Samsung Electronics topped the global flat-screen TV market by sales in the first half of this year, solidifying its status as the world’s top TV maker for the 30 fiscal quarters since 2006. Samsung recorded a 27.1 percent market share in the flat-panel TV market, followed by its longtime rival LG with 16.3 percent and Japan-based electronics firm Sony with 6.7 percent. Samsung also secured the top spot in the LCD, PDP and 3-D TV markets, marking 25.9 percent, 45.2 percent and 31.4 percent marke

TOKYO ― LINE Corp. said Wednesday that it planned to issue an initial public offering once its user base surpassed 300 million worldwide. “LINE would be able to issue the initial public offering when the firm secures a stable number of users, say, over 300 million,” said Hwang In-joon, CFO of NHN, the holding company of LINE Corp.The current number of LINE users stands at 230 million, having grown rapidly in just over two years since its release. He said where the firm would issue the IPOs was “

In an aim to change everyday life, three young entrepreneurs jumped into a start-up and recently launched their first product that could possibly do just that.The 3-D multi-touch controller called “Haptix” works similarly to technology in the movie “Minority Report,” in which detectives drag their fingers on a screen, zooming in and out. Haptix turns any flat surface into a control pad, which users can then use to control their computers, TV or any other device.“A change in how we interact with

TOKYO ― LINE Corp. on Wednesday said it is out for a larger share of the global mobile messenger market by offering new services that include free video calls.“LINE will not only serve as a communication channel but also play a role as a common language in the world,” said Akira Morikawa, chief executive officer of LINE, an affiliate of NHN, at the “Hello, Friends in Tokyo 2013” conference held in Tokyo this week.LINE currently offers free text messaging, voice calls and group chats both locally

A large number of local information, communications and technology companies ― mostly small and mid-sized contractors ― called on the government to help them gain an edge over their foreign counterparts.Science, ICT and Future Planning Minister Choi Mun-kee urged the companies to first secure quality and price competitiveness so they could get more government subsidies. “The government cannot (promote the entry) of companies with substandard quality or price competitiveness,” Choi said, adding t

LG Electronics, the world’s third largest smartphone maker, is poised to manufacture 500 prototypes of its new tablets starting in September from its Yantai assembly line in China, sources told The Korea Herald.Based on the prototypes, the company will aim to sell up to a monthly 100,000 units, they said. The current capacity has been set at around 200,000, indicating LG may increase shipments depending on demand. ``It is too early to reveal new tablet plans,'' Na Young-pil from LG Electronics s

Speculation about the next generation of iPhones coming in a wider spectrum of colors or in larger sizes is rife online, but it appears that the iPhone 6 will not abandon the legacy of late Steve Jobs to create phones that fit in the palm of the hand. Jobs once said that the 3.5-inch touchscreen was the perfect size for consumers. This may be why the Cupertino-based firm has added just half an inch to its iPhones since Jobs passed away in 2011.Sources close to Apple said whether it be the iPhone

Samsung Electronics has been seeking international talent for years in a bid to become global and innovative. Pankaj Agarwal, a manager of Samsung’s future innovation team, is a key talent among its 1,200 workers from around the world helping to drive innovation at the world’s largest tech firm.“Destiny and Samsung brought me to Korea nearly a decade ago after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2004,” Agarwal said. Before joining the world’s largest tech firm in 2006, h

Over the past 60 years, Korea has made massive economic progress from the rubble of the 1950-53 Korean War: Its GDP per capita grew from $67 in 1953 to $23,067 in 2012. The economic achievement has been attributed largely to growth of manufacturing businesses and their exports, led mostly by large conglomerates. In the early stages of economic development between 1948 and 1965, textiles, milling and sugar refining ― called the three “white industries” ― were promoted at government level. Then hi

Striving to boost the sales of their premium TVs, the world’s top two television makers are competing to slash prices, according to industry and company sources. LG said Sunday it would roll out 55- and 65-inch Ultra-HD TVs priced at 5.9 million won ($5,300) and 8.9 million won, down by 1.5 million won and 2 million won, respectively, compared to its premium lineups. Some features, including a sliding speaker that recedes when the TV is turned off and built-in cameras found in the proceeding pr

구본준 LG전자 부회장이 목요일 출시된 G2에 대해 흡족해했다고 전해 지면서 그 배경에 관심이 쏠리고 있다.“G2를 본 구본준 부회장이 좋아하시면서, 많이 팔아 보라고 격려 하셨다,”고 마창민 LG전자 한국마케팅상무는 수요일(한국시각) 여의도 LG트윈타워에서 열린 G2 런칭 미디어 행사에서 밝혔다.몇 시간 후 현지시각 수요일 뉴욕의 링컨 센터에서 열린 “LG G2 Day” 행사에서는 약 700명의 기자와 게스트들이 LG가 야심차게 준비한 G2 런칭 행사를 보기 위해 행사장을 가득 매웠다. “인간을 이해하고 배운다”라는 모토아래 제작된 G2에 대해 LG는 경쟁업체의 어떤 제품보다 “사용자 중심의 스마트폰” 이라는 자신감을 비추었다. LG전자는 전원버튼과 볼륨버튼을 제품 뒤로 배치해, 매끈한 “디자인의 아름다움”과 한 손으로 스마트폰을 조작할 수 있는 “안정감”의 두 마리 토끼를 잡은 것이라고 밝혔다. 볼륨버튼을 길게 누르면 Q메모, 카메라 등의 UX로 바로 연결이 된다. 스마트폰 화면

Though still fledgling, the 3-D printing business is garnering much attention from business and even political circles.U.S. President Barack Obama said 3-D printing had the potential “to revolutionize the way we make almost everything” in his State of the Union speech in February, and his administration has pledged to invest in the cutting-edge industry. Having sensed a promising future for the industry six years ago, a pioneering Korean 3-D printer manufacturer is now aiming to penetrate the wo