The Korea Herald

iPhone 5 hits S. Korea

Dec 7, 2012

Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5 made its belated debut in South Korea on Friday with avid fans welcoming the latest iPhone amid the U.S. smartphone maker's ongoing patent battle with homegrown player Samsung Electronics Co.SK Telcom Co. and KT Corp., the country's two biggest mobile carriers, kicked off the release of the first iPhone that runs on the fourth-generation long-term evolution (LTE) network after beginning pre-orders a week earlier.While Apple rolled out the latest iPhone on its home turf in e
LG smartphone sales top 3m on home turf

Dec 6, 2012

South Korean handset maker LG Electronics Inc. has sold more than 3 million smartphones in the local market, bolstering the company’s drive to escape its smartphone laggard status, a company official said Thursday.LG Electronics saw its domestic smartphone shipments top 3-million units in the first 10 months of the year, breaking the milestone for the first time, according to an LG Electronics official. While end-November figures were unavailable, the company is expected to sell a total of 3.5 m
LG, Samsung to appeal massive fine in EU

Dec 6, 2012

LG Electronics and Samsung SDI announced Thursday that they will appeal the European Commission’s 450 million euro (630 billion won) fine that was imposed for an alleged cartel in computer and television parts. The two Korean firms are determined to appeal the case with the European court after thoroughly reviewing all necessary legal aspects. The European antitrust watchdog decided Wednesday to charge LG 300 million euro (420 billion won) and Samsung 150 million euro (210 billion won), along wi
Presidential candidates Park and Moon differ on expanding game shutdown system

Dec 6, 2012

Presidential candidates Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in presented on Wednesday their different views on whether the “game shutdown system” should also be applied to mobile games.The system, introduced by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, prohibits gamers aged 16 or under from connecting to online games between midnight and 6 a.m. The regulation came into effect on Nov. 20 last year.According to the website of Citizen’s Coalition for Economic Justice, Saenuri Party presidential candidate
McAfee arrested in Guatemala for illegal entry

Dec 6, 2012

U.S. Internet security guru John McAfee, on the run from authorities in Belize over a murder probe, was arrested by Guatemalan police Wednesday for illegally entering the country, officials said.“National police agents have taken Mr. John David McAfee before immigration authorities... He has entered our country illegally,” police spokesman Pablo Castillo told AFP.The former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, now a weathered 67-year-old, had been in hiding for more than three weeks until he crossed the
British boy's smartphone catches fire

Dec 6, 2012

British officials say their investigation of why a smartphone caught fire and left an 11-year-old boy's legs burned and permanently scarred is a priority.The family is now demanding the popular BlackBerry Curve 9320 mobile is recalled from shops in time for Christmas.Pete and Sarah McCreath say they are seeking the BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone recalled from British stores before Christmas after a BlackBerry device malfunctioned and spontaneously combusted, the Daily Telegraph reported. Sarah
Mobile game spices up working women’s lives

Dec 5, 2012

As the smartphone has become a necessity regardless of gender, mobile games have successfully pegged the female gaming culture now prevalent among working women. “In the past when online games were dominant, excellent female gamers would be stigmatized as game-addicted hermits,” said NHN Hangame spokesman Hwang Hyun-don, saying that female gamers had unfairly suffered from a negative, androgynous image. “Nowadays, all men and women can play games without damaging their personal image and style.”
Samsung Electronics revs up localization in Africa

Dec 4, 2012

Tech giant calls Africa last emerging market, pushes for tech-boosted corporate social activities
Hand gestures for in-car controls?

Dec 4, 2012

Japanese carmaker Toyota says it is developing technology to allow drivers to control certain in-car functions such as radio volume with simple hand gestures.The head of Toyota‘s U.S. division said the company is working on new hand-motion technology that could have in-car applications to help limit distracted driving by keeping a driver’s eyes on the road.“We believe the driver must always be engaged,” Jim Lentz told The Wall Street Journal at the Los Angeles Auto Show. “It‘s really, really cri
Korea to invest 930 bln won in nano industry until 2020

Dec 4, 2012

Korea will invest 930 billion won ($858.7 million) until 2020 to boost the nano industry as part of its efforts to make the country one of the world's top three players in the area, the government said Tuesday.The envisioned investment consists of 650 billion won set aside by the central government for its budget and 280 billion won assigned by the private sector and municipal governments, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. The money will be spent on research and development activit
LG’s Nexus 4 tops Nexus phone poll

Dec 3, 2012

The Nexus 4 phone, LG Electronics Inc.’s first smartphone collaboration with Google Inc., has topped a consumer review of the U.S. search giant‘s Nexus smartphone line-up, a poll showed Monday.The Nexus 4 won support from 2,429 people as the best Nexus phone in a survey of 4,891 respondents, according to the recent poll compiled by the smartphone review Web site phoneArena.com.The 4.7-inch phone, released in late October, is the latest addition to the Nexus smartphone line-up. It runs on the And
Korea sweeps global ‘phablet’ market: data

Dec 2, 2012

The sales of “phablets,” or large-screen smartphones, manufactured by Korea’s two handset makers ― Samsung and LG ― took up more than 90 percent of the global market, according to a U.S. market research firm.Strategy Analytics said Sunday that Samsung Electronics secured about 78 percent market share in the third quarter. LG Electronics accounted for about 14 percent market share.A combination of “phone” and “tablets,” phablets are touch-screen devices that are larger than smartphones but smalle
Apple's iPhone 5 to hit S. Korea next week

Nov 30, 2012

South Korea's two biggest mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. -- said Friday they plan to release the long-awaited iPhone 5 in the local market next week. SK Telecom and KT tweeted they plan to start receiving pre-orders for the Apple device starting at 10 p.m. and officially launch the phone on Dec. 7.The move comes nearly three months after the U.S. smartphone maker, which is facing off against Samsung Electronics Co. in a global patent war, unveiled its first smartphone that runs o
iPhone 5 to be launched on Dec. 7 in S. Korea

Nov 30, 2012

Apple’s iPhone 5 is to be released in the Korean market on Dec. 7, three months after its launch in U.S.Korea’s two largest telecommunications companies, SK Telecom and KT, said on their official Twitter pages that “the official release of iPhone 5 is due on Dec. 7 and pre-sales will begin on Friday 10 p.m.”Detailed information on how to apply for pre-sale, storage capacity and color choices of the phone has not yet been announced.Apple released iPhone 5 on Sept. 12 in some countries including t
Mobile advertising market soars

Nov 29, 2012

The trend in online marketing is fast shifting into mobile advertisements, as smartphones have become a necessity for Koreans, according to financial investment industry data. The shift comes as the number of smartphone users in Korea surpassed 30 million. This year’s mobile ad business is expected to reach about 204 billion won ($190 million), about 107 times more than two years ago, when it was just 1.9 billion won. Hanwha Investment & Securities Co. expects that the mobile ad market will keep