the steering wheel with both hands, and even if not in such a situation, the fact that there are no wires will give the user a sense of freedom. It’s not just this. Although our touch system works well, there will be people who need a separate keyboard or mouse. Those users would be more than happy to buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.”
“Five! From what I’ve heard, there are quite a few ways to use Bluetooth with our D phone.”
“Compatibility is not only in food, but also in technology. Smartphones and Bluetooth go well together. It will be a huge help in sales.”
“OK. I understand what you mean.”
“Then what about voice recognition?”
After a moment’s hesitation, the older brother answered.
“Um… that’s the problem because the level of perfection isn’t as good as I thought. If I say it five times, I only recognize it properly once or twice, so it’s a little…”
“Hmm… that’s not something we can just pass on.”
“..right.”
My brother is making a sorry face.
Originally, the speech recognition technology was a technology that was quite difficult to develop.
At first glance, it seems that the voice can be easily recognized by recording the waveform for each pronunciation in the database and comparing the waveform of the user’s speech with the database.
Even if the pronunciation is the same, the waveform of the sound wave is different for each person.
Even if it’s the same person, each time you speak, the waveform changes slightly.
It wasn’t that easy for electronics to recognize voices.
Although there are many different types of speech recognition technology.
Because no matter which one you choose, the more you collect multiple samples and build up the database, the better.
First, it was necessary to secure a lot of data.
“Brother, this is how I do it.”
“like this?”
“Let’s open an event for D phone users in Korea and the US.”
“..what event?”
“Make an app that saves the user’s voice and sends it to our server, and put that app on the top of the D App Store. And we make sampling sentences with the words we need, and let the users who install the app read it. For example, if you read 10 sentences and send them out, 5 people a day will be drawn by lot and will receive a D-Tab4 or D-Phone for free. Maybe a month will suffice.”
“Ah… that’s fine! Since there are close to 30 million D phone users in Korea and the US alone, we can collect a huge sample. Besides, it is only for D phone users, so there will be people who buy D phone because of the event.”
“Originally, if we have a lot of time, we don’t have to do this, but time is always what we lack.”
“okay. I will proceed with that.”
Kowon Motors headquarters meeting room.
Gowon Group Vice Chairman Jin Chang-ho was receiving a report from Kowon Motors President Hoon-shik Koh about the preparations for the Geneva Motor Show, one of the world’s five major motor shows, to be held next month.
“We prepared the Alcus 5SL model, a semi-large sedan to be released in the second half of this year, for the exhibition. The vehicle to be exhibited can maintain a constant speed even if the driver does not have to step on the accelerator by applying the cruise system, and it is possible to remotely start the vehicle by using a smart key to start the engine in advance from outside the vehicle.”
“Hey… it’s fine.”
When Jin Chang-ho’s reaction seemed not bad, Go Hoon-shik gave strength to his voice and continued speaking.
“It’s not just this. Seat movement can also be controlled with the push of a button, and the interior temperature can also be automatically adjusted as desired by the driver. Although it is a bit inferior to your butterfly, the quality of the navigation released by Gowon Motors has improved quite a bit, so I can assure you that this is enough to compete with the white cow car just in terms of the battlefield system alone.”
Seeing Hoon-shik Ko making a confident expression, Chang-ho Jin applauded.
“Now it’s like the old, ambitious late boss I knew. Look. Can you do it?”
“This is all thanks to the active support of the Vice-President. Up to this point, we had to enter into partnerships with the world’s three largest electronic component companies and invest tens of billions of won in development costs. Without the decision of the Vice-President, the process itself would not have been possible.”
“haha. In any case, is this enough to say that pressing the white cow tea will be okay?”
“That’s right. I am sure that this motor show will be an opportunity to regain the market share of domestic automobiles, which has already been stolen by more than 50%, and to raise the presence of our highland cars in the global market.”
“good. Please prepare the presentation well so that we can properly appeal to our strengths and show the innovation of Kowon to the world press!”
“All right. We will finish this motor show successfully without slowing down until the very end.”
#Walcomm, the world’s largest communication module design company until the end of last year, gave the title to TM Logic earlier this year.
He was desperately trying to get his place back.
San Diego, California, USA.
The Walcom Headquarters conference room.
CEO Mason Cox, who was hosting a strategy meeting for all executives, spoke up.
“After Apple, Matirola, a famous mobile phone manufacturer, has asked us to cooperate. It’s something that you should normally like, but considering that TM Logic didn’t release the LTE communication module, it just came to us…”
Mason continued as he looked at the executives who had their heads bowed with gloomy faces.
“Max.”
Max, in charge of technology development, looked at Mason.
“How far has the LTE communication module development been completed?”
“After putting half of the development team into the AP analysis of the D phone, I recently discovered that there are some similarities between LTE and WCDMA, the 3G standard. Fortunately, we have enough technology for WCDMA, so we are designing an LTE communication module based on that.”
At those words, the faces of the executives brightened.
“Five! finally. After all, like a communications expert, Max, he found a way.”
Mason asked Max.
“How long do you think it will take to commercialize?”
“The sample is expected to come out in two weeks, and even considering optimization, it seems likely that it will be available before July.”
Mason grinned.
“That’s great. Max.”
Despite Mason’s praise, Max’s face did not brighten.
“But even if it is released on time, it will not be able to make a huge profit due to patent fees.”
At that point, the sales executive said.
“I don’t quite understand. TM Logic was not originally a communications specialist, so even if it patented it, there would be loopholes. If you think carefully, wouldn’t there be a way to avoid the patent issued by that company?”
At that, Max laughed bitterly.
“The main inventor was Mr. Kang himself, not TM Logic researcher. No matter how much you look at it, the patent is applied so tightly that there is no hole to get out of. I bet on my 20 years of experience in the telecommunication field…these LTE patents are dead and can’t be avoided even after waking up.”
At those words, sighs came from all over the place.
“Ah…the CPU alone is not enough, even the communication module…”
“Mr. Kang…Is that person really a person?”
When even CEO Mason was speechless with a stiff face.
Nicholas, in charge of foreign cooperation, spoke cautiously.
“Actually, I had a proposal from Hwansung Electronics in Korea yesterday. Can I tell you about it? Originally, I was going to just listen and pass it on, but I thought it might be surprisingly helpful in a situation like this.”
Mason nodded.
“It is said that there is a 4G technology called Wibro that Hwansung Electronics has been developing jointly with the Korea Electronics Technology Institute. Although the download speed is not as good as LTE, which has a maximum download speed of 75Mbps, I have heard that it is a good technology that can transmit at 40Mbps, which is 10 times faster than the existing 3G.”
“okay? If you have such a good skill, why don’t you use it before? If it had been before LTE was installed, we would have been able to compete.”
“It is said that research has not been carried out yet to be commercialized. So even now, they want to do joint development with us, but I think we need to think about it.”
Mason said with a look of disdain.
“LTE has already been commercialized and infrastructure is being laid, and if it is 40Mbps, the speed is also lower than LTE.
“It is now. But if we add our technology, wouldn’t it be double that, not 40Mbps? Even on the Hwansung side, it is not a perfect technology, so the room for development may be up to us. No matter how you look at it, if you make and sell an LTE communication chipset as it is, it seems that it will only do something good for Mr. Kang, so why not try a new challenge?”
After hearing all of Nicholas’s words, Mason fell into deep trouble.
“Nicolas’s point of view makes sense. However, we cannot stop operating until the WiBro is commercialized, so let’s finish the development of the communication chipset for LTE first. Whether we develop WiBro or other 4G communication standards, we have to endure until it is completed. Nicholas, plan how to jointly develop with the person in charge of Hwansung Electronics, and for Max, check again if there are good 4G communication standards other than WiBro.”
Nicholas and Max answered.
“All right! Mr. Cox.”
I was speaking alone with President Lee Byung-hoon.
“This boss. When can the Drill 5 CPU and D-Rex 2 Application Processor (AP) go into production?”
D-Rex.
It was named after the T-Rex, the largest carnivorous dinosaur in history, so it was named in the sense that our AP is as strong and amazing as the T-Rex.
The president responded with a face of mixed emotions.
“It will be next month. Haha…But honestly, I was feeling that it would be difficult to increase the operation speed with RISC, but I’m going to change the drive method from 32-bit to 64-bit… As expected, CEO Kang is amazing! Even when I feel like I’m at a dead end, I always find a way.”
A 32-bit CPU can load 32 instructions at once.
A 64-bit CPU can call 64 at a time, so there is a big difference in speed.
However, 64-bit CPUs for smartphones were so complicated and difficult to design that they were practically used only after 2010 in the original future.
“If there is no way, we have to make one. It is not easy to make a road, but the fruit is so sweet.”
The boss shook his head as if he couldn’t stop him.
“Usually, greed doesn’t keep up with abilities, which causes anger to arise, but CEO Kang has nothing to say because his abilities support him…”
“haha. So, it looks like the AP is done, and have you decided on the fingerprint sensor method?”
fingerprint sensor.
It is a technology that will be widely used later as a way to easily unlock the lock state of a smartphone.
It wasn’t a feature I’d put on the D-Phone 2 right away.
It was a number that was prepared in advance for any unforeseen situation.
There were various methods such as electrostatic, thermal, optical, and ultrasonic methods.
Since the sensor, the core of the technology, was a system semiconductor, it was entrusted to TM Logic.
