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Samsung mano-a-mano with Apple

By Kim Yoo-chulA teaser advertisement for the Galaxy S4 due to be unveiled in New York, Thursday.Samsung Electronics will unveil its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S4, in New York tomorrow.  The launch comes as competition between Samsung and Apple escalates with the latter’s iPhone 5 recently regaining its leadership in the global smartphone market over the former’s Galaxy S3.Insiders said the Korean firm strategically chosen the Radio City Music Hall for the unveiling venue. ``Since New York is nicknamed the Big Apple, which is also the symbol and heart of the United States, Samsung picked that city for the event,’’ one said. ``We are highly positive that the new Galaxy will receive a favorable response from consumers and markets. By releasing the S4 on Apple’s home-turf, Samsung wants to show we can effectively manage our smartphone business even in the United States,’’ said another insider, familiar with the matter.The firm’s confidence is based on the new phone’s faster evolution in hardware specifications and improvement

Mar 12, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung mano-a-mano with Apple
Tech & Science

Samsung SDI tops in 2nd battery market

By Kim Yoo-chulSamsung SDI, the battery-making affiliate of Samsung Group, has maintained the top position in the small-sized battery market for the third consecutive year, the company said Tuesday.According to Japan-based market research firm B3, SDI’s global share in lithium-ion batteries was 26 percent last year, followed by the Panasonic Group with 18.7 percent, LG Chem with 17.5 percent and Sony with 8 percent.SDI’s cell ― the basic unit of lithium-ion batteries ― production broke the 1 billion mark for the first time on an annual basis.One battery cell is used per smartphone, while five or six cells are used for a notebook PC. Seo said strong sales of the Galaxy line of devices are helping SDI increase its market share. Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest smartphone supplier, uses SDI-produced batteries for Galaxy cameras, tablets and smartphones. SDI-produced batteries are also used in Apple’s iPads and iPhones.``We widened the market gap with Panasonic to 7.3 percentage points last year from the previous year’s 0.9 percentage point

Mar 12, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Petrochemical firms face bumpy road

An LG Chem petrochemical plant in the nation’s southern industrial city of Yeosu. / Korea Times fileSamsung, Lotte, Hanwha suffer snowballing lossesBy Kim Yoo-chulKorea’s leading petrochemical companies, including Samsung, Lotte and Hanwha, are facing a bumpy road ahead as a consequence of snowballing losses due to declining demand from China coupled with the rise of competition from the Middle East.Chinese firms have expanded their production capacity to reduce their dependence on products manufactured by Korean firms. Middle Eastern firms are rapidly making forays into the Chinese market with cheaper products.The problem is that the worst is yet to come. Beijing has vowed to boost its nationwide annual capacity of polyethylene products ― the raw material for the production of synthetic rubbers ― to 27 million tons by 2015 from the current 19 million tons, according to data from the China Petroleum & Chemical Industry Association.``We are in trouble. Samsung’s proven manufacturing technology has managed to help us grow overseas. But the external growt

Mar 11, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Freescale Semiconductor Korea has new CEO

By Kim Yoo-chulDavid M. UzeFreescale Korea CEOFreescale Semiconductor has named David M. Uze as the new chief executive of its South Korean operation as part of efforts to expand its Korean business, the company said Monday.Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Freescale is a leading manufacturer of microcontrollers and microprocessors.``Uze will represent Freescale’s Korean operation as CEO, while he will also handle our business in Japan. The existing regional head Hwang Yeon-ho will have an advisory role to support the new CEO,’’ the company said in a statement, Monday.The company has driving ambitions to boost its share in solutions for cars, networking and consumer electronics, while further strengthening the lineup of its core products. Freescale produces and designs embedded hardware. The CEO joined the company in April 2010 as the president of the firm’s Japanese operation. He is a marketing expert with 20 year experience mostly focused in Asia including Japan.

Mar 11, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Freescale Semiconductor Korea has new CEO
Tech & Science

Hyosung wins order in Mozambique

By Kim Yoo-chulHyosung Group said Monday it had signed a contract with the government of Mozambique to sell energy-saving technology.The firm hopes the deal will provide more business opportunities in Africa. A strategic partnership with Hyosung will also help Mozambique acquire management know-how in the energy sector, the firm said.Under the contract, the Mozambique government will pay Hyosung 93 billion won ($85 million) to use the latter’s patented solar-cell and power generation technology.“The Fundo do Energia of Mozambique, a state-run firm, has asked us to build a 1.3-megawatt solar plant worth 35 billion won,” the firm said.“We also agreed with the Electricidade de Mozambique, another state firm, to provide power cables and power generators. The deal is worth 58 billion won.”The Export-Import Bank of Korea will help finance the projects.Since a vast amount of natural gas was discovered in the African country, its energy market has been booming.More energy, of course, means that more Mozambicans will have access to electricity, and manufacturing

Mar 11, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

KT to build LTE network in Rwanda

Kim Hong-jin, right, president of KT’s global business division, shakes hands with Patrick Nyirishema, a senior director at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), after signing an agreement to establish a joint venture for high-speed Internet services in the African country, Sunday. The signing was held in the Rwandan capital city of Kigali. Courtesy of KTBy Kim Yoo-chulKT announced Sunday it has signed a contract with the Rwanda government to set up a joint firm to build a nationwide mobile Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.The agreement will pave the way for the company to export its high-speed broadband technology to more African countries, virtually an untapped market, KT said.“The venture is intended to develop, construct, operate and provide wholesale infrastructure services to mobile service providers and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Rwanda,’’ KT spokeswoman Kim Yoon-jeong said. “It has major significance for our global expansion strategy.”Through the business, KT plans to meet the growing appetite for much faster fourth-generati

Mar 10, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
KT to build LTE network in Rwanda
Tech & Science

Android beats iOS in stock markets

By Kim Yoo-chulThere are many indicators that show how a company is performing. Among them, stock prices are probably one of the best pointers to tell whether it is going in the right direction.In this regard, Apple’s reign over the smartphone world is showing signs of decline as stock prices for the technology giant drop while those of its competitors climb.Since Apple’s first iPhone was launched in 2007, the Cupertino-based outfit has long controlled the global smartphone market, but things are changing.Before 2010, Apple impressed investors with updated iPhones, which received warm responses from consumers. Since then, Apple’s grip on the market has slipped with the sudden rise of Google and Korea’s Samsung Electronics.Apple discounted the impact the Samsung-Google alliance would have on its business. Now, Samsung leads the global market in smartphones and budget models, prompting stock analysts to increase their estimate for Samsung shares to more than 2 million won. Thanks to Samsung’s full support, Google saw a 20.6 percent rise in its share price

Mar 8, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Android beats iOS in stock markets
Tech & Science

Exclusive Samsung to unveil 5.9-inch smartphone

By Kim Yoo-chulSamsung’s 5.5-inch Galaxy Note IISamsung Electronics said Wednesday that it plans to introduce a 5.9-inch handset in the latter half of the year to solidify its leading position in the rapidly-growing “phablet” market.``Samsung is working on introducing a new phablet using a 5.9-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen,’’ an official told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. Phablet is a term created by combining parts of phone and tablet. He said the new handset will be powered by the in-house Exynos octa-core chipset to meet consumer demand for faster data processing and downloading speeds. But it’s unlikely that the company will use flexible display technology as its display-making affiliate ― Samsung Display ― is having difficulty coping with demand. The move comes as the Korean electronics giant’s seeks to further strengthen its foothold in the phablet market where Chinese rivals such as ZTE and Huawei have unveiled products in similar sizes.Samsung has already secured a solid position in the phablet

Mar 6, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
[Exclusive] Samsung to unveil 5.9-inch smartphone
Tech & Science

Samsung spends record $11 bil. on marketing

By Kim Yoo-chulSamsung Electronics spent a record-breaking $11 billion or 12.9 trillion won on marketing activities in 2012, despite a deepening patent dispute with Apple, according to documents obtained by The Korea Times, Tuesday.The amount accounts for 6.5 percent of the firm’s 200 trillion won revenue last year, and was up 38 percent from the previous year. It was 6.8 times the 1.9 trillion won it spent in 2005.The documents also show that the electronics giant spent 1.15 trillion won on research and development in 2012, taking up 5.7 percent of its total sales. The figure was up 15.5 percent from a year earlier and 3.1 times what it spent seven years ago. The numbers suggest Samsung is placing a greater emphasis on marketing in a bid to increase its slice of the smartphone market and improve its brand image. “Samsung’s focus on marketing was the main reason the company was so successful last year,” said a source inside Samsung, asking not to be identified.“With its strategic Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note smartphones selling tens of millions, t

Mar 5, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Dongbu LED signs licensing deal with Osram

By Kim Yoo-chulDongbu LED, the lighting affiliate of Dongbu Group, said Tuesday that it has signed a licensing deal with German-based Osram over patents in light-emitting diodes (LEDs).The agreement allows Dongbu to use key Osram-owned white conversion-related patents by paying royalties, Dongbu said in a statement. Dongbu is the fifth Korean firm to sign such a licensing deal with Osram after Seoul Semiconductor, Lumens, Samsung Electronics and LG Innotek.``Our top clients, including Sharp, Hitachi, Panasonic of Japan and General Electric (GE) of the United States, strongly asked us to sign a licensing deal with Osram as the German company is the global leader to supply LED packaging and modules,’’ said a Dongbu spokesman, adding the deal will help the group see rises in revenue and profit in LEDs.``The deal will significantly help us gain big momentum in Japan and the United States ― the two markets that dominate with 60 percent of global LED lighting demand,’’ he said.

Mar 5, 2013By Kim Yoo-chul
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