Samsung's Mobile WiMax MITs devices go live in S.Korea

As if you weren't already feeling cheated by your data plan, Samsung comes along and launches a few Mobile WiMax MITs (Mobile Intelligent Terminal) devices in S.Korea: their SPH-M8100 WinMo 6.0 cellphone and SPH-P9000 (pictured) all-out convergence thingamajig. That's right, 12Mbps or about 2-3 Mbps when traveling up 120-KPH (75-MPH). While the Mobile WiMax (or WiBro as it's hailed in its Korean home) service isn't country-wide yet, Korea Telecom's offering does cover the 10M+ people scooting about Seoul and its southern suburbs including 17 universities and 4 subway lines. How S.Korea pulled a 19 ranking on the technology superpower list still has us scratching our heads.

[anonymous @ Apr 12th 2007 9:29AM]

where are all the 'American' companies when it comes to developing these new technologies. Most of America is now owned by foreigners so I guess it won't be long before some other language will be the de facto standard.

[Jamar @ Apr 12th 2007 9:56AM]

Well, all the American companies are being pwned because they're too greedy- they milk all the profit out of what they currently have before they will innovate. Of course, a lot of people in Asia don't stand for such things (at least I don't) because they want a constant stream of innovation (why else would people switch phones every year or so- or even sooner?). Yes, that's a racial generalization, but there's no other reason for the US to be lagging so much.

[n.p. @ Apr 12th 2007 10:19AM]

i'm currently in korea. this place is incredible.

[max.guitardude @ Apr 12th 2007 1:48PM]

dude this is 1 of the cooooooooolest things ive ever seen its nicely
designed (its design is very new 2)thee built in cam is awsome damn i want
1 it totally beeeeets m t mobile sidekick

[mdky @ Apr 12th 2007 3:06PM]

Have you been to S.Korea (Seoul especially) lately?
They are far more advanced than we are in terms of what an average joe might have an access to.
Their commercial internet is now offering speeds up to Gigabits to average users.
And their handheld cellphones and their networks are already HSDPA capable; and with video conference!
So scratch your head harder!

[chadow @ Apr 12th 2007 4:02PM]

I find this article to make me more depressed then excited about a new product. Damn...we (USA) fall further and further behind everyday.

Our sense of innovation was lost when we started to milk every last cent out of our current tech and not invest in future tech.

Hell...look at our cars.

[dan @ Apr 12th 2007 5:04PM]

Korea comes in at 19th for a very simple reason. While the commercially available consumer technology there maybe a few years ahead of what we have here in the US, what we have in basic sciences and fundamental research could possibly be a decade ahead of what they have over there. America, (and Europe) are still the places where the world's best physicists, chemists, mathematicians come to study and teach. Giant particle colliders, big-ass telecopes, rocket launchings and supercomputers simulating nuclear fission, these things are the bases of science, and these things are still done in America and Europe.

We can't make a decent cell phone or mp3 player, that's all. Or cars. Oh, and televisions.

[Erik @ Apr 12th 2007 9:58PM]

Only available on four subway lines? Why this flies completely in the face of local advertizing about the ubiquity of mobile internet. If netizens here find out they've been cheated out of access on the other six lines there will be riots in the streets!

[Vic Lee @ Apr 13th 2007 7:52PM]

The FCC and American telco companies better start being progressive. I keep seeing Asian products make ours look primitive. Sorry Apple fans, but the iPhone has nothing on Asia-released phones. There was a comment on how we have the best scientists, physicists, etc... I can see that argument. Asians seem to make the practical things better, whereas Western countries go for the whole bigger (ideas, machines, etc) is better thing.

http://highspeed-internet-provider.com