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iPhone 3GS comes back from the dead in South Korea
Have you ever wished you could relive the experience of owning a classic smartphone? You can, if you live in South Korea. SK Telink is putting the iPhone 3GS back on sale at the end of June after finding a slew of unsold units in a warehouse. Yes, you too can revisit the heady days of 2009, when the Black Eyed Peas dominated the music charts and LTE was still a pipe dream. It won't cost a lot to walk down memory lane when the phone costs 44,000 won (about $40), and don't stress too much over the nine-year-old battery -- SK Telink is inspecting each unit to be sure it's working.
Korea is building a 'city' for self-driving cars
South Korea will soon open an 88 acre facility with everything an autonomous car might encounter, including expressways, parking areas and bus-only lanes, according to the Korea Business Times. First announced last year, it will be the world's largest, dwarfing Michigan's 32-acre Mcity facility that it's reportedly based on. The idea is to let companies test self-driving tech in a repeatable way, without the hard-to-get permits normally required to test vehicles on Korea's public roads.
Google will help mobile carriers run their networks better
If you didn't think that Google was into everything before, wait until it's providing the infrastructure for your mobile network. The company has announced that it's building tools for cellular carriers to use to run their businesses. Businesses such as India's Bharti Airtel and South Korea's SK Telecom have both signed up to use Google's new platform for network services.
Nokia wires an apartment complex with 52Gbps fiber
It's one thing to wire a house with gigabit fiber, but it's another matter to outfit an entire apartment building -- you need a huge pipeline to accommodate everyone. Nokia, however, might have a solution. It just partnered with SK Broadband to wire an apartment complex in Seoul, South Korea with fiber optics delivering aggregate speeds of 52.5Gbps. That doesn't guarantee that every user will get that speed (only "selected" customers saw those rates), but it increases the chances that you'll receive gigabit-class bandwidth in your rental.
Facebook, Intel and carriers team up to rethink telecom networks
Facebook set out to create a better home for your data with the Open Compute Project, but that's only part of the problem -- without good telecom networks, you can't get that data. That's where the company's new Telecom Infra Project aims to help. The partnership with 30 companies (including Intel, Nokia and multiple carriers) hopes to improve the cost, speed and reach of networks through open, collaborative designs. Ideally, you'll see technologies like 5G arrive faster, and data service in rural areas where it would normally be impractical.
Samsung will lend you a free Galaxy Note 5 while you're in Korea
South Korea really, really wants you to know that it's a technology hub, and it's willing to offer some unusual perks to tourists to underscore that point. The Korea Tourism Organization is teaming up with Samsung and SK Telecom to offer free Galaxy Note 5 phones to "select" visitors coming through Seoul's main airport (about 250 per week) for up to five days. The hope, of course, is that you'll be so impressed with the country's mobile technology prowess that you'll share it with your friends back home. You only get 1GB of data, but that beats paying through the nose for international roaming or local prepaid service.
Samsung's homegrown '5G' comes with a catch
Samsung and HTC's new smartphones may command the bulk of the attention at this year's Mobile World Congress but the show isn't just about new handsets. Samsung and Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom will use the show to demonstrate a new mobile data system that'll reach of speeds up to 7.5Gbps. Although the official 5G standard isn't yet defined, the pair are trying to elbow in on the act by calling the process "5G." Unfortunately, while that level of speed is thrilling, the technology behind it does come with a few "uhm," "ah," and "but" noises attached.
Korean carrier upgrades eel farm, makes the Internet of (slimey) Things
By definition, the Internet of Things (IoT) should connect with anything -- even writhing, kinda gross, but often delicious eels. SK Telecom's latest project is aimed at showcasing its IoT skills with a pilot connected eel farm that uses a network of sensors to monitor thousands of eels, mostly autonomously. Sensors dotted across multiple 20-foot-wide tanks check on water temperature, pH and oxygen levels, Data is then collated and analyzed by the Korean carrier's cloud system, and bounced to a simplified smartphone app -- all in pretty much real time. "Why?" is a good question, but there's a good answer too: apparently minute changes in those factors above can be fatal to young eels. Before, this meant regular tank checks by workers every two-to-six hours. Now, it's mostly automated and sudden changes will even ping a warning to eel farmers' smartphones when needed. SK Telecom is planning to roll out the system commercially next year -- who knew eel farming was big business?
Nokia and Korean carrier demo LTE fast enough to transfer 5GB of data in just 11 seconds
File this under "science for science's sake." At least for now. A team of researchers at Nokia and Korean carrier SK Telecom have demonstrated a super-fast LTE network running at 3.7Gbps -- that's speedy enough to transfer a 5GB file in just 11 seconds. To put that in context, most LTE networks deliver up to around 150 Mbps, and even the most cutting-edge of cutting-edge LTE-Advanced networks tap out at 300 Mbps. Sounds like a pretty big improvement, eh? Well, this is where that proof-of-concept thing comes in: No phone on earth is currently capable of these speeds, nor are most modems, for that matter. So, it could be a while before your handset is actually capable of downloading a full-length movie in 11 seconds. Still, good to know the technology's there, right? Image credit: Shutterstock
Samsung's 7-inch Galaxy W blurs the line between phones and tablets
If you thought that big devices like the Galaxy Mega 6.3 were already blurring the distinctions between phones and tablets, hold on to your hat -- Samsung has just erased those distinctions altogether. Its new Galaxy W (not to be confused with the 2011-era W) blends the 7-inch screen of a small tablet with a relatively compact design that lets you hold it one-handed for phone calls. This isn't the first crossover we've seen by any means, but it promises to be more comfortable than truly finger-straining rivals like ASUS' Fonepad 7 or HP's 7-inch VoiceTab.
30 years of mobile phones, all jamming together (video)
In the technological equivalent of Band Aid, minus the charitable fundraising, Korea's SK Telecom has celebrated 30 years in the carrier business, by composing its current jingle from yesteryear's cellular hits. Stars include several car-phones from the eighties, the Motorola StarTAC and more recent smartphones like the, er, LG Optimus Z. Well, we were long overdue another K-Pop ear-worm.
Galaxy S5 hits stores early in Korea, as carriers try to dodge sales suspension
South Korea's major carriers have pulled their Galaxy S5 launch date forward to, well, today, despite Samsung's efforts to keep the native networks in line with the global launch date on April 11. According to a statement received by Bloomberg, Samsung is "very puzzled." "SK strongly asked form an earlier release of the product by we delivered our stance that the global release date of April 11 remains unchanged." In South Korea, recent illegal discounts from carriers led to the government regulator slapping a 45-day ban on new customer sign-ups. Carriers apparently already have the GS5 in stock for both marketing activities and to cover their pre-orders on launch day.
Korean carriers to launch broadband-shaming 300Mbps LTE-Advanced network this year
Most of us in Europe and North America try not think about how much we're getting smoked by Asia in terms of internet speeds, but here's another reminder: residents in South Korea will soon enjoy 300Mbps wireless on carriers SK Telecom and LG's U+. That follows a similar effort by CSL in Hong Kong, which achieved the same speed by combining two 20MHz LTE bands. However, SK and U+ will use so-called LTE-Advanced 3-band carrier aggregation tech, marrying three bands to achieve the higher speeds. Before residents there can download the proverbial 800MB movie in 22 seconds, though, 3-band aggregation will have to be standardized globally and adopted by smartphone chip makers (Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 chip is rumored to support it). While you're mulling that, SK Telecom will actually be showcasing even better 450Mbps tech in February at Mobile World Congress -- so enjoy your 75Mbps max LTE, citizens. Update: According to the Korea Herald, LG U+, the nation's number three carrier, will also deploy 300Mbps speeds along with SK Telecom sometime in 2014. The post has been updated to reflect that.
Pantech adds another fingerprint-scanning handset to its Vega Secret line
Pantech's latest secret has just been revealed in the form of this 5.6-inch smartphone that's packing similar gear to the company's Secret Note. Like its predecessor, the new Vega Secret Up boasts a fingerprint sensor, LTE-Advanced data connection and a 13-megapixel rear camera. Based on the slightly reduced specs, however, it sounds like a less costly version of its older sibling, ditching the stylus and sporting half (16GB) of the internal storage and 2GB, instead of 3GB, of RAM. Inside the device, which works on WCDMA/GSM bands, you'll find the same 2.3GHz MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chip and a 3,150 mAh battery. The company won't divulge pricing or availability, but we imagine it'll come in under the price of the Vega Note, which goes for $839 in South Korea.
Apple 'in negotiations' to launch new iPhone with LTE-Advanced in South Korea
This will come too late to be a world first, if it happens at all, but an unnamed insider at SK Telecom claims his company is in talks with Apple to bring out a South Korean version of the "upcoming iPhone 5S" with support for LTE-Advanced. The official, who was quoted by The Korea Times, makes it clear that SK Telecom made the first approach, but says the two parties are now "in the middle of negotiations", implying Apple was receptive to the idea. An LTE-A iPhone could theoretically double the download speed of a regular LTE iPhone 5 in ideal conditions, thanks in large part to carrier aggregation technology that enables downloads over multiple radio channels at the same time. The Korea Times also mentions that Apple might use Qualcomm to deliver LTE-A, but that would likely mean a Qualcomm modem specifically, rather than the Snapdragon 800 used in the South Korean Galaxy S 4, since these days Apple prefers its processors to be homegrown.
SK Telecom launches the world's first LTE-Advanced network, and the Galaxy S4 LTE-A
Just days after an LTE-Advanced variant of Samsung's Galaxy S 4 leaked, Korean carrier SK Telecom has officially announced it's launching the world's first publicly available LTE-Advanced wireless network. The Galaxy S4 LTE-A is also official (in red or blue) as the first device able to take advantage of the new technology for even faster data transmission speeds. According to the press release, SK Telecom plans to have as many as seven LTE-A devices available by the end of the year, all capable of up to 150Mbps. While SK Telecom is using Carrier Aggregation and Coordinated Multi Point technology to improve speeds right now, it will add Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination in 2014 to go even faster. After that, it suggest carrier aggregation will improve to support higher speeds and faster uploads in subsequent years. To take advantage of the higher speeds, SK Telecom's Btv IPTV service will begin offering 1080p video streaming in early July. That will be accompanied by enhanced multiview baseball broadcasts, more free videos, an HD video shopping service with six channels on one screen in August and the addition of FLAC audio files via its music package. Right now, the company has Seoul covered in LTE-A, and plans to eventually offer it in 84 cities, all at the same price as existing LTE service. Check after the break for the press release with all the details, plus video of a speed test. Update: We've just come across another juicy tidbit that makes the Galaxy S4 LTE-A all the more worthwhile -- it'll ship with a Snapdragon 800 SoC that contains a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, plus 32GB of built-in storage and a 2,600mAh battery. It goes without saying that this phone will be speedy on all angles. As spotted by SlashGear, the new GS4 variant will also see the debut of a new Samsung software feature: ImageON. Explained as a Google Googles-esque app, it'll automatically analyse photos and offer up related videos and "extend access to relevant content on the internet."
SK Telecom's Atti learning robot hands-on (video)
SK Telecom was at Mobile World Conference last year with some early concepts of a learning robot -- aka, angry Beaker with a top hat -- which seems to have led to this year's final product: Atti. Atti is Korean for buddy or friend and judging by how he (or she?) and Brad got along we'd suggest robo is aptly named. Using a phone snapped into the top of the head, the robot reacts to your interaction with it via camera and a wand attachment that sits in Atti's hand while not in use. Educational games are another focus here using Qualcomm's Vuforia tech allowing youngsters to point the handset at printed words and get tips on pronunciation, multimedia examples and the like. Atti was developed with the help of the Utah State University to help develop the edutainment content and expects to see this hit retail in overseas markets sometime in the first half of the year. Unfortunately we didn't have any preschoolers on hand so we used our own Brad Molen to put Atti through its paces. The end result? Brad nails a high score and gets a star. Video and gallery are just below the fold.
South Korea frowns on steep phone subsidies, bans new carrier customers for most of January
South Korea is an ocean apart from North America in more ways than one. Where US and Canadian carriers virtually center their businesses around heavily subsidized phones, the Korea Communications Commission is discouraging the idea. The agency isn't just fining KT, LG U+ and SK Telecom for offering device discounts beyond 270,000 won ($252), it's banning those networks from taking new subscribers for as many as 24 days in January -- they'll have no choice but to serve their existing bases for most of the month. The providers are unsurprisingly miffed, although the punishment may be a win for customers who won't necessarily be as indebted to their carriers when they spring for a Galaxy Note II or Optimus G.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 8th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Via Licensing assembles an LTE supergroup to share standards-essential patents
Dolby spinoff Via Licensing has shone a signal into the night sky and assembled some of the world's biggest telecoms players to form a patent supergroup. AT&T, NTT DoCoMo and Telefonica are some of the names that'll pool their standards-essential LTE patents to prevent getting embroiled in litigation over FRAND licensing. While there are some notable holdouts to the team, we suggest company president Roger Ross coax them over by hiring Michael McCuistion to write them a rockin' theme song.
