Seoul
Latest
WoW locations based on real-life
This is something that I had never known before about World of Warcraft (and I've been studying this game for quite a while): some of the ingame locations are actually based on real-life buildings and environments. Tree of Life has a terrific post (based on one of our own Around Azeroth screenshots) up showing comparisons of the ingame reproductions and the real-world influences, and some of them are almost perfect recreations.Most of the dances I at least recognized as their real-life counterparts, but other than maybe the Stormwind Castle (and Stonehenge -- duh), I don't think I recognized any of these overtly. Of course, the influences are there -- you can definitely see the Oriental flavor in the Night Elf architecture, and Human buildings are definitely inspired by English and French architecture, but did you know that Durnholde's wreckage compares to a ruined castle in France, or that Zul'Farrak is a take on Macchu Picchu?Very cool finds. Definitely shows you how much Blizzard borrowed from the real world to make this fantasy setting as believable as possible.
Wii to be demonstrated in South Korea next month
To drum up some more buzz for their console in South Korea, Nintendo has announced it will have a press conference lined up so folks can get their hands on the Wii. It's all going down on April 14th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul. We're not sure if this thing will be invite-only or not, so Seoul Wii Fanboy readers, here's a protip: use the alley entrance on the northwest side.Many are still looking to Children's Day as being the time when Nintendo will officially release the console to the region. No word from Nintendo, however, so we'll just have to wait and see if they say more come April 14th.
Square Enix continues mapping the world
Apparently Square Enix did decent business on the first series of World Walking travel guide things, or at least made back their teensy budget. Maybe the team knows a guy who travels a lot and has a poor sense of direction. Whatever the reason, they're expanding the line, with another set of DS cards with maps and helpful cultural information.The World Walking non-games provide travelers with maps with landmarks and touristy points of interest marked. They also include pictures of attractions, information about local culture and food, and even niceties like dual time zone clocks. Oh, and also minigames, but you surely knew that.Read - World Walking: ShanghaiRead - World Walking: EnglandRead - World Walking: Seoul Read - World Walking: Hong Kong
DS Service Zone provides DIY utilities in Seoul
The next time you find yourself in the COEX Mall in Seoul and you find one of your screws is coming loose in your handheld or you need to give your screen a quick cleaning and dare not take your t-shirt to it, check out one of these Service Zones. As you can see, there are also lockable cabinets where you can get your DS (and, we assume, DS Lite) charged while you're shopping. Apparently, the idea extended from similar areas that offer the same kind of services, except for cell phones. If you ask us, we'd like to see this extended to other territories. Namely, here.
The Seoulllll e-Traaaaain!
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
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?
Kia Kue abandons airbag, swaps in GPS navigation
We know it's possible to strap a PSP to your steering wheel, but seriously, it's not like we'd recommend taking such a setup onto the open road. Apparently, designers at Kia are throwing caution to the wind and cramming convenience in your face with its Kue concept vehicle, which neatly sports a full-fledged GPS navigation system in place of an airbag. Yeah, you've got Honda trying to stuff such protective devices into frickin' motorcycles, but who needs driver's side safety when you've got a 100,000-mile warranty? Nevertheless, the whip also manages to sport Lambo-doors, swivel seats, a widescreen in-dash display, and what appears to be flush-mounted pillar controls. Of course, the Kue could end up rocking a half dozen airbags in a variety of other locations, but if you're interested in a few more pics of the quasi-street-legal ride, be sure to click on through.
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]
LG N1TGOOK-K1 media player packs GPS, DMB
Yes, the LG N1TGOOK-K1 has an unfortunately awful name, but that aside it's actually a pretty sexy little device. It's loaded up with Windows Mobile 5.0, runs on an Intel PXA270 312 MHz processor, brings 128MB of flash memory and 64MB of SDRAM -- so ready an SD card and check your media out on its 3.5-inch screen. That not enough for you? Would you like it more if LG threw in some GPS (SiRFStarIII) and a DMB receiver? Yeah, we thought you might. Yes, we know it's not the first of its kind by any means, but it just might be one of the best-looking nav devices that we've seen so far. We've got no information on how many won it'll take to get your paws on an N1TGOOK-K1, but it's currently on demo at KES in Seoul. Can't afford a trip to Korea? Then mosey on over to the next page for some more pics.[Via NaviGadget]
WiBro a go in South Korea
Seemingly always at the forefront of the latest and greatest technologies, little South Korea has once again trumped almost the entire rest of the world by rolling out commercial versions of the long-range wireless networking standard known as WiBro. Based on Intel's version of WiMax, the services offered by both SK Telecom and KT Corp will provide broadband speeds to users in and around Seoul from base stations with one kilometer ranges, allowing subscribers to maintain their connections even while traveling at speeds up to 74MPH. Although a slew of WiBro-enabled devices are on the verge of release, currently that Samsung PCMCIA card we saw last month is one of the few ways to go for getting your mobile WiBro on. Initially SK will be charging around $31.50 per month for its service, while KT's is significantly cheaper at less than $17, although both carriers are planning on introducing tiered pricing based on usage, as well as subsidies up to $105 on compatible gear.
Nintendo opens Korean branch
At today's general shareholder's meeting in Kyoto, Japan, Nintendo revealed that they will be opening a new office in Seoul, South Korea. This office, which is set to open on July 7th, is focused on the booming gaming populace of Korea, which has quickly become one of the largest gaming markets in a short time. The starting capitol for this office is close to £12,500,000 (or a little under 23 million US monies). This is a first for the company, who used third-party Daiwon to supply their games to the territory before.
Activision opens Korean publishing office
In an effort to expand Asian operations, Activision has acquired its Korean distribution arm, CSR Entertainment, based in Seoul. The American publisher has made similar moves in Europe in recent years, and is hoping a stronger localized presence will help games such as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars capitalize on Korea's massive online gaming market.See also: Disney, Shanda bring online content to China Take-Two announces 2K Shanghai
Pentax's 10 megapixel *ist D SLR makes Seoul appearance
It still doesn't have a name, price or launch date, and they're still not letting anyone touch it, but Pentax's forthcoming 10-megapixel *ist D SLR is making the rounds in Korea. AVing managed to get a few choice shots of it at the Seoul International Photo and Imaging Industry Show. The pics show a pretty standard collection of the controls you'd expect on an SLR, multiple autofocus modes and a popup flash. No surprises, really, but at least Pentax has stopped keeping it under glass, which we hope means this is getting just a little closer to launching.
More sweet chocolate from LG: the "Black Label II"
LG just unveiled the next generation of its popular "Chocolate" phone at the recent Expo Comm Wireless Korea 2006, and it seems to maintain the same features and minimalist elegance as its predecessor in a slightly thicker package (16.5-millimeters versus the original's 15.3). Also called the "Black Label II" or by its model number, KV6000, this handset is primarily targeted at the fashion-conscious crowd who also want to snap a pic or rock out to tunes once in awhile, letting them load the 512MB of memory with up to 120 MP3 tracks. Starting price for this newest bit of Chocolate is around $530, but it will probably only be seen on the streets of Seoul for the time being.Update: You guys are the best. Reader Jay saw this post and directed to us a slew of great BLII pics at Korean site Cetizen, including one which shows that the camera is a very respectable 1.3 megapixels. Keep reading for a few more shots...
Samsung Q1 UMPC befuddles top execs during demo
In what must have been a liveblogger's dream press conference at Seoul's Grand InterContinental hotel earlier this week, not one, not two, but all three of the hardware and software executives using Samsung's Q1 UMPC for their presentations managed to experience technical difficulties with the device. The execs -- Samsung VP Kim Hun-soo, Microsoft Korea president Yoo Jae-sung, and Intel Korea prez Lee Hee-sung -- were gathered for what is being described as a "Steve Jobs-like" product demonstration gone horribly awry, with support staff forced to uncomfortably ascend the stage several times to help out their equally-uncomfortable bosses. Among the various mishaps were a battery that went dead after only a few minutes, an apparent inability to call up the on-screen keyboard for advancing a PowerPoint presentation, and another presentation that went into rapid slideshow mode on its own. While having one device fail in a demo happens all the time, seeing multiple units go down and/or befuddle the very people who make these things causes us to stop and rethink our commitment to the UMPC lifestyle that looked so fun and carefree in the teaser campaign.[Thanks, Guillermo]
