Mobile and VR-based console games shine over traditional online PC games

BUSAN -- Nexon's mobile action role-playing game “Heroes of Incredible Tales” won the grand prize at the 2016 Korea Game Awards on Wednesday.“Heroes of Incredible Tales,” also known as “HIT,” was developed by game development studio NAT Games, owned by Korea’s leading game company Nexon.Awardees of the 2016 Korea Games Awards pose for a picture after the ceremony held in Busan on Wednesday evening (Sohn Ji-young/The Korea Herald)Released in November 2015, "HIT" has secured more than 13 million u

Korean tech firm Nanobrick is set to develop a platform that can certify genuine goods in partnership with the Chinese government. The company said Wednesday it would develop and customize the system together with the state-run Sichuan Institute of Computer Science with the aim of launching it early next year. “We decided to develop a new certification solution with Nanobrick as diverse forgery prevention policies that were implemented have failed,” said an official at Sichuan Institute of Compu

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it will acquire Canada-based NewNet Communication Technologies, a company operating Rich Communications Services.RCS, which are viewed as the standard for future SMS text messaging, allows regular text messaging to be used like chat messaging apps such as KakaoTalk or Facebook Messenger.Samsung said, “The acquisition reinforces the company’s commitment to RCS as mobile networks transit to IP-based networks and services.”The acquisition will enable Samsung to of

BUSAN -- Global gaming convention G-Star is slated to take off in Busan from Thursday, showcasing the latest games and technologies as well as hosting diverse game competitions and promotional events.　G-Star 2016, the biggest in its history, will feature more than 2,700 booths, including those for public enjoyment as well as business partnerships, the G-Star Organizing Committee said Wednesday. A total of 653 game-related companies from 35 countries are partaking in this year’s show.　Leading PC

Salted Venture, a member company of the Born2Global Center, announced Wednesday its independently developed smart golf shoes, Iofit, will be receiving the Innovation Award at CES 2017, the world’s largest electronics expo, to be held in the United States in January 2017. The CES Innovation Award is granted by the Consumer Technology Association to the highest-quality products in 28 categories (e.g. home appliances). Iofit will receive the award in the wearable technology category, which has seen

The startup company EYL, whose CEO is Jeong Bu-seok, announced Wednesday that it will begin supplying its independently developed quantum random number security system (TriGen) to a client company by the end of the month. The client company is known to be a large-scale domestic manufacturer.Rather than general random numbers, for which there is a regular pattern, EYL’s security system uses a natural phenomenon to generate quantum random numbers that are impossible to predict or control through s

Industrial designer Ross Lovegrove is currently working on a new household lighting structure using organic light-emitting diodes in conjunction with the OLED business division of an LG company, to be introduced next year.The acclaimed Welsh designer, who recently came to Seoul to speak at the Herald Design Forum 2016, said he was working with LG’s lighting division chief to design a new lighting installation using OLEDs. The installation will be unveiled at the Salone del Mobile 2017, an interi

A team from Seoul National University on Tuesday unveiled a door-to-door self-driving taxi for the first time in the nation. Called Snuber 2, it is an upgraded version of an app-based self-driving taxi Snuber developed in November 2015. The new autonomous car developed with Hyundai’s Genesis sedan is capable of tracking moving subjects, avoiding collision risk, driving on narrow roads and recognizing traffic lights and speed limit signs. Sensors in Snuber 2 detect moving objects in green and yel

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong surprised the market by acquiring Harman International Industries for $8 billion in cash Monday, pushing forward the tech giant’s ambitions in the connected car business.The deal, which came less than a month after his boardroom debut, appears to be carried out under Lee’s vision of turning Samsung’s focus from the declining smartphone business to high-value added future businesses such as auto components and biopharmaceuticals. Lee Jae-yongThe acqu

As mobile data networks speed up, autonomous vehicles fully connected to their surroundings are expected to become a reality in the near future.While other technologies will be required for the commercialization of self-driving cars, South Korean carrier SK Telecom zeroed in on how next-generation 5G networks will serve as a foundation for these futuristic vehicles in a live demonstration here Tuesday.At the 240,000 square-meter BMW Driving Range in Incheon, SKT unveiled the T5, an experimental

Google Inc.'s products were found to have the highest number of Internet security vulnerabilities, accounting for 22 percent of risks found in the third quarter, a report out Tuesday said.According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, 155 of 694 reported common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) were discovered in Google devices. Adobe came next at 107 (15 percent), followed by Oracle's 71 (10 percent), Microsoft's 65 (10 percent) and Apple's 54 (8 percent).The report was drawn among high-s

Samsung Electronics said Monday it will acquire US connected car system provider Harman International Industries to accelerate its push into the smart car business.It is the largest-ever merger and acquisition of a foreign firm by a Korean company. The tech giant said it will acquire Harman for $112 per share in cash, for a total equity value of approximately $8 billion.The transaction, which is subject to approval by Harman shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditio

LG Electronics’ flagship smartphone V20 has reached cumulative sales of 200,000 units in the US market within 10 days of its launch, the company said Monday. The Korean tech giant said the sales of around 20,000 units per day were nearly double those of the previous model V10.  LG V20. (Yonhap)The V20, which sports a 5.7-inch display and dual cameras, is the most-hyped smartphone of the year when it comes to audio features. The phone is equipped with three mics and four digital-to-analog convert

South Korea’s top portal operator Naver has joined hands with SoftBank Ventures Korea to establish a new 50 billion won ($42.75 million) investment fund to nurture promising start-ups in the media content business and boost its own competitiveness as a platform provider.　　Naver said Monday that it will form the “SB Next Innovation Fund” in partnership with the venture capital arm of Japanese telecom giant SoftBank. They will make early investments in local firms that possess standout services or