The Korea Herald

Top Samsung Electronics execs to gather next month

Samsung Electronics’ top executives from around the world will gather in Korea next month to participate in meetings to discuss next year’s business strategies, company officials said on Tuesday.“The executives will look back on the achievements made in the latter half of this year and discuss business strategies (for) next year,” a Samsung official said. Around 600 executives from business units at home and abroad will attend the meetings at Samsung’s business sites in Suwon and Giheung, both i

Technology Nov. 26, 2013

Domestic smartphone market remains stagnant

Despite the release of flagship handsets by major smartphone makers in recent months, the Korean smartphone market posted stagnant sales for a fourth consecutive month, according to market analysts.The total shipment volume of smartphones in October stood at 1.5 million, slightly up from 1.4 million last month, but the figure shows little change from those in August and July at around 1.5 million units, market sources said Thursday. They said customers did not respond strongly to attempts to sti

Technology Nov. 21, 2013

IBM betting big on cognitive technology

General manager Shirley Yu-Tsui of IBM Korea, believes Korean firms could become more competitive in the local market as well as in the global market with the values created with the help of IBM’s cognitive computing systems. “In the new era of computing, you really need to come up with the cognitive system that really learns from itself to make some sense or extract insights out of unstructured data,” Yu-Tsui said at a recent press conference. With the insight, CEOs can make decisions, create a

Technology Nov. 20, 2013

LG to release G Pad tablet in more overseas markets

LG Electronics plans to ship its flagship tablet G Pad to more markets to boost its sagging sales of the device in time for the year-end shopping season. LG’s G Pad 8.3 tablet is expected to hit 50 markets around the world including Japan, Canada and Brazil by the end of this year, according to news reports. Currently, the tablet PC is available at major retailers in 20 countries, including Best Buy in the United States, Euronics in Italy and others in France and Britain.Experts see the latest m

Industry Nov. 20, 2013

[Newsmaker] More join efforts to create part-time jobs

More companies are jumping on the bandwagon to hire contract-based part-time workers, apparently in line with the government’s policy to boost the nation’s employment.Shinsegae, operator of the nation’s biggest department store, first stepped up to the plate as it announced earlier this year that it would hire around 2,000 part-time workers for its businesses including retail store Emart and its department stores across the nation. Other retail firms including CJ Group also followed suit by hiri

Industry Nov. 19, 2013

[Newsmaker] More join efforts to create part-time jobs

Samsung expected to release 64-bit smartphone

Samsung Electronics and ARM, a mobile application processor designer, fine-tuned their plan to equip the upcoming Galaxy S5 smartphone with a 64-bit processor, sources said on Tuesday. “Executives from Samsung and ARM had a meeting today. They discussed the ARM 64-bit chip, which is expected to be used in Samsung’s smartphone next year,” said a senior manager from the U.K.-based firm.He added that “Cortex-M processors, which are used for products in the smart home system, might have been on the

Technology Nov. 19, 2013

Crash spurs concerns over helicopters run by firms

The exact cause of the weekend crash of an LG-owned helicopter into an apartment building in Seoul is still unknown, but criticism is mounting against the firm for operating the chopper in poor weather conditions. The bone of contention is whether LG Electronics had forced the pilots to make the pick-up at Jamsil, or they made the decision on their own. In either case, however, LG will not be able to avoid criticism that it had chosen convenience over safety, industry watchers said. The U.S.-mad

Industry Nov. 17, 2013

Crash spurs concerns over helicopters run by firms

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

Technology 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

Technology Nov. 14, 2013

Sony Korea unveils new hybrid laptop

Sony unveiled on Tuesday a laptop-tablet hybrid computer in the hopes of becoming a trend setter in the Korean market. “The VAIO Fit multi-flip PC will become the new standard for premium laptop manufacturers, and we will allow customers to experience a whole new computing environment,” Sony Korea CEO Kenji Sakai said at an unveiling event in Seoul. Featuring a hinge in the middle of the back cover, which enables the screen to flip over, the latest product switches between laptop, tablet and vie

Technology Nov. 12, 2013

KT accepts CEO Lee’s resignation

KT, the nation’s second-largest mobile carrier, said on Tuesday that its board of directors had accepted CEO Lee Suk-chae’s letter of resignation. In his statement, Lee said, “I would like to express my gratitude to the directors present here today for the meeting, and executives and officials who have made relentless efforts in a harsh environment for the firm. I also want to thank the customers and shareholders who have given love and care to KT.” Pyo Hyun-myung, president of KT’s telecommunic

Industry Nov. 12, 2013

U.N. Global Compact Korea chief promotes CSR activities

Lee Seung-han, head of the U.N. Global Compact Korea, urged private companies to step up their corporate social responsibility activities. At the Global CSR Conference 2013 on Tuesday, Lee, who is also chairman of retail giant Homeplus, said, “Companies should incorporate CSR activities into their management strategies to promote sustainable development.”The UNGC is a framework committed to dealing with negative effects of economic activities including those related to human rights, labor, envir

Nov. 12, 2013

U.N. Global Compact Korea chief promotes CSR activities

Samsung to push for more M&As for growth

Samsung Electronics will push for more mergers and acquisitions and increase its presence in health care and smart car industries for future growth, top executives said on Wednesday.The world tech giant held Samsung Analyst Day 2013 to share its future mid- and long-term strategies with around 400 investors, analysts and officials from the IT industry -- the first forum of its kind in eight years.“Convergence (among technologies in different industries) is occurring right now, but not enough. We

Technology Nov. 6, 2013

Smartphone launcher Buzzpia eyes overseas market

Competition to dominate the homescreens of smartphones is heating up as new Android interface-based customized services emerge in the market.Market analysts forecast that those who dominate smartphones’ homescreens will be able to jockey for position in the mobile era. Jay Seo, CEO of Buzzpia, hopes to get everyone around the world talking about the launcher developed by his firm, Buzz Launcher.“The first target market will be the United States. Success in the nation is especially important sinc

Technology Nov. 6, 2013

Smartphone launcher Buzzpia eyes overseas market

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics opens 100th store in China

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corp. has opened its 100th store in China, having first entered the market in July, company officials said Monday.At the opening ceremony for the store held in the city of Hangzhou on Saturday, the Korean electronics firm also unveiled new home appliances including the Classe Cube, a three-door refrigerator with space to store tea leaves, which has been specifically designed for Chinese consumers. Around 200 officials from the Chinese electronics industry participated i

Technology Nov. 4, 2013

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics opens 100th store in China

Articles by Kim Young-won