The Korea Herald

Chinese firms outpace LG in smartphone sales

LG Electronics saw its global market share decline on-year in the third quarter of 2013 due to Chinese firms’ stellar growth, data showed Sunday.The South Korean electronics giant posted a 4.7 percent market share of the world’s smartphone market with sales of 12 million units in the July-September period to become the fifth-largest vendor, according to the data by technology research firm Strategy Analytics.It marked a two-notch decrease from a year earlier, when LG Electronics became the world

Nov. 17, 2013

Samsung, Apple earn all smartphone profits, and more

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Apple and Samsung are grabbing virtually all the profits in the red-hot smartphone market while most other makers are losing money, an analyst said Thursday.“We estimate Apple and Samsung combined to capture a remarkable 109 percent of third quarter handset industry profits,” said Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley in a research note.Walkley pointed out that other manufacturers such as BlackBerry, Nokia, LG, HTC and Motorola are operating at a loss, based on his latest globa

Nov. 15, 2013

Google prevails in long-running book digitization case

A US judge Thursday threw out a long-running challenge to Google's massive book-scanning project in a decision that could transform copyright law in the digital age.Federal Judge Denny Chin dismissed the case which dates back to 2005, saying Google's project is "fair use" under copyright law because it provides vital educational and other public benefits.In a 28-page decision, Chin said the Google program, dubbed the "Library Project," preserves books, gives "new life" to forgotten editions, sus

Nov. 15, 2013

YouTube faces mounting attacks over new comment system

YouTube’s new comments section has come under fiery criticism from users, who suddenly find themselves forced to give up their anonymity and sign up for Google+ to leave a comment on the global video-sharing site.Starting last week, YouTube now requires an account with Google’s social network service to leave a comment on videos as part of efforts to “turn comments into conversations that matter to users.” The shift toward “conversation” means that comments will be placed according to “relevance

Nov. 14, 2013

Myofascial pain syndrome

Office worker Mr. A often felt stiffness of the neck, a heavy sensation on the shoulders as if burdened by a rock, headache, eye pain, and weakness and numbness of his arms after office work, computer work, reading on the couch or driving for a long time. He decided to see a doctor because he was worried that it could be a stroke, cervical disk prolapse, or some other serious condition. After many tests and examinations he asked the doctor what the diagnosis was.The doctor told him that there we

Nov. 14, 2013

All generations of Koreans calcium deficient: report

All generations of Koreans, excluding infants, are lacking in their calcium intake, a report showed Thursday.Calcium deficiency is especially serious among teenagers and the elderly and the gaps are relatively wide between the sexes and income groups, according to a 2011 survey by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The average amount of dietary calcium was only 72 percent of the recommended level, the agency said. The daily recommended intake of calcium for adults is 700 millig

Nov. 14, 2013

User experience key to wearable devices

The head of a promising U.S. wearable device start-up said the most important factor in the era of wearable smart gadgets is user experience, not the integration of all the functions available on a smartphone. “It has to not only do what it’s designed to do really well, but it can’t make your life harder in any other way,” Aaron Grant, cofounder of Waterloo, Canada-based Thalmic Labs, a developer of motion control armband Myo, told The Korea Herald. “With some home automation smartphone apps, fo

Nov. 14, 2013

Samsung denies reports on 3-D printer business

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest electronics firm, denied news reports Thursday that it was poised to enter the 3-D printer market. “It is false information that Samsung has received any sample 3-D printer from a partner, and we have absolutely no plans to enter the 3-D printer business,” a Samsung official said. Some Korean news outlets reported that the Korean tech firm was planning to bring out a 3-D printer made by another manufacturer but with the Samsung name attached.Money Today s

Nov. 14, 2013

Photo shows mammal unseen for 15 years

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) ― A camera trap in a forest in central Vietnam has managed to snap a photo of one of Earth’s rarest mammals, the saola, which hadn’t been seen in 15 years.The antelope-like, long-horned ox appears to walk through dense foliage at the edge of the camera’s range in the image taken in September. Conservation group WWF released the image along with a statement.“This is a breathtaking discovery and renews hope for the recovery of the species,” Van Ngoc Thinh, WWF’s Vietnam directo

Nov. 14, 2013

Scientists warn of hot, sour, breathless oceans

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Greenhouse gases are making the world’s oceans hot, sour and breathless, and the way those changes work together is creating a grimmer outlook for global waters, according to a new report Wednesday from 540 international scientists.The world’s oceans are getting more acidic at an unprecedented rate, faster than at any time in the past 300 million years, the report said. But it’s how this interacts with other global warming impacts to waters that scientists say is getting them e

Nov. 14, 2013

Bird flu strain infects human

LONDON (AP) ― A strain of bird flu that scientists thought could not infect people has shown up in a Taiwanese woman, a nasty surprise that shows scientists must do more to spot worrisome flu strains before they ignite a global outbreak, doctors say.On a more hopeful front, a company on Wednesday reported encouraging results from its first human tests of a possible vaccine against a different type of bird flu that has been spreading through Asia since first appearing in China last spring that is

Nov. 14, 2013

S Korea, U.S. deepen ties on ICT sector

South Korea and the United States held an inaugural round of high-profile talks Wednesday aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation in the information and communication technology (ICT) field.The ICT Policy Forum is a fruit of summit talks between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington in May.The Park administration has concentrated efforts on boosting a creative economy."ROK (South Korea) and U.S. government and industry representatives held extensive

Nov. 14, 2013

Korea set to launch space observation satellite

South Korea is set to launch its first space observation satellite equipped with infrared light captors on Nov. 21, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Wednesday. The Science and Technology Satellite-3, or STSAT-3, which has been in development since 2006, has completed final tests and is now ready for launch from the Yasny base in Russia.It will share a Dnepr-1 rocket vehicle with about 20 other satellites, including Korean import DubaiSat-2 satellite. The final countdown is s

Nov. 13, 2013

Time ripe for Samsung Apple alliance

As the world’s leading tech companies, Samsung and Apple are labeled the largest technology enterprise and the most valued company, respectively. Naturally, the pair has had a heated rivalry, including an ongoing patent dispute. However, the time may have come for the two to set aside their differences and forge an alliance. Samsung Electronics president Shin Jong-kyun and Apple CEO Tim Cook are likely to have a face-to-face meeting over their ongoing patent disputes, news reports said on Wednes

Nov. 13, 2013

U.S. biotech firm eyes Korea as growing market

Life Technologies, a leading U.S. biotech firm, said that it sees Korea as an important growing market.It opened its new office on Tuesday in Gangnam, southern Seoul, by merging its distributors LSK and KDR Biotech in one central location. “We see the Asia-Pacific region and specifically Korea as a very important growing market. Korea has a stable government which is very much focused on developing biotechnology and biology,” said Joydeep Goswami, Life Technologies president for the Asia-Pacific

Nov. 13, 2013

U.S. biotech firm eyes Korea as growing market

Samsung, LG win CES best innovation awards

Korean tech behemoths Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics grabbed innovation awards at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014, the world’s biggest electronics trade show.In respective press releases, Samsung Electronics said it won 24 awards while its local rival LG claimed 15. Both companies won the Best of Innovations Award, which is given to those who have achieved the most breakthrough technological development and innovative design, for their TV products. Samsung won the accolade with its sm

Nov. 13, 2013

Samsung, LG win CES best innovation awards

LG G Pad gets glowing review in U.S.

A U.S online reviewer suggested that LG’s G Pad would be well received in the U.S. market.ZDnet reviewer Matthew Miller gave a 9.5 score out of 10 for the device, higher than the rating Samsung Galaxy Note received. Among other praise, Miller noted LG’s new gadget has a big screen yet can be held in one hand. According to the review, G Pad performs well for its price, and its features stand out from its competitors. G Pad comes with 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, which is more powerf

Nov. 13, 2013

N. Korea cites 'remarkable success' in trade zone with China

Destitute North Korea's move to jointly build a free trade zone with China has made a "remarkable success," a Pyongyang official said Wednesday, indicating that the North's nuclear standoff has not soured economic ties with Beijing. China has built "several industrial zones, modern-farming facilities and plants" at the free trade zone in North Korea's northeastern cities of Rajin and Sonbong, known as Rason, said Hwang Ik-hwan, a senior researcher at the North's foreign ministry-affiliated Insti

Nov. 13, 2013

iWatch to come in men’s, women’s sizes: DisplaySearch

Apple’s wearable iWatch is expected to come with a 1.7-inch OLED display for men’s watches and a 1.3-inch OLED screen for women, David Hsieh, DisplaySearch’s Vice President of the Greater China Market, said at a conference today in Taiwan, citing Apple sources. Apple has not officially announced the launch, but the iWatch ― Apple’s first wearable device ― is expected to be rolled out as early as the end of this year, given CEO Tim Cook’s latest remarks confirming new product categories. It is y

Nov. 13, 2013

iWatch to come in men’s, women’s sizes: DisplaySearch

Apple's new iPad mini goes on sale

Apple announced Tuesday it has begun selling its newly revamped iPad mini tablet with an enhanced "retina" display, for which it had not previously announced a firm launch date.Apple unveiled the new gadget on October 22 at the same time as its larger sibling, the iPad Air, but said the mini would be sold at an unspecified date in November.Apple is the largest single vendor of tablets although its market share has now slipped amid competition from rivals.Analysts say the lower-priced iPad mini a

Nov. 13, 2013