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DoCoMo and other Asian carriers eyeing FCC auction?
Everybody is sworn to silence until the auction is over, so we won't be seeing much more information about this until it's all over in the spring of next year, but for now it's still fun to speculate. Business Week is doing quite a bit of that speculating as well, with word that DoCoMo, KDDI, SK Telecom and even China (through the T-Mobile and Global Tower invested Blackstone Group) could be chipping in a few billion here and there to spice things up for Google and friends in the 700MHz C Block auction. DoCoMo, which got burned in the US a while back with pre-Cingular AT&T Wireless, mentioned to Business Week that it'd be interested in partnering with Google for its wireless network, and the other carrier might not be talking but have to be at least considering the possibility of being involved in US wireless data in a big way, and KDDI has a history of being chummy with Google in Japan. The word is that average North American data service bills are less than $10 a month, and are expected to grow to $38+ a month by 2012 -- and who wouldn't want in on that action? As growth slows in Europe and Asia, it seems only natural for the innovators over there to head over here and kick things into gear, but we'll try not too far ahead of ourselves.[Via The Inquirer]
SK Telecom effectively taking over Helio
We knew Earthlink and SK Telecom were both planning on reinvesting up to $100M each into struggling joint venture Helio back in July, and it looks like all that recent talk about "revised governance" was on point -- the deal will effectively shift management control of Helio away from Earthlink and to SKT for the first time in Helio's history. SKT has already allocated $70M to make the move, and it's also committed an additional $100M to future handset development and marketing. No word on what other changes SKT plans to make, but we'd happy to see Helio score a much-deserved second chance.[Via MobileTech News]
Samsung W619 gets peeped
It hasn't been long since this sucker graced the FCC with its presence, albeit with just a little (okay, a lot) less detail than we'd like. Once again the W619 makes our radar, but this time it bears Anycall branding, so it's looking like a probable release for Samsung's domestic market. With features like a dual band CDMA / GSM radio, 2 megapixel camera, and a 4.2 ounce weigh-in, it seems like a bit of a lightweight by Korean standards -- but hey, not every phone can occupy the high end, right?[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]
SK Telecom handing over $270 million (more) to Helio
As if receiving $200 million from SK Telecom and EarthLink back in July wasn't enough, Helio is now set to accept (up to) a $270 million check from SK Telecom. According to EarthLink, SK Telecom will "invest up to $270 million in Helio," and as expected, EarthLink was "very pleased" with the decision -- you know, considering that it won't be forced to cough up any more dough at the moment while still maintaining "substantial ownership interest in Helio's future." Most interesting, however, is the tidbit that mentions the parents' plans, as EarthLink and SK Telecom are reportedly "in discussions to amend their existing agreements to reflect the additional investment by SK Telecom and their future governance of Helio." Gotta pay to play, we suppose.
McDonald's adds RFID food ordering in Korea
SK Telecom and McDonald's have teamed up in Seoul, Korea near local Yonsei University to enable RFID food ordering. Customers start off by downloading an application via SK Telecom's internet service. Once the application has been downloaded, customers can visit McDonald's to find an RFID adapter at each table. Customers plug the adapter into their cell, point it at the menu and then ta da! They are alerted via text message that their order is ready and where to pick it up. To top everything off, customers are billed on their wireless bill. Now how long will it be until we can order food via our cell phone and pick it up in the drive thru?[Via Slashphone]
Pantech's SKY IM-U200 "Shooting Star"
There's not much going on here in the way of nifty tech (unless you count the 1.3 megapixel camera or the fact that there are several of them seemingly orbiting the woman in the picture), so Pantech's SKY-branded IM-U200 flip for SK Telecom tries to make up for that little indiscretion with visual appeal. It's cool, we guess, but we can't imagine the thing feels too great stuffed in a pocket; Pantech calls it the "Shooting Star," but we think "Wedge" is a little more fitting. Look for it to hit for about 500,000 won -- $543, give or take.[Via Unwired View]
SK Telecom develops phone-controlled cleaning bot
SK Telecom, never wanting to be outdone by clever hackers in producing totally useless and bizarre devices that no one really needs, is in the final development stages on a Roomba-style robot that can be controlled by your mobile phone. The circular cleaning bot will be able to receive direction from a phone user on where to scrub, buff, and vacuum, while the controller views all of the exciting, floor-sweeping action on his or her cell phone via a built-in camera at the front of the bot. This should be the prefect product for those who feel the Roomba makes life too easy by cleaning a room on its own -- although it's possible that this technology could be adopted by legions of young men hoping to get a better look up women's skirts. Only time will tell.
SK Telecom in talks to purchase Sprint Nextel?
Well this should shake up the market a tad, Korea's monster provider is purportedly in talks to acquire Sprint Nextel. No details have been released yet -- nor any solid confirmation from either side -- but we're seeing it and hearing it all over this morning. It would indeed be interesting to see Korea's largest carrier get into the market over here -- well, aside from Helio -- if only so we can get at some of those slick, slick, Korean handsets. It seems that Telecom mergers are the new black, with Bell Canada and Telus' attempt eventually falling off the rails, we'll see how SK Telecom and Sprint get along.
SK Telecom, EarthLink dump $200 million on Helio
As Amp'd scrambles for life and limb and Palm sees its once tight grip on the market slipping away, Helio is being rewarded with a pair of checks worth $100 million apiece. Reportedly, SK Telecom and EarthLink are set to inject a substantial amount of cash into the MVNO, as it has supposedly burned through the initial $440 million initially put forth. Recent financial results from Helio have been less than encouraging, but obviously someone up the ladder thinks it's wise to forge ahead through treacherous waters. Of course, just about anything can survive with enough funding to back it, but unless things get turned around real quick like, Helio isn't likely breathe new life into the oft neglected MVNO universe.
LG's uninspiring SC330 slider for SK Telecom
Remember that SV300 "Wine Phone" from LG a few days back? Turns out a somewhat forgettable slider launched at the same time, this here SC330. Let's not pull any punches here: for a Korean domestic market device, the porky 17.9mm design lacks inspiration, and it has the guts to match with a 1.3 megapixel camera and no DMB support to speak of (as far as we can tell, anyway). Other features include a media player and built-in dictionary; look for it on SK Telecom shortly.[Via Electronista]
SK Telecom hooks up Korean fishermen
Instead of tracking kids with cellphones, some folks in South Korea want to track those caught fish. That's right -- SK Telecom is enabling fishermen to keep tabs on the fish they're trolling for using a float-shaped ultrasonic transmitter tethered to a cellphone and a fishing line. The phone then shows the lowdown on just what's happening underseas, including water depth and fish location. Should be an interesting niche for SK Telecom to recruit the high-tech fisherman that was just waiting for a solution like this.
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]
SK Telecom launches 5.9mm Samsung C210
Careful, don't breathe -- it might snap! We kid, we kid; the Samsung SCH-C210's magnesium and fiberglass-reinforced body should be able to stand up to the best punishment we can toss at it. As you might recall, a candybar bearing this very form was officially announced at 3GSM as the Ultra Edition 5.9, but the difference here is that the SCH-C210 is a CDMA handset destined for Korea's own SK Telecom. Features include a 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, media player, built-in dictionary, and something called a "pop-pin touch keypad" that vibrates the phone ever so gently when the user presses a key as a means of feedback. Needless to say, we'll never see this particular variant of the Ultra Edition 5.9 in the US, but with any luck, we imagine we should be able to get our hands on the GSM version at some point.
Helio drags Earthlink earnings down, gets more cash from SKT
Alright, we've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first? The bad, you say? Well, it seems Helio's losses in the first quarter amounted to a $29.3 million equity loss for parent Earthlink in the same timespan, which ultimately accounts for over 97 percent of Earthlink's Q1 losses -- though in the earnings report, the company still seems pretty optimistic and committed to its MVNO lovechild with Korea's SK Telecom. Speaking of SK Telecom, the good news: Helio's other corporate parent said this week that it would be injecting additional capital to help out with marketing efforts (though would maintain the same equity balance in Helio with Earthlink that it does now). Like Earthlink, SK Telecom sounds optimistic about Helio's future, saying that despite falling short of initial expectations, ARPU (average revenue per user) and subscriber count are both looking up for 2008 and 2009. Something tells us the upcoming Ocean is going to help with those efforts significantly.Read - Earnings release [Via mocoNews]Read - SK Telecom's plans
Man returns phone to carrier... without leaving car
When we talk about phone use leading to traffic incidents, this is not typically what we mean. It seems a gentleman in Korea -- we'll simply call him "Kim," since that's the only name we have for him -- got just a little upset when his shiny new Samsung handset still wasn't working after sixteen calls and two in-store visits to carrier SK Telecom. What really set the dude off, though, was a SKT employee suggesting that the phone be replaced with a different model when the original was out of stock (what nerve!). Next thing you know, Kim's chilling outside SK Telecom headquarters, filled with rage -- and, oh yeah, a 4,000 pound Mercedes with "Delinquent SK" scrawled across it. Them's fightin' words, of course, and SKT tried to get him to skedaddle. The attempt backfired, though, when Kim skedaddled right through the building's revolving doors. Lesson to carriers: do everything in your power to replace your customers' defective phones after a maximum of fifteen support calls. Lesson to customers: if you aim for the glass instead of the door, you can probably make it into the building without as much damage to the front end.
Samsung's SCH-B680 for SK Telecom
As one might guess after reading the "SK Telecom" bit, this is one piece of Korean hardware we're going to have to admire from afar. The SCH-B680's big draw has to be its unusual styling -- pastel colors, pinstripes on the front, offset external display, and a checkerboard keypad all suggest that Sammy was going for broke trying to attract some fashionistas here. A DMB television tuner would have us believe that the B680 rests rather high in the pecking order, but the crappy 1.3 megapixel cam suggests otherwise. Then again, look on the bright side -- seeing how it'll never escape Korean borders, that's one less purchasing dilemma we have to wring our hands over.
LG's SV260 clamshell hits SK Telecom
Looks like SK Telecom users have yet another option in the crowded clamshell market, as LG's SV260 delivers a dash of brushed aluminum and a simplistic design to an otherwise ho hum offering. The mobile opts for a sleek, metallic outer shell to compliment the black inner section housing an elusive external display, weighs in at 3.74-ounces, and measures 3.72- x 1.87- x 0.69-inches. Internally, you'll find a 1.3-megapixel camera, two-inch LCD screen, MP3 playback capability, 512MB of storage, a text-to-speech system, and the same electronic dictionary functionality as found on the recently-unveiled LC-3200 slider. Though we've every idea that this here mobile will spend most of its time in the Asian markets, we aren't certain what LG plans on charging, but it shouldn't run ya too awfully much when it lands.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Korean carriers to offer anti-eavesdropping service
Just as Japan announces that it'll pretty much have an eye on every single cellphone user in the nation, Korea is going against the grain somewhat by offering up an anti-eavesdropping service on users' handsets. SK Telecom, KTF, and LG Telecom will all be offering private long code service, a digital encryption system to keep voice snoopers at bay, and will dub the service "Voice Private." Marketed primarily towards people of utmost importance, such as politicians, public officials, journalists (ahem), and CEOs, the luxury will purportedly operate on any mobile phone and will cost between W1,500 ($1.60) and W2,000 ($2.13). Interestingly, it wasn't noted if these fees were a monthly charge (less likely) or a per-call exaction (more likely), but regardless, the service should go live just as soon as the Ministry of Information and Communication approves it.
LG rolls out SB190 handset
Looks like Korea's SK Telecom is about to add another LG phone to its lineup, with pics and details of the pearly white SB190 handset recently cropping up online in advance of the launch. This one packs both GPS and DMB mobile TV capabilities into its standard slider form factor, along with a QVGA screen, 1.3 megapixel camera and the usual MP3 and video playback functions. There doesn't appear to be any word on what it'll cost, or any indication when or if it might make its way out of Korea.[Via Akihabara News]
SK Telecom fined for incompatible music-playing handsets
While Verizon had its own go 'round with the law about crippling Bluetooth functionality on its phones, now South Korea's SK Telecom is facing a stiff fine of its own due to antitrust violations. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) tagged the telecommunications giant with a $356,070 fine after taking issue with programming installed on handsets that only allowed users to play back music purchased through the firm's "Melon" music service. Interestingly, the report claims that "MP3 files obtained legally through different online sources cannot work on SK Telecom licensed phones, forcing MP3 file users to purchase only MP3 files from Melon," which leads us to believe that MP3 -- at least in this instance -- refers to any digital audio file. Nevertheless, the company now has 60 days to correct the problem and allow users to rock out to whatever tunes they so desire, so those affected by this snafu should be good to go come February.[Via Techdirt]
