[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is making a big push in the US budget smartphone market with its planned launch of the $140 Galaxy On5. According to CNET, the phone will be sold by both T-Mobile and its prepaid brand, MetroPCS. It comes in at $140 outright, or for zero down payment and $5.83 a month for 24 months. Samsung Galaxy On5Key features include a 5-inch display, a 5-megapizel camera with an LED flash on the back, a 2-megapixel camera on the front and a 2,600mAh battery. Previously, th

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics said on June 16 it has acquired a US-based cloud service provider Joyent in its latest start-up shopping spree. With the acquisition, Samsung aims to strengthen its presence in the soaring cloud market, offering more advanced mobile services in the era of the Internet of Things technology. Detailed terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Screen capture of Joyent`s homepage“Samsung evaluated a wide range of potential companies in the public and private cloud infr

[THE INVESTOR]Samsung Display has topped global sales of small and midsized active mode organic-light emitting diode display in the first quarter, a market research firm said on June 16. The display-making unit of Samsung Electronics dominated with 30.6 percent market share in terms of sales, followed by Japan Display with 17.1 percent and LG Display with 12.9 percent in the first three months of the year, according to the IHS.In terms of shipments, Samsung’s AMOLED displays made up about 14.4 p

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics on June 16 announced the launch of a new brand of television, called “Mosquito Away TV,” in India where concerns about mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, Zika and dengue fever are high. The new TV set generates ultrasonic waves so that mosquitos are repelled and won’t flock to the TV screen. The ultrasonic waves, however, do not bother viewers, the company said. LG also said it plans to launch the brand in other Southeast Asian markets.The Korean tech giant said

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is expected to adopt a curved screen for its new Galaxy Note to replicate the sales momentum of its hot-selling Galaxy S7 Edge. According to news reports on June 16, the Korean tech giant plans to start rolling out the upcoming Note Phablet from July with the initial production estimated to stand at about 2.5 million units per month. A leaked snap of an invite graphic shared by SamMobile.Samsung declined to confirm the reports. The company is scheduled to hold

[THE INVESTOR] Demand for DRAM memory chips has slightly picked up as more Chinese smartphone firms adopt the memory chips, according to market watchers. Some also predicted that the upward trend could continue for a while.The increased demand has consequently driven up the price of DRAM chips.The price of a DDR3 2Gb chip stands at $0.934, up from $0.888 several days ago, according to market research firm DRAMeXchange.The main contributing factor for the price increase is that more Chinese smart

UHD to become new norm in TV market[THE INVESTOR] The chief of a global industry group that sets ultra-high definition technology standards said the UHD technology will soon replace high definition technology to become a new norm in the global TV industry. Speaking with Korean reporters in Seoul on Wednesday, UHD Alliance president Hanno Basse said members of the alliance will continue to make concerted efforts to improve the viewing experience of TVs.“It will not take long for UHD TVs to replac

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s state-run agencies held a conference in New York City on June 15 (local time) to help local start-ups gain foothold in the U.S. Korea’s trade promotion agency KOTRA and Small and Medium Business Administration hosted “Korea Startup Summit NYC 2016” at New York City’s Microsoft Technology Center, inviting 15 promising local start-ups and five start-ups that have already entered the U.S. market. More than 50 investors from major American cities, including New York City, Bost

[THE INVESTOR] Start-up company 247 Korea announced that it would be launching a self-defense smartphone case through crowdfunding site Kickstarter in July. If the launch via Kickstarter is successful, the company plans to pitch its product on Indiegogo, another crowdfunding site, as well. Intended to serve as a means of self-defense, the smartphone case developed and produced by 247 Korea is equipped with a Taser-like stun gun that extends from the case upon the recognition of the user’s finger

[THE INVESTOR] The price of active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes, or AMOLED, for mobile devices is expected to drop below that of a liquid crystal display, according to market research firm IHS on June 15.A 5.5-inch AMOLED display, currently priced at $34, is expected to become cheaper at $25 to $28. But liquid cystal display, or LCD, prices will remain flat at around $26 to $29 in the first quarter next year, IHS said.Samsung Display’s improved production capacity is one of the biggest c

[THE INVESTOR] A “global business support center” was opened in the Pangyo Startup Campus – the hub for digital business startups – on June 15. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said that the center will be a “gateway” for local startups to engage with overseas investors and to enter foreign markets. The center is responsible for establishing a database of information related to startups here and provide potential overseas investors with this information.  Pangyo Startup Campus.It

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is expected to launch another budget smartphone Galaxy On7 in Korea in the coming weeks via SK Telecom, sources said on June 15. 　The model is the Korean tech giant’s cheapest smartphone that is sold at 10,190 rupees ($153) exclusively in India currently. 　Launched in November, the phone features a 5.5-inch HD Display, a 13 million pixel rear camera, a 5 million pixel front camera and a 3000mAh battery. Samsung's cheapest smartphone Galaxy On7Sources said the K

[THE INVESTOR] Mobile messenger Kakao will end its video service Daum TV Pot and combine it with streaming video service KakaoTV in September.Daum TV Pot features around 270 channels, in collaboration with TV broadcasters, content firms and individuals who run their own online broadcasting channels.Users can share video content posted on KakaoTV on Kakao’s other social network services including KakaoTalk and KakaoStory.Free on-demand movies, Web dramas, and live-streaming videos are available o

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is showcasing its Galaxy S7 smartphone and virtual reality headset Gear VR at the E2 2016, the world’s largest game trade show, held in Los Angeles from June 14 to 16.The Galaxy S7 and its curved-display variant Galaxy S7 edge are the first smartphones that support the Vulkan, a cross-platform application programming interface which can improve the graphics of mobile games by fully utilizing multi-core mobile processors.At the trade show, Samsung also showcased