Computex participants bet big on wearables

TAIPEI ― Computex, one of Asia’s biggest information and communication technology trade shows, kicked off on Tuesday, highlighting a wide variety of cutting-edge technologies from smartwatches to smartglasses powered by energy efficient chips.ARM, the British chip giant whose designs are found in more than 90 percent of global smartphones and tablets, drew attention from both the media and the tech industry as it announced it would be focusing on developing smaller and more powerful processors f

June 4, 2014

Microsoft Asia chief to visit Korea

Microsoft Asia Pacific president Cesar Cernuda is set to visit South Korea next week to examine the county’s market and seek expansionary opportunities in the mobile market, said industry sources claiming knowledge of the matter.A Microsoft Korea official confirmed that Cernuda will be coming to Korea as part of his annual tour to meet the company’s enterprise customers, and attend in-house meetings and marketing events. Cernuda, who was appointed the new Asia chief last year, will be coming to

June 4, 2014

Samsung IPOs to finance Lee’s succession plans

The planned initial public offerings of Samsung Everland and Samsung SDS will allow Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee’s three children to secure capital worth some 5 trillion won ($4.9 billion) to inherit wealth and ownership of Lee’s business empire.Samsung Everland, the de facto holding company of the group, said Tuesday that it would go public by early next year, a widely expected move by the market following the announcement of Samsung SDS’ stock flotation plan last month.The market has bee

June 3, 2014

[Graphic News] Fewer elderly Korean parents live with their children

The number of elderly parents living separately from their children has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, according to a report released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Services.The report says the number of senior citizens who live alone with their spouse increased from 26.8 percent in 1994 to 48.6 percent in 2011. The number who live with their children, on the other hand, decreased from 54.7 percent in 1994 to 27.3 percent in 2011.The number of seniors who live alone

June 3, 2014

[Herald Interview] IP5 to boost global patent cooperation

An increase in global trade has created a borderless world and spurred competition, calling on businesses to develop and introduce technologies for a wide range of consumers with different tastes.A new market called for companies to adopt innovative strategies that include safeguarding their inventions by filing their intellectual properties as efficiently and globally as possible amid growing patent disputes.And this is where the so-called Intellectual Property Five comes in to accommodate the

June 3, 2014

People have more fear of male-named hurricanes

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Which scares you more: Hurricane Victor or Hurricane Victoria? People are slightly less likely to flee an oncoming storm with a feminine name than a masculine one, a new study finds.But here is Victoria’s secret: Hurricanes with feminine names turn out to be deadlier in the United States than their more macho-sounding counterparts, probably because their monikers make people underestimate their danger, the researchers conclude.In fact, the two deadliest storms to make landfall

June 3, 2014

SK Planet seeks to enter U.S. with new mobile service

SK Planet, a leading tech solutions developer owned by SK Telecom, on Monday expressed hopes to enter the U.S. market in October this year with its new mobile sales solution, NEXT Commerce.The Korean firm will test the service starting this month in Berkeley, California, where SK Planet said it has secured partnerships with around 20 firms.Based on these plans, the company is aiming for 2.8 trillion won ($2.7 billion) in annual sales over the next three years, double the 1.4 trillion won it reco

June 2, 2014

NASA to test Mars parachute

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The skies off the Hawaiian island of Kauai will be a stand-in for Mars as NASA prepares to launch a saucer-shaped vehicle in an experimental flight designed to land heavy loads on the red planet.For decades, robotic landers and rovers have hitched a ride to Earth’s planetary neighbor using the same parachute design. But NASA needs a bigger and stronger parachute if it wants to send astronauts there.Weather permitting, the space agency will conduct a test flight Tuesday high in

June 2, 2014

Cousteau plans 31-day underwater mission

ISLAMORADA, Florida (AP) ― Like viewers worldwide, Fabien Cousteau was entranced by his famous grandfather’s films about marine life and human exploration underwater. Now he’s adding to his family’s sea stories with a 31-day underwater expedition in the Florida Keys.Cousteau dove Sunday to Aquarius Reef Base, a school bus-sized laboratory 18 meters below the ocean’s surface, a few kilometers off Key Largo. He plans to spend more than a month living underwater with a five-person crew, making a do

June 2, 2014

[Newsmaker] Fear mounts over net neutrality breakdown

The Internet, one of the world’s greatest inventions of the 20th century, faces a possible makeover as it is being threatened by a new U.S. rule that can overthrow its openness and indiscriminate accessibility.Concerns over the possible breakdown in net neutrality, in which all Internet data should be treated equally, have been rising especially since the U.S. Federal Communications Commission lost a court battle against Verizon early this year.The two sides have been duking it out over net neut

June 1, 2014