Non-Japanese handset makers garnered over half of the Japanese market for the first time in the fourth quarter as consumers moved away from local manufacturers for a wider array of mobile devices, a report showed Wednesday.It marked the first time ever that foreign handset makers managed to surpass the 50-percent mark, with Apple Inc. leading the race with 16 percent in the October-December period, according to the report by Hong Kong-based researcher Counterpoint Technology Market Research. The

The Korean won showed the highest volatility after the Japanese yen among Asian currencies last month, spurred by Tokyo’s outright monetary easing, data showed Tuesday. In January, the daily currency volatility rate of the won against the U.S dollar averaged 0.34 percent, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. The rate roughly refers to the average daily variation compared to the previous session’s closing quotation.The Japanese yen topped at 0.7 percent, and the Korean won ranked

Samsung Display Co. on Tuesday dropped an injunction seeking a ban on rival LG Display Co. using organic light-emitting diode technology, raising hopes the two companies are moving to settle their display technology dispute.The two companies have been involved in a legal tussle over display technology since July when 11 people affiliated with the Samsung unit were indicted on charges of leaking core technology to LG.In September, Samsung filed an injunction seeking a ban on use of 18 confidentia

A U.S. federal court ruled in favor of LG Electronics Inc. in a technology patent infringement suit lodged by French telecommunications giant Alcatel-Lucent SA.A jury in a San Diego federal court on Tuesday (local time) found LG and Apple Inc. did not copy patents, including a video compression technology, held by Multimedia Patent Trust (MPS), a unit of the Paris-based telecommunications equipment maker.The Alcatel-Lucent subsidiary filed the suit in December 2010, claiming several LG phones su

South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday it has released two Windows 8 “Tab-Books,” which combine a tablet with an ultrabook.The new Tab-Book Z160 line-up features 11.6-inch multi-touch displays that can be propped up to reveal a miniature keyboard underneath, according to LG Electronics.The new products are a follow-up to the H160 model, one of LG’s first Windows 8 PCs introduced in October, and run on more advanced processors than the earlier version.The model featuring Intel

South Korea’s mobile advertising market nearly tripled last year in line with the growing presence of smartphones and high-speed Internet in the country, a report showed Wednesday.The country’s mobile ad market reached 216 billion won ($198 million) in 2012, compared with 76.2 billion won the previous year, according to the report by the Korea Communications Commission. The figure represents the amount of orders local ad agencies received from their clients.Of the total, search advertising jumpe

NHN Corp., the operator of South Korea’s top portal Naver.com, said Wednesday it plans to set up two subsidiaries as part of efforts to strengthen its mobile business.NHN said it has won board approval to inject 40 billion won ($37 million) each to “Camp Mobile” and “LINE Plus.”Under the plan, the company will hold a 100 percent stake in Camp Mobile, which will pioneer NHN’s new mobile services. NHN will also own a 40 percent stake in “LINE Plus,” which will support the company’s flagship mobile

Tech-savvy South Koreans are temporarily abstaining from their gadgets in exchange for almost-instant cash loans thanks to a new breed of pawn shops specializing in IT products.While traditional pawn shops that deal in everything from fur coats to wedding gifts are going out of fashion, IT pawn shops equipped with modern interiors, Websites and young staff are spreading across South Korea, one of the world’s most wired nations.Kim Moo-hyun, 42, owns one of the roughly 15 so-called IT pawn shops

Samsung Electronics Co., the world‘s top maker of smartphones, memory chips and flat-panel TVs, said Wednesday it will start selling a new smartphone that runs on Windows 8 in Hong Kong.The ATIV S will go on sale in the Chinese territory on Thursday as the South Korean tech behemoth seeks to expand its product line of mobile devices and meet the needs of different consumers. “Equipped with the latest Windows Phone 8 smartphone operating system, the new Samsung ATIV S enables users to enjoy the e

While two-thirds of online American adults are Facebook users, most of them often take a break from the site for several weeks or more, a survey indicates.A poll by Pew Research Center‘s Internet & American Life Project also found 20 percent of online adults who do not currently use Facebook say they once used the site but no longer do so.Users gave many reasons for taking a break from Facebook either permanently or temporarily, including being too busy with other demands, a general lack of time

SK Telecom Co., the country’s top mobile operator, on Tuesday reported a two-fold growth in its fourth-quarter profit from a year earlier due to a decrease in marketing costs.Net profit came to 519.1 billion won ($477.5 million) in the October-December period, compared with a profit of 195.5 billion won a year earlier, SK Telecom said in a regulatory filing.Revenue rose 6 percent on-year to 4.2 trillion won, and operating profit jumped 37.6 percent to 544.6 billion won. The stronger bottom line

South Korea ranked the second-most innovative country in the world, moving up one notch from last year’s ranking, data showed on Tuesday. According to data complied by financial news and data provider Bloomberg, Korea ranked No. 2 behind the United States, which topped the list by climbing six notches from last year. The research indicated progress in Korea’s innovation-related sector as it rose one slot in rankings from last year’s No. 3 spot.Bloomberg gathered data from 200 countries and grade