It was shaping up to be an hour that only a tech geek could love, until former President Bill Clinton strolled on stage at Samsung's keynote address to the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Without a major smartphone announcement, Samsung was relying on Clinton's star power and a shape-shifting mobile phone screen to generate Wednesday's buzz.
This year's CES represents a golden opportunity for Samsung to further distinguish itself from some of its largest competitors. Apple has been nowhere to be found this week, while Google and Microsoft were keeping a low-profile.
Tech giants traditionally use CES keynotes to make product announcements, but Samsung elected instead to polish its brand and highlight some innovations to its wide array of consumer electronics devices.
Apple has become the most recognizable brand on earth due to its "cool factor," so Samsung was hoping to bask in the glow of the hippest living president.
Clinton praised Samsung's flagship corporate social responsibility initiative, Samsung Hope for Children. He stressed that mobile technology can help solve problems in the third world.
He veered from the focus on tech to urge lawmakers to ban ammunition clips that carry more than ten bullets in the wake of the Newtown massacre. His remarks on gun control and global warming drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
Before Clinton spoke, Samsung showed off a new flexible OLED display technology called Youm. The screen will be perfect for tablets and smartphones and allow Samsung a host of design options for its Galaxy gadgets. It will enable tablets to fold up into smartphone-size devices for easy carrying.
Also on display was Exynos 5 Octa,a brand new processor that will power its future mobile devices. Its the first eight-core mobile processor.
"We believe the right component DNA drives the discovery of what's possible," said Samsng President Dr. Steven Woo. "Components are building blocks—the foundations on which devices are built. We at Samsung's component solutions are creating new, game-changing components across all aspects of devices."
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