The Korea Herald

Samsung Gear Fit named best mobile device at MWC

Feb 28, 2014

Samsung Electronics’ new smart wristband Gear Fit won the award for best mobile device at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday. GSMA, the organizer of the MWC trade show, chooses the most innovative device displayed at the event and announces the winner for the award on the last day of the show. Sporting the world’s first 1.84-inch curved display, Samsung Gear Fit received a lot of attention from the media and consumers. The wristband is also equipped with a heart-beat
Davos lists top 10 emerging technologies

Feb 27, 2014

The World Economic Forum announced Wednesday a list of 10 new technologies that could reshape society. The list identified by the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Emerging Technologies includes superlight vehicles, brain-computer interfaces and new cancer treatments using microbes.“These breakthroughs show the boundless potential for technology to have a positive impact on society, from finding cleaner energy to new cures for disease,” said Noubar Afeyan, chair of the Global Agend
[Photo News] Most innovative

Feb 27, 2014
SK Planet talks of utilizing big data

Feb 27, 2014

The chief of SK Planet, a local mobile platform provider, on Thursday spoke of how big data can be utilized for maximum results. “Now, the key questions that we have to ask are not “What is big data?” but rather “How can we utilize big data in the real business world?” and “What kind of values should we create for our customers through big data?” said So Jin-woo, CEO of SK Planet in a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress being held in Spain this week. “I believe we can find the answers in
KT tops chart in LTE speed race

Feb 27, 2014

KT, the nation’s second-largest telecom operator, ranked No.1 in the Long Term Evolution speed race in Korea, data showed on Thursday. With a download speed of 21.3 megabits per second, KT was in sixth place among 40 telecom operators worldwide and first among Korean mobile carriers, according to a report released by the British wireless network research company OpenSignal. OpenSignal surveyed 6 million users of 40 telecom operators in 16 countries to publish the global 2014 LTE quality report.
Health agency to review fitness feature on Samsung's Galaxy S5

Feb 27, 2014

South Korea's health agency said Thursday it will review a fitness feature on the latest smartphone by Samsung Electronics Co. to decide whether to designate the device as a medical equipment.Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone, introduced Monday, is the first in the industry to come with a built-in heart rate sensor. It can also be connected to smartwatches to monitor heart rate during exercises.South Korean law stipulates that medical devices, defined as equipment used to diagnose, treat or preven
LTE users reach 30 mln in Feb.

Feb 27, 2014

The number of users of the long-term evolution network in South Korea is estimated to have surpassed 30 million this month, data showed Thursday, amid heightened battle among mobile carriers.Earlier data from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning put the number of local LTE users at 29.4 million at end-January. The number has been rising by around 800,000 every month since 2013.SK Telecom Co., the top industry player that takes up half of the local mobile market, had 13.9 million LTE
Samsung expands foothold in wide-TV market

Feb 27, 2014

South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. solidified its position as the No. 1 TV seller last year with a strong market share for its products across the board, data showed Thursday.Samsung took up 40 percent of the world's market for 60-inch and wider TVs in the fourth quarter of 2013, up from 34.7 percent a quarter earlier, the data by market researcher DisplaySearch said.The number beats the combined market shares of rival players such as Japan's Sharp and Sony and the U.S.'s Vizio, wh
Naver’s spam-blocking app tops 10m downloads

Feb 26, 2014

Naver Corp., the operator of South Korea’s most visited portal, said Wednesday its spam-blocking application posted 10 million downloads, adding to its success in the app market along with its global-hit LINE messenger.The app “Whoscall” provides users with detailed information on suspicious incoming calls and messages based on a database of 600 million numbers.Downloaded by users in nearly 40 countries, the app is serviced in 17 languages, including English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic an
Samsung pins high hopes on Galaxy S5, wearables

Feb 26, 2014

Devices become wearable, more sophisticated to attract new generation of users
LG Uplus showcases FemtoCell

Feb 26, 2014

Local mobile carrier LG Uplus demonstrated its FemtoCell system, which both supports Long Term Evolution and Gigabit Wi-Fi technology, at the Mobile World Congress running this week in Barcelona.Developed jointly by LG Uplus and Samji Electronics, FemtoCell is a small base station designed to enable fast and stable telecommunications service in crowded areas such as coffee shops, Internet cafes or small stores where data traffic is concentrated. This technology provides high-speed Internet servi
[Photo News] KT wins awards

Feb 26, 2014
EU accepts Visa concessions, ends antitrust probe

Feb 26, 2014

The European Union's antitrust authority is closing an investigation against Visa Europe after accepting the firm's offer to lower some card fees.The EU Commission said Wednesday its concerns are sufficiently addressed by Visa's concession to cut inter-bank fees for credit card payments to 0.3 percent of a transaction's value -- a reduction of about 40 to 60 percent.The Commission, which acts as the 27-nation bloc's antitrust watchdog, says the company has also offered to reform its rules to fac
Olympus provides musical healing in Seoul

Feb 26, 2014

On Feb. 25, patients and their families were filling up seats and waiting in the main lobby of Konkuk University Medical Center in Seoul.Those who could not find a chair either had to stand at the back or find a spot on the second floor.They were not there waiting to be treated at the hospital, but to take in a classical music performance by a special ensemble organized by Olympus Korea, the Korean company of the global camera and medical device maker.Classical music has been known to be highly
Samsung chief's brother not to appeal for inheritance

Feb 26, 2014

The elder brother of Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Kun-hee will not appeal an appellate court decision that rejected his demand for a 940 billion won ($850 million) share of his sibling's inherited wealth, the brother's lawyers said Wednesday.Upholding a lower court's decision, the Seoul High Court earlier this month ruled against the chairman's eldest brother, Lee Maeng-hee, and allowed the chairman to keep his holdings in Samsung Group's key subsidiaries."(Lee Maeng-hee) decided to give