Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7, which was launched Friday globally, is the most expensive in Europe and cheapest in South Korea, according to the tech firms’ online stores Friday. The new phablet costs around 1.06 million won ($948) in Germany, 1.07 million won in France and Spain and 1.09 million won in the UK, according to Samsung’s online stores.  Korean consumers queue up to attend the Galaxy Note 7’s launch event in Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)The prices set for European consumers are around

A model shows the electronic shelf label developed by electronics components firm LG Innotek, which announced Thursday that it would soon provide the electronic price display system to GS supermarkets nationwide. (LG Innotek)

South Korea will decide next week whether to allow Google to export government-supplied map data outside the country, officials said Thursday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which supervises mapping policy, will hold a meeting with officials from foreign, defense and other-related ministries next Wednesday and make a decision after the meeting, according to them.On June 1, Google requested the Korean government to export the map data, and the government must make a decision

[THE INVESTOR] For many global startups, a four-month accelerator program of 500 Startups, a US venture capital seed fund, is an eye-opener.The startup accelerator program, held four times a year at two of 500’s offices in Mountain View and San Francisco, is a mixture of collaboration as well as fierce competition among startups from around the world. Mentors, called coaches there, also provide full support in a range of sectors, such as marketing and sales, for the participants.“The two acceler

KT and Samsung SDS introduce a specialized home monitoring service that uses Internet of Things technology in South Korea on Wednesday. The GiGA IoT Home Premium Pack connects a wall pad installed inside a home to a smartphone, allowing users to monitor the status of their homes. (KT)

A senior researcher at Samsung Electronics said automotive is the next big thing in the information technology sector, at a tech seminar in Seoul on Wednesday.“Automotive will ultimately be the next big thing in the information technology sector and it‘s just a matter of time,” said Kim Do-kyun, a senior researcher at Samsung Electronics’ memory business division, at the Mobile & IoT Forum held in Yangjae, southern Seoul. Automotive has a vast array of electronic components, which include system

South Korea's top portal operator Naver will soon launch a new, improved online map service that will not only show its users how to get to a desired destination, but also how to get there in the least time possible, company and government officials said Wednesday.The National Transport Information Center will begin providing its traffic information to Naver, which in turn will use the information to provide online map and mobile navigation services that will offer the currently best available r

The world’s biggest drone maker DJI is slated to open its first indoor drone arena on Thursday in South Korea. The 1,395-square-meter arena is to open in Yongin, a city in the south of Seoul’s greater metropolitan area, the company said. “We hope this place would be a venue where anyone can enjoy their drones with safety and ease,” said Moon Tae-hyun, DJI‘s manager in South Korea, at the media briefing held on Tuesday. “The diverse programs of DJI arena will help expand the base of drone and est

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that it will release its new smartwatch, the Gear S3, in Berlin later this month. The unpack event will take place at 6 p.m. on Aug. 31, just two days before the German capital holds the Internal Funkausstellung (IFA) tech fair, a leading annual trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances. The invitation sent by the South Korean tech giant suggested that the new smartwatch will inherit features of its predecessor the Gear S2 including its round shape

Leading global DRAM-makers -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix -- may face tough competition from 2018 as the mass production of Chinese chipmakers is predicted to raise oversupply concerns, according to industry reports. According to the latest report from market research firm IC Insights, the average selling price of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, chips is expected to rise through the end of this year and into 2017 due to growing demand for enterprise systems -- for the use of “big dat

Korea Communications Commission, the state telecom and media regulator, on Thursday handed Lotte Homeshopping a fine of 200 million won ($182,000) for mishandling customers’ personal data.　Lotte Homeshopping is a television shopping channel under South Korean retail giant Lotte Group, which is currently under heavy investigation on charges of embezzlement and bribery.Woori Homeshopping Co., the operator of the Lotte-based TV channel, was found to have sold the personal data of some 29,000 custom