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Samsung Pay is a hit in its home country
Samsung Pay has barely been available for a month in its home country of South Korea, but that isn't stopping Samsung from crowing about its early success. The tech giant says that it has already seen the equivalent of $30 million in transactions in that first month, spread across 1.5 million purchases. That's not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it's "beyond" what the company was hoping for. These aren't just one-and-done tests, either. About 36 percent of users were active in the past month, while 10 percent were enthusiastic enough to use Samsung Pay every day. And in case you're curious, the Galaxy Note 5 was the weapon of choice -- 60 percent of Korean purchases went through the supersized phone.
Mandatory South Korean parental control app is a security nightmare
Back in April, South Korea required that wireless carriers install parental control apps on kids' phones to prevent young ones from seeing naughty content. It sounded wise to officials at the time, but it now looks like that cure is worse than the disease. Researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab have discovered 26 security holes in Smart Sheriff, the most popular of these mandatory parental apps. The software has weak authentication, sends a lot of data without encryption and relies on servers using outdated, vulnerable code. It wouldn't be hard for an intruder to hijack the parent's account, intercept communications or even scoop up the kids' personal details. The worst part? Some of these vulnerabilities apply on a large scale, so a particularly sinister attacker could compromise hundreds of thousands of phones at once.
Netflix is coming to Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea
Netflix only just launched in Japan last month (that's the Japan office pictured above), and it's already lining up its next destinations in Asia. In early 2016 the streaming video service is coming to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea, although no exact dates or pricing are specified. It's planning to bring the usual suite of features and even Ultra HD streaming to these countries when it lands, thanks to their existing broadband infrastructure. Where it might go after that (China?) is still unknown, but its plan for global availability by the end of 2016 is apparently still on track. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Samsung and Google censor LGBT apps in South Korea
Samsung is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the hub of an exceedingly connected country: South Korea boasts the fastest internet connection speed in the world and is second globally in smartphone penetration. It's in this environment that both Samsung and Google have banned popular gay social networking apps from their online stores, Buzzfeed News reports. Samsung rejected the gay hookup app Hornet from its South Korean store in 2013, citing local values and laws that disallow LGBT content. Hornet is available in the US and other countries, though it remains banned in Argentina, Iceland, Syria and South Korea, the report says. Samsung confirmed to the site that it blocks LGBT apps on a country-by-country basis, though it's notable that Argentina and Iceland both legalized same-sex marriage in 2010.
South Korea will track cellphones to keep an outbreak under control
South Korea is grappling with an outbreak of the frequently deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and it's taking some drastic technological steps to keep this bad situation from getting worse. The country plans to track the cellphones of people under a MERS quarantine to make sure that they don't leave home and infect others. It's an "unavoidable measure," the country's Deputy Prime Minister claims, and there's some evidence to support his warning. A man broke quarantine last month and flew to China, for example, preventing confirmation of his sickness until it was too late. Still, the loss of privacy likely won't sit well with the roughly 2,300 affected Koreans -- it's a technological reminder of the isolation they face until they're deemed healthy. [Image credit: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images]
LG's Watch Urbane LTE will soon be available in South Korea for $590
LG is releasing the Watch Urbane LTE in South Korea within the next few days, which means we now have an idea how much one will cost. Turns out the fancy mobile internet-connected smartwatch is priced at 650,000 won or $590 on LG's home turf. That's comparable to the regular Apple Watch, which will set you back at least $549, though the price could still be different when the device arrives stateside. As you might know, the smartwatch has its own SIM card and can make voice calls even without a phone. It can connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, though, provided it runs Android KitKat or later.
Deep-fried graphene may be the key to long-lasting batteries
The deep frying process isn't just useful for livening up your food -- it might also be the ticket to better batteries in your mobile devices. South Korean researchers have created highly conductive, stable electrode materials by spraying graphene oxide droplets into a very hot blend of acid and organic solvent, much like you'd dip chicken into oil. The resulting "pom-poms" (what you see above) aren't at all tasty, but their open 3D structure makes them far better for transferring electrical charges than plain graphene.
Gas leak forces LG factory to halt OLED TV production
A tragic gas leak at one of LG's domestic OLED TV panel plants this week might have some big ramifications for the TV market. South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor has ordered LG to shut down the factory while it investigates the accident, which killed two workers and injured four. A spokeswoman wasn't willing to predict the closure's effect on sales for Reuters, but it comes days after LG unveiled its Best of CES-winning Art Slim OLED sets and might affect a timely launch (at least for Koreans) if the investigation takes a while. The victims and the plant's safety undoubtedly take higher priority -- just don't be surprised if there are ripple effects.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S now packs speedy LTE-Advanced data
Samsung isn't saving extra-quick mobile data for its smartphones. The company has unveiled a version of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 with 225Mbps LTE-Advanced inside, giving the tablet a very fast connection while away from WiFi. It's enough to grab 421 songs in a single minute, if you believe the official estimates. It's otherwise the same Android slate you've seen before, although that's not a bad thing given the slim profile and super-vivid display. The catch? You'll likely have to move to get one. Samsung has only announced the upgraded Tab S for South Korea, where it will cost 799,700 won ($743). Given that other countries haven't hopped on the LTE-A bandwagon yet, you could be waiting a while before this device (or more likely, one of its sequels) comes your way.
Old-school seafaring tech repurposed as a GPS fallback
GPS is super useful when you're trying to navigate unfamiliar areas in cars and on foot, but for ships, it's an outright lifeline. Many vital systems, especially on large commercial vessels, rely almost entirely on GPS data, meaning it's a pretty huge deal when satellite connection is lost. GPS is far from infallible, and signals can be jammed by equipment and even solar storms, which is why the UK has begun rolling out a fallback positioning network that uses technology first implemented by the US Navy during WWII. The once-popular Loran positioning system was essentially superseded by GPS, but in a twist to the tale, the UK is using an improved version, known as eLoran, to ensure ships aren't completely reliant on satellite signals. Trials started at the beginning of last year, and the first seven eLoran stations are now live along the East coast of Great Britain, with all the UK's major ports expected to be covered by 2019.
South Korean data breaches leave every citizen's ID at risk
There are big data breaches, and then there are massive, nation-changing data breaches. South Korean officials have warned that hacks targeting the country's national ID number system were so damaging that the government may not only have to revamp how it issues ID numbers, but hand out new ones to every citizen. That could cost the equivalent of $650 million by itself, and businesses might have to spend billions of dollars upgrading their systems to match -- you need that ID for many basic tasks in South Korea, so it's not just a question of a simple software fix.
Watch a tiny robot fly an aircraft nearly as well as a real pilot
Autonomous aircraft are likely to be the future of air travel, but we're not quite there yet; even with autopilot systems in place, most airplanes are designed with human pilots in mind. South Korean researchers may have a clever robotic stopgap, however. Their tiny PIBOT automaton uses a mixture of flight data and visuals to fly using real controls. It still needs intervention shortly before touchdown, but it can otherwise take to the skies as well as many organic air crews -- it may even be a bit better in a few areas, since it uses its camera to align neatly with the runway on takeoff and landing.
Samsung's new online sitcom tries to make its employees look hip
Samsung doesn't just want to make its products look cool -- it wants its jobs to look cool, too. It's accordingly launching Best Future, an online-only musical sitcom that portrays Samsung as a hip place to work for young South Koreans. The star is Mirae ("future" in Korean), a fictional worker at the tech giant's Suwon headquarters; the six-episode series will follow her and her roommate Chaego ("best") as they dance their way through the workday. There aren't too many clues as to the storyline, but Samsung is teasing the prospect of "song battles" when the series arrives in October. Suffice it to say this won't be a deep, introspective masterpiece.
Water-powered phone chargers are coming to downtown Seoul
Unless you've made a habit of carrying around a solar charger, topping off your phone outdoors can be a bit of a challenge. Well, unless you're living in South Korea. The city of Seoul just announced that it's building a series of outdoor recharging stations along the Cheonggyecheon, a manmade stream in the city's downtown area. The chargers won't draw from the city's power grid, however -- they'll draw current from a collection of hydroelectric turbines embedded in the stream. The project's developer says the stations will be able to fully charge most devices in 2-3 hours. If the five stations currently in production turn out to be a hit, the city says it will consider expanding the network. See? Low battery life is no excuse for avoiding the great outdoors. [Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
LG's G3 A is a stripped-down version of its flagship smartphone
LG has to be pleased by the overall reception to the G3, from press and consumers alike. That said, perhaps in an effort to keep the momentum going, the electronics company just launched the G3 A, a smaller and slightly lower-specced version of its popular flagship handset, the G3. This isn't to say LG's new, 5.2-inch G3 A, which will be available in South Korea through SK telecom, is by any means a dud, as it does sport some pretty good features of its own. The smartphone comes with a 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 800 processor (2.6GHz) alongside 2GB RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, Android KitKat and, best of all, the same 13-megapixel camera found on the G3. Of course, growing the G3 family is nothing novel to LG -- the company announced the G3 Beat recently and, apparently, there's also a G3 Stylus on the way.
Robotic exoskeletons give dock workers superhuman lifting abilities
We talk a lot about robotic exoskeletons that give people almost supernatural lifting skills, but these tend to be confined to labs or science fiction. Not in South Korea, though. Daewoo has been testing suits that let shipyard workers carry objects as heavy as 66 pounds like they're nothing. The key is support for task-specific frames that put virtually all the load on the machine, giving you full dexterity -- whether it's an engine part or a piece of the hull, you can easily put it into place.
Korean baseball team recruits robots as stand-ins for fans
In South Korea, the Hanwha Eagles baseball team has gained a bunch of new fans that'll never abandon them even if they lose every game they play. After all, these new die-hard supporters are robots -- stomping, chanting, Mexican waving faceless robots designed to encourage human followers to cheer the Eagles on. They're officially called "fanbots," and they'll occupy three rows in the bleachers during a game, toting LED placards that display fans' (the flesh-and-blood ones) text messages for the team.Those screens that take the place of their faces? They also have a purpose: to display fans' faces as they watch the game remotely. It's definitely unusual, but the Eagles can use all the support they can get as they don't exactly have a good record. And who knows -- these fanbots could end up converting non-believers and getting more actual human supporters to show up at their games.
South Korea makes it easier to get refunds for Android and iOS apps
If you've ever been burned by downloading a mobile app that you don't want or doesn't work, relief may be in sight... so long as you're in South Korea, at least. The country's Fair Trade Commission has ordered both Apple and Google to make their app refund policies more consumer-friendly. To start, Apple must make it easier to claim refunds on in-app purchases; if your kid goes wild buying in-game items, you should have an easier time getting your money back. Google, meanwhile, has to let developers set their own refund terms.
South Korea debates the wisdom of a video game addiction law
South Korea takes gaming more seriously than most other counties: eSports tournaments air on TV, game-friendly cafes are everywhere and StarCraft is practically a cultural institution. However, there's a concern that some are taking it too seriously, to the point that they're putting lives (including their own) at risk. To that end, the Democratic Party of Korea recently hosted a debate regarding a proposed game addiction law that would regulate video games as addictive substances, much like alcohol or drugs. The government, industry figures and professors discussed whether or not the law would fight addiction or risk backfiring.
Korean protester spreads democracy's message by balloon and flashdrive
As funny as the idea of a video game starring Kim Jong Un might be, how North Korea treats its people isn't exactly a laughing matter. As a child of officials who were part of the North Korea's Workers Party, Park Sang Hak didn't have much to worry about. His family was part of the country's elite and wondering where their next meal would come from wasn't part of daily routine. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, however, when Hak saw the government starving its people he was overcome with guilt, and he defected to South Korea. As a direct result, two of Hak's uncles were arrested as political criminals by North Korea's State Security Department and executed as political enemies. He responded by putting a technological spin on South's previous form of protest: sending propaganda pamphlets north by balloon. His version entailed floating DVDs and USB flash drives containing, among other things, videos about Samsung and Hyundai -- evidence of the south's economic prosperity under democracy.
