The unveiling of California-based Apple’s first smart watch, the Apple Watch, on Monday has spurred mixed market reactions with some saying the digital wristwatch failed to meet expectations while others said the wearable would create an ecosystem for smart watches. One thing for sure, according to many market analysts, is that competition will shift from mobile users’ hands to their wrists at a faster pace.Strategy Analytics forecast that global smartwatch shipments would grow around 510 percen

Many of Microsoft products and services, such as motion tracker Kinect and search engine Bing, share common ground as they are embedded with technologies developed by the firm’s research labs worldwide, which the firm called “the research empire on which the sun never sets.” In South Korea, Microsoft has also been pouring resources into supporting researchers in a variety of fields ranging from information technology to medical science for the past decade.Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of t

Han Sang-bum, the chief executive of LG Display, was appointed on Monday to head the Korea Display Industry Association, a group for display businesses in Korea. The KDIA announced Han’s nomination at a general meeting held earlier in the day in Seoul, where it also unveiled its results of projects in 2014 and business plans for this year.  Han Sang-bum. (KDIA)“Amid fierce competition in the global display industry, I feel responsible as well as challenged to lead the association,” said the LG D

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone-maker, recorded its lowest domestic net sales in eight years due mainly to its sluggish smartphone business and challenge posed by its rival Apple, according to an audit report Monday.The Korean tech giant said in the report that its net sales stood at 20.7 trillion won, down 9 percent on-year. Net sales is gross sales less profits earned through transactions with subsidiaries.The net sales of the Seoul-based firm had been rising since 2007 whe

BARCELONA, Spain ― Aside from running a social networking and mobile messaging service, Facebook is also a crusader of the Internet, encouraging Web firms, mobile carriers and device-makers to join an initiative to help bring the world, especially less-connected nations, online.A top official from Facebook said that handset-makers including Samsung Electronics deserve credit for the accomplishments so far in boosting the use of Internet around the world.“Handset manufacturers like Samsung play a

BARCELONA, Spain ― South Korean tech giant LG Electronics is looking to introduce a fingerprint sensor on its new flagship smartphone G4 in a bid to jump into the red-hot mobile payments market, according to multiple sources on Wednesday.“LG Electronics has recently decided to deploy a fingerprint sensor on its next flagship smartphone and the scanner will be placed at the back of the device,” said an industry source close to the matter, on condition of anonymity. He predicted that the sensor co

BARCELONA, Spain ― With early reviews gushing over Samsung’s new flagship smartphone Galaxy S6 and its Edge variant, keen attention is being paid to the novel curved display that is rounded on both sides. The curved design allows users to see alerts illuminating off a flat surface, even when the device is screen-side down. Users can also color-code specific contacts to know who is calling or texting by how the notifications flash. Opinions are still mixed about the functionality of the “dual-edg

BARCELONA, Spain ― CrucialTec, one of the world’s leading fingerprint sensor makers, is attracting attention at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the world’s largest mobile and communications trade show.“Since there are few biometric module makers competent enough to integrate solutions, hardware and packaging technology into fingerprint modules, many device-makers and some fingerprint sensor suppliers visit the company’s booth to discuss business collaboration,” CrucialTec CEO Char

BARCELONA, Spain ― Samsung Electronics, largely buoyed by a positive response to the dual-edge display of its new Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone, is considering adopting the unique styling to its other high-end models. The Korean tech giant unveiled the Galaxy S6 and its Edge variant on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry’s largest gathering of the year that runs through Thursday in the Catalan capital.The Edge, whose curved display wraps around the sides of the device, is espe

BARCELONA, Spain ― Top executives of global tech giants attending the Mobile World Congress are busy showcasing their companies’ new products and meeting with partners on the sidelines of the world’s leading mobile device fair.Samsung Electronics’ mobile business chief Shin Jong-kyun too has his hands full, with the latest smartphones Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge ― potential rivals to mega-hit iPhone 6 and 6 plus ― getting global attention.The CEO is also using the event to strengthen and broaden partn

BARCELONA, Spain -- Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone-maker by sales, finally unveiled its new flagship smartphones -- the S6 and its variant S6 edge -- in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, a day before the official kick-off of the Mobile World Congress, a global mobile and telecommunications trade show.Shin Jong-Kyun, the chief executive of Samsung Electronics’ mobile business unit, delivers a keynote speech at the tech giant’s annual Unpacked event in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday. (Sa

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone-maker, said Thursday that it has started mass production of an advanced storage memory chip for smartphones called universal flash storage memory.UFS memory chips, which comes in three storage capacities of 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB, has double the capacity of current internal flash memory chips used in smartphones. Samsung’s new 128 GB universal flash storage memory chips. (Samsung Electronics)“The increased smartphone storage thanks to the UFS

Tech giant LG Electronics said Thursday that it would unveil the world’s first Long Term Evolution-support smart watch at a mobile trade show next week, upping the ante against rivals Samsung and Apple.LG’s new standalone G Watch Urbane, to be showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona March 2-5, enables users to make calls on the Voice over LTE networks, which is currently available on LTE-based smartphones. LG Electronics’ G Watch Unbane, the world’s first smart watch that supports Vo

Charles Ahn, the chief executive of fingerprint module maker CrucialTec, is certain that his firm’s business will grow exponentially this year. He certainly had reasons to be confident during his interview with The Korea Herald earlier this month. Charles Ahn, the chief executive of biometric sensor developer CrucialTec. (CrucialTec)The Korean fingerprint module producer is anticipated to achieve a turnaround after suffering from three consecutive annual losses, and more than 10 business project

SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, said Wednesday it has successfully demonstrated a faster data transmission technology which utilizes existing bands for Long Term Evolution. The Korean telecom firm used the 4X4 Multiple-Input Multiple-Output technology developed by Nokia Networks and carrier aggregation which combine different bands to realize a 600 Mbps data transmission rate.The 4X4 MIMO utilizes four transmitting antennas and four receiving antennas for communication between

LG Uplus, South Korea’s third largest mobile carrier, said Monday that it has inked a supply deal for its smartphone mirroring system for automobiles, Car Link, in Saudi Arabia.The Car Link connects smartphones and car navigation systems, enabling drivers to utilize smartphone functions including surfing the Internet, and making calls, on the navigation systems.  LG Uplus officials pose with the smartphone mirroring solution for automobiles, Car Link, in Seoul on Monday. (LG Uplus)The smartphone

Samsung SDI, a leading energy solutions firm, said Monday that it had agreed to acquire the battery pack business of Magna International, a global automotive supplier.The acquisition is expected to enhance Samsung SDI’s capabilities in batteries for electric vehicles by combining its established leadership in battery cells and modules with Magna’s expertise in battery packs.Magna’s advanced technology for battery packs will also help Samsung SDI expand its customer base in the fast-growing autom

Samsung Electronics said Monday it has started mass producing the world’s first 14-nanometer mobile application processor. It hopes the latest chip technology will give the Korean tech giant a competitive edge over rivals such as U.S.-based Qualcomm.According to the company, Samsung's new Exynos 7 Octa has 20 percent more processing power and spends 35 percent less electricity than 20-nanometer processors that have thus far been widely used in the mobile chip market.The latest chip technology al

Concerns are rising in business circles after a group of lawmakers vowed to push for legislation to confiscate profits made through breach of trust or embezzlement, an apparent move to deal a blow to Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, his family members, and former and incumbent executives.Rep. Park Young-sun of the main opposition National Politics Alliance for Democracy and 69 lawmakers including two from the ruling party said they would propose the so-called “Lee Hak-soo bill.”The business communi

Daum Kakao, South Korea’s leading Web portal and mobile messenger operator, said Thursday that it would make full-fledged efforts this year to increase its presence in the highly competitive mobile platform sector at home and abroad.“In this highly competitive business environment, Daum Kakao will have to make bold investments in new services in the next two years rather than to increase returns to shareholders,” said Choi Se-hoon, the cochief executive of the Internet giant, participating in a