Korea has seen a major shift to smartphones for internet activities over the last five years, with a corresponding decrease in the use of desktop PCs, according to government data Friday.A study by the Ministry of Science and ICT showed that between 2012 and 2017, the proportion of households that owned smartphones rose from 65 percent to 94.1 percent, while those that owned computers dropped from 82.3 percent to 74.7 percent, with a 20.1 percentage point drop in desktop PC ownership.Part of the

Wireless carriers LG Uplus and SK Telecom are using their latest technologies in artificial intelligence and the internet of things to help those with disabilities.According to LG Uplus on Thursday, the company donated 500 AI assistant speakers to families including visually impaired people.  A SK Telecom employee helps a physically impaired person to operate the Smart Home system on a smartphone (SK Telecom)The speakers use U+ Our Home AI, a service launched by LG Uplus and Naver last year that

SK Telecom said Wednesday that it is preparing to launch a new music platform service within the year in collaboration with major K-pop labels.Together with K-pop agencies S.M. Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and Big Hit Entertainment, SKT will be creating a music platform utilizing its strengths in artificial intelligence, 5G networking and blockchain technology, the company said. (From left) Jung Wook, CEO of JYP Entertainment, Bang Si-hyuk, CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, Noh Jong-won, head of

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday decided on its first-ever stock split by lowering the face value of its stocks from 5,000 won ($4.70) to 100 won, a move that would increase the number of common stocks and liquidity, with the aim of improving long-term corporate value.The surprise decision, made in sync with the firm’s announcement of record highs in sales and operating profits in the fourth quarter of 2017, was immediately met with a jump in the company’s stock price. Samsung Electronics’ headq

Samsung Electronics has decided on a 50:1 stock split, expanding its issued shares from 128.4 million to 6.4 billion shares, according to a filing Wednesday.The stock split will be up for a vote at the regular shareholders‘ meeting scheduled for Mar. 23. (Yonhap)The 50:1 split means that a share worth 5,000 won, for example, would be split into fifty 100-won shares. This increases the number of shares while lowering stock prices to encourage more investors to buy shares in the company. “The Boar

 진행자: 원호정, Anita Mckay1. 평창올림픽에 동원된 최신 로봇기사 요약: 평창올림픽에 최신 로봇들이 동원된다. 공항에서 길을 안내하는 로봇부터 음료를 서빙하는 로봇까지, 평창올림픽에서 만날 수 있는 로봇들에 대해 알아본다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Korean robots to add high-tech spin to Olympic Winter Games[1] Athletes, staff and spectators making their way to PyeongChang this winter will have plenty to see in between the Olympic Games, with the latest robots from South Korea roa

Samsung Electronics is working to strengthen its presence in India’s smartphone market after losing the No. 1 spot in the country to Chinese phone maker Xiaomi in 2017.According to data from Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi overtook Samsung for the first time in smartphone market share in the fourth quarter of 2017, ending Samsung’s six-year run in the top spot. Counterpoint Research put Xiaomi’s market share in the last quarter at 25 percent, and Samsung’s at 23 percent. The surge for Xiaomi came

Apple‘s long-awaited first brick-and-mortar store in Korea opened to much fanfare on Saturday, with hundreds of Apple fans braving the biting cold overnight to be one of the first to enter.On Monday afternoon, the store was still packed with visitors, testing out phones and tablets or trying on various smartphone watch straps. The air was abuzz with excitement, with more than a dozen employees in matching navy shirts wandering around the store to help customers with questions and purchases.While

Startups being incubated by Samsung‘s C-Lab turned heads at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, receiving offers for investments and further development, according to reports Sunday.At CES this year, Samsung’s C-Lab unveiled three new projects working on innovations in audio, health recovery and vision enhancement. S-Ray is a directional sound system that allows users to privately enjoy audio without having the sound spread to their surrounding environments. Unlike previous directional s

Korea‘s top two smartphone manufacturers are set to reveal new models at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, with industry watchers keeping an eye on rollouts of new innovations in camera and artificial intelligence technology.As for the core functions of the phones, both companies seem to be focused on keeping the essentials from their previous models rather than completely overhauling their designs for MWC, they said.Samsung’s head of mobile Koh Dong-jin confirmed at th

LG Electronics kicked off this year’s battle in the market for premium air conditioners equipped with artificial intelligence by introducing its 2018 LG Whisen ThinQ air conditioner at a media event Thursday.“The Whisen ThinQ air conditioner has evolved to an air conditioner that can see, hear, think and speak,” said Song Dae-hyun, president of home appliance and air solutions at LG. Song Dae-hyun (left), president of LG Electronics’ home appliance and air solutions, introduces the 2018 LG Whise

Apple’s first brick-and-mortar branch in Korea is finally set to open on Jan. 27, but the long-awaited store may have kept consumers waiting just a little too long.　“I‘m happy the Apple Store is coming to Korea, for sure. But I don’t really see the point of them coming now after all these years of ignoring Korean consumers’ requests for an offline store,” said 30-year-old Choi Soo-yeon, a longtime iPhone user in Seoul. An online announcement for Apple Garosugil on Apple Korea’s website (Apple Ko

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled its special Olympics edition of the Galaxy Note 8. The company will deliver over 4,000 devices to all Olympians as well as officials for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. The edition features shiny white glass at the back, with gold Olympic rings. (Samsung)

KT has opened a drone center on the island of Imjado in South Jeolla Province to help locals learn how to operate drones for agricultural use, the company said Tuesday.According to KT, the company and Community Chest of Korea have partnered to fund the KT Giga Island Drone Center since last July, at locals’ request. Students learn to operate drones at the KT Giga Island Drone Center on Imjado, South Jeolla Province. (KT)The foremost goal is to teach residents to use drones for agricultural use. 

Environmental changes such as increased fine dust in the air are causing a surge in the Korean dryer market, as consumers shift away from air drying their laundry to relying more on machines.“As recently as 2016, the entire dryer market in Korea was only about 100,000 units,” said an official with LG Electronics, which has recently seen a spike in its dryer sales. “That market grew to 600,000 units last year, and this year industry estimates say that the market can grow up to 1 million units.” S

Samusng SDI is showcasing its latest battery technologies for electric vehicles at the North American International Auto Show 2018 in Detroit this week, the company said Monday.Under the overarching theme of “Future Starts Today,” the company is presenting battery technologies, such as rapid-charging batteries, multifunctional module packs and low height battery cells. Various battery models are showcased by Samsung SDI at the North American International Auto Show 2018. (Samsung SDI)Focusing on

KT has applied technology to allow extended use of smartphone batteries during voice calls for the nationwide LTE network for the first time here, the company said Monday.This is an expansion of connected mode discontinuous reception, or C-DRX, technology, used for internet data to be applied to voice calls. KT first adopted C-DRX for data in the LTE network early last year. When a user is receiving and sending data through the LTE network, data is not sent continuously but in intervals. C-DRX r

Samsung Electronics’ washing machines took home honors at the Best of Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2018 awards for their smart technology and customizable operations, the company said Friday.Samsung’s front load washer with QuickDrive took home the new Smart Home Technology award for its artificial intelligence-based Q-rator function. Samsung's Front Load Washer with QuickDrive (left), FlexWash+FlexDry (Samsung)The Q-rator assistant function includes the Laundry Planner, which recommends a was

Korea’s main gateway airport held a grand opening ceremony Friday for its second passenger terminal, set to open to the public on Thursday, three weeks ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.President Moon Jae-in gives a congratulatory address at the grand opening ceremony of Incheon Airport’s second terminal Friday. (Yonhap)President Moon Jae-in and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee, along with Incheon Airport‘s honorary spokesmodels, figure skater Kim Yu-na and actor Song Joong-ki, attended th

LG Electronics has invested 9 billion won ($8.46 million) in a local robotics company, the firm said Friday.The electronics firm acquired 19,231 shares of Robotis, a Korean robot development company, obtaining a 10.12 percent stake.According to LG, the investment is intended to speed up advancement in LG‘s robot business, which the company hopes will become a future engine for growth.(Yonhap)Robotis was established in 1999 and produces hardware such as control equipment and sensor modules as wel