GALAXY S7 PHOTO CONTEST – Samsung Electronics holds an exhibition featuring some 100 photos taken with its Galaxy S7 smartphone on Wednesday in Garosu-gil, southern Seoul. The top 10 photos were awarded with prizes. (Samsung Electronics)

About a decade after Apple Inc.’s iPhone first hit the market, Nokia Oyj is seeking to relaunch its consumer business with health bands and connected scales by acquiring French startup Withings SAS. It’s out to revive a brand that was once one of Europe’s most valuable, but has slipped further as Nokia sold its phone business to Microsoft Corp. two years ago to focus on telecommunications networks.“The longer you’re out of a market, the more your brand value declines,” Ramzi Haidamus, who heads

A future preparation committee affiliated with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning on Wednesday announced 10 promising services that would help the Korean economy to grow even in an era of low growth. The services include: customized health care; cashless financial transactions; unmanned transportation; crisis response using the Internet of Things; life extension; electricity charging; eco-friendly energy platforms; artificial intelligence; energy supply for wearable devices; and le

LG Electronics said Tuesday it has joined a global car infotainment system alliance, the GENIVI Alliance, as a board member. The GENIVI Alliance is a group of 150 tech firms and car manufacturers committed to setting technical standards for Linux-based car infotainment software GENIVI. A car infotainment system installed in a car. (Yonhap)The in-vehicle infotainment system has gained traction in recent years as global carmakers, including Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Renault-Nissan and Volvo have ado

Korean network operator KT Corp. has become the first in the world to install Long-Term Evolution network service in office surroundings to pave the way for smoother and safer communication. The service allows employees and customers to utilize the intranet of a firm through mobile devices in a secure manner, as it is operated separately from existing LTE networks used for noncorporate mobile subscribers. Lee Moon-hwan, executive vice president of KT, explains the world’s first LTE service for c

SK hynix, the chipmaking unit of SK Group, on Tuesday hinted at reducing new investment this year after posting a 65 percent plunge in its first-quarter net income on weak demand for electronics products. “We invested 6.6 trillion won ($5.7 billion) last year but the spending will be reduced this year,” SK hynix president Kim Joon-ho said during a conference call.  SK hynix’s headquarters building (Yonhap)“Our investment for 3D NAND will start from the second or third quarter as planned.”In a re

Riot Games, developer of the immensely popular online game “League of Legends,” said Tuesday it will donate 500 million won ($44,000) for the restoration of the Korean Empire’s legation building in Washington, D.C. The three-story building, built in 1889, was used for diplomatic activities of Korea’s last empire, the Daehan Empire, for 16 years.  The legation building of the Daehan EmpireThe Korean government purchased the building, the only litigation building left overseas, from an individual

Korean battery makers are beefing up production in China, the largest market for nascent yet lucrative electric vehicles. Samsung SDI, the battery-making unit of Samsung Group, will showcase a range of battery technologies, including quick-charging battery cells and pouch-type and cylindrical batteries, at the Auto China event that runs through May 4 in Beijing.  Models pose with Samsung SDI’s batteries at the Auto China aotomotive exhibition in Beijing on Monday. (Samsung SDI)The company, which

Exec says Samsung approached Swiss jeweler for limited editions of its smartwatches

SUPER PREMIUM FRIDGE APPEALS TO KOREAN CONSUMERS -- Samsung Electronics’ high-end refrigerator Family Hub on Wednesday surpassed the 1,000-sales mark in just 20 days since its release in the Korean market. The 837-liter fridge sports a 21.5-inch (54.6 centimeters) display on the right door and three built-in cameras, which allow users to monitor items stored inside.　(Samsung Electronics)

LG ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER GAINS SALES TRACTION-- LG Electronics said Monday that its robot vacuum cleaner Roboking has crossed the 400,000 mark since the first model of the autonomous vacuum cleaner was released in Korea in 2003. Roboking, equipped with three cameras and 51 sensors for object detection and voice recognition, can be controlled by a smartphone. (LGE)

The nation’s air purifier market is soaring as concerns grow over yellow dust, the seasonal wave of dust storms originating from China and Mongolia that now seems to stretch all throughout the year. Last year, the market surged to 600 billion won ($520 million) in sales. The figure is expected to exceed 1 trillion won this year and 2 trillion won in 2017. About 1 million devices are estimated to be sold or rented every year. Korea is a unique market that has grown based on rental services. Coway

LG Electronics has topped front-load washer sales in the U.S. in the first quarter, paving the way for it to grab the No. 1 position in the all-important market for the 10th consecutive year. According to market research firm Stevenson Company, LG recorded a 26.4 percent market share in the first three months of this year. In the $900-plus premium category, it also topped the list with a 34.2 percent share.  Since topping the list first in 2007, the Korean tech giant has continued to be the best

Samsung Pay, a mobile payment service run by tech giant Samsung Electronics, is making global inroads. The Seoul-based tech behemoth announced Tuesday that it would make its mobile payment system available in Singapore in the second quarter of this year -- the first launch in Southeast Asia -- following the launch of the mobile payment solution in the U.S., China and South Korea last year. A Galaxy S7 Edge user uses mobile payment solution Samsung Pay. (Samsung Electronics)The announcement refle