Korean smartphone maker LG Electronics said Saturday it will update its two smartphones G4 and V10 with the latest operating system.“We plan to offer the upgrade of the operating system with Android 7.0 for the V10 in the second half of this year and for the G4 in the third quarter,” the company said in its statement.  V10 smartphones in a photo provided by LG Electronics Co. (Yonhap)The schedule applies to phones sold in South Korea. Consumers in the global market will be informed later.The G4,

South Korea’s chipmaker SK Hynix may join hands with Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn to acquire a chip unit of Toshiba, industry watchers said. Toshiba could sell 100 percent of its chip unit to offset the massive loss at its US nuclear power plant construction business -- instead of the initial plan of selling a 19.9 percent stake, according to Nikkei Asian Review. This may reap a profit of more than $8.7 billion from the sale.This has made things trickier for SK Hynix, whose cash assets are far f

BARCELONA -- The four day journey of this year’s biggest tech event, the World Mobile Congress, wrapped up on Thursday, attracting 110,000 visitors from around the world to see the latest technologies and solutions presented by 2,200 companies. This year’s MWC in Barcelona, Spain, showed how companies have moved forward from a year ago, and gave a clearer shape to 5G-enabled devices. While the MWC in 2016 focused on the speed of 5G, this week’s event showcased how new services can be realized ba

BARCELONA -- Shaking off their copycat reputation, Chinese tech firms are enjoying a growing presence at this week’s Mobile World Congress, previously dominated by Korean and Japanese companies.This year, five Chinese handset makers Huawei, Oppo, TCL, Lenovo and ZTE joined the exhibition at Hall 3, the main MWC area where Samsung, LG and Nokia are also located. The Chinese firms’ rapid advancement was prominent even before the tech congress kicked off Monday. When Huawei launched its new smartph

BARCELONA -- Artificial intelligence that made headlines last year with Google’s AlphaGo is again in the spotlight at Mobile World Congress by being integrated into daily routines through handsets, robots and cars. Tech firms showcased their latest gadgets at the MWC, which kicked off with the keynote speaker SoftBank Group chief executive Masayoshi Son saying, “Artificial intelligence will be smarter than the human brain within 30 years.”LG Electronics moved into the limelight at this year’s te

BARCELONA -- LG Electronics, in its newest attempt to seize the global smartphone market, is choosing fundamentals over “unnecessary” innovation, its chief said Monday.　“(The) LG smartphone has so far targeted a niche market for a minority of enthusiasts. However, as the smartphone market has become more mature, it is becoming hard to make new innovation,” LG Electronics chief Jo Seong-jin told reporters Monday at Mobile World Congress, which kicked off in Barcelona on the same day. 　“Instead of

BARCELONA -- It looks like a tiny ride at an amusement park: a rider wearing three-dimensional goggles is shaken upside down, left and right, while bound to a chair.What may appear amusing and even a little funny to bystanders is actually an incredible journey for the user who is experiencing a simulated world of space, made real by virtual reality.The ride named Astro Ship by Samsung Electronics is one of the most sought-after rides at the Mobile World Congress held this week in Barcelona, Spai

BARCELONA -- Technical finesse, practicality and sincerity seem to be the main elements that LG Electronics are betting on for its new flagship smartphone, the G6, which the tech giant hopes will bring a long-sought-after turnaround in its handset business. Looking to continue the hype created by its unveiling of the phone Sunday, LG’s mobile chief held a press conference, expressing his confidence that the new device would record strong sales and stressing its focus on the basics.LG Electronics

BARCELONA -- The biggest tech event of the year, the Mobile World Congress 2017, kicked off Monday in Barcelona, Spain. With the theme of “The Next Element,” around 2,200 tech firms are showcasing their new devices and technologies to the estimated 100,000 visitors during the four-day event. With Apple not joining the MWC as in previous years and Samsung delaying the launch of the Galaxy S8, this year’s event started off with less hype, though it also offered more opportunities for rivals to ste

IT and communications industry officials walk around to register for the Mobile World Congress 2017 at the Fira Gran Via Exhibition Center in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday. (Yonhap)BARCELONA -- With the theme of “The next element,” Mobile World Congress 2017 kicks off Monday, with around 2,200 tech firms showcasing their new devices and technologies. The biggest trends of MWC, one of the more highly anticipated tech events that happens every year in Barcelona, Spain, is likely to be artificial int

BARCELONA -- A slew of high-profile gadgets and solutions by Korean tech giants -- Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom and KT -- are ready to grab attention at the Mobile World Congress 2017, which kicks off Monday for a four-day run. Models experience virtual reality through Samsung Electronics’ Gear VR at the VR 4D Experiential Zone at the company’s booth for the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona on Sunday. (Samsung Electronics)Samsung ElectronicsThe Galaxy S8 is not making a

Torsten Valeur, CEO of David Lewis Designers (LG Electronics)LG Electronics’ upcoming flagship smartphone G6 was praised by the head of Danish design studio David Lewis Designers, the Korean tech firm said Wednesday. Torsten Valeur, the CEO of David Lewis Designers, described his first impression of the G6 as a smartphone with an expansive screen and small, beautiful rounded corners, LG said citing its interview with the top designer.Valeur said, “(The G6 is) the ideal fusion of the beautiful sh

Korean tech firms are set to unveil new solutions at the upcoming Mobile World Congress that opens on Feb. 27 in Barcelona, Spain.The nation’s largest tech firm Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it will showcase some Creative Lab projects related to virtual-reality technologies during the event. Creative Lab is a project Samsung created to foster startups within the company, with the aim of spreading a creative organizational culture and exploring new ideas. The project deals with areas ranging f

LG Electronics is sometimes incessantly posed questions from outsiders as to why it holds on -- so fervently -- to its money-losing smartphone business. For the tech giant, smartphones are more than just a number, they are key to the new mobility era.However, the books look far from rosy. LG Electronics’ handset unit has suffered operating losses for seven straight quarters, with a cumulative operating loss of 1.2 trillion won ($1.05 billion) last year alone.Experts say the situation may not tur

Italian luger Dominik Fischnaller won the men's singles title at an International Luge Federation (FIL) competition here on Sunday.Fischnaller had a combined time of 1 minute, 37.229 seconds to finish first among 32 lugers in the men's singles race at the FIL Luge World Cup in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul. He beat Andi Langhenhan of Germany by 0.149 second to earn his second World Cup win of the season. Third place went to Samuel Edney of Canada who had 1:37.6

South Korean Jang Ha-na rallied to pick up her fourth career LPGA Tour victory in Australia on Sunday.Jang fired a four-under 69 in the final round, with three birdies and an eagle on the back nine alone, to capture the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open in Adelaide.Jang finished at 10-under 282 for the tournament, beating Nanna Madsen of Denmark by three strokes for her first win in 2017.Jang began the final round tied for seventh place at six-under, four strokes behind the leader Lizette Salas

Special prosecutors on Sunday requested an arrest warrant against a former senior presidential secretary involved in an influence-peddling scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her confidante.Woo Byung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, is accused of aiding and abetting Choi Soon-sil, Park's friend of 40 years, in meddling in state affairs and disrupting a special presidential inspector's investigation into the scandal.Woo Byung-woo leaves the special prosecut

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong appeared for the second day of questioning by a special counsel team Sunday, two days after his arrest made headlines here and abroad, with the conglomerate vowing business as usual despite the leadership vacuum.The special prosecutors investigating the Choi Soon-sil scandal are expected to continue questioning Lee until Feb. 28, when the team’s term is due to end.The team reportedly focused on the allegations that Lee gave some 43 billion won ($36.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was summoned again by the special prosecution team investigating the Choi Soon-sil scandal Saturday, his first summons since he was arrested on Friday morning. At 2:20 p.m., the Samsung heir-apparent, wearing a black suit, white shirt and a prison number on his left chest, arrived at the special prosecution team’s office by police van. With a stern facial expression, Lee, his hands tied together with rope, did not answer any questions asked by repor

Shareholders of US auto parts supplier Harman International approved the company’s merger with Samsung Electronics Friday. According to a regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, 70.78 percent of Harman’s common shares were represented at the shareholders meeting-- 49,460,322 out of a total of 69,883,605 shares – either by shareholders or through proxies. The voting result was 46,921,832 shares in favor and 2,107,178 shares against, with 431,312 abstentions. Samsung Elec