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WiBro posts

Samsung boasts of first commercial LTE modem for cellphones

by Darren Murph posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 2:29AM

We can't say that we're absolutely certain that Samsung's not fibbing a little with its latest claim, particularly since NXP rolled out a multi-mode LTE / HSPA / etc. cellular modem way back in June of last year. Whatever the case, we're just stoked to see yet another big player drinking the LTE Kool-Aid, with Sammy developing what it calls the "first LTE modem that complies with the latest standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)." The modem, which is being labeled the Kalmia for now, supports download rates of up to 100Mbps and upload speeds around 50Mbps within the 20MHz frequency band. In other words, if your future handset is equipped with this chipset, you could theoretically stream four HD movies with no buffering. Now, if only Samsung would announce a new mobile to go along with this, we'd really have reason to carouse.

Viliv X70 EX Premium 3G on sale now in Hong Kong

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 10:54AM

The folks behind the Viliv brand of consumer electronics don't ever stop swinging, it seems. They hit us with the beloved X70, the keyboard-sportin' S7, and before we have a chance to blink they're back in the ring with the X70 EX Premium. Currently on sale in Hong Kong, this bad boy features optional 3G (in which case you should ask for the X70 EX Premium 3G) and sports a 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor, 1GB RAM, a 32GB SSD, and an SDHC slot for extra storage. As you've probably guessed, the display is your standard 7-inch with 1024 x 600 resolution. Throw in Windows XP, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a GPS, and this guy is yours for $6,898 in Hong Kong bucks (roughly $890 US). No word yet on a Stateside release.

Update: Hello! You can pre-order this badboy in the States, courtesy of Dynamism. The site is offering the device at $599.99 along with a bundle of free accessories. So, if you absolutely must claim your spot in line today... you know where to look.

[Via Gadget Mix]

Viliv S7 UMPC gets final pricing and specifications

by Darren Murph posted Jul 7th 2009 at 7:04AM

We've held onto our hats for quite awhile waiting for this day to come, but at long last, Viliv is dishing out the final specification lists and prices for its remarkably striking S7 UMPC. First shown way back at IDF 2008 as a prototype, this QWERTY-packin' machine has matured quite nicely over the months, with a trio of models on tap to showcase its mobile prowess. The entry-level I-LOG HX is equipped with a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, a battery good for 9.5 hours of use and Windows XP, while the mid-range I-LOG 3X steps up to a 32GB SSD. The flagship D-LOG 3X even gets an internal DMB TV tuner, while WiBro (South Korea's WiMAX) is an option on all three. We expect the 7-inch device -- which is priced at ₩729,000 ($572), ₩799,000 ($628) and ₩849,000 ($666) in order of mention -- to ship in its homeland soon, though no official release date has been made public.

[Via SlashGear]

Update: jkkmobile has it that international versions could feature processors as speedy as 2GHz along with Vista and a free upgrade to Windows 7.

KT's Egg gives your WiFi device access to the wonderful world of WiBro

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 27th 2009 at 10:39AM

Korea Telecom really wants to get you on the WiBro tip. The aptly-named (if a wee bit uninspired) Egg is essentially a router for connecting WiFi devices (such as the Nintendo DS or iPod Touch) to the company's wireless broadband network. According to the Korea Times, both KT and SK Telecom (the country's two main WiBro operators) have mere 170,000 WiBro customers total, "making a mockery" of its "most wired nation" aspirations -- so they can certainly stand to expand their customer base a little bit. Subscribers to the company's flat-rate data plan will get the device for free (trust us, they've paid enough). Or you can pick one up for yourself at the Apple store in Samseong-dong or Myeong-dong, the next time you're in Seoul. This guy should be hitting the shelves sometime in May for ₩220,000 (that's about $163).

[Thanks, Stafford]

Samsung SCH-M830 hands-on

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 18th 2009 at 10:14PM

While perusing the Samsung booth for something fresh and fun we happened upon this, the Samsung SCH-M830. The M830 is a WiBro (mobile WiMax) and HSPA set, WiFI, Bluetooth, 3 megapixel camera, a 3.3-inch LCD, memory expansion with microSD, and runs Windows Mobile 6.1. The interface and all the UI elements were in Korean (see that Anycall branding? That's the hint) so if there were any special goodies in there we definitely didn't catch them. Impressions? It felt great and was really solid, but as to performance we can't add much there -- though just that big display had us smiling. Lovely gallery and a quick video flip-through follow the break.

Gallery: Samsung SCH-M830 hands-on

Continue reading Samsung SCH-M830 hands-on

Trigem's $500 LLUON Mobbit MID goes on sale, wackiness ensues

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 23rd 2009 at 5:58AM

Hard to believe but after three years (almost to the day) a MID / UMPC running a Microsoft OS with a $500 MSRP is finally out for retail. Trigem's LLUON mobbit is available in two configurations of which the lesser lists for KRW699,000 or about $490. A KRW799,000 ($560) presumably ~~adds the listed WiBro spec for Korean style WiMaxing~~. That meager sum takes home a 13.2-ounce box o' XP with 1GB of memory, a 30GB disk, 4.8-inch 1,024 x 600 touchscreen with stylus, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 2 megapixel camera all riding Intel's Atom Z520 processor. Not bad... not beautiful by any stretch but significant enough to elicit maniacal behavior amongst devoted UMPC fanboys everywhere.

Update: It appears that the WiBro model is actually the cheaper of the two. The lower price resulting from a required 18 month subscription.

[Via CNET Asia]

Viliv's Atom-powered S5 MID gets detailed and pictured

by Darren Murph posted Dec 23rd 2008 at 10:05AM

Viliv got us salivating when it introduced the S5 MID and S7 UMPC back at IDF, and now we've got a few tasty updates on both. Starting with the former, we've learned via an interview with parent company Yukyung that the S5 MID will come packing a 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 1.8-inch hard drive (1.3-inch when paired with a WiBro module in South Korea), a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen, integrated GPS / DMB and a primary battery good for up to six hours of use. The OS will be a home cooked system that's fairly attractive, though the outfit has made clear that WinXP versions will be available in the future. Speaking of the future, the currently unpriced S5 is expected to ship in South Korea this coming January or February, while the S7 is still on track for release sometime after that.

[Via Slashgear]

Samsung's SWT-W100K WiBro PMP gets official, priced

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 10th 2008 at 2:58AM

We had the chance to get hands-on with Samsung's WiBro-lovin' SWT-W100k back at CES in January. Judging by the arrival of the product waifs, the 4.3-inch, WVGA touchscreen PMP now looks to be getting an official coming-out party in its native S.Korea. €341 takes the little all-purpose device with GPS, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 8GB of internal flash, and DMB mobile television home on a yet to be determined date. VoIP client, personal organizer, and web browser? Sure, that too. No word on the processor choice but it's definitely not running any flavor of Microsoft OS. With any luck, Samsung will bring a US-specced variant capable of running on Sprint's XOHM service later this year. Video refresher posted after the break.

Continue reading Samsung's SWT-W100K WiBro PMP gets official, priced

Raon Digital adds WiBro to Everun UMPC

by Darren Murph posted Dec 31st 2007 at 1:27AM

We're still trying to decide whether or not we've become acclimated to Raon Digital's Everun, but regardless of where it sits on the scale of unsightly devices, it's still a fairly potent handheld. For those parked in South Korea, you've got another reason to lust after it, as the firm is cranking out a WiBro-enabled version and dubbing it the S60H WiBro. From what we can tell, this iteration remains identical to the prior version save for the added connectivity, and should be available soon for around ?799,000 ($853).

[Via MobileWhack]

Samsung rolls out second generation WiMax devices in Korea

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 13th 2007 at 6:07AM

While Sprint teases us with their beleaguered WiMax offering, Samsung is already shipping product for KT's and SKT's year-old WiBro service in South Korea. In fact, they've already moved onto their second generation of devices available starting today. The list includes the SPH-9200 HSDPA, WiFi, and Mobile WiMax totin' butterfly XP device we've seen before. New, is that pair of SPH-H1300 and SWT-H200K USB Mobile WiMax modems and CDMA SPH-M8200 candybar running Windows Mobile 6 on EV-DO and Mobile WiMax data beneath that biggie touchscreen display. Now please Google, just cut to the chase and acquire Sprint so that we can get a taste of that high-speed mobile data on a homegrown frequency, too. Pretty please, with sugar?

Gallery: Samsung rolls out second generation WiMax devices in Korea

[Via AVING]

Samsung's SPH-9200 gets specs, leaked manual

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 10th 2007 at 10:01AM

You may remember our old friend -- the Samsung SPH-9200 UMPC -- from way back in the hot and humid days of August, when we first laid eyes on the contraption (a re-up of the SPH-9000). Well, the little flip-out, fold-up has gone and gotten its manual leaked out to the internet, and we understand that at least two ultra-nerds have read it cover to cover. Of course, there's an upside -- we've got confirmed specs. What does it look like under the hood you ask? Well, the whole package runs atop a VIA C7-M CPU, sports 512MB of RAM, a 5-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen, a 30GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel camera, WiFi, WiBro, HSDPA, and between two and five hours of battery life. No word on price or release date, but you can watch the most boring video possible of the device in action after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Samsung's SPH-9200 gets specs, leaked manual

iriver's G10 WiBro gamer reborn as the Postdata G100

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 29th 2007 at 9:47AM

iriver's G10 / Wing handheld game console has been a pretty serious flame-out for the company -- while the concept of an 8GB 4-inch touchscreen handheld that rocked wireless multiplayer features over WiBro and WiFi seemed like a winner, endless delays eventually resulted in the device falling off the radar, and eventually just falling off the company's plans. It looks like the G10 is about to get another go-around, however, as Postdata (iriver's development partner on the G10) is showing off a revised played called the G100 at the WiMAX World conference. The G100 features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a slightly modified keypad. No word on availability, but at this point Postdata's way ahead of the game by just showing off actual devices.

[Thanks, Brian]

The Seoulllll e-Traaaaain!

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 13th 2007 at 4:08AM

Ok, it's only a temporary gig but check out the "Sens e-train" offered to Seoul's subway jockeys over the next few days. The kids at Samsung and Korea Telecoms have fitted two cars from Seoul's number 2 line train with a dozen WiBro-enabled Samsung Q45 laptops and Q1 Ultra UMPCs. The hippest trip in S.Korea is operational (and free) from 1100 to 1700 daily until August 19th. We're just wondering what's more impressive: high-speed data while blasting along the underground rails or the lack of any visible organic excretions in a subway car. Either way, there's no chance in hell of this working in New York City.

Posdata employee tried to sell WiBro secrets to US

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2007 at 3:41AM

While it may look easy (and astonishingly lucrative) to pull a case of high-stakes espionage, one South Korean and three US-based individuals are learning the hard way that crime doesn't pay. The Seoul Central Prosecutors Office is accusing an unnamed employee of Posdata Co., a developer of WiBro, "of sending email with proprietary information to three former employees who live in the US." Additionally, it was suggested that the trade secrets (which cost about $95 million to fully develop) were being offered up "for around $190 million" to an unnamed US company. All in all, four culprits were arrested in the ordeal, and while "some data" was transferred, the boys in blue caught on and stopped the gig before any major secrets were divulged. Should've tried the bag drop method, eh?

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

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 12th 2007 at 8:31AM

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.