In an aim to change everyday life, three young entrepreneurs jumped into a start-up and recently launched their first product that could possibly do just that.The 3-D multi-touch controller called “Haptix” works similarly to technology in the movie “Minority Report,” in which detectives drag their fingers on a screen, zooming in and out. Haptix turns any flat surface into a control pad, which users can then use to control their computers, TV or any other device.“A change in how we interact with

TOKYO ― LINE Corp. on Wednesday said it is out for a larger share of the global mobile messenger market by offering new services that include free video calls.“LINE will not only serve as a communication channel but also play a role as a common language in the world,” said Akira Morikawa, chief executive officer of LINE, an affiliate of NHN, at the “Hello, Friends in Tokyo 2013” conference held in Tokyo this week.LINE currently offers free text messaging, voice calls and group chats both locally

A large number of local information, communications and technology companies ― mostly small and mid-sized contractors ― called on the government to help them gain an edge over their foreign counterparts.Science, ICT and Future Planning Minister Choi Mun-kee urged the companies to first secure quality and price competitiveness so they could get more government subsidies. “The government cannot (promote the entry) of companies with substandard quality or price competitiveness,” Choi said, adding t

LG Electronics, the world’s third largest smartphone maker, is poised to manufacture 500 prototypes of its new tablets starting in September from its Yantai assembly line in China, sources told The Korea Herald.Based on the prototypes, the company will aim to sell up to a monthly 100,000 units, they said. The current capacity has been set at around 200,000, indicating LG may increase shipments depending on demand. ``It is too early to reveal new tablet plans,'' Na Young-pil from LG Electronics s

Speculation about the next generation of iPhones coming in a wider spectrum of colors or in larger sizes is rife online, but it appears that the iPhone 6 will not abandon the legacy of late Steve Jobs to create phones that fit in the palm of the hand. Jobs once said that the 3.5-inch touchscreen was the perfect size for consumers. This may be why the Cupertino-based firm has added just half an inch to its iPhones since Jobs passed away in 2011.Sources close to Apple said whether it be the iPhone

Samsung Electronics has been seeking international talent for years in a bid to become global and innovative. Pankaj Agarwal, a manager of Samsung’s future innovation team, is a key talent among its 1,200 workers from around the world helping to drive innovation at the world’s largest tech firm.“Destiny and Samsung brought me to Korea nearly a decade ago after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2004,” Agarwal said. Before joining the world’s largest tech firm in 2006, h

Over the past 60 years, Korea has made massive economic progress from the rubble of the 1950-53 Korean War: Its GDP per capita grew from $67 in 1953 to $23,067 in 2012. The economic achievement has been attributed largely to growth of manufacturing businesses and their exports, led mostly by large conglomerates. In the early stages of economic development between 1948 and 1965, textiles, milling and sugar refining ― called the three “white industries” ― were promoted at government level. Then hi

Most of the smart gadgets developed and produced by the world’s most reclusive nation run on Google’s Android operating system, raising the question of why the nation chose to go with the system made by a firm based in its “arch enemy.” “Running other operation systems or developing its own for smart devices must have been difficult,” a market analyst said. “Since U.S. tech firms are not allowed to have business trade at the moment with North Korea, there might not have been many options to choo

Striving to boost the sales of their premium TVs, the world’s top two television makers are competing to slash prices, according to industry and company sources. LG said Sunday it would roll out 55- and 65-inch Ultra-HD TVs priced at 5.9 million won ($5,300) and 8.9 million won, down by 1.5 million won and 2 million won, respectively, compared to its premium lineups. Some features, including a sliding speaker that recedes when the TV is turned off and built-in cameras found in the proceeding pr

Though still fledgling, the 3-D printing business is garnering much attention from business and even political circles.U.S. President Barack Obama said 3-D printing had the potential “to revolutionize the way we make almost everything” in his State of the Union speech in February, and his administration has pledged to invest in the cutting-edge industry. Having sensed a promising future for the industry six years ago, a pioneering Korean 3-D printer manufacturer is now aiming to penetrate the wo

Google Korea’s managing director Yeum Dong-hoon, who has led the Internet giant’s Korean branch for seven years, will resign late this month, according to news reports. “Yeum has decided to step down this month, and Google is currently looking for his successor,” an official from the company was quoted as saying.The new manager could be picked among the existing members or come from outside the company, he added. It is said that the outgoing managing director had recently made the decision to ta

Samsung announced Tuesday that it would roll out the world’s first 3-D vertical NAND flash memory this month, claiming that the technology would end memory scaling problems.While the firm declined to comment, industry watchers predicted that Samsung would be applying its 3-D flash memory to its devices by as early as the end of this year. “Samsung will continue to keep the current 2-D flash memory production lines in operation for a while, but will eventually replace them with those for the 3-D

Samsung Group named Park Choong-heum, executive vice president of Samsung Engineering, to head the company after sacking Park Ki-seok for a recent water-tank blast incident, officials said.Three workers were killed and more than 12 people were injured when a 1,400-ton water tank burst at a Samsung Fine Chemicals plant last Friday.The exact cause of the accident is being investigated. (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)

Domestic TV manufactures could not help but express their deep frustration over the government’s lackluster posture on adopting new TV technology. Korea Communications Commission chief Lee Kyeong-jae reiterated Wednesday that it was too early to adopt the ultra high-definition technology in Korea. “The government will not rush to introduce the ultra high-definition broadcasting system,” said commissioner Lee a day after he came back from a week-long trip to the United States where he met Jessica

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Tuesday that from August next year, it would implement a mandatory labeling system for mobile handsets that informs the public on the specific absorption rate, or SAR, which indicates the amount of electromagnetic waves absorbed by the human body. The measure would be taken to dispel public concerns over the risks of the waves emitted from mobile phones, the ministry said. Mobile phones with an absorption rate of up to 0.8 watts per kilogram

Apple seemed to be losing steam as the world’s tech giant, posting disappointing sales figures in the second quarter for its flagship smartphone and tablet lineups.The number of iPads shipped in the April-June period this year dropped 14 percent on-year to 14.6 million, according to Strategy Analytics Tuesday, pulling down Apple’s market share in the tablet sector from 47.2 percent to 28.3 percent. This was the first time for the California-based firm to see its market share drop below 30 percen

NHN, the operator of Korea’s most popular search portal Naver, bowed to mounting public criticism Monday, saying it would seek co-prosperity with small and medium-sized market players.Speaking at a news conference, CEO Kim Sang-hun announced a road map to pave the way for a “fair” Internet business environment.“In recent days, we have pondered over what we have been missing and what we need to accept,” said CEO Kim, adding “Naver will do its utmost to cooperate and communicate with partners. Set

Mobile messenger LINE is sweeping Asian markets with its localized content. Line, developed by Korean internet giant NHN Corporation, has already become one of the dominant mobile messengers in Asia with the number of users marking 200 million as of July 21. The figure is expected to hit 300 million by the end of this year, according to NHN. It said that Japan, China, India and Thailand had driven the rapid growth of the mobile application. The mobile application now accounts for 44 percent of t

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Wednesday that it would seek to achieve a creative economy centered on the people and job creation in the latter half of this year. “The ministry invested 60 percent of its entire budget of 12 trillion won ($10 billion), and will put the rest into job creation in the latter half,” Cho Kyung-shik, a senior director at the ministry, said at a press briefing. The ministry explained that it would focus on installing incubator centers for start-up

Samsung Electronics new Galaxy S4, which uses Long Term Evolution-Advanced technology, has reinforced its lead in the market. Released in June, the latest in Samsung’s Galaxy series is the first phone in the world to allow users to experience the world’s fastest mobile Internet services. The release of the Galaxy S4 LTE-A reflects the world’s largest mobile phone maker’s position at the forefront of the smartphone market, and particularly in LTE models. It unveiled the Craft, the world’s first L