KT unveils converged wireless tech in IFA

With 'Spider phone,' KT aims to make big splashes

By Kim Yoo-chul

BERLIN ― KT, South Korea’s top-tier mobile carrier, is ready to make a big splash in the ongoing IFA consumer electronics fair with a completely new digital device called the ``Spider Phone.’’

This is the first time for KT to set up its own booth in the fair and send a senior-level executive to present its new device.

The Spider uses the Google-powered Android mobile operating system (OS) and can be connected to many different screens such as tablets, laptops and game consoles, according to KT.

``Those devices don’t function, independently, because they’re not loaded with a CPU, OS or memory and consumers who are using various digital devices don’t need to pay to buy separate things because the Spider has it all,’’ said Lee Kyeong-soo, a senior company executive during a briefing, Friday.

The announcement comes after the demand for converged telecom services has been on the rise thanks to the popularity of Internet-connected portable devices including smartphones and tablets.

``The Spider is also matching our `N-Screen’ initiatives,’’ said Lee.

An N-screen platform allows users to access the same content from multiple devices based on cloud computing.

Simply, N-screen service users are able to watch a movie at home on their televisions and can continue viewing it even on their smartphones.

``This service was designed to facilitate more efficient media consumption by providing good portability and a custom-tailored service,’’ Lee told Korean and foreign reporters who came to the product briefing.

``KT hopes the Spider receives positive responses from Europe-based mobile carriers experts,’’ said Lee, who is an executive vice president of the teleco’s device strategy unit.

Specifically, the device is using Android’s Gingerbread OS and adopted an advanced 4.5-inch WXGA display for better viewing quality, while the Spider is embedded with a 1.5-gigahertz CPU.

A senior KT spokesman, Lee In-won said KT is planning to open its key hardware- and software-related sources to help handset makers develop other external devices that connect with the Spider and added it will put more resources on creating a new mobile eco-system.

The Spider will be released from November, this year.

At the tech fair, KT also exhibited its ``ucloud storage service,’’ along with the Spider.

Cloud computing commonly refers to a software application accessed from the Internet rather than a local hard disk drive. Many people don’t know yet what the term ``cloud computing’’ exactly means as it hasn’t entered mainstream use.

But current consumers are actually quite tech savvy and welcome cloud-based applications so the Internet-based cloud service is regarded as the ``it’’ business area.

``That’s why the market is getting crowded with more storage offerings. The rise of `smart devices’ should not be blamed,’’ said the executive Lee.