Wirelessly-charged electric buses start public route in South Korea

Wirelessly-charged electric buses start public route in South Korea

Wireless charging might seem perfectly suited for smartphones and tablets, but the city of Gumi, South Korea is putting the tech to use with something a little larger: buses. A pair of Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) motorcoaches, which recharge by driving over specially-equipped asphalt, are now running a public transportation route in the city, and it’s said to be the first network of its kind open for regular use. Rather than stopping periodically to jack in, coils on the coaches’ underside pick up power through an electromagnetic field created by road-embedded wires. Currently, the vehicles have a roundtrip journey of 24km (roughly 15 miles) when completing their stops.

Since the system operates so long as 5 to 15 percent of the path is electrified, there’s no need to rely on a completely rigged-up highway. What’s more, the solution is only triggered by passing OLEVs, which means that normal cars can share the same street. If this all sounds familiar, that’s because the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has been hammering away at the technology for several years. Now that it’s made it this far, the city has plans to add ten more buses to its fleet by 2015.

Filed under:

Comments

Via: ExtremeTech

Source: PhysOrg

Pantech Vega LTE-A flaunts fingerprint recognition, 5.6-inch 1080p display

Pantech Vega LTE-A flaunts fingerprint recognition, 5.6-inch 1080p display

Few phones can take advantage of South Korea’s freshly-launched LTE-Advanced networks, but Pantech’s just given speed demons a new option: the Vega LTE-A. Though full details haven’t trickled out from overseas just yet, the available specs paint an impressive picture. A 5.6-inch full HD display graces the front of the handset while a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor helps the device run Android 4.2.2. What’s more, it’s toting an area for fingerprint recognition on its back. Come mid-August, folks in the hardware maker’s homeland will be able to pick up the handset for use on SK Telecom’s network. If the LTE-A variant of the Galaxy S 4 doesn’t strike your fancy, Pantech’s newest piece of kit might just be worth a look.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: Yonhap News

Source: Pantech Vega (Facebook, 1), (2)

Tentative Samsung smartwatch design unearthed in Korean patents

Samsung smartwatch patents unearthed in Korea, but don't get too excited

While Samsung hasn’t been shy about its desire to build a new smartwatch, we’ve had few clues as to what that wristwear could look like. However, Moveplayer has uncovered a trio of Korean design patents that, combined, could represent a design template. Registered between March and May, the patents show a watch with both Android-style controls in the middle and a prominent flexible display. The device looks plausible, but we wouldn’t leap to conclusions — companies frequently patent designs that won’t necessarily ship. There’s also no clear connections to a previously filed Gear trademark associated with wearable technology. If Samsung ever releases a watch in this mold, though, it will at least seem very familiar.

[Thanks, JunK]

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Moveplayer

Korea launches Ultra HD pilot channel, six months early

The Korean Cable Television and Telecommunications Association went live yesterday with a pilot run of new channels. Composed of five content providers, the group is now hopefully filling the airwaves with crisp 4K footage of something beyond water, flowers and night-time city vistas. (There’s no word on what is currently being shown — Korean readers, please let us know in the comments if you catch a glimpse.)

Apparently launching six months earlier than planned (and ahead of the rival scheme in neighboring Japan), the UHD service is likely to arrive in commercialized form even faster. We’d recommend wannabe viewers start saving for that compatible TV set immediately, as it could take a while to get there.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: ETNews (Korean)

‘Bridge of Life’ Reminds People Life Gets Better to Prevent Suicides

When something particularly bad or painful happens, some people just withdraw and never come out of their cocoons. They can recover slowly or they can get worse and one day decide that they want nothing more than to end it all.

So many of the latter go to the Mapo Bridge in South Korea to do just that. Between the years 2007 and 2012, more than a hundred people jumped from the bridge in attempts to end their lives. They might not have gotten the help they needed previously, but you can at least convince them otherwise at the last minute. That’s what the Seoul City government is trying to do in collaboration with Samsung Life Insurance.

bridge of life 1

Instead of constructing high fences or a suicide barrier on the bridge, they added interactive handrails that address passersby directly. They’re embedded with motion sensors to detect the presence of anyone near them, so when someone passes by, the handrail lights up with an inspiring quote or message that were written with the help of psychologists and suicide prevention specialists.

Bridge of Life1

A sample message is as follows: “How have you been? Have you eaten? If you need to talk, why don’t you talk to us?” This is then followed by a number for a suicide hotline.

Since launching the project, the Seoul City government claims suicide rates from the Mapo Bridge have dropped 77%. This potential lifesaver is just ingenious, and while it won’t solve the underlying problems of potential jumpers, it could convince them to get the help they need before taking their lives.

[via CRAVE Australia via C|NET]

Samsung ships its 55- and 65-inch 4K TVs to Korea on July 6th

Samsung ships its 55 and 65inch 4K TVs to Korea, slightly later than promised

If you’re one of the lucky 100-plus Koreans who pre-ordered one of Samsung’s F9000-series 4K TVs this June, you’ll be glad to know that you’re getting your reward very soon. The company has just announced that both the 55- and 65-inch F9000 sets should ship to Korea on July 6th. As before, the series is a more affordable yet functionally similar alternative to Samsung’s 85-inch behemoth — customers get the Ultra HD screen resolution and Evolution Kit support at relatively modest prices of 6.4 million won ($5,670) for the 55-inch TV and 8.9 million won ($7,913) for its 65-inch cousin. We’re still twiddling our thumbs waiting for a launch on this side of the Pacific, but those who need something to tide themselves over can read Samsung’s translated press release after the break.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Korea Newswire (translated)

Samsung to build five new R&D centers in Korea for $4.5 billion

Samsung R&D center

You gotta spend money to make money. Samsung knows that, which is why the Korean powerhouse will be spending about 5 trillion won (roughly $4.5 billion) to build five new R&D centers over the next three years. All of the facilities will be in the company’s homeland, with a $1 billion research center set to open in southern Seoul late in 2015. At that particular building, it’s expected that some 10,000 employees will take up residence, focusing primarily on design. Samsung also plans to dedicate new R&D centers to materials and component development, as well as chips and displays. In 2012 Samsung dropped a company-record 11.9 trillion won (about $10.5 billion) on R&D, and there’s no sign that it’ll be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, its research budget is up about $1.4 billion from 2011. Sure, there might not be as much of an immediate windfall from the investment, like you might see from an advertising blitz or lawsuit, but we’re willing to bet it keeps Sammy competitive for much of the foreseeable future.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Korea Times

Samsung sells 20 million Galaxy S 4 handsets, according to Korean media

Samsung sells 20 million Galaxy S 4 handsets, according to Korean media

So, JK Shin hasn’t emerged from Samsung’s HQ declaring that his company has sold 20 million Galaxy S 4s, but the day (and week) is still young. Korea’s news media is quoting the CEO as saying that Samsung’s flagship Jay-Z player / handset has seen its sales double from the 10 million that was announced at the tail-end of May. Given that we’re but a few days away from the company’s next earnings estimates, we’ll probably find out for certain soon enough.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: iNews (Translated), Yonhap News (Translated)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 hits the FCC with LTE you probably can’t use

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 80 hits the FCC with LTE you probably can't use

The FCC can be cruel sometimes, showing us devices we’re unlikely to see in the US without significant changes; this is one of those moments, unfortunately. A Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has once again surfaced at the FCC, this time as the SM-T315 with built-in cellular access. However, it’s not optimized for American use — while there’s AT&T-friendly HSPA data, the LTE inside is only meant for a handful of other countries, like South Korea. As such, this model won’t be coming stateside unless there’s a frequency change. We’re not totally surprised at the lack of US-ready LTE when AT&T already offers the Galaxy Note 8.0, but it would be nice to have a little more variety in our 8-inch LTE slates.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: FCC

Samsung launches 55-inch ‘flawless’ curved OLED TV in Korea

Samsung launches 55inch 'flawless' curved OLED TV in Korea

Just as the rumors foretold, Samsung has announced Korean availability of a 55-inch curved OLED HDTV. Priced at 15 million Korean won (around $13,000) Samsung claims its “Timeless Arena” design eliminates potential for defective OLED pixels. It also reiterates the claim LG made when it launched its own curved OLED model earlier this year that keeping all parts of the screen an equal distance from the viewer makes for a better viewing experience. It also supports features found in other Samsung TVs like multi-view that lets two people watch different things at the same time thanks to 3D glasses, and the Evolution Kit CPU upgrade. There’s no word on US availability for its flat OLED HDTVs, but the company also launched its new 65- and 55-inch 4K TVs at the same event.

Update: According to Reuters, Samsung says it has no plans to offer a flat OLED HDTV in 2013, and this curved model will ship outside Korea in July.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: Samsung Tomorrow