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KTF wants everyone to Bubi Bubi (video)
Look, Korea has a unique tech culture unrivaled by anything we've experienced in the West. But when Korean carrier KTF coaxes us into a "bubi bubi" dance grind, well, we just have to stare. What is it about a dumbphone that could prompt such behavior? B-U-B-I after the break. [Thanks, Rich]
Samsung's SCH-W830 is like a window to your soul, if your soul is a circular dot-matrix display
If you spell happiness T-W-E-L-V-E M-E-G-A-P-I-X-E-L-S, you're looking in the wrong place. Samsung's SCH-W830 -- along with its SPH-W8300 and SPH-W8350 cousins for other networks -- finds inner peace through the simplicity and beauty of a scintillating light show set around an ultra-low res display. You've only got two megapixels to work with around back, but seriously, who has time to snap pictures when you're being dazzled by a seemingly endless array of colored lights? Between that and the spring-loaded opening mechanism, this is a flip fit for the fiddler / fidgeter in all of us, and it's available now on South Korea's LGT, SKT, and KTF. [Via mobile-review]
Oh, by the way: August 7, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Friday, August 7th, 2009: In addition to the BL40 and BL42, it looks like LG's upcoming Chocolate series is also going to include a lower-end BL20 according to a newly-uncovered user agent profile. Whatever it is, it's got a QVGA display -- a far cry from the epic 21:9 unit on the BL40. [Via PhoneArena] Motorola's W562 candybar for China has broken cover, and needless to say, you won't find any Android here. CDMA and a 2 megapixel camera, yes, but no Android. More baby steps are being taken in states' fights to jam phone signals in and around prisons. This time around, a Senate subcommittee has sent a bill to the full Senate that would allow individual states to plead their jamming case to the FCC, which -- as of right now, anyway -- seems pretty lukewarm to the idea in general. [Via Phone Scoop] Acer -- like Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Palm, Google, LG, Samsung, and your cousin Ralph -- is opening an app store. It expects the store to be ready in the next few months as it ramps up the barrage of new WinMo devices it's been pimping over the course of the year. [Via PHONE Magazine] South Korea's KT has confirmed that it'll carry the iPhone at some point, though it's refusing to spill details on exactly when or how that'll go down. SKT's apparently still in the mix, too, so we could end up without carrier exclusivity here. [Via Unwired View]
Korean carrier KTF launches mobile phone-controlled vacuum cleaner
South Korean telecom firm KTF has just announced a cleaning robot which can be controlled by a 3G cellphone. The robot -- called the CW100 -- was built in collaboration with Microbot, and is a "smart" vacuum (much like a Roomba). The CW100 uses an onboard video camera to send live images of what it's "seeing" to the mobile phone, and the user can then remotely control it using the keypad. The bot will be sold for KRW 500,000 (about $370) in conjunction with a data plan that runs KRW 5,000 (about $3.70) per month. Sounds pretty affordable and awesome to us -- as long as it doesn't run over the family cat. Check out another photo after the break.[Via Unwired View]
Pantech gets official with wind-recognizing Sky IM-S410K mobile
We had no reason to believe that this thing wasn't actually coming, but now Pantech has gone and erased any lingering doubt. The Sky IM-S410 / IM-S410K is being hailed as the first cellphone in the "wind-recognizing" category, which may actually be useful in places unlike Chicago. It checks in at 11 millimeters thin and sports a microphone that can detect when you're deliberately pushing air through it; once you blow, the phone can then change images on the screen, as if to move through a gallery of photos or play games. Outside of that, Pantech also threw in a DMB TV tuner and an e-dictionary, and you'll even get to pick between white, black and red hues. Good luck not getting the stink-eye from fellow subway mates when huffing and puffing on your handset while within close proximity to other Earthlings, though.[Via AkihabaraNews]
LG Incite gets official for South Korea
Mark this day down folks, 'cause it ain't often that you see a handset released in the US of A months ahead of South Korea / Japan / elsewhere in Asia. LG's Incite -- the same one loosed on AT&T's network in November of 2008 -- just got official alongside the new Arena today in South Korea. As expected, it's launching with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, a full touchscreen, WiFi, a multimedia player and that all-important 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. It'll be made available in both black and wine red, and if all goes well, it should hit SK Telecom and KTF in the near future for next to nothing.[Via UnwiredView]
Symbian Foundation nabs Opera, KTF... UIQ?
The Symbian Foundation has definitely managed to quickly reach a quorum in the few months since its inception, and the group has just announced yet another round of heavyweights to have thrown their support behind the effort. This time around, Sharp, Opera Software, South Korea's KTF, and UIQ are among nine new firms to throw their hats into the ring (in other words, if the Windows Mobile and Android camps aren't paying attention yet, they probably ought to be). UIQ might be the surprise here, considering that S60's perpetual second fiddle had already made moves to get ready for the Foundation's activities -- but whatever, good to hear that they're officially on board now.
Pantech's IM-U300K "Neon-Sign Phone" couldn't possibly be annoying
Or could it? As the colorful name suggests, the hallmark of Pantech's new IM-U300K flip for its domestic market is a front cover chock full of 49 LEDs that form images and messages depending on what's going on -- text messages, calls, alarms and the like. PC-based software allows users to make their own designs, which can later be exchanged between phones via infrared (totally rad right up until that last bit, which seems straight outta 2002). Other features of the phone include DMB reception, a document viewer, and global roaming, so if you see a nightmarishly bright light emanating from the pocket of an individual in your neck of the woods, you now know why.[Via Unwired View]
KTF's "Font of Your Own" service makes sending ransom notes a breeze
Gone are the days of meticulously hand-cutting and pasting letters onto sheets of spiral bound lined notepad paper. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, criminals of all skill levels should be able to boil their carefully crafted ransom notes down to an SMS, which can be received and read by the victim at their convenience. We kid, we kid -- KTF's new "Font of Your Own" service isn't actually designed to support anonymous demands for cash as far as we can tell, but will allow any user of the free service to take pictures of 33 characters with their phone to create a custom font for use in messaging. A PC-based font editor app will also be available for those hardcore font connoisseurs looking to create that perfect typeface for their next mobile communique. And no, if you're outside South Korea, you can't have this, so don't even ask.[Via Unwired View]
KTF analyzes passion in your voice, won't make you irresistible
We know, Valentine's Day 2008 has come and gone, but if you've managed to hold on to your SO through the Hallmark-inspired holiday, chances are you won't need these services anyway. For those waking up solo, however, you should probably listen up. South Korea's KTF has launched a seductive new service -- rightfully dubbed Love Detector -- for its subscribers which will actually "analyze voice patterns to see if a lover is speaking honestly and with affection." In an interesting twist, the data is actually only shown to the customer who coughs up ???1,500 ($1.58) per month (or less per call), so don't expect to secretively find out if your lover has another lover waiting next door via voice analysis. [Image courtesy of WestCoastPioneers, thanks Sandra]
KTF's EV-W200 and EV-K200 sliders rock e-dictionaries
While Alcatel's latest slider is taking care of the European market, KTF is lookin' out for the Korean side by busting out a duo of new sliders for its homeland. The EV-W200 sports a two-megapixel camera, built-in MP3 player, video telephony capability, an e-dictionary, Bluetooth, and a photo viewer, while the EV-K200 steps it down to a 1.3-megapixel camera but maintains most everything else. Notably, the EV-W200 does indeed resemble Samsung's U600 just a hair too much for comfort, but considering that we Americans will probably never get the luxury of using these on US soil, we'll let them fight that one out elsewhere.[Via Slashphone]
The Samsung SPH-W2900 is alright, we guess
It's not that common that we're genuinely underwhelmed by a piece of Korean technology, particularly when said piece happens to be a cellphone. In the land of picture-in-picture satellite mobile TV, your expectations for new handset announcements are... shall we say, a bit on the high side. Don't get us wrong, this SPH-W2900 slider with HSDPA is alright, we suppose, but it seems like a phone we might expect to launch on a US carrier; there just really isn't anything fantastical about it. Specs include a 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD slot, media player, and not much else. See what we mean?
Pantech's SKY IM-R200 slider with dual displays
Replacing the good, old fashioned numeric keypad with a touch sensitive display seems to be all the rage these days -- not to mention a certain phone from Apple that intends to bury buttons for good. We're still a little skeptical that the concept is easy to use, but we've gotta admit, this here IM-R200 from Pantech's upmarket SKY brand is way cool looking. Up top you have a 2 inch QVGA LCD accompanied by a 1.6 inch OLED touchscreen on the bottom that changes functionality and appearance depending on the handset's current mode. There's a 2 megapixel cam in back (with face recognition for improved focus, no less) and a VGA counterpart in front. There's no sign of this one ever finding its way out of Korea, but if you happen to be there, look for it on SK Telecom and KTF this month. [Warning: subscription required]
KTF offers location-stamped messaging
It doesn't seem too useful at first glance, but imagine being able to text your mates with a simple "I'm here" to get your point across. Especially on a device with a numeric keypad, busting out an SMS with crossroads or landmarks can suck since predictive text systems aren't terribly skilled with proper nouns. Korea's KTF has launched what it calls "location-tracking MMS," allowing users to automatically attach zoomed in maps of their present location to outgoing multimedia messages. The carrier is also shopping around the feature for emergency use, since it's a quick and easy way for a subscriber to communicate their coordinates to rescue personnel (a la e911). With accuracy to within about 500 meters, though, you better deploy a big ol' group of rescuers.
Samsung shows off ultra slim SPH-W2700
Samsung unveiled its ultra thin, ultra cool, and ultra white HSDPA enabled Anycall SPH-W2700 yesterday; and while it is not radically new and fresh (think Sony Ericsson Z800, check that rotating camera), it has a certain beautiful aura about it. Features include a 2.3 inch TFT LCD (which if true to Samsung form, will be gorgeous), a 0.8 inch external OLED display, triple-band GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz plus 2100 MHz in the 3G department (le sigh). While we're sure it'll never hit on these shores, we can stare and adore from afar -- sadly, from very very afar. [Via Mobilewhack]
LG's KB2700 for widescreen DMB enjoyment
"Remain calm, earthling, I do not wish to harm you -- at least, not yet. I merely wish to demonstrate LG's newest mobile TV phone, the KB2700. With a sliding keypad and a landscape screen, lazy humanoids such as you do not need to turn the handset sideways to enjoy the mind-numbing form of entertainment you call 'television.' Unfortunately, only those in the Earth territory of South Korea will be able to obtain it. Now, please lie still while I beam you back to the cornfield from which we obtained you."
KTF's surveillance canine beams snapshots via HSDPA
It just makes sense that the same Korean provider that offered up a pet translator service would attempt to give back to the owners, as KTF has launched a robotic puppy that just melts the hearts of gizmo-lovin' gals abroad. Specifically, it garners a crowd of individuals wherever it's at, and then pulls double duty as an undercover surveillance agent, snapping mobile images and channeling them straight to your cellphone via HSDPA. For the paranoid 'rents in the crowd, this here ought to be a perfect way to monitor what really goes down in the house while you're away for the weekend, and while it's no guard dog per se, the evidence this bad boy captures could indeed be quite frightening. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
KTF's EV-W100 with Max Headroom technology
This reminds us a little bit of voice-to-SMS -- it's a feature that's been perverted in such a way that the original intent has been somehow lost in translation. Don't get us wrong; with HSDPA, 2 megapixel cam, and A2DP, the EV-W100 from KTF is nice and all (it is, after all, a Korean handset), but the draw here seems to be special software that'll replace the outgoing video on video calls with an animated avatar as a "security" measure. Now if we're not mistaken, it takes two to tango when it comes to video calling, so why not just not hold a video call if you're concerned about the peeps on the other end seeing what's going on? No bother; we guess it's pretty cool that a talking pig is one of the avatar choices.[Via textually.org]
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]
KTF's EV-KD370 does automatic screen rotation, too
Of the iPhone's 200-plus patents, automatic screen rotation must not be one of them -- either that, or we're up for a rather rousing legal brouhaha between His Steveness and Korea's KTF. It seems KTF's latest DMB slider for the local market, the pictured EV-KD370, can rotate the display with a flick of the wrist for enjoying mobile TV in the orientation of its lucky owner's choice. Perhaps even cooler, the sensor can be used to change tracks while listening to music, though we're guessing that means using it on a jog is out of the question. Otherwise, the KD370 seems like your typical Korean slider, complete with touch sensitive controls, a grim outlook for American availability, and the creepy out-of-focus hand model in the background.
