Samsung releases 'Galaxy Round', the first phone with a curved display

The new "Galaxy Round" phone from South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics will make its debut in the domestic market this week, the nation's top mobile operator SK Telecom said Wednesday. The most prominent feature of the latest Galaxy series phone is its curved display. It also features a 5.7-inch screen, the same as the Galaxy Note 3, with a 13-megapixel rear camera and 2.3 GHz quad-core processor.

The phone has generated a lot of buzz but, will this translate into sales, and does it even matter? "Other than bragging rights, how does a curved screen change the user experience?" asked Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart. "This seems to be more about Samsung's engineers being proud of themselves that they were able to do something they've been trying to do for a while. But Samsung hasn't answered the question of why it should be done in the first place", claimed one industry expert.

It seems that what is more important from Samsung’s perspective is that the Galaxy Round helps to cement Samsung's position as a leader in the global smartphone space, and even if no one buys the phone, Samsung has still shown what it's capable of creating. The Galaxy Round may also allow Samsung to examine new ways for consumers to interact with their phones, and some of those features could make their way to other flagship devices in the future, according to a CNET analyst.

S. Korean scientists develop new, advanced material for carbon capture

A group of South Korean scientists has developed a new and much more advanced material that can capture carbon dioxide, and at a significantly lower price, the science ministry said last Friday.

Using nano particles, the team from Seoul's Hanyang University has developed a new membrane that can specifically capture only carbon dioxide (or other molecules of different sizes if necessary), according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.

“We will work to commercialize the technology at an early date through additional research and efficiency tests,” said Park Sang-do (http://www.eco-business.com/news/south-korean-scientists-develop-new-advanced-material-carbon-capture/), the head of the country’s carbon capture and sequestration R&D center, adding the new technology could be commercialized in less than three years.”

S. Korea tops global ICT list for 4th year

South Korea topped a global list of information and communications technology (ICT) development for the fourth year in 2013, bolstering its status as one of the world's most wired countries, data showed on Monday.

South Korea ranked as the leading country for the fourth straight year in the Global Index of ICT Development, which measured 157 countries on ICT access, use and skills, according to the recent data by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations body specializing in ICT.

This achievement serves to further cement Korea’s status as the world's most wired nation, also ranking number one on the United Nation's net-connectivity table for the fourth year in a row. The index is compiled annually by the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency specializing in expanding connectivity. Apart from Korea, European countries mostly dominated the top 10 list, according to Korea’s Arirang News.

Leading tech firms show off cutting-edge technologies at trade fair

More than 600 technology firms from around the globe unveiled their high-end products at an industry trade fair held in South Korea this week, offering visitors a glimpse into the industry's cutting-edge technologies.

At the Korea Electronics Show, which runs through Thursday at KINTEX in Ilsan, northwest of Seoul, Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone and flat TV maker, showed off its latest curved OLED TV and Ultra-HD TV.

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