Smartphone giant Samsung Electronics is increasing its research and development efforts on drones by applying for multiple patents in the United States, according to the industry on Friday. Samsung was issued a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday on a new design of a drone the company is assumed to be developing. A design of a possible drone by Samsung Electronics (USPTO)The patent, which was filed in January 2017, shows an ornamental design for a drone that resembles a hel

A South Korean law firm representing more than 60,000 consumers filed a lawsuit against US tech giant Apple Inc. and its local branch for intentionally slowing down older iPhones.Hannuri Law said it filed the suit at the Seoul Central District Court on behalf of 63,767 iPhone users. It marked the largest number of participants for a single lawsuit.Local consumers have been demanding compensation from Apple after the company acknowledged last year that its operating software updates intentionally

Samsung Electronics Co. registered two patents related to drones with the United States Patent and Trademark Office this month, industry sources said Friday, a sign that the South Korean tech giant may move into the segment in the near future.According to sources, Samsung won patents related to the design of drones on March 13 and 27 from the USPTO. Numerous tech companies have been speeding up the development of smart drones by utilizing artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologi

Kakao, operator of the nation’s top mobile messenger service KakaoTalk, will introduce its new Kakao Melon music platform to be infused into its chat rooms, the company said Thursday. Kakao Melon will offer various ways for customers to enjoy listening to shared music, gifting songs and expressing themselves with music while chatting with friends. The latest music platform provides customers an experience that goes beyond simply listening to music and caters to customers’ sharing of a whole vari

LG CNS has been selected as the most preferred bidder for a 2.2 billion won ($2.1 million) project to outline technological infrastructure for a next-generational e-procurement system by the Public Procurement Service, according to the firm Thursday.Through the bid, the information technology arm of LG Corp. will be engaged in a project for information strategy planning, a first step to revamp the state-run e-procurement system, locally dubbed “Nara Jangteo.”  A screenshot of "Nara Jangteo," Kor

South Korean electronics giant Samsung will build a research and development center for artificial intelligence in Paris, which will be the company’s third-largest AI R&D base after Korea and the US, the company said Thursday. The announcement was made after the French president’s office said Wednesday that President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with Samsung’s strategy chief Young Sohn in Paris to discuss a plan to boost the country’s AI capacities. An official announcement by the French gover

After coming under fire for collecting logs of calls and text messages through Facebook Messenger, the social network platform has made its privacy tools easier to find in order to enhance users’ control of their data, it said Thursday. Facebook has redesigned the entire settings menu on mobile devices from top to bottom to make things easier to find, it said. Instead of having settings spread across nearly 20 different screens, they are now gathered in a single place. A new Privacy Shortcuts me

South Korea’s communications regulator is considering opening a formal investigation into the latest suspicion facing Facebook, which has been accused of logging calls and text messages via its Messenger app, according to government officials on Wednesday. The Korea Communications Commission’s privacy infringement investigation division summoned top officials of Facebook Korea earlier this week to question the purpose of collecting logs of calls and text messages, the scope of the collection and

As the World Health Organization prepares to make a final decision on whether to include gaming addiction in its official mental health disorder guidebook, medical experts and industry insiders worldwide remain divided on the scientific evidence and merits of the move.　　As debate ensues, medical professionals and industry experts in South Korea -- home to a thriving game industry and some of the world’s most enthusiastic gamers -- have cast concerns and doubts over the WHO’s push to medically la

South Korea will start operations of a heavy-ion medical accelerator in 2023, the science minister said Tuesday, a move that could offer a new and effective radiotherapy to cancer patients.Yoo Young-min, minister of science and ICT, said the government has ditched a long-delayed project to develop a heavy-ion medical accelerator and will instead buy it from a foreign country.  Yoo Young-min, minister of science and ICT (Yonhap)Treatment using a heavy-ion medical accelerator will be "available in

LG CNS, an internet technology solutions unit under LG Group, said Tuesday that it has become the first IT service provider here to obtain public cloud security certification from the South Korean government.　The certification, granted by the state-affiliated Korea Internet and Security Agency, is a prerequisite for providing cloud services to Korea’s government agencies and public institutions.  A view of LG CNS’ data center in Busan (LG CNS)Companies seeking the certification must pass KISA’s

Korean mobile messaging giant aims to go global with new platform courting Asian blockchain-based service developers, says cryptocurrency trading business off the table

KT will launch the country’s first virtual reality-based 3-D fitting service for home shopping channels, it said Tuesday. Starting Wednesday on the Hyundai Home Shopping channel, local womenswear brand Joinus’ new blouses for spring will be sold with the help of a 3-D avatar trying on the new clothes on behalf of consumers at home. Subscribers to KT’s GiGa Genie speaker and Olleh TV UHD will be able to experience the service by choosing 3-D content on the IPTV menu. On the Shinsegae Shopping cha

IBM Chairman & CEO Ginni Rometty will meet with South Korea’s leading financial group Shinhan Chairman Cho Yong-byoung on Wednesday during her three-day trip to Korea, according to sources on Monday.  (Yonhap)“The meeting between the two chairmen will include talks on the current partnership between the American IT business and the Korean bank as well as future businesses on artificial intelligence and cloud computing,” a source said. The meeting will take place at the headquarters of Shinhan Fi

Mobile weather apps are gaining popularity in South Korea, as people need more detailed information about the fine dust situation. One of the popular mobile weather apps is Wongi Weather, according to digital marketing firm NHN AD. The app has been downloaded over 1.45 million times, topping the weather category.Wongi Weather is popular among smartphone users in their 40s and 50s due to its user-friendly and simple design.  (NHN AD)Trailing behind in the rankings are the K Weather and MiseMise a