Major Korean smartphone makers and telecommunications companies, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom and KT, are all set to show off their latest technology at the Mobile World Congress 2014.The world’s largest mobile trade show will begin on Monday (local time) in Barcelona, Spain, for a four-day run. Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest mobile manufacturer, is expected to unveil its long-awaited flagship smartphone Galaxy S5, along with wearable products including the

Technology Feb. 23, 2014

Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jay-yong is frantically seeking support from its global partners before unveiling his firm’s Galaxy S5 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month.The vice chairman and Larry Page, CEO of Google, met late last month to discuss their relationship, but both firms expressed discomfort with each other’s position, according to The Information, a tech news publication.This was mainly due to Google’s move to restrict its partner from tailoring i

Technology Feb. 14, 2014

LG Electronics unveiled its G Pro 2 on Thursday, its latest effort to gain traction in the smartphone market against rival Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 3. The G Pro 2 is a phablet sporting a 5.9-inch screen, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, 3 GB DDR3 RAM and a 3,200 mAh battery. Running on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, LG’s latest handset is equipped with Qualcomm’s 2.26 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, which was also utilized on the

Technology Feb. 13, 2014

Amid the mounting rumors about the upcoming unveiling event from Samsung Electronics later this month, fresh speculation surfaced on Tuesday that Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. would both roll out bezel-free phones that support fingerprint scanning for their next-generation flagship models ― the Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6. An industry source said Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S5 would sport a display without a bezel, or the rim surrounding a screen, and allow users to scan their fingerprints a

Technology Feb. 11, 2014

Despite the enormous amounts of money it spends each year on research and development, Samsung Electronics is at a loss for “the next big thing” to follow up its Galaxy lineup, analysts said.What’s more, the buzz over Samsung phones has been dying down over the years, and the hype over what its upcoming Galaxy S5 will look like is nothing like the attention the earlier Galaxy S models received.“Samsung will face headwinds if it fails to show innovation with the Galaxy S5 despite a vast amount of

Technology Feb. 9, 2014

The Seoul High Court turned down Thursday an inheritance suit against Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee lodged by his elder brother Maeng-hee, upholding a lower court’s previous ruling in favor of the younger Lee. “The court judged that the plaintiff (and other siblings) implicitly agreed on (Samsung chairman) Lee’s inheritance of shares in Samsung Group affiliates including Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Electronics since they did not file any complaint about it for a long period of time,” said

Technology Feb. 6, 2014

Contrary to recent news reports of solar-powered smart watches, Apple has confirmed that it will stick with lithium-ion batteries for its upcoming iWatch. These batteries are to be supplied mainly by Samsung SDI, LG Chem and Tianjin Lishen Battery, according to industry sources.This means the local manufacturers would be providing products for Samsung’s largest rival. “Apple will utilize LG Chem’s stepped battery since it offers better longevity than others and can be applied for different shape

Technology Feb. 4, 2014

Technology Jan. 21, 2014

After California-based Apple spearheaded fingerprint sensors last year, Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone maker, is poised to feature the sensors in its upcoming smartphone, the Galaxy S5.“Among the different types of biometric sensors that Samsung is testing for its Galaxy S5, the tech giant will go for fingerprint authentication rather than unintuitive user experience of iris recognition,” said an industry source who declined to be named. “Who would want to put their handset

Technology Jan. 19, 2014

Camera module maker Haesung Optics, which supplies lens and camera modules to Samsung Electronics, will make inroads into the 3-D camera and retina recognition businesses in an effort to secure a new income source beyond its core smartphone parts. “After having meetings with officials from global firms such as General Motors, General Electric and Nokia at the CES, it became clear which directions Haesung should take down the road,” Yi Jason, managing director of Haesung Optics, told The Korea He

Technology Jan. 15, 2014

LAS VEGAS ― Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, organizer of the International CES, said the support of the Korean government made it possible to plan an event attended by the world’s most innovative companies. “The South Korean government has clearly invested as a national policy in broadband Internet, and has a legal structure which encourages the formation of companies which are innovative,” said the president at a press meeting held last week during t

Technology Jan. 12, 2014