4:33 Creative Lab, a top South Korean mobile game designer, has joined hands with two of the world’s largest mobile messenger firms, Tencent and Line Corp., in its effort to foray into the international market. Announcing that it had successfully attracted funds from the mobile messenger operators, the Seoul-based mobile game company said Monday that it would become a global powerhouse in the game designing market. “With the latest investment, 4:33 has secured reliable partners, Tencent and Line

Technology Nov. 10, 2014

SK Group, the nation’s third-largest conglomerate, announced the detailed plans to support the government’s “creative economy” initiative. “SK will create a task force for the creative economy under the wing of the SUPEX Council committee, the top decision-making body of SK. The group also plans to open innovation centers nationwide in an effort to drive the creative economy,” the conglomerate said in a press release Sunday.SK Telecom CEO Ha Sung-min will head the new task force.SK Telecom’s hea

Business Nov. 9, 2014

South Korean display and TV producers, including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which maintain a firm grip on the global market, will face daunting challenges from Chinese rivals in the coming years, according to market analysts. “Chinese panel manufacturers are making aggressive investments including building new factories. A competitive edge built in the Chinese panel industry will also boost the Chinese TV businesses,” said Jusy Hong, principal analyst of market research institute IH

Technology Nov. 7, 2014

Samsung Electronics’ next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, will sport a “dual-edge” display, according to an analyst.“The Galaxy S6 to be released next year will feature a ‘dual-edged’ screen which is curved on the right and left sides,” said Jerry Kang, senior analyst of IHD Technology, at the IHS Display Analyst Conference Thursday. The company had been well aware of possible complaints about the curved display featured only on the right hand side of the Galaxy Note Edge before the release

Technology Nov. 6, 2014

Mobile messengers have been all the rage ever since the advent of smartphones while PC messengers, on the other hand, have gone downhill. South Korean mobile messenger operators, however, are turning to PCs to complement their existing mobile services and generate additional profit.VCNC, which operates Between, a mobile messenger for couples, is the latest South Korean mobile messenger firm to roll out a PC version of a mobile messaging app.“The PC application aims to capture the eight-hour peri

Technology Nov. 5, 2014

TAIPEI ― Asia will emerge as the hub of software development in the mobile world, replacing traditional powerhouses like the U.S., said Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt.“It should be possible for the next generation of software companies to emerge from Asia and they could transform from a regional champion to a global champion,” he said in a video conference at the Mobile First World, a global media conference, held in Taipei, Taiwan Tuesday.  (from top) Chris Yerga, Eric Schmidt (Bloomber

Technology Nov. 4, 2014

Samsung Electronics is said to be investing in virtual reality game developers to boost its fledgling VR business amid sluggish smartphone sales, industry sources said.The South Korean tech giant’s move comes as it needs to create an ecosystem for the Samsung Gear VR, which could be released as early as next month, by financially supporting and encouraging software developers to make game content.“Samsung is making investment in game companies with great ideas and content for the headset,” said

Technology Nov. 4, 2014

With the rise of smart energy technologies ranging from smart bulbs to smart grids, nontraditional energy companies, especially from the information communication and technology sector, are increasingly turning their attention toward the energy market.Among those trying to gain a foothold in the energy market is LG Corp., which has a range of businesses including home appliances and electronics parts under its wing.The conglomerate’s electronics, battery and chemical business affiliates showed o

Technology Oct. 31, 2014

Principal Awards/Gold PrizeLG ElectronicsI would like to express my deepest gratitude to The Korea Herald and consumers for having selected the advertisement for the LG DIOS Refrigerator featuring a water-and-ice dispenser as one of the winners of the paper’s 2014 Advertising Awards. Since the release of the refrigerator models that were equipped with the dispenser in 2013, LG Electronics has been rolling out a variety of models, including the bottom-freezer refrigerator, which was exceptionally

Technology Oct. 30, 2014

The worldwide craze over the new iPhones will hit the South Korean market on Friday when the iPhone 6 and its variant the 6 Plus go on sale here. This time, the so-called iPhone effect will have a more significant impact on the Korean smartphone market than ever, according to industry watchers. The first round of preorders was filled last Friday by the mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus in less than 30 minutes.It is estimated that the total number of preorders will reach at least 80,000

Technology Oct. 29, 2014

BUSAN ― Robert Pepper, vice president of U.S. networking firm Cisco’s global technology policy team, urged companies to stay vigilant so as not to get left behind in the Internet of Everything era.“You have to challenge and disrupt yourself, as the technology market moves very fast and the customers are always looking for the next thing (in the IoE era),” he said. “If you don’t disrupt yourself, somebody else will disrupt you.”He forecast that the total value of the Internet of Things would reac

Technology Oct. 28, 2014

ARM, a U.K-based chip designer, said Tuesday that tech companies should strive to design products that make use of complex technology such as semiconductors simple and easy to use. Simplicity will further spur tech firms to make a leap into the upper echelons of the industry.“State-of-the-art technology is hidden and invisible but is certainly leading the industry,” said Antonio Viana, president of ARM’s commercial and global development, in his keynote speech at the ARM Tech Symposium 2014 in S

Technology Oct. 28, 2014