Prices of DRAM, NAND chips to significantly improve in Q4

The average prices of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips are expected to significantly improve in the fourth quarter, helped by stronger demand for notebook computers and a supply shortage in the NAND flash market, according to industry data Wednesday. The average contract price of DRAM for personal computers rose 7.4 percent on-month in September to $14.50, and the price for the fourth quarter “will reach its highest point in two years due to stronger-than-expected notebook demand worldwide,” DRA

Oct. 5, 2016

Possible Apple-China panel deal may not impact Samsung: analyst

China’s aggressive investment in panels may not have a significant impact on South Korea’s leading display manufacturers such as Samsung Display and LG Display, amid speculations that Apple may use LCD panels from China, according to local analysts. The latest report by IHS Markit said Apple is considering diversifying its supply chain to Chinese makers for its MacBook Air lines as Samsung and LG are shifting their focus into OLED from LCD. If so, this will be the first time Apple will use LCD p

Oct. 5, 2016

LG Chem displays future of batteries

LG Chem, one of the world’s largest battery manufacturers, is participating at an annual exhibition of rechargeable batteries in Seoul this week to display the products the company has developed for future industries, company officials said Wednesday.Their products displayed at the InterBattery 2016 include high-powered small batteries for drones and NASA spacesuits. A capture of the battery conference official website.LG is one of 140 companies participating the exhibition that runs through Fri

Oct. 5, 2016

Samsung’s mid-tier Galaxy A8 smartphone launches in Korea

Samsung Electronics’ newly upgraded Galaxy A8 smartphone began sales in South Korea on Wednesday, aiming to appeal to customers looking for a premium smartphone at a lower cost.　Sold exclusively through local network carrier SK Telecom, the Galaxy A8 is a mid-tier smartphone priced at 649,000 won ($583) -- making it around 300,000 won cheaper than the premium Galaxy Note 7, which recently resumed sales in Korea.A model holds up the new Galaxy A8, which was released in Korea via SK Telecom on Wed

Oct. 5, 2016

Samsung’s foldable smartphone may debut next year

Market expectations that Samsung could debut its foldable smartphones next year grew Tuesday, after the latest in a series of related patents was registered by the tech giant’s affiliates in the US.The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Samsung Display, a display unit of the South Korean electronics giant, a patent on foldable display device on Sept. 27, the US office’s online data showed. A blueprint of Samsung's foldable smartphones submitted to the USPTO.Registered as No. 9,455

Oct. 4, 2016

LG Chem to supply EV battery to Faraday Future

South Korean battery-maker LG Chem signed a partnership deal with American tech startup Faraday Future to supply electric vehicle batteries, the two firms announced Tuesday.The local battery firm said the cells would be incorporated into Faraday Future’s Variable Platform Architecture, the automaker’s unique platform, which enables users to extend EV battery capacity. “LG Chem worked closely with Faraday Future to develop a tailored cell chemistry to optimize the range and safety of our mass pro

Oct. 4, 2016

K-ICT Born2Global Center and its Members ⑫ Egencomz

Egencomz to supply Ewha Womans University Medical Center with ‘step UP system’On Sept. 27, the IoT solution company Egencomz (CEO: Kang Sang-koo) announced that it will be supplying Ewha Womans University Medical Center with “step UP,” a health statistic management and disaster response system. The system is composed of sensors installed throughout the building that record the number of steps people take on the stairs. In the event of a natural disaster, the sensors also show the locations of pe

Oct. 4, 2016

Foreign smartphone makers set to eat into Samsung‘s lead in Korea

Foreign smartphone-makers are speeding up their expansion in the Korean market long dominated by local brands Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. A string of foreign smartphone brands Apple, Huawei, Sony and Blackberry have recently unveiled or plan to roll out their new devices here. “Korea is a good test-bed for new smartphones because of its fast Internet speed and tech-savvy consumers,” said Chung Hei-sang, a senior researcher at Korea Economic Research Institute. “The law to restrict ph

Sept. 30, 2016

Top leaders of Samsung, SoftBank discuss IoT cooperation: sources

Top leaders of Samsung Electronics Co. and Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp. met in Seoul Thursday to discuss cooperation in areas including Internet of Things technology, sources said.Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, met with SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son at the Samsung office in Seocho Ward earlier in the day for talks about the semiconductor industry and IoT technology, which connects objects to the Internet and allows them to send and receive data, accordi

Sept. 30, 2016

LG Innotek wins patent suit against Nidec

LG Innotek, a parts-making unit of LG Group, won a patent suit against Japanese electric motor-maker Nidec Corporation, the company said Thursday. The ruling came after the Korean parts-maker filed a lawsuit against Nidec in January of last year, alleging the Japanese firm infringed its patents related to optical disk drive. The suit was filed at the Beijing Intellectual Property Court where their production facilities are located. The patents that the Japanese firm allegedly infringed are techn

Sept. 29, 2016

Samsung to support studies on human memory, AI

Samsung Group has picked 28 research projects on three fields of basic science, materials technology and information and communications technology as part of a 1.5 trillion won program designed to nurture the nation’s competitiveness, the group said Thursday.Among 14 research projects on basic science, the nation’s largest conglomerate chose to support a study on visualizing how human memories are made -- work that is expected to contribute to treating neurodegenerative diseases like dementia an

Sept. 29, 2016

Netmarble to begin IPO procedures Friday

South Korea’s leading mobile game developer Netmarble Games said Thursday that it will on Friday embark on regulatory procedures to pursue an initial public offering on Korea’s main bourse Kospi.　Netmarble said it will apply for regulatory review of its IPO by the Korea Exchange, with plans to complete the public listing by the year’s end or early next year.Industry watchers predict Netmarble’s market capitalization could reach up to 10 trillion won ($9.13 billion), given its growth potential. L

Sept. 29, 2016

Korean children’s content goes global on Google platforms

South Korean children’s content is finding its way to overseas audiences through YouTube and Google Play, thanks to the platforms’ ability to reach viewers without traditional limitations such as allocated TV time slots.　“New distribution platforms like YouTube and Google Play have fundamentally changed the way we bring our animations to our audience,” Lee Jong-yoon, a manager from Iconix Co. -- the creator of beloved homemade animations such as Pororo the Penguin -- said during a media event or

Sept. 29, 2016

[DECODED]SK speeds up M&A deals

SK Group is speeding up its business reshuffle through merger and acquisition deals after Chairman Chey Tae-won returned to the management position a year ago after a three-year hiatus. Most recently, its trading arm SK Networks was reportedly chosen as the preferred bidder to buy local home appliance vendor Tongyang Magic. The deal is expected to create synergies by linking SK Networks’ rental business and Tongyang Magic‘s home appliances. “If confirmed, the deal can create synergies within the

Sept. 28, 2016

SsenStone passes FIDO standards to achieve higher level of authentication security

Fintech startup SsenStone announced Tuesday that its independently developed certification security product, StonePASS, recently received FIDO certification, an international standard for biometric authentication. StonePASS is the realization of the “direct authentication” concept through the integration of various authentication solutions -- password, i-Pin, and OTP, for example -- into one system. (SsenStone CEO Yoo Chang-hun, photo by Ahn Hye-ran, intern reporter)“Because biometric recognitio

Sept. 27, 2016

[Contribution] Closing the broadband divide to connect people in Asia and the Pacific

Advances in information and communication technology have been instrumental in shaping and leading socioeconomic transformations across Asia and the Pacific. One key to this transformation is the technology bundled around the Internet of Things, which enables billions of devices to connect over the internet for more accurate, real time data collection and analysis in an unparalleled scale. Through internet-connected sensors attached to infrastructure, early-on maintenance alarms can be raised fo

Sept. 27, 2016