[Herald Interview] Lifestyle app-maker Malang Studio aims to make life easier

You wake up to blaring music from the app AlarmMon, but you cannot stop it from ringing by simply hitting a button. Instead, you must play a short smartphone game that gets your brain rolling first thing in the morning. Heading out the door, you find the fastest trains and the nearest exit to your destination via a few taps on the Subway Korea mobile app.Back at home, you open the distance-based dating app 1Km, to connect with new people who live in your neighborhood. In the evening, you might u

Sept. 27, 2016

Huawei introduces budget ‘H’ smartphone in Korea

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei said Tuesday that it will launch its latest budget “H” smartphone in South Korea this week, targeting consumers looking for cheaper alternatives to expensive high-end smartphones.　Huawei’s “H” smartphone will be sold exclusively through local network carrier LG Uplus starting from Thursday. The new device, an upgraded version of Huawei’s budget Y7 smartphone introduced here last December, is priced at 242,000 won ($220). It comes in two colors -- black and white.H

Sept. 27, 2016

Samsung, LG likely to see contracted earnings in Q3

South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG are likely to see contracted earnings in the third quarter due to sluggish smartphone sales, market analysts said Monday. Local financial data provider FnGuide recently set the market consensus for Samsung Electronics’ operating profit for the July-September period at 7.6 trillion won ($6.8 billion). The figure is a more than 8 percent fall from the same period last year and 1 trillion won below market expectations before reports of the Galaxy

Sept. 26, 2016

LG Uplus partners with Ssangyong, Tech Mahindra for connected cars

South Korean telecom company LG Uplus on Monday said that it has partnered with Ssangyong Motor and Tech Mahindra, the internet technology unit of Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra, for the development of new connected car technologies.　The three companies signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul, agreeing to team up for the development of new platform technologies and network services for Ssangyong’s connected car business. L. Ravichandran, President & COO of Tech Mahindra (left); Yoon

Sept. 26, 2016

LG Uplus sets sights on global expansion

Having proved his competence as a CEO at LG Display and chemical firm LG Chem’s battery business over the course of 10 years, Kwon Young-soo is aiming for similar success as chief executive of network carrier LG Uplus.The story of Kwon and Apple chief Tim Cook planting two apple trees together at LG Display’s manufacturing complex in 2010 to celebrate the partnership between the two companies shows his ability to establish amicable relationships with global business partners - a trait needed for

Sept. 25, 2016

LG Chem aims to achieve W7tr in EV battery sales by 2020

South Korea’s battery and chemical company LG Chem said Sunday it set a goal of reaching 7 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in sales for electric vehicle batteries by 2020. The battery-maker also plans to start the construction of its EV plant in Poland this year, marking its third global presence after the US and China. “We aim to become the No. 1 electric car battery-maker by 2018 in terms of market position, technology and profitability by leading the EV market poised to grow,” said Lee Woong-beom

Sept. 25, 2016

More than half of Galaxy Note 7 owners get replacements in Korea

More than half of Galaxy Note 7 owners in South Korea have swapped their used phablets for new ones, six days after Samsung Electronics Co. began a replacement program as part of a global recall over battery problems, industry officials said Sunday. The number of Note 7 owners who have received replacements exceeded 200,000 as of Saturday, the officials said. About 429,000 Note 7s were said to have been sold in South Korea.Only 5 percent of Note 7 owners are said to have received a full refund,

Sept. 25, 2016

Battery problems persist in exchanged Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Electronics has been replacing its Galaxy Note 7 devices that have faulty batteries which might explode, but the new handset still has battery issues, according to a news report Friday. News channel YTN reported that a Galaxy Note 7 buyer, surnamed Choi, had received a new Note 7 through the tech firm’s recall program, which began on Sept. 19 in Korea. His new phone, however, had a battery that drained quickly, with its battery level dropping almost 1 percent every second. It also overhe

Sept. 23, 2016

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong ranks 18th on ‘Most Influential’ list

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong ranked 18th on Bloomberg’s annual list of the “50 Most Influential People in the World of Finance” published Thursday.　Bloomberg’s 50 Most Influential list -- now in its sixth edition -- highlights prominent figures who command the most power and influence over global financial markets, as chosen by Bloomberg’s senior reporters and editors worldwide.Lee made the Bloomberg list alongside other chiefs of major tech companies such as Tesla Motors co-fo

Sept. 23, 2016

Samsung struggles to restore reputation amid false reports of Galaxy Note 7 fires

A string of false consumer allegations that their Galaxy Note 7 devices caught fire is dampening Samsung Electronics’ efforts to restore its reputation and consumer trust hurt by faulty batteries prone to potential explosions.Since announcing a worldwide recall of its new large-size smartphone earlier this month, the South Korean tech giant has received a total of 26 false reports of Galaxy Note 7 fires, the company said Wednesday. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 (Yonhap)For 12 of the 26 reported cases,

Sept. 22, 2016

K-ICT Born2Global Center and its Members ⑪ WELT

Smart belt company WELT‘s Kickstarter campaign gains momentumOn Sept. 22, the startup company WELT announced that, having accumulated $70,000 as of Sept. 12, it had raised more than double its original crowdfunding goal for its independently developed smart belt. The smart belt is a wearable health care device that measures and helps users manage health indicators based on the abdominal area. WELT recently displayed the product at the IFA, an annual consumer electronics show held in Germany, whe

Sept. 22, 2016

Virtua Live develops hair simulation solution based on customer data and IT

On Thursday, startup company Virtua Live (CEO: Lee Jae-yeol) announced it has recently begun providing its independently developed total hair solution “Hair Fit” in Seoul’s Gangnam district and Gyeonggi Province’s Bundang. Hair Fit uses customer data and information technology to create a virtual hairstyle customized to each user and displays a photo of the hairstyle on a tablet for the user to see. Unlike mobile applications that utilize hair simulation for purely entertainment purposes, Hair F

Sept. 22, 2016