ETRI develops VR producing app on smartphones

Korea’s Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute said Monday it has developed an application for smartphones that will allow the production of virtual reality content without any additional hardware. The institute designed the application with VR solution startup Nextaeon and developed an enabling technology called YouVR. By downloading the app, a smartphone user can create VR content in which objects can move 360 degrees. Considering virtual reality is growing at a slower-than-expect

Nov. 6, 2017

[Monitor] More than half of ‘mobile only’ group in 50s, 60s

With the widespread distribution of smartphones among all age groups, more than half of South Koreans that rely mostly on their smartphones in carrying out economic activities and seeking information are those in their 50s and 60s, a report by Nielsen Korea showed Monday.Dubbed the “mobile only” group, the report said that 30.1 percent of those that only used their mobile device were in their 50s, while 23.3 percent were in their 60s.Among those that rely on both their PCs and smartphones, 24.1

Nov. 6, 2017

Baidu's AI program set to widen gap with Samsung through 2022

Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc., is expected to emerge as a major player in the field of voice-recognizing artificial intelligence programs through 2022, an industry tracker said Friday, widening the gap with Samsung Electronics Co.'s Bixby.The penetration rate of Samsung Electronics' Bixby in the field is expected to reach 5.4 percent in 2022, falling sharply from 12.7 percent posted in 2017, Strategy Analytics said. Baidu, which took up 13 percent of the market this year, is expected to become t

Nov. 3, 2017

Google strikes back at Naver: we do pay tax

　Google, which has long faced flak for not revealing how much money it makes in South Korea, has struck back at public accusations made by its local rival Naver this week.　In response to politicians’ intense criticism of Naver during a parliamentary audit on Wednesday, the Korean firm’s founder claimed that Google and Facebook made huge profits in Korea without paying any tax or creating jobs.　Google Korea released a statement Thursday saying that it fully abides by local tax regulations and con

Nov. 2, 2017

Nexon unveils new PC game ‘EA Sports FIFA Online 4’

Nexon unveiled “EA Sports FIFA Online 4,” a new PC online game developed by US video gaming giant Electronic Arts’ South Korea studio, during a media showcase held Thursday in Seoul. The new game seeks to build on the success of “EA Sports FIFA Online 3,” also developed by EA’s Korea studio Spearhead and distributed in Korea by Nexon from 2012. Nexon is the exclusive publisher of EA’s latest FIFA game for the Korean market once again.Built on a next-generation engine, “FIFA Online 4” was develop

Nov. 2, 2017

Mobile purchases continues record-breaking rise in Sept.

Purchases made through mobile devices in South Korea continued record-breaking performances in September as use of smartphones have fully caught on with local consumers, government data showed Thursday.Mobile transactions through smartphones and tablets reached a fresh record high of 4.24 trillion won ($3.8 billion) in September, up 42.6 percent from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea.The total amount of mobile transactions accounted for 61.9 percent of all online purchases

Nov. 2, 2017

Sales by global chipmakers top $100b in Q3

The combined sales of global chipmakers are presumed to have surpassed a record $100 billion in the third quarter of 2017 fueled by escalating industrywide demand, data showed Thursday.According to the data compiled by the US-based Semiconductor Industry Association, total revenue of global chipmakers is estimated at $107.9 billion in the July-September period, up 10.2 percent from the previous quarter.Industry watchers said the chip industry is expected to enjoy robust returns in the fourth qua

Nov. 2, 2017

Samsung expected to expand DRAM output capacity: DRAMeXchange

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to expand its production capacity for dynamic random-access memory chips next year in a bid to keep its dominance in the market, an industry tracker said Thursday."There are reports that Samsung is considering expanding its production capacity to increase competition and raise the barrier for market entry. Thus, there is a possibility that the tight supply for DRAM may end sooner than originally anticipated," DRAMeXchange said.Global chipmakers, including Sams

Nov. 2, 2017

Humans still ahead of AI, at least in StarCraft

In the latest face-off between humans and artificial intelligence, a South Korean professional gamer beat his AI opponents 4:0 in the PC strategy game StarCraft during a competition held Tuesday at Sejong University in Seoul.　Though the AI computers managed to beat two amateur players, the bots all lost against professional gamer Song Byung-gu, who is known as one of the best Starcraft players in the world. Three human players -- two student players and Song -- each competed against four AI bots

Nov. 1, 2017

[New Samsung] Samsung set on getting smarter with IoT platform ‘SmartThings’

This is the second installment of a series of articles delving into new technologies Samsung Electronics is betting on for its new source of growth. -- Ed. One day after the announcement of the new leadership, Samsung Electronics’ outgoing Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun sent a grave message to his successors. “The moment of being at the top, this might be the beginning of a crisis,” Kwon said at a ceremony held AT Samsung Electronics’ campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday to mark the 48th

Nov. 1, 2017

Korean ride-sharing app Poolus attracts W22b investment

　Poolus, a ride-sharing app developed by a South Korean startup, has lured 22 billion won ($19.6 million) in its first funding round, the company said Monday.　A group of big-name investors has participated in the funding, including a joint fund launched by the South Korean portal giant Naver and Mirae Asset, as well as SK Corp., the holding company of SK Group. Other investors included Yellowdog, a venture capital firm for startups and Collaborative Fund, a US investment fund that has invested i

Oct. 31, 2017

Naver founder faces heavy scrutiny over portal’s news manipulation, influence

Naver founder Lee Hae-jin was heavily grilled by South Korean lawmakers during parliamentary audit sessions held on Monday and Tuesday that scrutinized the portal website’s news manipulation and uncontested monopoly over the local web advertisement market.The lawmakers also zeroed in on Naver’s core profit-generating services including its search ads and online shopping platform business.Lee, currently Naver’s Global Investment Officer, was summoned to an audit led by the Ministry of Science and

Oct. 31, 2017

Newly opened Seoul Bio Hub to nurture biohealth startups

The state-run Seoul Bio Hub officially opened in Hongneung, central Seoul, Monday, with the city’s government pledging to lend support to promising local biohealth startups and to forge a biotechnology cluster here.The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a ceremony celebrating the opening of the first main building in the Seoul Bio Cluster, which houses collaboration offices to connect local biohealth startups with big industry players.Located in the facility is the Johnson & Johnson Innovation P

Oct. 30, 2017

Debate ensues over mobile phone’s blacklist system at audit

Lawmakers accused the government for systematically hindering the controversial implementation of a blacklist system for mobile device registration during a parliamentary audit on Monday, with the ministry in charge refuting that cautious approach is needed to adopt the system. The report produced by the Ministry of Science and ICT and submitted to Rep. Kim Sung-soo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea states that that implementation of the blacklist system will not contribute to cutting hous

Oct. 30, 2017

Nobel laureate biochemist Richard Roberts says GMOs are key to healthy ageing

While millions of people die of hunger in developing countries, genetically modified organisms are an essential tool to fight malnutrition and, most importantly, to help them age well, Nobel laureate Richard Roberts said Monday at a forum in Seoul. Speaking at Nobel Prize Dialogue, hosted by Nobel Media in partnership with the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, the acclaimed scientist in genomics and molecular biology said good quality foods are a great source of “good bacteria” that can

Oct. 30, 2017

[News Focus] Extending biobank ecosystem key to precision medicine drive

Korea’s biobank system has enjoyed some success in contributing to academic findings, but at a forum in Seoul last week, experts in the field argued the state-run Korea Biobank must move beyond its current research focus if South Korea is to play a lead role in fields such as precision medicine 　At the Korea Biobank Forum last week, they argued that administrators must provide more support to commercial operations in the biotech sector if the country is to make the most of the resource. 　Over th

Oct. 29, 2017

[Herald Interview] Wadiz taps into investors' sympathetic motive

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews on promising startups in the fintech industry. This is the 3rd installment. -- Ed. The culture of crowdfunding is belatedly, yet significantly permeating through venture startups in South Korea, as the number of patient investors begin to increase, looking for a sense of accomplishment beyond immediate profits. Behind the trend is Korea’s longest-standing crowdfunding platform Wadiz, whose chief executive says the link that had been missing -

Oct. 29, 2017

Samsung hosts insider expo for growth with ‘disruptive technologies’

South Korean tech titan Samsung is fiercely seeking innovative growth in the absence of its de facto leader by holding a closed-door exhibition this week, according to sources on Sunday. At Samsung’s corporate campus in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province, the company is holding a three-day tech exhibition -- the Samsung Tech Fair -- from Monday through Wednesday, organized by Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, according to sources.The annual fair is held every fall to provide executives and emplo

Oct. 29, 2017

[Video] Everland uses latest IT to make Halloween spookier

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- If you still haven’t caught up with the virtual reality trend, Everland’s Halloween offerings could be a shock to the system.South Korea’s largest amusement park has been running since last month a horror zone filled with actors wearing zombie makeup and scary VR content to mark the Halloween season.Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeo As visitors in VR goggles walk around the park’s 100,000-square-meter Blood City, they are immersed in a world of horror w

Oct. 29, 2017

Samsung faces challenge from Xiaomi in Indian smartphone market

Samsung Electronics Co. retained the top spot in the Indian smartphone market in the third quarter but continues to face a strong challenge from China-based Xiaomi Inc., data showed Sunday.According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung accounted for 26 percent of the market in the July-September period, while Xiaomi took 25 percent. (Yonhap)Other Chinese firms came next, with Vivo Communication Technology Co, Oppo Electronics Corp., and Lenovo Group taking 10 percent, 9 percent, and 7 percent, respect

Oct. 29, 2017