CrucialTec, Kona-I introduce biometric credit card

Fingerprint module maker CrucialTec and smart card firm Kona-I said Wednesday that they have developed a plastic card fitted with a fingerprint module, which the partners said would help beef up the security of financial transactions.The credit card will allow users to directly identify themselves by scanning their fingerprints on the biometric module installed in the 0.84-millimeter plastic card.Fingerprint module maker CrucialTec and smart card firm Kona-I roll out a credit card installed with

May 25, 2016

[Photo News] Samsung VR at Humanitarian Summit

Korean Ambassador to Turkey Cho Yoon-su wears Samsung Electronics’ Gear VR headset at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on Tuesday. The Korean tech giant also signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.N. Population Fund during the two-day summit to offer supersonic medical equipment, worth $150,000, to support Syrian refugees in the country. (Samsung Electronics)

May 25, 2016

KT teams up with local firms to develop IoT bicycle

Network operator KT has joined forces with four local companies to grow the sector for connected bicycles, the company said Wednesday.The network firm and its four partners -- bike-maker Alton Sports, credit card firm BC Card, security firm KT Telecop, and insurance firm Dongbu Insurance -- signed a memorandum of understanding for the initiative in Seoul on the day.They will develop a solution that tracks down the locations of the so-called Internet-of-Things bicycles equipped with alarm sensors

May 25, 2016

Kona I releases biometric fingerprint smart card

Korean FinTech firm Kona I Co. Ltd. said Wednesday that it has rolled out a biometric smart card that features an embedded fingerprint sensor.The new model can identify the user's fingerprint and can be used to allow access to buildings or for other ID card uses in the security sector, the company said. A new biometric smart card by Kona I (Kona I)For instance, a biometric credit card can become active for only 15 to 20 seconds when a card holder taps a finger on a sensor, company officials said

May 25, 2016

[Herald Interview] Former Samsung engineer develops translation solution to break down language barrier

Living in a world without language barriers is not a far-fetched idea at all thanks to technological advancement, according to a big data expert in linguistic analysis. “It would be fair to say that translation technology for written language is now fully mature, and translation solutions for written language -- not for spoken language though -- are widely deployed in both the public and private sectors,” said Lea Jong-ho, chief technology officer of Seoul-headquartered translation and interpret

May 25, 2016

Battle for TV tech leadership heats up

Competition to take the lead in standardizing imaging technology in the TV sector intensifies as two groups for different tech standards make all-out marketing efforts to win the race.The HDR technology improves contrast ratio and color accuracy. In layman’s term, it helps TVs generate brightness and darkness better and display more real-life colors.Leading the HDR war are the two tech standards -- HDR10, an open-platform standard adopted by a number of firms including Samsung and Dolby Vision,

May 24, 2016

Samsung, LG to boast display leadership at U.S. trade show

Korean display-makers Samsung Display and LG Display will flex their technological muscles at SID’s Display Week 2016, an annual trade show to be held from Tuesday to Thursday, in San Francisco.The display business unit of Samsung Group will showcase a host of futuristic products including organic light-emitting diode displays that can be rolled or folded, OLED displays for virtual reality gadgets and vehicles, and hologram technology. Samsung Display will showcase a rollable display at the SID

May 23, 2016

Minority shareholders file suit against CJ HelloVision on delayed merger

Minority shareholders of CJ HelloVision, the nation’s largest cable TV operator, on Monday filed a lawsuit, demanding the company adjust the merger-swap ratio for its planned merger with SK Broadband, the IPTV unit of SK Telecom. A total of 17 shareholders, holding a combined 33,111 shares, sued the company and CEO Kim Jin-seok on Monday. CJ HelloVision CEO Kim Jin-seok (Yonhap)The lawsuit came after the merger plan, including the swap ratio of 0.476123 CJ share for each SK share, was approved b

May 23, 2016

[Photo News] LG OLED TV at Picasso exhibition

 

May 22, 2016

Samsung to shake up employee titles

Samsung Electronics plans to announce a new structure of employee titles next month that aims to promote talented workers based on performance regardless of age or years of experience. According to industry sources Sunday, a task force team within the human resource management division has worked on the revision since the company’s announcement of a new corporate vision “Start-up Samsung” in March.  Samsung has maintained a typical structure of five employee ranks that is common at other Korean

May 22, 2016

Samsung widens gap with Apple in market share

Samsung Electronics further widened the gap with runner-up Apple in terms of smartphone sales in the first quarter.According to research firm Gartner, Samsung’s smartphone sales were slightly up at 81.2 million units in the first three months of the year, making it the world’s largest smartphone-maker and earning it 23.2 percent market share. Its archrival Apple sold 51.6 million smartphones, which compared to 60.2 million iPhones sold in the same period a year ago. Its market share was down fro

May 22, 2016

[EYE] ‘Social diversity key to facing AI world’

As apprehension spreads among ordinary mortals over the rise of artificial intelligence to replace humans, social diversity would be the key for people to brace for the next AI generation, Korea’s renowned neuroscientist said.“Current rote-learning method that unilaterally crams knowledge into people’s brains is nothing but an attempt to train the ability that can be replaced by AI. People should come to think of the opposite question: ‘How can we have different experiences and viewpoints?’ Beca

May 20, 2016

ICT Ministry to transform Jeju into animation hub of Asia

SEOGWIPO, Jejudo Island -- Although Korean animations boast impressive quality, matching those of the U.S. and Japan, the nation lacks large-scale animation studios that have expertise in both production and distribution for the global market.In order to make up for the shortage and vitalize the domestic animation industry, the Ministry of Science, IT and Future Planning and the Jejudo Island government launched the Asia CGI Animation Center, or ACA, an incubation center for animators, in Seogwi

May 20, 2016

[Graphic News] Profits of Samsung, SK hynix fall on weak chip demand

Korean chipmakers, hit hard by falling prices and stiffer competition, are struggling to restore profits from their dynamic random access memory chip sales. According to the data compiled by industry tracker DRAMeXchange, Samsung Electronics, the nation’s largest chipmaker, logged $3.97 billion in its first quarter sales, down 16.6 percent from the previous quarter. Sales of SK hynix also fell 19.2 percent to $2.32 billion during the same period. Samsung’s market share remained flat at 46.6 perc

May 19, 2016

Samsung Pay, Alipay join hands in China

Samsung Electronics confirmed Thursday it has teamed up with China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba to further tap into the soaring Chinese mobile payments market. Under the strategic partnership that is expected to be announced Friday, Samsung Pay, the Korean tech giant’s mobile payments system, will include Alibaba’s Alipay within its platform as one of its payment methods. After fingerprint verification, Samsung Pay users are required to choose a payment method among credit cards and membership poi

May 19, 2016

Intellectual property account deficit narrows to 4-year low in 2015

Korea's deficit in the intellectual properties account shrank to a four-year low in 2015 as exports grew at a faster clip than imports, central bank data showed Thursday.The deficit in the intellectual properties account came to $4 billion last year, down from a $4.53 billion deficit in the previous month, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Bank of Korea (Yonhap)The 2015 tally marks the lowest level since a $3.38 billion deficit posted in 2011. It also marked a third con

May 19, 2016

[Photo News] LG Hope Village in Ethiopia

Farmers harvest garlic in an Ethiopian town Tuesday. LG Electronics has designated some towns in the African country as its “LG Hope Village” since 2012 to teach farming techniques to local people and support their livelihoods. (LG Electronics)

May 19, 2016