KT
Latest
KT's Egg gives your WiFi device access to the wonderful world of WiBro
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]
Raid Rx: On the fly healing
Raid Rx has returned from retirement! Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of PlusHeal, a new healing community for all restorative classes. This week we're going to cover assignment-less healing: When to get away with it and when you can't! Assignment-less healing. It often has unpredictable results. Sometimes your raid group will be lucky and emerge unscathed. I'm a control freak. I like to have a plan A, a plan B and even a plan for when things go wrong. I've joined my share of pickup groups in the past few months. I usually play on my alt Shaman. I'm more of the Shatner type that hurls bolts of lightning. I've experienced mixed success. On bosses like Archavon, Anub'Rekhan and Sartharion with no drakes active, I notice not a whole lot of organized healing is done. Either that or it was organized behind the scenes via whispers. To be fair, those types encounters can be done with little organization before hand. I know the first time I went into Naxx and Obsidian Sanctum wearing half blues, a smattering of crafted epics and the odd green or two. Having the healing set up in advance helped out a lot and reassured people. Sometimes it helps the raid morale some when they know the confidence emanating from healers who know who they're healing is there.
Peep drops from Kael'thas
Most of you have probably seen the news that Peep, the super-rare epic flying phoenix mount pictured above, was first given to Ezra. Last night, Method, of A-Sylvanas (Eu), got the world-first drop of The Ashes of Al'ar, the item that summons Peep. This was on their guild's first kill of Kael'thas, the final boss of The Eye. I don't think there are enough kills of Kael'thas that we have any idea what the drop rate of the Ashes is, but if it's anything like the Deathcharger's Reins (from Baron Rivendare) or the Fiery Warhorse's Reins (from Attumen), expect it to be significantly less than one percent. By the way, how do we abbreviate "Kael'thas"? I would go with KT, except Kel'Thuzad has that one already. Perhaps just "Kael"? It's a bit of a surprsie to me that he would drop this; for some reason it doesn't seem quite "serious" enough for him. I had previously hypothesized that Peep might drop from the boss Al'ar, the Phoenix God, but that does not seem to be the case. Anyway, grats, Method![via MMO-Champion]
KT's iPlug brings WiBro / HSDPA to Korean USB ports
C'mon, you knew all those other telecommunications outfits in Korea wouldn't just sit around and let SK Telecom have all the WiBro fun, and while KT's WiBro-equipped NT-Q35 is fine and dandy for those needing a new machine, the company's latest offering is aimed at the ever-lucrative upgrader. The completely-not-DAP-related iPlug Premium will unsurprisingly offer up the same WiBro / HSDPA connectivity that existing alternatives already do, but the firm still insists on calling it the "world's first dual-mode USB modem." Of course, users lucky enough to be hovering in WiBro hotspots will enjoy even faster speeds than those poor souls that are forced to live with "just" HSDPA, and if all goes to plan, it'll be available for South Koreans on March 5th. Currently, the pricing structure looks to offer at least one flat-fee option and a based-on-usage plan as well, but potentially even more interesting than how much these luxuries will add to your monthly bill is the note that the company is already looking to kick out "various handsets" that simultaneously support NesPot and DMB after this. We dig the forward the forward thinking, KT. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
Like peas in a pod: Korea Telecom combines phone, TV remote
Sure, there are literally hundreds of apps to turn that otherwise limited-use IR window found on many phones into a remote control, but how many phones are designed from the ground up to serve double duty? Not many, we think -- especially ones with names like "Cutie." South Korea's Korea Telecom is introducing a handful of phones in its "Ann" series -- including the pictured "Ann Sweety" from Samsung -- that function both as cordless telephones and as remotes for all manner of home entertainment devices. The phones also handle SMS messages, meaning that it's finally possible to turn on the tube and immediately stop paying attention it while you send a text in one fluid motion.
KT intros NT-Q35 WiBro-equipped laptop
Korea Telecom has introduced what it claims to be the world's first WiBro-equipped laptop -- not manufactured by KT mind you (they're big, but not that big), but by Samsung. The model in question is an updated version of Sammy's well-received Q35, with DMB capabilities also added to the mix in addition to that high-speed WiBro goodness. We presume the rest of the specs remain the same, however, with a 12-inch widescreen display, Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processor, up to 1GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive in a lightweight four-pound package. Look for this one to come in between 1,600,000 and 2,000,000 won, or between $1,700 and $2,140 -- in Korea only, naturally.
KT and Microsoft develop $200-$300 "managed PC"
Korea's largest telecom company KT recently announced that it has partnered with Microsoft to develop a low-cost "managed PC," although the level of Microsoft involvement is unclear beyond, we'd presume, providing the software. Unlike other low-cost PC initiatives from Intel and, of course, the OLPC, KT's effort looks to primarily be a network-based thin client, which'll give users access to a variety of applications and multimedia content when connected to KT's servers. KT is also touting the security benefits of the PC, which it says will be less vulnerable to viruses and whatnot since all the management is done at the server side. Unfortunately, that's about all KT seems to be saying about the device; we don't even know whether it's a laptop or a desktop, let alone what sort of specs it has. (If we had to guess, we'd estimate it's probably a chunky CRT with an anemic networked embedded box and ports enough for your basic input devices.)
Korea Telecom Ann Eye heat-sensor phone security system
If you're worried about intruders sneaking into your house while you're off at work, Korea Telecom has the answer. Or at least they think they do. The company is launching a service called Ann Eye, which is based around a heat sensor built into a landline phone. The 127,000 won ($134) phone can detect visitors based on body heat, and then sends a text message to the home's owner. At that point, KT suggests, the owner can call home to see whether the phone was triggered by a burglar (who, presumably, won't answer the phone) or just the kids coming home from school (who may not answer either, depending on whether they want you to know they snuck out early and have five friends over). We assume this could also be activated by an over-active household pet (who probably won't answer the phone either). It's an interesting idea, but it seems like it could only really be effective if tied to a camera, so that homeowners could catch thieves without actually having to call them up first.[Via textually.org]
