SK hynix to enjoy improved Q3 earnings on industry boom: analysts

SK hynix Inc. is set to enjoy sound earnings for the third quarter on an industrywide boom, analysts said Sunday, although the company's latest move to join the acquisition of Japanese Toshiba Corp.'s memory business will have no direct impact for the time being.According to the data compiled by Yonhap Infomax, the financial arm of Yonhap News Agency, on 21 brokerage houses, SK hynix is expected to post an operating profit of 3.7 trillion won ($3.26 billion) in the July-September period, rising

Sept. 24, 2017

Samsung Electronics operating profit forecast to hit record W15.5tr in Q4

Samsung Electronics Co.'s operating profit is forecast to reach a record 15.5 trillion won ($13.6 billion) in the fourth quarter, a local market researcher said Sunday.The report by FnGuide Inc. based on the assessment made by 23 local brokerages showed the average market consensus surging past the original estimate of 13.7 trillion won made three months earlier.The financial industry tracker added that the latest prediction surpasses even the market consensus of 14.7 trillion won made by securi

Sept. 24, 2017

[ITU 2017] Local innovation, international impact: SMEs and the ITU Telecom World Awards

What connects a group of young Rwandans building an app-based platform to manage data in schools with a new Japanese technology regenerating lead-acid batteries? Or a Danish solar-powered base station solution with a content delivery network and free Wi-Fi connectivity platform from Kenya?They are all small and medium-sized enterprises working with ICT to improve lives and build businesses. They are all high-growth, scalable initiatives driven by passionate and talented individuals who have seen

Sept. 22, 2017

Google-HTC deal has little impact on Samsung: report

The latest Google-HTC deal will have little impact on Samsung Electronics as the US search giant is unlikely to make a new push into the smartphone business, according to local securities companies on Friday. On Thursday, Google announced that it would acquire Taiwanese tech firm HTC’s smartphone arm, including its 2,000 employees, for $1.1 billion. This is not the first time Google has bought a handset maker. In 2011, it acquired Motorola for $12.5 billion, but sold it off to Lenovo three years

Sept. 22, 2017

Samsung releases Galaxy Note 8 in Southeast Asia

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it released the Galaxy Note 8 phablet in Malaysia and Thailand, tapping deeper into the Southeast Asian market.The South Korean tech giant, which kicked off official sales of the phablet at home on Thursday, earlier said it plans to release the device in 150 countries around the globe through October. A screen grab of Galaxy Note 8 from Samsung's websiteThe Galaxy Note 8 boasts a 6.3-inch display, its signature S Pen stylus and a dual-lens camera setup. With t

Sept. 22, 2017

Uber launches car pool service in Seoul for diversification

US ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. on Thursday launched its car pool service in South Korea from which it sees a "big opportunity."The uberSHARE car pool service comes after Uber launched the restaurant delivery app UberEATS last month as it seeks to diversify its business portfolio in Asia's fourth-biggest economy. The "eco-friendly and affordable" car pool service, initially available in Seoul, will help alleviate traffic congestion during commuting hours, Brooks Entwistle, chief b

Sept. 21, 2017

[ITU 2017] ITU Telecom World 2017: exploring smart digital transformation

Artificial intelligence can crunch the numbers on inconceivably large volumes of data, predicting trends, mitigating problems, driving a revolution in socio-economic development. Smart machines can learn, understand, develop and, in many areas, out-perform humans. But what will be the impact on our jobs, our economies and our societies? Do we need an international code of AI ethics now, before it is too late? Digital financial services over mobile broadband can bring the millions of unbanked int

Sept. 21, 2017

LG takes pride in camera of V30 smartphone

GWANGJU – Robots in a 2-meter-tall box-shape equipment swiftly but precisely place six plastic lenses that are about a fourth of a fingernail in size on an image sensor. On top of the six-layer lenses, the Crystal Clear glass lens is added to let in more light to present better picture quality. This is a common sight at LG Innotek‘s camera module plant in Gwangju, where LG Electronics‘ first F1.6 dual camera module, which has been adopted by the company‘s latest flagship V30 smartphone, is produ

Sept. 21, 2017

[Reshaping Semicon Map] Reasons why Korea trumps memory chip world

Some find reasons for South Korea’s competitiveness in the memory chip industry in Korean people’s genetic traits: diligence, meticulousness, tenacity. But Nam Ki-man, vice chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, takes a different approach.A radial shape of the chipmaking ecosystem is what has made Korea a powerhouse for memory chips, Nam explained. “Like the shape of the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris, Korean semiconductor businesses are forming a radial shape of business

Sept. 21, 2017

[Herald Interview] Kakao seeks to go global with content distribution business: CEO

In South Korea, Kakao Corp. dominates the mobile scene. Since overtaking the country’s mobile messaging market with KakaoTalk, the company has leveraged the clout of its messenger app to provide a range of new mobile services ranging from games, web comics to payment, e-commerce and even taxi hailing.　Despite its domestic glory, 7-year-old Kakao has continuously faced concerns and doubts over its growth potential as its messenger is confined to Korea with little presence in countries abroad.　Tho

Sept. 21, 2017

Google launches Korean-language voice recognition service

Google Korea, the local unit of US-based tech giant Google Inc., said Thursday it has launched the Korean-language edition of its voice recognition program, Google Assistant, along with the release of LG Electronics Inc.'s V30 smartphone in South Korea.Google Assistant, running on artificial intelligence technology, is anticipated to compete with Samsung Electronics Co.'s Bixby and Apple Inc.'s Siri in the domestic market.The Korean-language program is expected to be gradually applied to smartph

Sept. 21, 2017

LG Electronics focuses on making the best smartphone camera modules

LG Electronics Inc. on Thursday expressed confidence in the photo-taking features of its new flagship V30 smartphone, and said it is committed to making the best camera modules for smartphones.LG Innotek Co., an electronics parts maker under LG, told reporters touring its factory that nearly two-thirds of the production procedures of its camera modules were allocated to testing performance. It stressed that such steps require the greatest attention to detail as the complexity of the cameras in t

Sept. 21, 2017

Samsung to release Galaxy Note 8 in 150 countries through Oct.

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it plans to release the Galaxy Note 8 in 150 countries through October, with official sales scheduled for 20 more countries later this week.The South Korean tech giant, which started sales of the new phablet in South Korea on Thursday, said it will launch the device in Australia, India, Russia and Thailand on Friday. (Yonhap)In line with efforts to promote the Galaxy Note 8 overseas, the company said it will open a Galaxy Studio in Melbourne next week where

Sept. 21, 2017

[ITU 2017] When connectivity is not enough: the key to meaningful digital inclusion

Smart is the adjective of our modern world, one where applications, solutions, products and even entire industries are making use of information and communication technology to improve our lives and the efficiency of services.The potential is enormous. In a smart city, for example, everything from transport to urban planning, electricity supply, local government services and infrastructure management can be improved through ICT. Smart technology is essential to creating sustainable urbanization,

Sept. 20, 2017

KT to build fine dust monitoring system leveraging telecom infrastructure

South Korea’s mobile carrier KT has set out to develop a new nationwide network to monitor and manage ultrafine dust levels by leveraging its existing telecommunications infrastructure and network technologies.KT said Wednesday announced the launch of the “Air Map Korea Project,” pledging to invest 10 billion won ($8.87 million) for the nationwide project.KT's telecommunications infrastructure installed across Korea (KT)The company plans to turn its network infrastructure — most of which are loc

Sept. 20, 2017

Toshiba picks Bain, SK hynix, Apple group to sell its memory unit

After three-month-long negotiations, Japanese conglomerate Toshiba selected a global consortium led by US private equity group Bain Capital to sell its memory business, according to news reports on Wednesday. The consortium includes South Korean chipmaker SK hynix and tech giant Apple.For SK hynix, the world’s fifth NAND flash maker, the group’s acquisition of the Toshiba unit is expected to help raise competitiveness of the chip business. Toshiba is the second largest NAND provider in the world

Sept. 20, 2017

[Photo News] Bayer Korea-KOTRA showcase local digital health startups

DIGITAL HEALTH STARTUPS ON SHOW -- Bayer Korea and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency held Tuesday a “demo day” showcasing the finalists of their jointly-launched digital health care startup accelerator program Grants4Apps Korea. Three local startups -- rapid-cooling anesthesia device maker RecensMedical, Sky Labs, which developed a ring-type wearable that monitors and detects arrhythmia, and pet-tech company GomiLabs -- presented their products and technologies in front of investors an

Sept. 20, 2017

Scientist develop stable solar cell out of flourine

A group of South Korean scientists have developed highly stable and cheap solar cells made out of flourine, a state-run institute said TuesdayThe team led by Kim Jin-young from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology developed the edged-selectively fluorine functionalized graphene nanoplatelets with structure of perovskite solar cells that can achieve a stability of 82 percent. (Yonhap)A perovskite solar cell is a type of cell which includes a perovskite structured compound, consi

Sept. 19, 2017

Korean online game ‘Battlegrounds’ breaks Steam record for highest concurrent player count

Online shooting game “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” developed by South Korea’s Bluehole Studio has broken the record for the highest concurrent player count on Steam, the world’s largest online video game store platform.The game, which was released as an early access beta version on Steam around six months ago, hit the milestone by achieving more than 1.34 million concurrent player counts Saturday, Bluehole said this week.With the new record, “Battlegrounds” beat the top peak player count recor

Sept. 19, 2017

Samsung's Galaxy S8 price higher in Korea than US: consumer group 　

The price of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 without a mobile carrier contract in South Korea hovers far above that of the United States, a local consumer group said Tuesday.According to Green Consumer Network in Korea, the local sales price of the unlocked Galaxy S8 released earlier this year has been set at 1.02 million won ($908), which it claimed is higher than the official price tag of $780 set for US consumers including taxes. (Yonhap)Considering discounts provided to US consumers for

Sept. 19, 2017