Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it has sold more than 25,000 Gear S3 smartwatches in South Korea since it began selling the smartwatches at home on Nov. 11. Samsung unveiled the Gear S3 Frontier and S3 Classic in September, featuring a mobile payment function, longer battery life and built-in GPS capabilities for emergency calls or texts.Besides its stylish design, the Gear S3 is equipped with IP68 standards for water resistance so consumers can get through their day, regardless of weather c

Nov. 21, 2016

BUSAN -- By strapping on a virtual reality headset at the G-Star 2016 game convention in Busan, South Korea, one can fight in outer space, pilot a plane or throw fire grenades at a fellow gamer in the digital realm. 　VR is a technology that completely immerses users in computer-generated worlds via a head-mounted display, transporting them out of the real world and into the virtual. 　It held a strong presence at this year’s G-Star, as the world’s leading makers of VR goggles and software such as

Nov. 18, 2016

South Korea decided Friday not to allow Google Inc. to take government-supplied map data outside the country, citing possible security breaches.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which supervises mapping policy, announced the decision after a meeting with officials from the foreign, defense and other-related ministries. Choi Byung-nam, head of the National Geographic Information Institute, talks to reporters on Nov. 18, 2016. The institute, under the Ministry of Land, Infrastruc

Nov. 18, 2016

LG Electronics on Thursday unveiled its new air purifier, the latest in its air care brand PuriCare lineup launched late last year. The cylinder-shaped device quickly purifies air with its 360-degree air intake and a booster that creates a strong wind for faster cleaning process, the company said. “We will expand our air purifier business into the US, China and Europe following the launch in Korea,” LG Electronics’ CEO Cho Seong-jin said at a launch event held at the company’s headquarters in Se

Nov. 17, 2016

BUSAN — In the courtyard of the BEXCO exhibition center in Busan, Kakao’s beloved Ryan the lion, the Japanese humanoid robot Astro Boy and the warriors of Netmarble Games’ “Seven Knights” welcome visitors to the global gaming convention G-Star 2016 which kicked off Thursday.　　They have all climbed out of their animated worlds for one reason -- to promote their representative mobile games, one of the driving forces of this year’s G-Star alongside console games backed by virtual reality technology

Nov. 17, 2016

BUSAN -- Nexon's mobile action role-playing game “Heroes of Incredible Tales” won the grand prize at the 2016 Korea Game Awards on Wednesday.“Heroes of Incredible Tales,” also known as “HIT,” was developed by game development studio NAT Games, owned by Korea’s leading game company Nexon.Awardees of the 2016 Korea Games Awards pose for a picture after the ceremony held in Busan on Wednesday evening (Sohn Ji-young/The Korea Herald)Released in November 2015, "HIT" has secured more than 13 million u

Nov. 16, 2016

Korean tech firm Nanobrick is set to develop a platform that can certify genuine goods in partnership with the Chinese government. The company said Wednesday it would develop and customize the system together with the state-run Sichuan Institute of Computer Science with the aim of launching it early next year. “We decided to develop a new certification solution with Nanobrick as diverse forgery prevention policies that were implemented have failed,” said an official at Sichuan Institute of Compu

Nov. 16, 2016

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it will acquire Canada-based NewNet Communication Technologies, a company operating Rich Communications Services.RCS, which are viewed as the standard for future SMS text messaging, allows regular text messaging to be used like chat messaging apps such as KakaoTalk or Facebook Messenger.Samsung said, “The acquisition reinforces the company’s commitment to RCS as mobile networks transit to IP-based networks and services.”The acquisition will enable Samsung to of

Nov. 16, 2016

BUSAN -- Global gaming convention G-Star is slated to take off in Busan from Thursday, showcasing the latest games and technologies as well as hosting diverse game competitions and promotional events.　G-Star 2016, the biggest in its history, will feature more than 2,700 booths, including those for public enjoyment as well as business partnerships, the G-Star Organizing Committee said Wednesday. A total of 653 game-related companies from 35 countries are partaking in this year’s show.　Leading PC

Nov. 16, 2016

South Korean scientists have successfully transplanted organs from a genetically modified pig to a monkey, a state research center said Wednesday, raising the prospect of potential animal-to-human organ transplants.The cynomolgus monkey, also known as a crab-eating macaque, remains healthy for a record 51 days after receiving the heart and cornea of the pig, according to the National Institute of Animal Science, a research arm of the Rural Development Administration.The nation's previous record

Nov. 16, 2016

Salted Venture, a member company of the Born2Global Center, announced Wednesday its independently developed smart golf shoes, Iofit, will be receiving the Innovation Award at CES 2017, the world’s largest electronics expo, to be held in the United States in January 2017. The CES Innovation Award is granted by the Consumer Technology Association to the highest-quality products in 28 categories (e.g. home appliances). Iofit will receive the award in the wearable technology category, which has seen

Nov. 16, 2016

The startup company EYL, whose CEO is Jeong Bu-seok, announced Wednesday that it will begin supplying its independently developed quantum random number security system (TriGen) to a client company by the end of the month. The client company is known to be a large-scale domestic manufacturer.Rather than general random numbers, for which there is a regular pattern, EYL’s security system uses a natural phenomenon to generate quantum random numbers that are impossible to predict or control through s

Nov. 16, 2016

Industrial designer Ross Lovegrove is currently working on a new household lighting structure using organic light-emitting diodes in conjunction with the OLED business division of an LG company, to be introduced next year.The acclaimed Welsh designer, who recently came to Seoul to speak at the Herald Design Forum 2016, said he was working with LG’s lighting division chief to design a new lighting installation using OLEDs. The installation will be unveiled at the Salone del Mobile 2017, an interi

Nov. 16, 2016

A team from Seoul National University on Tuesday unveiled a door-to-door self-driving taxi for the first time in the nation. Called Snuber 2, it is an upgraded version of an app-based self-driving taxi Snuber developed in November 2015. The new autonomous car developed with Hyundai’s Genesis sedan is capable of tracking moving subjects, avoiding collision risk, driving on narrow roads and recognizing traffic lights and speed limit signs. Sensors in Snuber 2 detect moving objects in green and yel

Nov. 15, 2016

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong surprised the market by acquiring Harman International Industries for $8 billion in cash Monday, pushing forward the tech giant’s ambitions in the connected car business.The deal, which came less than a month after his boardroom debut, appears to be carried out under Lee’s vision of turning Samsung’s focus from the declining smartphone business to high-value added future businesses such as auto components and biopharmaceuticals. Lee Jae-yongThe acqu

Nov. 15, 2016

As mobile data networks speed up, autonomous vehicles fully connected to their surroundings are expected to become a reality in the near future.While other technologies will be required for the commercialization of self-driving cars, South Korean carrier SK Telecom zeroed in on how next-generation 5G networks will serve as a foundation for these futuristic vehicles in a live demonstration here Tuesday.At the 240,000 square-meter BMW Driving Range in Incheon, SKT unveiled the T5, an experimental

Nov. 15, 2016

A stem cell line developed by South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk will be formally registered, local health authorities said Tuesday, a move expected to restart stem cell research here that has been in a deep freeze.The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has concluded that the human embryonic stem cell line, called NT-1, was developed by a process of parthenogenesis, also known as the "virgin birth." This is when an egg develops on its own without fertilization.The f

Nov. 15, 2016

Google Inc.'s products were found to have the highest number of Internet security vulnerabilities, accounting for 22 percent of risks found in the third quarter, a report out Tuesday said.According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, 155 of 694 reported common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) were discovered in Google devices. Adobe came next at 107 (15 percent), followed by Oracle's 71 (10 percent), Microsoft's 65 (10 percent) and Apple's 54 (8 percent).The report was drawn among high-s

Nov. 15, 2016