SK Telecom will apply artificial intelligence to its mobile navigation service T Map before September, it announced Thursday. “We have embarked on the development of an AI-based navigation service,” said Lee Hae-yeol, head of the T Map division at SK Telecom. “At the earliest, a conversable T Map will be available within the next three months.” (SKT)T Map provided by SKT is the most widely used mobile navigation service. According to the company’s data, 10.6 million people used the service as of

US Google Inc.'s smartphone operating system Android stood as the world's most popular platform in the first quarter, data showed Thursday, helped by robust sales of Chinese handsets.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Gartner Inc., the combined sales of smartphones running on the Android platform came to 327.1 million units in the January-March period, with its market share reaching 86.1 percent, rising from 84.1 percent posted a year earlier.  (Yonhap)Over the cited period, the

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has hosted a forum on its foundry business in the United States, showcasing its latest production solutions.The event marks the first of its kind since Samsung Electronics opened a new department under its chip division focusing on the foundry business, in line with the company's efforts to expand its market presence in the area. (Yonhap)Foundry business refers to making chip designs for other companies that do not have a semiconductor fabrication plant.

The number of subscribers to the fifth-generation network  services may reach 400 million by 2022, a report showed Thursday, a development that can change the landscape of the global telecommunication industry.According to the report released by industry tracker Ovum, the 5G network services are anticipated to hit the market in 2019, and gradually expand around the globe to reach 45 countries and 120 mobile carriers by end-2021.(Yonhap)The 5G network technology allows data transmission speed tha

South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. said Wednesday it plans to spin off its foundry business in order to beef up its competitiveness in this sector.The announcement was made through a regulatory filing under request from the main bourse operator Korea Exchange last month. (Yonhap)SK hynix said it has decided to hand over the business to its subsidiary.The deal will be completed on June 30 with the price estimated to be 171.6 billion won ($152 million). (Yonhap)

About 500 information technology and communications businesses and startups from 57 countries have gathered in Seoul to boast their state-of-art technologies featuring artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and virtual reality at the country’s largest IT show from Wednesday to Saturday. First held in 2008, the annual World IT Show is Korea’s biggest IT show, attracting more than 100,000 visitors from around the world. This year, the event at Coex is being held under the main theme of “Trans

A senior executive at Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that the Samsung DeX, a desktop extension and other features for its high-end smartphone, the Galaxy S8, will play key roles in providing users with experiences beyond the boundaries of handsets.First showcased with the Galaxy S8 smartphone, the Samsung DeX, or Desktop Extension, allows users to utilize smartphones like a personal computer by connecting it to a monitor. (Yonhap)Samsung also unveiled Bixby, a voice support program power

South Korea and other major IT countries gathered in Tokyo on Wednesday to discuss the fifth-generation network ecosystem at an international event, Seoul's ICT ministry said.The Global 5G event, the third of its kind, brought together nearly 500 people from the five countries -- South Korea, Japan, the United States, China and the EU -- representing the government, academia and tech industry, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.  (Yonhap)The two-day event offers partic

SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho showed confidence in the ongoing race to take over cash-strapped Toshiba’s NAND flash unit Wednesday.“I have been working on the Toshiba deal for two years,” Park told reporters at the 2017 World IT Show at Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. “Since it is important to build trust with Japanese shareholders, considering their national sentiment, we had held many meetings with Toshiba shareholders.”  SKT CEO Park Jung-ho (Yonhap)Park, known as a merger and acquisitio

LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday it plans to officially launch its own mobile payment tool in South Korea next month that is comparable to Samsung Electronics Co.'s Samsung Pay.During the World IT Show 2017 exhibition currently under way in Seoul, the South Korean tech giant showcased LG Pay, which adopted the Wireless Magnetic Communication technology. Samsung Pay is equipped with the Magnetic Secure Transmission technology. (Yonhap)Both payment tools allow people to make payments by touching

South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol said Tuesday that AlphaGo defeated Chinese Go player Ke Jie just as he'd expected.Google's artificial intelligence program defeated Ke, the world No. 1 in the ancient board game, by a half point in 289 moves in the first round of a special Go event named "The Future of Go Summit" in Wuzhen, China.  In this file photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016, South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol speaks in an event hosted by the Korea Baduk Association in Seoul. (Yonhap)The second gam

Samsung Electronics is preparing to supply new portable solid state drive T5 running on the company’s fourth-generation 64-layer V NAND flash memory chip early next week, according to sources on Tuesday. The South Korean tech titan has named the newest portable drive the SSD T5 and embarked on production for supply next week, a source familiar with the matter told The Korea Herald.  (Yonhap)The portable SSD is a compact storage device suitable for individual users.Samsung introduced a 2-terabyte

Samsung Display may supply its organic light-emitting diode panels for Hyundai Motor’s luxury sedan Genesis, according to sources Tuesday. If the deal is confirmed, it will be Hyundai’s first adoption of OLED panels for its automobiles. “Samsung is in talks with Hyundai to supply its OLED display for Genesis’ instrument cluster and center information display,” a source familiar with the matter told The Korea Herald.The discussion, which began last year, is still ongoing, as Hyundai is unsure of

South Korea's largest consumer electronics and technology trade fair will kick off in Seoul later this week to showcase the latest mobile gadgets and telecommunications technologies, the ICT ministry said Tuesday.The World IT Show, hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, will kick off Wednesday at the COEX convention center in southeastern Seoul for a four-day run. (COEX)At this year's event, under the theme of "transform everything," more than 500 companies from 47 countries

LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday it will start global sales of the LG X Venture, a smartphone specialized for outdoor activities, in the North American market.Armed with the IP68 water- and dust-resistant feature, LG X Venture is capable of operating 1.5 meters under water for 30 minutes. The device also met the standards of the US Department of Defense, indicating the smartphone can withstand most outdoor conditions. An image of the LG X Venture smartphone, released by LG Electronics Inc. on Ma