The Korea Herald

Kakao Talk suffers service glitch

Dec 9, 2013

Kakao Talk, South Korea’s top mobile messenger application, resumed its service at around 10 a.m. on Monday, after it fixed a technical glitch that sparked a torrent of user complaints.At 9:40 a.m., Kakao Corp. posted on its Twitter page: “We are now dealing with the error which occurred on Kakao service this morning. We will make sure the service will be working again soon.” The service was suspended for about an hour, paralyzing the delivery of messages via both PC and mobile platforms from ar
Apple’s iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina display to hit S. Korea on Dec. 12

Dec 9, 2013

Apple’s iPad Mini Retina Display and the iPad Air are to start selling in Korea later this month, according to the nation’s top two mobile carriers. SK Telecom and KT Corp. said they would both begin selling the devices as of Dec. 16, a week before Christmas. The iPad Air and iPad Mini were launched in the U.S. in October. They are both fitted with Apple’s trademark retina displays ― 9.7 inches for the Air and 7.9 inches for the Mini ― along with top-of-the-line A7 processors. Both will support
Fingerprint Cards may be in talks with Samsung, LG

Dec 8, 2013

Swedish firm’s CEO predicts smartphones with multi-biometric technology will be rolled out in future
Cheil Industries to be renamed

Dec 8, 2013

Following its change of business from clothing manufacturer to component supplier, Samsung’s Cheil Industries is expected to change its name to fit its new role. According to those close to the Korean conglomerate, “Samsung Industries” and “Samsung Chemicals” are the two options that the company is considering.Going singular may also be an option ― “Samsung Industry” or “Samsung Chemical.” The latter is already being used by the U.S. chemicals subsidiary established in 2001 with the support of C
China rover enters lunar orbit

Dec 8, 2013

BEIJING (AFP) ― China’s first lunar rover entered the moon’s orbit, state media reported, a key step toward the vessel’s planned landing later this month.The rover ― known as Yutu or Jade Rabbit ― reached the lunar orbit, the official Xinhua news agency said, about 112 hours after it was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China.It is expected to touch down on the moon in mid-December to explore its surface and search for natural resources.The Chang’e-3 mission ― na
LG Uplus vows not to drop Huawei’s equipment plan

Dec 8, 2013

LG Uplus CEO Lee Sang-chul reiterated over the weekend that its use of equipment made by China-based telecommunications firm Huawei would not end due to non-technical issues. LG Uplus has been embroiled in controversies over the adoption of Huawei’s equipment, as the U.S. government expressed concerns that the equipment could be used to spy on key U.S. military members and to keep an eye on its ally’s communications. Two senators, Dianne Feinstein and Robert Menendez, said Huawei’s supply deal w
Samsung to boost ties with China Mobile

Dec 6, 2013

Chinese telecom chief visits Samsung Electronics on mobile service talks
Samsung Engineering wins $770m order in Malaysia

Dec 5, 2013

Samsung Engineering Co., one of South Korea’s largest industrial plant builders, said Thursday it has obtained a $770 million order for a natural gas processing plant in northeastern Malaysia. The order was jointly placed by Petronas Carigali, a unit of Malaysia’s state-run oil company Petronas, and HESS Corp., a U.S. energy company, Samsung Engineering said. The South Korean builder said it will complete the plant, to be set up within an industrial complex 260 kilometers northeast of Kuala Lump
SKT, China Mobile agree on LTE roaming service

Dec 5, 2013

SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s largest mobile operator, said Thursday that it has agreed to launch an automatic international Long Term Evolution roaming service with China Mobile Ltd., as well as other LTE services.Under the deal, travelers and businesspeople will be able to use their regular LTE services offered by the two mobile carriers more easily between the two countries, according to SK Telecom.About 6.8 million Koreans and Chinese traveled between the two countries last year. Early this
Dongbu Daewoo takes on the world

Dec 4, 2013

Tech company entices global customers with its localized home appliances
LGE begins global pitch for G Flex

Dec 4, 2013

LG Electronics, one of the world’s top five smartphone makers, has begun the global marketing pitch for its first curved smartphone, starting in Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, the company said Wednesday. On Tuesday, LG held a launching ceremony at Hong Kong’s Charter House building for the local press to announce that the curved G Flex will start selling in Hong Kong on Dec. 13 through five of the nation’s main network carriers. In Singapore, preorders will begin on Dec
Samsung’s global share in mobile memory nears 50%

Dec 4, 2013

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. saw its market share in the global mobile memory industry reach 50 percent in the second quarter thanks to growing demand for mobile devices, a market researcher said Wednesday.Samsung Electronics sold about 1.41 billion units of mobile dynamic random access memories in the second quarter of this year, according to a report by market researcher IHS iSuppli.Its global market share stood at 49.4 percent at the end of June.The numbers are calculated b
Korea develops new shark-repelling device

Dec 4, 2013

South Korea has developed a new shark-repelling device that provides safety to both humans and sharks, the government said Wednesday.The device uses solar panels set on top of floating buoys to create a curtain of magnetic fields that is only irritating to sharks, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.Each solar panel creates a magnetic current of less than 5 volts, which is virtually undetectable to humans or other fish, a ministry official said.“The country sees a considerable numb
Gift guide: Plenty of laptops, even on budget

Dec 4, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― There’s no shortage of laptop computers to pick from this holiday season, even for shoppers on tight budgets. A Chromebook optimized to run Google’s Internet services can be bought for as little as $200, while a few hundred dollars more gets you a laptop that’s not so dependent on having a continuous online connection.Although smartphones and tablet computers get much of the attention these days, laptops are still more desirable for people who do a lot of typing or other heavy-du
LTE subscribers near 27m in S. Korea

Dec 4, 2013

The number of subscribers to the so-called long-term evolution (LTE) mobile network in the country reached 27 million last month, with over 50 percent of mobile phone users using the faster wireless coverage, industry data showed on Wednesday.According to the data compiled by the country's three mobile carriers, some 27.35 million people subscribed to the LTE service as of end-November, accounting for slightly more than half of the country's 54.4 million mobile phone users.The end-November figur