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Samsung's 5G Galaxy S10 debuts in South Korea first on April 5th
Samsung's 5G phone will be available for sale in South Korea on April 5th. The launch of the S10 5G comes ahead of South Korea finalizing plans to become the first country to roll-out 5G nationwide. Samsung's phone will likely recruit an onslaught of people onto the new mobile network and serve as a litmus test as more countries expand to 5G in 2019.
Samsung reaches final settlement with cancer-stricken employees
After 11 years of controversy, Samsung has apologized for creating an unsafe work environment that resulted in a number of former employees contracting leukemia and other cancers, according to the Associated Press. The company has vowed to compensate ill workers by 2028, per Reuters. The announcement comes weeks after Samsung reached a final settlement with Banolim, a group representing ex-Samsung workers and their families.
NBC's Winter Olympics VR streams will work on almost any device
The Winter Olympics is getting a virtual reality makeover. NBC will present over 50 hours of VR coverage from the games in South Korea next month, using Intel True VR technology to create 360-degree immersive environments. It's the same style of tech that's been adopted by BT Sport, MLB, UFC, PGA and NBA, and it made an appearance at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, but it's the first time the Winter Games has been given the treatment (they only happen every four years, after all, and VR has only taken flight in recent times).
We're not getting Luke Skywalker's prosthetics any time soon
In 1937, robot hobbyist "Bill" Griffith P. Taylor of Toronto invented the world's first industrial robot. It was a crude machine, dubbed the Robot Gargantua (PDF, Pg 172) by its creator. The crane-like device was powered by a single electric motor and controlled via punched paper tape, which threw a series of switches controlling each of the machine's five axes of movement. Still, it could stack wooden blocks in preprogrammed patterns, an accomplishment that Meccano Magazine, an English monthly hobby magazine from the era, hailed as "a Wells-ian vision of 'Things to Come' in which human labor will not be necessary in building up the creations of architects and engineers."
A South Korean robotics company just built a real Gundam
We won't have to wait much longer for our Robotech future. South Korean robotics manufacturer Hankook Mirae Technology debuted its first prototype piloted mech over the weekend. Say hello to the Method-2.
North Korean hackers stole US fighter jet blueprints
As part of a years-long cyber attack, North Korean hackers have allegedly stolen 42,000 materials from South Korean organizations and government agencies, including blueprints for F-15 fighter jet wings. The hacking began in 2014 and was first detected in February, according to South Korea's police cyber investigation unit. Reuters reports that more than 40,000 of the materials stolen were defense-related.
Samsung agrees to compensation for employees that contracted cancer
After admitting that it didn't do enough to prevent illnesses and deaths of workers at its Korean semiconductor plants, Samsung has launched a new fund to put things right. Reuters reports that the company has set aside 100 billion won ($85.8 million) to compensate employees after it was revealed that hazardous working conditions had caused workers to contract leukemia and other incurable diseases.
Scientists fully decode a pair of mammoth DNA genomes
A team of Harvard Medical School geneticists have deciphered the complete genomes of not one but two individual woolly mammoths. The results, recently published in the journal Current Biology, are already providing valuable insights into how the species initially died out.
Uber offices raided by police in France and South Korea
Uber is under seige on two separate fronts today, as police in South Korea have arrested a pair of its executives, according to ZDNet. At the same time, Le Monde is reporting that French Police have raided Uber's offices in Paris. In Korea, the situation is a bit more serious: Seoul police charged the company's brand manager, other employees and drivers for allegedly breaking the nation's transport laws. The city previously declared that Uber's services are illegal and vowed to ban it, going so far as to issue a warrant for CEO Travis Kalanick and offer rewards to anyone who reported on it. The company is also being probed over claims it failed to register its car-hailing app with South Korea's wireless regulator. It's not clear what kind of charges the employees face.
Uber's CEO is now a wanted man in South Korea
2014's been a year to forget for Travis Kalanick, but since there's still a week to go before 2015, there's one more nasty surprise waiting for him. South Korea has indicted Uber's CEO on charges of operating an illegal taxi service in the country, which could see him slapped with an $18,000 fine, or two years in jail. According to Yonhap News, Uber, along with its rental agency, MK Korea, has broken local laws specifically preventing car-rental businesses from operating as a passenger-transport service.
True fans of the genre, get thee hence to Cabal II's closed beta
Are you a "true fan" of the MMO genre? If so, then according to a hyperactive press release by ESTGames, you'll surely want to sign up for Cabal II's closed beta on the official site. The beta sign-ups for the sequel to Cabal Online are indeed live, and a focus test is already in the works for December 19th through the 22nd. Cabal II is an action-MMO with "fluid, skill-based combat"; it's aiming for a 2015 release in both North America and Europe. [Source: ESTGames press release]
TERA's Korean incarnation is getting a new class this month
Have you ever been playing TERA and thought that what the game really needed was more guns? Because the upcoming additional class (tentatively translated as Arcane Gunner) brings exactly that to the game. More guns. All of the guns, in fact. There's no space for any more guns because the ladies of this class are hauling around cannons as big as they are. Yes, ladies; much like the Elin-only Reaper, the new class is limited to High Elf and Castanic women. Aside from the aforementioned huge gun, the new class will also be able to summon sentry drones and robot helpers whilst it blows everything away. There will even be new hairstyles available. No word on when the class will arrive in the game's local incarnation, although based on the last added class, it'll be four or five months. You can wait on gunplay until April, right?
Master X Master MOBA getting a mobile version as well
It might just be the theme of this year's G-Star: online PC games announcing mobile versions. It's at least true for NCsoft's Master X Master, which should be coming some time after the MOBA's launch. Master X Master is NCsoft's first internally developed MOBA and is being planned for multiple platforms. The mega-publisher is utilizing cloud technology to create a global platform that will run Master X Master and other titles. We've got the new Master X Master G-Star trailer for you to check out after the break!
Lineage Eternal will be playable at G-Star 2014
NCsoft today announced that Lineage Eternal, first revealed back in 2011, will be playable at this year's G-Star con in Busan, South Korea. The third entry in the outrageously popular Lineage series was originally scheduled to head into closed beta this winter and seems to share more in common with Lineage 1 thanks to its isometric view and heavy focus on guild warfare. MMO Culture reports that NCsoft MMO Project HON will likewise be playable and that the company plans to announce a "mystery game" a few days before the con opens on November 20th. We've included the G-Star teaser vid below; it includes quick flashes of Lineage, Lineage II, Aion, and Blade & Soul too.
Korean press miffed at lack of flagship Apple Store
South Korea really loves Apple's new iPhones. The company managed to outpace pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 4 -- which comes from South Korea-based Samsung -- more than three times over. Unfortunately, the South Korean press hasn't been quite as charmed by Apple, and as Patently Apple points out, some reports coming out of the country are taking an oddly envious tone in regards to other countries getting official Apple Store treatment. "Apple announced on Oct. 26 that it is going to set up 25 more Apple Stores in China within two years in addition to the 15 already open," reads one report. "However, the company is not running any Apple Store in Korea, although it has done business in the country for five years," it continues, adding "Even Zimbabwe has one." The reporter cites an unnamed "industry insider" who claims that Apple would only consider a store in a couple of locations in South Korea, and that the cost of renting a space is a key factor in Apple not having set up shop in the country yet. The report wraps up by questioning "when Apple is going to take proper care of Korean customers."
Apple's new iPhones outsell the Galaxy Note 4 in Samsung's home country of Korea
In a strange twist, Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are outpacing the sales of the Galaxy Note 4 on Samsung's home turf in South Korea. According to the Wall Street Journal, pre-orders for the new iPhone models reached 100,000 units on the first day, as compared to 30,000 for the Note 4. Sales were brisk at carriers KT and LG Uplus, with the providers processing more than 70,000 orders in the first 30 minutes of ordering. Rival carrier SK Telecom failed to disclose its sales figures, but confirmed it had sold through its first two batches of inventory and has opened up reservations for a third. This jump in iPhone sales may only be the beginning, with analysts such as Lee Seung-woo of IBK Securities predicting the new iPhones will generate five times the sales of the Note 4. Samsung is the current leader in the Korean smartphone market with 63 percent market share as compared to Apple's 6 percent. Long a leader in the large phone category, Samsung lost its competitive edge following the launch of the larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched in September 2014 with record first weekend sales of 10 million.
Korean ratings board suggests Limbo coming to Xbox One
Developer Playdead's eerie monochrome adventure Limbo may soon appear on the Xbox One, if a listing on the website of the South Korean Game Rating and Administration Committee is anything to go by. Discovered by NeoGAF posters, the listing offers scant details, but does indicate that Microsoft's Korean arm submitted an Xbox One version of Limbo to the GRAC for approval. No further information is available as the game is still under review. While this listing is no guarantee that Limbo will reach the Xbox One, either in South Korea or elsewhere, ratings agencies have a long history of revealing a game's existence prior to an official announcement. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Rocksmith 2014 were revealed by the ESRB and GRAC prior to Ubisoft's unveiling, just as the Pan European Game Information group outed the Xbox One version of Stick It To The Man before it was made official. [Image: Playdead]
A look at NCsoft's upcoming MOBA, Master X Master
Yes, another MOBA is coming out, this one by NCsoft. The game is currently in its beta test over in South Korea. Steparu took the Master X Master beta for a spin to see if the game was worth paying attention to in an already crowded field of games; rather than finding a game that was essentially a slight reskin and retune of League of Legends, she found that the gameplay is closer to a mixture of Heroes of the Storm and SMITE with third-person shooters. The game uses a WASD control scheme whilst allowing players to tag between two characters with the Tab key, bringing in elements of team-based fighting games. It also features PvE missions for players who'd prefer to take on purely team-based challenges, further setting itself apart from the pack. Take a look at the full rundown for more details; while there's no definite release or localization date, it might be different enough from its contemporaries to pique your interest.
Korean action MMO Asker Online hits closed beta
2P brings word of another Korean MMO migrating to closed beta this month: Neowiz's Asker Online. The game first caught our attention way back in 2013 when it was nicknamed Black Sheep Online. It emphasizes a dynamic world with randomized dungeons, weather, grappling mechanics, and destructible elements. Neowiz is also responsible for BLESS, which is also still in beta and still has no hard plans to travel westward. We've included some of the newish Asker Online vids below. Think it's worth hoping for?
Ragnarok Online 2 shutting down in Southeast Asia
Ragnarok Online 2 isn't exactly taking the world by storm as of late. Following the title's closure in Korea last year, Ragnarok Online 2 is closing its doors in Singapore and Malaysia on October 9th. There is a pretty bright spot to this story, however, as Asiasoft's version of the game will accept account transfers from affected players. "Following the opening of Ragnarok 2's Odin Server to Philippine players last month, we are thrilled to be continuing the global expansion of Warpportal's Ragnarok Online 2 by welcoming all players from Southeast Asia regions!" Asiasoft posted. Southeast Asian players will not be able to access their characters until October 9th, and none of their Kafra Points will make the leap over to the new server.
