All navigation manufacturers are facing an increasingly challenging market. While Apple and Google offer built-in or free software in the US, Korean Telecom companies offer even more state-of-the-art navigation software, informing drivers of speed limit zones and locations of traffic enforcement cameras. Despite the similar kind of market pressure in the face of evolving smartphone apps, the navigation manufacturers in the two markets seem to be moving in opposite directions. While American…

메시지를 확인하면 10초 만에 자동 삭제되는 유령 메신저 ‘스냅챗’이 돌풍을 일으키면서, 이를 기점으로 SNS의 신(新) 역사가 시작되고 있다. 스냅챗이 사람들에게서 읽어낸 니즈는 ‘휘발성’이다. 일부 매체에서는 ‘잊혀질 권리를 보장해주는 메신저’라고 소개하기도 했는데, 분명 자신의 이름을 단 흔적들이 어딘가에 흘려져 있다는 건 부담스러운 일이다. 최근에는 이런 휘발성에 덧붙여 아예 이름이 드러나지 않는 SNS가 등장했다. 이름 없이 소셜 네트워킹이 가능할까 싶지만, 익명 게시판에 더 솔직하고 적나라한 이야기들이 오고 갔던 걸 떠올려보면 그리 새로운 일도 아니다….

The Korean government has just announced the long-awaited news that the first “Start-up Visa” in Korea has been issued to a Korean-American entrepreneur, Jason Lee CEO of J.J. Lee Company.  It is unknown why he was not able to apply for an F-4 visa, which is available for non-Koreans with Korean heritage, but it marks another stride forward in Korea’s massive push towards establishing its position as one of the world’s most vibrant…

Korean researchers have developed a next-generation mobile communication technology that enables devices to directly communicate, long range, without going through a base station. The solution allows direct communication between LTE devices, a world first, and was successfully demonstrated it in the company’s mobile communication lab. ETRI’s technology was highlighted by the international standardization organization, 3GPP, as a stand out new-tech innovation last year and was praised for having a wider communication range…

Noom, Inc., the creator of fun and easy-to-use health and wellness apps, announced today that it has closed a $7 million Series A round of funding led by New York-based RRE Ventures with participation from TransLink Capital, Scrum Ventures, Recruit Group Japan, Qualcomm Ventures and Harbor Pacific Capital. RRE’s Jim Robinson IV will join the company’s board. “Noom has designed a comprehensive mobile weight loss program complete with guidance and motivational support…

애플 ios8, 모바일 헬스케어 앱 포함 가능성 애플이 올해 출시할 ios 8에 건강 모니터 앱을 추가할 예정이라고 IT매체 나인투파이브맥이 31일(현지 시간) 보도했다. 추후에 이 기능은 아이워치에도 활용될 예정으로, 최근 애플은 2명의 웨어러블 기기 관련 의학 전문가를 채용하는 등 헬스케어 분야에 지속적인 연구와 개발을 거듭해왔다. 매체에 따르면 애플이 헬스케어 분야의 집중하는 이유는 “사용자들의 연령대가 높아짐에 따라 건강관리 분야가 확실한 사업 영역이 될 것”으로 판단했기 때문이다. 애플이 ios8에 추가할 애플리케이션은 헬스북(healthbook)으로 걸음수, 칼로리 소모량,…

Having achieved 18M downloads and the number 1 spot in 20 countries back in 2009 with Oven Break, the company’s first release, Korean game developer Devsisters has just released their global follow-up, Cookie Run, on the Line games platform. Despite early success with Oven Break, they struggled to maintain momentum and effectively withdrew from the global market, choosing to focus on their home turf in Korea. This was due struggles in maintaining…

Echelon 2013 is organized by tech media and events platform e27, and is one of the region’s largest tech and business events held over two days in Singapore to celebrate Southeast Asia’s emerging technology industry. It features 50 of the region’s most promising startups, renowned global and regional speakers on Internet and Digital businesses and 10 exceptional startups pitching for the title of Echelon 2013’s Most Promising Startup. Organized annually since 2010, Echelon has evolved to become…

The below is the review segment for Korea. For the full article please click here to be redirected. Samsung 4Q13 profits to fall: Samsung Electronics has estimated its operating profits for the fourth quarter of 2013 at about KRW8.3 trillion(US$7.8 billion), down 18% from the prior quarter. Consolidated sales for the 4Q are set to stay flat on quarterat KRW59 trillion, Samsung disclosed. The forecast operating profits represent a 6.1% decrease compared tothe KRW8.84 trillion…

While many believe that the USA leads the world in innovation, with Silicon Valley as the heart of everything, there are other nations that are making an impact. Bloomberg recently conducted a survey of 215 countries to determine their ‘Innovation Quotient’ and ranked South Korea as number 1 in the world for 2013. South Korea has achieved phenomenal economic growth over the last four decades, and is now is a position globally…

하드웨어와 소프트웨어의 결합은 어떻게 발전하고 있는가 ‘웨어러블 테크(Wearable Tech)’, ‘커넥티드 디바이스(Connected Device)’ 등 IoT(사물인터넷, Internet of Things)가 올 2014년도의 주요 화두다. 최근 개최된 CES2014에서 주목한 분야가 바로 사물인터넷으로, 홈케어 및 헬스케어 솔루션 분야에서 이 기술을 접목한 사례가 많이 소개되었다. 기존에 하드웨어는 사용자가 소프트웨어를 구동하는 하나의 물리적 틀이었다. 그러나 사물인터넷 기술의 발달로 하드웨어 자체가 사용자의 정보를 기록, 분석하여 적절한 솔루션까지 제공하는 지능형 디바이스로 발전하고 있다. 이와 관련된 트렌디한 상품과 서비스가 시장에 쏟아지고 있어…

President Park Geun-hye championed her creative economy vision at this year’s meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She suggested creative economy as a way out for countries experiencing slow growth amid high unemployment and income inequality.At the same time, she pitched Korea as an attractive place to invest to the participants in the forum. She held one-on-one meetings with the CEOs of some of the world’s top corporations to…

beSUCCESS, Korean startup media organization, events organizer, and global connector is happy to officially announce that their flagship startup event, beLAUNCH, is back in 2014 in a year that is already heating up to be one of the most promising for Korean, Asian, and Global entrepreneurship. The event will be held May 14 – 15 at the brand new Dongdaemun Design Plaza in the heart of Seoul. In addition, this year there…

Japan has been much harder hit by the global financial crisis than its North East Asian neighbors and has since struggled to catch back up. The country’s recovery has of course further been hampered by the devastating tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis in Fukushima. Suffice to say that Japan has seen better days, and now news that in the lucrative semiconductor market Japan is also losing out to Korea. According to research…

I have published a number of stories about Google, Naver and Daum, the not so fair battle-ground of Korean internet, but this piece is also very worth while sharing, as it goes into great depth about the issue and also suggests that finally Google may be on the rise. The Korean hit drama series “Respond, 1994” which went off the air two weeks ago after attracting a huge following on cable TV,…

The e-book industry is hoping that Korea’s large enterprises will boost domestic demand, prior to market entry by large-global companies including Amazon and Kobo. According to the industry, GS Home Shopping will start its e-Book service next month with ‘Tabon Books’. CJ HelloVision has already introduced an integrated e-Book and Internet service, at the end of 2013. GS Home Shopping is scheduled to embark on an e-book business to target both domestic…

It was recently reported that Amazon plans to enter the Korean e-commerce market in 2014, potentially posing a major threat to existing domestic services and promising to further globalize the online shopping experience that has until now been dominated by domestic players. “As far as I know, Amazon is currently preparing to enter the Korean market,” an industry source said, adding that local companies are gearing up for a possible showdown with…

Although Michael Bay stole many of the headlines for his walkout at CES Samsung have been trying to regain the spotlight and have claimed with confidence that the will grab top market share of UHD TV sales in the first quarter of 2014. “Although our launch of UHD TV was little late, we are confident that we will take the world’s No. 1 position within the first quarter,”  Yoon Boo-Keun, head of…

South Korea’s tech giants are battling it out at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, promoting their cutting-edge “smart” products. A total of 3,200 global players will showcase at one of the largest tech shows on earth Jan. 7-10, demonstrating how they aim to change our digital future. First round seems to have gone to Samsung, with their Smart Home solutions, which have out-shone LG’s Smart TVs, for now….

LTE-A will shape our mobile broadband future, has been all over the Korean tech news for a while, and has huge scope to grow, from current download speeds of around 45Mbps to up to 300Mbps. I thought it worth taking a look at where it is now and where it is heading in the next 12 months. For additional information please access the links in the text. Basic Facts: LTE was first…