Cities have tried a number of exotic solutions to get phone-toting pedestrians to focus on where they're going (or at least, out of the way). However, Seoul thinks there's a simpler answer: traffic signs. The South Korean capital is testing signs t...
PSY's "Gangnam Style" is so recognizable, the second it starts to play people know what to do. To commemorate the the track that broke YouTube's view counter, the Gangnam District Office announced that it will be erecting a statue in PSY's honor be...
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Eric Schmidt's recent trip to Seoul wasn't all spontaneous Gangnam dancing. Google's former-CEO / current executive chair had a lot to say during the Korean launch of the company's Nexus 7 tablet, bemoaning the patent wars that have ensnarled the industry, telling the crowd, "literally patent wars prevent choice, prevent innovation and I think that is very bad. We are obviously working through that and trying to make sure we stay on the right side of these issues." The war for marketshare ought to be fought with the release of better products, rather legal maneuvering, according to the executive.
But in spite of Apple's role in the battle -- and the company's decision to go it alone on products like its troubled Maps app -- Schmidt still had kind words for Cupertino, calling the company "a very good partner," and adding that the, "two companies are literally talking all the time about everything." The exec also told the crowd that he'd be meeting with Samsung, one of the company's "most important partners," during the trip, "as I do every time I come here."
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets
Google's Eric Schmidt slams patent wars, still has nice things to say about Apple and Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung has received permission from local authorities to erect a 330,000 square meter, 10-storey high research and development center in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. The facility, which broke ground last week, is expected to cost around 1 trillion won ($822 million) and will house around 10,000 employees. The company's expecting to be able to move in by May 2015, so remember to buy a plant to take to the housewarming party.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Samsung gets green-light for $822 million R&D HQ in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A team of researchers at South Korea's Seoul National University have been busy developing biologically-inspired electronic skin that is capable of "feeling" subtle stimulus such as bouncing water droplets and human heartbeats. The skin's surface is covered in two interlocked arrays of 50-nanometre-wide polymeric nanofibres that act like hairs on the surface of the skin, coming in contact with one another under the strain of external force. That contact then generates a current to help the skin gauge the changes in pressure, according to New Scientist. The creators of the flexible skin say that sensor response can be repeated up to 10,000 cycles, displaying their output on a computer in real-time.
Electronic skin lets machines sense water droplets and heartbeats, wonder why they were programmed to feel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 04:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Having already pulled out of Brazil and shut down a research building in North Carolina, HTC has now closed its office in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The move is part of the Taiwanese manufacturer's efforts to "streamline operations" and focus on selling One-branded handsets in markets where it stands a better chance of success -- rather like Nokia's geographic retreat following its commitment to Windows Phone, but here on a much smaller scale. It's not yet clear how many jobs will be lost, but HTC says it regrets the "direct impact on people who have contributed to the growth HTC has experienced in the past several years." As it stands, analysts reckon that Korean manufacturers like Samsung, LG and Pantech rule a 90 percent share of their home market, leaving HTC with just one or two points that evidently weren't worth clinging onto.
Filed under: Cellphones
HTC shuts Seoul office, leaves Korea to the Koreans originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |ZDNet | Email this | Comments I love grocery shopping, but I don’t like having to do all the heavy lifting. I have this mentality where more is better and less is bad, which means I’m a huge sucker for the bulk or discounted aisles where the supersized versions of most products are on display.
A lot of people probably share the same sentiments when it comes to getting groceries, because it was enough to convince one company to launch a completely virtual supermarket, which displays ample products, but does away with the need to carry them around.
A little while back, we mentioned a small virtual shop opened by Tesco/Homeplus in Korea, and apparently the idea has taken off in the country. Another, larger virtual store recently opened in Seoul, where all shoppers have to do is point their phones at the QR code to scan it to put an item into their virtual cart for home delivery.
The store, which is located at the Seoulleung subway station, offers approximately 500 different items on its shelves. The obvious downside is that you can’t check or inspect products as you normally would before putting them in your cart. One of the trade-offs for convenience, I guess.
What do you think?
[via Pop Up City]