Paycock to supply Seoul City with optical character recognition-based mobile payment service

Fintech startup Paycock announced Monday that it would begin supplying Seoul City with a mobile payment service based on optical character recognition technology starting in June. The service allows stores to accept credit card payments through the company’s mobile application, Paygood, making it possible for payments to be made and accepted no matter the time or location of the payment participants. Seoul City will be providing the mobile application to merchants in the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun

May 31, 2017

VR event in Busan to showcase latest technologies

South Korea's largest virtual reality event will kick off in the southern port city of Busan later this week to showcase the latest technologies and content as the country aims to become a global powerhouse in the sector, the government said Wednesday.Busan VR Festival 2017, the first of its kind, will take place at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center from Thursday to Saturday, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said. (BEXCO)"This event is aimed at creating various VR content

May 31, 2017

5.5-inch smartphones rise as mainstream: IDC

Smartphones with wider displays including 5.5-inch models have emerged as the new mainstream in the global market, an industry tracker said Wednesday, amid rising demand for gaming and video streaming content via mobile devices. The trend is significant as late Apple CEO Steve Jobs preferred to have smaller handsets for single-hand use, which caused earlier iPhones to maintain a screen size of 3.5 inches. (Yonhap)According to industry tracker IDC, the global shipment of smartphones with 4-inch d

May 31, 2017

ZTE seeks to expand presence in Korean market

China-based tech manufacturer ZTE Corp. is gradually expanding its presence in the South Korean market by joining forces with local companies, industry watchers said Wednesday. There are currently three ZTE-manufactured devices being sold in South Korea, including the LINE Friends smartphone released through KT Corp., the country's No. 2 mobile carrier. Inspired by characters made by LINE Corp., a Japan-based arm of South Korea's Naver Corp., the handset that targets children marks a rare tie-up

May 31, 2017

Sony to launch smart devices from its Xperia series

Sony Korea is to release its flagship smartphone Xperia XZ Premium and interactive projector Xperia Touch in the Korean market, said the company Tuesday.The Xperia XZ Premium has improved its processor, display and camera to differentiate the model from other premium smartphones, said Sony Korea mobile marketing chief Cho Seong-taek. Sony’s flagship smartphone Xperia XZ Premium (Sony)Not only is it the first time in Korea that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor has been adopted, but the Xperia

May 30, 2017

[Herald Interview] English, Chinese-speaking GiGA Genie under development: KT AI chief

Joining the global rise of artificial intelligence, South Korean mobile carrier KT is currently working on the development of English and Chinese versions of a voice-activated AI device, the company’s AI chief said Tuesday. In an email interview with The Korea Herald, Lee Phill-jai, executive vice president of the GiGA Genie business division of KT, confirmed the mobile carrier had completed and held unofficial demonstrations of the English and Chinese versions of GiGA Genie, with an aim to comm

May 30, 2017

Samsung showcases high-end refrigerator

Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday showcased the high-end refrigerator made with porcelain materials, which comes with a price tag of 14.9 million won ($13,270).The South Korean tech giant said the latest refrigerator of its premium kitchen appliances lineup, the Chef Collection, comes with a unique interior design by utilizing porcelain.  The Chef Collection Porcelain (Yonhap)Samsung said its development and design team visited seven countries and conducted numerous tests to find optimistic mat

May 30, 2017

Brokerage houses cast bright outlook for LG's Q2 performance

South Korean brokerage houses are raising their forecast for LG Electronics Inc.'s second-quarter performance, citing the company's improved profitability of major business divisions, including the home appliance sector, industry sources said Tuesday.The South Korean tech giant's first-quarter net profit jumped more than fourfold from a year earlier on the back of the home appliance division's stellar performance. Net profit came to 835.6 billion won ($744 million) in the first quarter, compared

May 30, 2017

[Photo News] Samsung opens its brand shop in Cuba

SAMSUNG IN CUBA -- Cuban consumers look at Samsung products ranging from washers, TVs to refrigerators at a 219-square meter brand shop opened in Havana on Monday. (Samsung Electronics)

May 29, 2017

After Go victory, Google’s AI to tackle humanity’s bigger challenges

AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence program developed by Google-owned DeepMind, has led sweeping victories against the world’s top-ranked human Go players over the past two years, but it is retiring from competitive Go.　Having beaten Ke Jie, the world champion in the traditional board game of Go, last week, Google’s AI will now set out to help solve some of humanity’s most difficult and complex challenges in fields such as health care and science, Google-owned DeepMind said in a blog post Saturd

May 29, 2017

GSIL to supply safety management system to railway construction sites

GSIL announced on May 22 that it will be supplying an Internet of Things-based “smart construction safety management system” to construction sites under the jurisdiction of the Korea Rail Network Authority’s Gangwon local headquarters. This safety management solution inspects and monitors all safety-related aspects of construction sites on a 24-hour basis via web and mobile applications.  GSIL and the KRNA Gangwon local headquarters held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 22 for the smart construc

May 29, 2017

Opus One’s eco-friendly home security solution attracts European telecoms

Startup Opus One announced on May 24 that its independently developed, eco-friendly home security solution made it to the semi-finals of Boost at TNW Europe 2017, which was recently held in Amsterdam. This year’s TNW -- The Next Web -- event, the largest tech conference in Europe and an event that attracts startup companies, investors, and accelerators from all around the world, featured the products and services of 31 Korean startups, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Fu

May 29, 2017

SKT to bring smart features to Korea University Medical Center

South Korea’s SK Telecom said Monday that it will work with Korea University Medical Center to transform the hospital into a smart facility equipped with the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things and augmented reality.　The move comes as SK Group has been actively moving into the field of AI-driven health care. Last week, its internet technology solutions unit SK holding C&C said it would start developing a new AI program based on IBM’s Watson that

May 29, 2017

Samsung SDI unveils new ESS products for European homes

Samsung SDI will unveil new residential energy storage system products designed for the global market, the company said Monday. The battery and ESS developer said it will display a full lineup of residential ESS products at Intersolar Europe 2017 running from Tuesday through Thursday in Munich, Germany.  A Samsung SDI booth is set up at the Energy Storage Europe 2017 exhibition in March. (Samsung SDI)Intersolar is one of the leading international exhibitions for the ESS and solar industries. Sam

May 29, 2017

Galaxy S8 experience zones draw 3m visitors

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday the number of accumulated visitors at its shops in South Korea where people can test the Galaxy S8 smartphones was estimated at 3 million, reflecting the public's attention on the flagship devices.On Sunday, the company also said a million units of Galaxy S8 smartphones were sold in South Korea as of the previous day, marking a rare occasion for the company to provide updates of flagship device sales. The devices were officially released April 21. Visitors tak

May 29, 2017

Samsung opens brand shop in Cuba

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it has opened a brand shop in Cuba, marking a rare move for a global tech company to make a full-fledged step to tap into the market.The South Korean tech giant said it has opened the brand shop under cooperation with a local retailer Cadena De Tiendas TRD Caribe. Visitors take look at Samsung Electronics Co.'s products at its brand shop based in Havana, Cuba, in this photo released by the company on May 29, 2017. (Yonhap)The shop will display premium Samsung

May 29, 2017

Mobile carriers ask govt. to rethink subscription cost cut drive

South Korea's three mobile carriers are trying to persuade lawmakers and government officials to rethink President Moon Jae-in's pledge to cut subscription costs to ease households' burden, industry sources said Monday.The move came as the Moon administration seeks to abolish the basic subscription fees of 11,000 won ($9.83) as expenditures on telecommunication services were cited as one of the burdens for South Koreans. Mobile carriers cast concern that the change will hurt their operations and

May 29, 2017

Samsung readies for Galaxy S8 launch in Japan

Tech behemoth Samsung Electronics on Thursday opened its Galaxy Studio at Bank Gallery, located in Omotesando, Tokyo, the company said Sunday, ahead of the planned launch of its Galaxy S8 next month.Samsung Electronics will hold a series of promotional events at its newly opened studio through July 3, the company added. At the studio, customers will have hands-on experience of Samsung‘s latest electronic gadgets, including Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, new 360-degree camera Gear 360 and Gear VR, a

May 28, 2017

Automotive chip market to grow 22% this year: report

The global automotive chip market is predicted to grow 22 percent this year due to the rising price and demand, according to the US semiconductor research firm. Samsung Electronics, which is the world’s largest memory chip maker but has low presence in the automotive chip market, is also tapping deeper into the lucrative industry in response to the growing demand. YonhapIC Insights said in the latest report that the automotive integrated circuit market -- microcontrollers, analog integrated circ

May 28, 2017

Safeware to release wearable airbag-connected safety platform by end of year

Startup Safeware announced on May 22 that it will release a protective airbag system equipped with a wearable, Internet of Things-enabled safety platform in the second half of 2017. The system is currently under development. After the new product undergoes IoT application tests and trial runs, the company expects to release it sometime at the end of the year. A test version of the product will be featured at the World IT Show, hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, starting

May 28, 2017