Samsung Electronics Co., is seeking to adopt a voice-based digital assistant for its next flagship device, the Galaxy S8, an executive said, as the world's largest manufacturer of smartphones is struggling to recover and woo back customers following the Galaxy Note 7 debacle."The Galaxy S8 will be our first platform to be equipped with AI-based voice recognition service," Rhee In-jong, a Samsung Electronics vice president, said during a meeting with reporters on Friday.The executive stressed tha

The U.S. consumer protection agency on Friday announced a recall of some Samsung Electronics washing machines for a potential safety problem.　The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that 34 models of Samsung top-load washing machines sold since March 2011, totaling　2.8 million units, are subject to the recall because the washing machine top can unexpectedly detach from the washing machine chassis during use.“Samsung has received 733 reports of washing machines experiencing excessive vibratio

Samsung Electronics is seeking to take leadership in the home appliance operating system field after a failure to squeeze into the mobile sector, dominated by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.In 2012, Samsung unveiled Tizen with the ambition to take share from the mobile OS market and expand its presence in the software market. But the system has just 1 percent of global market share. Only some low-end smartphones sold in India are Tizen-powered. Seeing little chance in the mobile OS sector, the

South Korea said Friday it will strengthen partnerships with Silicon Valley on financial technology, called fintech.The Fintech Center of Korea signed memorandums of understanding with two high-profile organizations -- 500 Startups and Silicon Valley Forum -- for the initiative on the sidelines of a South Korean Fintech Demo Day event in the tech-savvy US town, according to the Financial Services Commission.500 Startups is a leading global venture capital seed fund and startup accelerator, and S

Freecore launches ‘ongil.net,’ a business-matching platform based on travel itineraries shared by touristsFreecore, a DIY mobile platform startup, recently announced that it has launched “ongil.net,” a business-matching platform based on travel destinations sought out by tourists. The DIY mobile platform “Mobile Oven,” upon which ongil.net is based, allows individuals or business operators to create their own mobile applications, even if they have no knowledge in the area. Freecore CEO Peter Hon

Luxrobo, a member company of the Born2Global Center, announced on Oct. 27 that its modular smart device, MODI, surpassed its $30,000 goal on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter by twofold. The company, whose CEO is Sanghun Oh, achieved this within just two weeks of launching its Kickstarter campaign on Oct. 14.The attention Luxrobo has attracted via its crowdfunding campaign is a result of the innovative and original features of MODI, which is a set of modular devices -- each with their own unique

South Korean mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus on Wednesday collided over the superiority of new networks for the Internet of Things technology as the latter two established a new alliance against the segment’s leader SKT.　　KT and LG Uplus on Thursday announced a new partnership for the swift commercialization and expansion of the Narrow Band-Internet of Things, or NB-IoT, network across the nation.　The two local carriers plan to cooperate in making the NB-IoT the standard network supp

SK Telecom and Facebook will create a center in Korea early next year to foster startup companies in the field of communications infrastructure, the local carrier said Thursday. This will be the first such center to be set up by Facebook in the world and the first collaboration between the global social media giant and South Korea’s largest mobile carrier.  SK Telecom’s chief technology officer Choi Jin-sung speaks at TIP summit held in Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. (SK Telecom)The

It’s a cold day on your way home from work. However, minutes before your arrival, the heating system and lights at your apartment automatically turn on -- all through a simple voice command of “initiate return home mode” via your smartphone.　After you park your car, the front gate of the apartment building automatically opens as it recognizes you via the smartphone in your hand. With a simple touch, the door of your warm apartment opens as the pre-set rice cooker announces, “The rice is ready.”　

Sales of large screen TVs have increased over the past two years, apparently from a price drop that made them affordable to a bigger consumer base, industry data showed Wednesday.According to leading retailer E-mart, the proportion of 60-inch or larger flat TVs sold among total TV sales this year reached 13.7 percent, a leap from 1.9 percent in 2014. Comparatively, sales of 50-inch TVs fell from 31.6 percent in 2014 to 24.8 percent this year.The price tag on 60-inch plus TVs have dropped from we

As public anger grows toward Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of President Park Geun-hye who allegedly meddled in key government affairs as a civilian, South Korean game developers have launched new mobile games mocking the woman at the center of the country’s roiling political scandal.Choi Soon-sil, 60, is a longtime friend of President Park who allegedly acted as the president’s secret adviser without holding a government title. She is accused of using her personal ties to the president to wield un

Foreign companies operating in South Korea generally shared views that the presidential scandal does not directly affect their business -- yet. However, if the political issue is prolonged, it may pose stronger risks as it could slow the country’s economic activity, the executives said. Korea is currently reeling from a political scandal involving Choi Soon-sil, who is accused of peddling influence and interfering in state affairs as a secret adviser to President Park Geun-hye.  (Yonhap)Amid gro