The Korea Herald

Samsung’s smart-home master plan: Leave the door open for others

Jan 7, 2015

The most important product at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show may not actually be a product at all. It’s a policy. Samsung Electronics has pledged that 90 percent of all devices it creates, including televisions and mobile devices, will be Internet-enabled by 2017 ― just two short years away. The remaining 10 percent will come on board by 2020. Considering that in 2014 Samsung delivered more than 665 million products to consumers around the world, it’s hard to understate how important this is
Sony’s Walkman makes comeback

Jan 7, 2015

A Sony Walkman NW-ZX2 digital media player. (Bloomberg)Sony Corp. is bringing back the Walkman, with a new model of the music player pioneer that comes with high-resolution playback and Bluetooth-connected headphones.The new Walkman, targeting audiophiles and set to cost about $1,200, is a high-end version of a model Sony released in 2013 after retiring the classic cassette player in 2010. The first-generation, clunky-looking Walkman went on sale in July 1979, redefining the way people listened
Korean tech start-ups seek global footing at International CES

Jan 7, 2015

Baek Won-in (third from left), the chief executive of ImageNEXT, inspects his company’s booth at 2015 International CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday. (Kim Young-won/The Korea Herald)LAS VEGAS ― A handful of small but tech-savvy Korean companies are ramping up efforts to gain a footing in the global technology industry during the 2015 International CES here.Among those start-ups debuting at the world’s largest consumer electronics show is ImageNEXT, the developer of the OmniPAD, consisting of 360 degr
ICT evolving for consumers in 2015

Jan 6, 2015

The following is the fifth in a series of articles on the prospects for the world economy in 2015. ― Ed.Over the last few years, the impact of information and communication technologies on society has been enormous. ICT has deeply affected and reshaped most parts of our society, while radically influencing the global economy. No one can predict with certainty what role it will play in the future, but we do know that it will be significant. One aspect of the growth of ICT in 2014 has undoubtedly
[Graphic News] Changes after handset subsidy law took effect

Jan 6, 2015

Nearly one hundred days have passed since the controversial handset subsidy law took effect.The law, which prohibits telecom firms and handset makers from providing subsidies higher than 300,000 won to attract customers, has affected the pattern of subscription of mobile phones.Due to the subsidy limit that started on Oct. 1, the number of new subscribers sharply decreased in the first month. But then it started to recover, which government officials said indicates that the mobile phone market d
[Newsmaker] Samsung bets big on IoT

Jan 6, 2015

CEO vows to keep platforms, devices open
LG Display pledges to focus on OLED

Jan 6, 2015

‘Lowering price of OLED displays will be key to success’
Three bidders vie for Pantech takeover

Jan 6, 2015

The search for a new owner of the troubled Pantech, Korea’s No. 3 handset-maker, is gaining momentum as three foreign business groups have submitted bids for a takeover.The three bidders include a U.S.-based consortium consisting of a Korean private equity fund and a Latin American telecom carrier, a Chinese handset-maker, and a China-based IT service firm. Their names were not revealed due to the sensitivity of the ongoing negotiations, sources said. After years of financial struggles, Pantech,
LG Electronics seeks tech to improve customers’ lives

Jan 6, 2015

Electronics giant to expand partnerships with global IoT, content firms
Daum Kakao takes over child care solution provider

Jan 5, 2015

South Korea’s top mobile messenger operator Daum Kakao Corp. said Monday it has purchased a whole stake in Kids Note Inc., a local childcare solutions provider, in line with its efforts to expand its “online to offline (O2O)” business portfolio.Under the move, Daum Kakao plans to offer child care application services to 14,000 local kindergarten, private institutions, and other child care-related institutions in South Korea. The companies did not reveal the size of the deal.Kids Note allows inst
S. Korean firms to race for new growth engine at CES

Jan 5, 2015

South Korea's tech giants are set to lock horns at the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show opening on Tuesday, struggling to take the lead in new technologies, such as quantum-dot television, that are set to emerge as the next growth engines in the near future.The four-day CES, one of the world's biggest technology fairs, will open in Las Vegas and run through Friday. Around 3,500 technology firms are participating in the annual event that first opened in 1967.Some 40 South Korean firms will join the
ICT ministry to open support center for tech exporters in Beijing

Jan 5, 2015

South Korea's ICT ministry said Monday it plans to open a business center in Beijing that will support local tech exporters planning to tap the Chinese market and will lend a hand to the commercialization of their new technologies.Under the plan, the Korea Innovation Center (KIC) will open its doors in Beijing by the end of 2015, aiming to work as a "bridgestone" for South Korean companies wishing to expand their global presence, the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning said."We plan to
LG affiliates aim to wow partners, customers at CES

Jan 4, 2015

The International CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics festival, offers home appliance makers the chance to introduce their trendsetting products.For other tech companies, the trade show is a venue to show off their technological prowess and seek global partnerships.Lee Sang-chul, chief of LG Uplus, the third-largest mobile carrier in Korea, is one of the leading businesses that does not make consumer electronics businesses that are flocking to Las Vegas for 2015 International CES to op
S. Korean satellite at risk of collision with space debris

Jan 3, 2015

A South Korean satellite could come close to space debris, officials said Saturday, prompting officials and space experts to come up with measures to avoid a possible collision.The move came a day after the U.S. authorities warned of a possible collision between South Korea's Science and Technology Satellite 3 and a piece of debris measuring 20 centimeters in size.The debris is one of thousands of pieces of debris produced by the 2009 collision between an inactive Russian communications satellit
[Weekender] Daum Kakao finds new growth engine in digital wallet business

Jan 2, 2015

Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Alipay are gradually replacing cash and credit cards with more and more people browsing and purchasing goods by tapping and swiping on their smartphones.Kakao Pay, codeveloped by Internet giant Daum Kakao and ICT solutions developer LG CNS, is one of the services spearheading the mobile payment industry in South Korea.After launching its mobile payment service Kakao Pay in October, Daum Kakao was able to attract 2 million subscribers in less than three month