Korea promotes UHD TV technology at int'l convention

South Korea successfully showcased its ultra-high-definition (UHD) television broadcasting technology at an annual media convention now being held in Las Vegas, Seoul's science ministry said Sunday.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said it promoted the country's UHD TV broadcasting technology at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2017 before full adoption in May. (Yonhap)Major tech firms, including Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. as well as major broadc

April 23, 2017

LG CNS to expand AI-based big data business

LG CNS said Sunday it will expand its big data business by utilizing artificial intelligence technology and by employing highly trained experts on machine learning algorithms.The company has reorganized its existing big data division, renaming it as AI Big Data business dept., and has appointed Lee Sung-wook, who formerly led the big data project at Deloitte Consulting for last 10 years, as the head of the division.The company plans to hire more experts from in and out of the country. The bluepr

April 23, 2017

SK hynix develops fastest graphics DRAM

South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said Sunday that it has developed the next-generation graphics dynamic random-access memory, the fastest form of graphics memory in the world. The company plans to mass-produce the chip early next year.Graphic DRAM is designed to handle the enormous demands of graphics processing for graphics-intensive applications such as games and videos played on PCs, work stations and high-functioning game devices. (Yonhap)The latest product, the GDDR6, is a successor to the G

April 23, 2017

LG Uplus to introduce Korea’s 1st IoT-based bidet

Amid the fast-advancing Internet of Things technology, a new item has joined the list of smart things -- electronic bidet toilets.　South Korean mobile carrier LG Uplus and electronic bidet maker Kohler Novita on Sunday said they will introduce the country’s first-ever electronic bidet running on IoT technology next month.An electronic bidet is a high-tech toilet seat cover featuring functions such as a nozzle that sprays one’s bottom with warm water. It is controlled via a remote control attache

April 23, 2017

[Pre-IFA] Sennheiser partners Samsung for Android headset program

LISBON, Portugal -- Sennheiser, a German audio technology company, is developing an immersive sound program for Android-powered devices in partnership with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, the company’s CEO said. “We are working with Samsung on the AMBEO smart headset to make it available for Android devices,” Andreas Sennheiser told The Korea Herald at the IFA Global Press Conference. “Because a dominant layer of the smartphone market is Android-based phones.” CEO Andreas Sennheiser (IFA)The

April 23, 2017

[Herald Interview] Samsung confident of better second half in European TV market

LISBON, Portugal -- Despite slowing growth in Europe’s premium TV market in the first half of the year, Samsung Electronics still sees potential for the second half with its latest QLED TV lineup, the regional chief of the South Korean tech giant’s TV business said.“We have no soccer championship this year, so the first half will be weaker than last year for the whole European market,” Michael Zoeller, head of visual display at Samsung Electronics Europe, said during an interview with The Korea

April 23, 2017

[Pre-IFA] Korean tech firms to drive innovation at IFA 2017

LISBON, Portugal -- The upcoming IFA, the largest consumer electronics show in Berlin, will continue to serve as a gateway for leading Korean tech giants aiming to make inroads into the European market, with the show preparing more space for their presentations of high-quality innovation to the world. “Samsung will have the biggest presentation as well this year, as far as we know, and we are very happy to have Korean industries like Samsung, LG and other companies in our show,” said Jens Heithe

April 23, 2017

Kakao mulls relisting on main bourse

Kakao, the second-largest company by market cap on the second-tier Kosdaq, is mulling moving to the main bourse Kospi, according to the firm Thursday.“Listing on the Kospi is one option we are considering, but nothing has been fixed,” read a statement on the disclosure. This came in response to the market operator Korea Exchange’s request to clarify relevant rumors on the relisting that had been spreading.Kakao, the operator of the nation’s largest mobile messenger KakaoTalk and web portal Daum,

April 21, 2017

Smart rail cars added to Busan subway system

Busan, South Korea's largest southern port city, has become the country's first city to have smart rail cars on its subway system, the rail cars' manufacturer said Friday.The smart rail cars control lighting, air quality and the volume of broadcasts by themselves depending on conditions in and outside the cars, Hyundai Rotem Co. said in a statement.    Hyundai Rotem's smart rail cars are added to a subway train in Busan, the country's largest southern port city. (Hyundai Rotem)Hyundai Rotem, an

April 21, 2017

Samsung to update Galaxy S8 software for red screen

In a swift move seen to quell doubts over its latest smartphone quality, Samsung Electronics confirmed Friday that it will be upgrading the Galaxy S8 software criticized by some for having red-tinted screens.“Because there are some complaints about the red-tinted screens, we decided to upgrade the software next week for all Galaxy S8 clients,” a Samsung spokesperson told The Korea Herald. The tech giant sent an announcement to all of its Samsung Service Centers, saying, “There will be an additio

April 21, 2017

Galaxy S8's iris scanner to be used on financial transactions

South Korea's credit card companies are seeking to apply the iris scanner adopted by Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 smartphones on mobile transactions, industry sources said Friday, lauding the feature's security compared with fingerprints and passwords.According to the sources, Samsung Card Co. is seeking to apply the iris scanner on its mobile application, allowing users to make financial transactions through the feature. (Yonhap)Officially released in South Korea and in parts of North Am

April 21, 2017

SKT to introduce ultra-fast 4.5G LTE network

South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom said Thursday that it will introduce an ultra-fast Long Term Evolution network that is around nine times faster than conventional LTE speeds in the country next month.The new network service, dubbed the “4.5G network,” will become available on the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy S8 from next month via a software upgrade, SKT said. Choi Seung-won (center), senior vice president of SKT’s infrastructure strategy division, poses during a press event to mark the c

April 20, 2017

Korean, Japanese institutes to tie up for research on freshwater life

A South Korean research institute on freshwater organisms and biodiversity conservation said Thursday it will sign a business pact with Japan's Lake Biwa Museum this week to push ahead with joint research, education and exhibitions on freshwater animals and plants.The state-run Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources will tie up with the Japanese research center on Friday when officials hold a joint seminar at the South Korean research institute located near the Nakdong River in s

April 20, 2017

Samsung joins Amazon for HDR tech

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has joined forces with US retail and entertainment giant Amazon.com Inc. for High Dynamic Range technology to deliver quality video content through its televisions. Under the agreement, the South Korean tech giant plans to provide quality video content through its TVs with Amazon Prime Video, which has clients in some 200 countries.(Yonhap)The HDR technology allows screens to deliver vivid displays by optimizing brightness depending on colors, boasting im

April 20, 2017

LG Electronics to host cultural exhibition with OLED TVs

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it will host an exhibition at a palace in Seoul to promote the country's cultural heritage through high-end organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV sets.Under a joint project with the Cultural Heritage Administration, the consumer electronics giant will host the exhibition at Gyeongbok Palace, the main seat of the rulers of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). It will install 15 OLED TVs and display photos of inaccessible areas of the palace. (Yonhap)The TVs will also

April 20, 2017

LG Electronics to release G6 in Europe next week

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it plans to release the G6 smartphone in 24 European countries starting next week, in line with steps to expand its global sales.Starting next week, South Korea's No. 2 tech giant will start sales of its flagship device in major European countries, including Britain, Germany, France and Italy.  (Yonhap)LG Electronics kicked off sales of the G6 in the North American market earlier this month.The company said it also plans to release the device in major Asian, Lat

April 20, 2017

Samsung vows to speed up foundry business via 10-nm tech

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has finalized the development of second generation 10-nanometer FinFET process technology, claiming the development will help the firm secure more foundry business partners.While the South Korean chipmaker developed the industry's first-generation 10-nanometer FinFET technology, the company said the latest development has improved performance and power efficiency by 10 percent and 15 percent, respectively.(Yonhap)Samsung already adopted the first-generati

April 20, 2017

Apparent supply shortage affects Galaxy S8 registration

The number of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 smartphones registered to mobile carriers in South Korea slowed, industry sources said Thursday, apparently due to a shortage in supply following record-breaking preorders.The distribution of Galaxy S8 smartphones began earlier in the week ahead of the official release slated for Friday.On Tuesday, the first day of its preliminary release, Samsung said around 260,000 units of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones were registered with the count

April 20, 2017

LG aims to eat into Samsung’s lead in OLED

The global OLED market for smartphones, currently dominated by Samsung, is about to get a little more crowded with LG Display recently throwing its hat into the ring.LG Display has started supplying its organic light-emitting diode products to Chinese handset makers and is gauging potential partnerships with Apple and Google, according to news reports and industry sources.“LG Display confirmed the supply of OLED panels to Xiaomi and it is in talks with other Chinese handset makers for further su

April 19, 2017

SK hynix, US fund team up for Toshiba

SK hynix is expected to partner with US private equity fund Bain Capital in its quest to win over the NAND flash chip unit of Japan’s Toshiba against the Apple and Foxconn joint effort, according to sources Wednesday. The South Korean chipmaker, second in the global DRAM market and fifth in the NAND market, has formed a consortium with Bain Capital, which has about $75 billion under management and has been engaged in aggressive investments in Japan, industrial sources said.(Yonhap)There had been

April 19, 2017