Samsung's smartphone market share falls below 20 pct in Q4

The global smartphone market share of South Korea's top smartphone maker Samsung Electronics Co. fell below 20 percent in terms of value for the first time in three years in the fourth quarter of 2014, data showed Monday.  Samsung, which has recently suffered a setback in its market share due to the rise of Chinese firms eating into its low-end handset sales, took up 17.2 percent of the world's smartphone market in the October-December period in terms of revenue, according to the data compiled b

Feb. 23, 2015

Samsung tops in global flat TV market in 2014

Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's tech powerhouse, gained supremacy in the global flat TV market last year, backed by strong sales in the North American market, data showed Monday.   The market share of the world's top electronics company reached a record high of 29.2 percent as of end-Decmeber 2014, based on annual revenue, according to the data compiled by global market tracker DisplaySearch.   In 2013, Samsung saw its flat TV market share come in at 26.7 percent, slightly down from 27.4

Feb. 23, 2015

LG to showcase four low-end smartphones at MWC

South Korea's No. 2 tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it will showcase four low-end smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Spain next month, its newest effort to get ahead of Chinese and other mid-sized smartphone market players.  The company said it will introduce the LG Magna, LG Spirit, LG Leon and LG Joy at the MWC, all coming in two versions that support long-term evolution or the third-generation network. The MWC will run in Barcelona from March 2-5.The 5-inch LG Magna, which

Feb. 23, 2015

LG Uplus to tap overseas market with smart navigation app

South Korea's mobile carrier LG Uplus Inc. said Monday it will start selling its new smart navigation platform overseas as part of its broader efforts to set foot in global market with Internet-of-Things technology.   The Car Link, developed in collaboration with a local platform operator, is based on a "mirroring" service, which enables a driver to bring up his or her smartphone interface on the vehicle's navigation screen.   The driver can use the various functions, from phone calls, video cli

Feb. 23, 2015

CEOs to vie for 5G leadership at MWC

South Korea’s top three mobile carriers ― SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus ― will bring their heated crosstown rivalry to global markets as they are set to clash over supremacy in fifth-generation network services in Spain in March. According to officials Sunday, top executives of the companies plan to attend the Mobile World Congress, the industry’s largest annual gathering, which kicks off on March 2 in Barcelona. Along with showcasing their latest technologies and services, the CEOs are expected t

Feb. 22, 2015

Merck, FlexEnable unveil new plastic LCD technology

Merck, a global market and technology leader for liquid crystals and organic electronic materials, said Monday it has succeeded in developing next-generation plastic LCD technology along with its U.K.-based strategic partner FlexEnable. Merck said that the new technology will make bendable, lightweight, thinner and the most unbreakable LCDs possible that can be used in diverse areas such as e-readers, dynamic public signage and advertising.For the trial products of the technology, FlexEnable pro

Feb. 16, 2015

Samsung mass-produces 14-nano FinFET mobile AP

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker, said Monday it has begun mass production of the most advanced mobile application processor (AP) that incorporates FinFET technology. The 14-nanometer mobile AP comes in a 3-dimensional chip, known as the FinFET structure, that is 35 percent more energy-efficient with performance up by 20 percent compared with the preceding 20-nanometer planar chips, the company said in an emailed statement. The FinFET processing, with whi

Feb. 16, 2015

Samsung starts sales of virtual-reality device at home

Samsung Electronics Co. launched sales of its virtual-reality device in the home market on Monday, two months after its launch in the United States.The Samsung Gear VR, first showcased last year, provides a 360 degree rotating view to give users a life-like experience. It currently only links to the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE through a micro USB connection, which is inserted in the device.Samsung said customized services will be provided through the Oculus Store, although gaming conte

Feb. 16, 2015

Biz sector concerned over bill targeting Samsung

Concerns are rising in business circles after a group of lawmakers vowed to push for legislation to confiscate profits made through breach of trust or embezzlement, an apparent move to deal a blow to Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, his family members, and former and incumbent executives.Rep. Park Young-sun of the main opposition National Politics Alliance for Democracy and 69 lawmakers including two from the ruling party said they would propose the so-called “Lee Hak-soo bill.”The business communi

Feb. 15, 2015

LG Display to add 1 tln won to OLED panel line

LG Display Co., a global panel maker, plans to spend an additional 1 trillion won ($915 million) this year on its large-sized organic light-emitting diode panel production line in South Korea to meet growing demand, industry sources said Wednesday.  LG Display has already spent 800 billion won on the OLED panel production line, which produces panels for TVs, the sources said.     LG Display is told to have commenced production at the production line starting November 2014, but the detailed capac

Feb. 11, 2015

Seoul to seek improved ties with Cuba: FM

South Korea plans to make efforts to normalize its diplomatic relations with Cuba in a bid to expand the scope of its diplomacy with countries in Central and South America, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.   Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told lawmakers that Seoul will seek to improve its relations with Cuba this year as it moves to promote ties with countries in Central and South America in a mutually beneficial manner.    South Korea has no diplomatic relations with Cuba, while North Korea ha

Feb. 10, 2015