The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Woman killed in stopped car struck by bus on highway

  • 3

    Koreans wish to work less than 40 hours per week: survey

  • 5

    Apple Pay's imminent launch in Korea draws mixed responses

  • 7

    ANALYSISYoon-Kishida summit may 'raise ceiling' for trilateral cooperation with US: expert

  • 9

    Video footage highlights details of stepmother's fatal abuse of 12-year-old

  • 11

    North Korea fires ballistic missile as US bombers join drills

  • 13

    UBS eyeing swoop for Credit Suisse, sources say, amid fears of banking contagion

  • 15

    Actor Yoo Ah-in to appear for questioning Friday over alleged drug use

  • 17

    Whisky sales at E-Mart outlets exceed soju sales in Jan.-Feb. period

  • 19

    Korea sets record of half million economically inactive youth

  • 2

    Yoon faces strong political backlash after Tokyo summit

  • 4

    Mask mandate on public transportation to end Monday

  • 6

    Centre Pompidou's Korean branch to open in 63 Building

  • 8

    New EU trade policies unnerve Korean firms

  • 10

    INTERVIEWNorth Korean-born chef delights Southerners' taste buds, breaks down cultural barriers

  • 12

    Land minister fortifies city building cooperation with Indonesia

  • 14

    Trump expects to be arrested Tuesday as DA eyes charges

  • 16

    Could Doosan Robotics be valued at 1 trillion won in IPO?

  • 18

    Bitcoin extends super-rally amid SVB fiasco

  • 20

    Wartime sexual slavery, Dokdo not discussed in Yoon-Kishida summit: FM

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Tue, March 21, 2023 | 08:09
KoreaToday
Mobile Phones Facing Radical Changes
Posted : 2008-06-25 21:07
Updated : 2008-06-25 21:07
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link


Cellphone Industry Sees Evolution of the Smart Phone as Fashion Statement

By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter

Not long ago, a mobile phone was just an instrument to make calls and send messages on the move. Now, the small electronics gadget is growing more and more feature rich to include multimedia, camera, games, e-mail and live news at all.

In an era of ``digital convergence,'' a phone call is merely one function of what users can do as there's lots of more things in the mobile world. Things will keep getting better for consumers as mobile phone companies try to differentiate themselves on the basis of ``content.''

```Convergence' impacts on a huge range of things,'' says Salvatore Iacono, senior vice president of production solution marketing at the Bell Enterprise Group.

``It now involves not just voice and data on a single network but also the applications that sit on those networks, the way we deliver services and the way people are using IT.''

``I can simply say the definition is expanding and evolving,'' says Kim Eun-young, a product designer at Samsung Electronics.

``The ability to deliver all services based on either voice or data through a single network to any device a consumer wants to use ― a desktop, a PDA, a mobile phone and a television set,'' she explains.

By riding on such radical changes in the global phone industry, leading phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Motorola and LG Electronics are busy introducing highly-functional ``smart phones'' by applying more eye-catching application technologies.

Ringtones, SMS, music files, gaming and information are the traditional parts that phone producers are focusing on. But embedded content is defining most of the new phones as `digital convergence' takes precedence over traditional features.

Samsung's Omnia ― meaning `everything' in Latin and `wish' in Arabic ― phone brings, together with a higher performance, business content, top of the range style and a fun, dynamic multimedia experience, to ensure that consumers are always connected both at home and at work.

The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Operating System also means that users can download additional programs as they would on their PCs and customize them for their own needs.

``As mobile phones are developing further amid an era of `digital convergence,' the PC business must break down barriers and be armed with technology competitiveness,'' Park Jong-woo, president of the digital media business for the world's No. 2 mobile manufacturer recently told The Korea Times.

``We are positive that the Omnia will be loved by possible consumers as one of the top Infotainment handset,'' Park added.

Nokia phones are equipped with navigation tools. The Finnish company, which has claimed itself a ``solution provider,'' has already tied up with music companies like EMI, Saregama and Venus to enhance its music edition phone with popular songs.

LG and Sony Ericsson phones allow users to access some sports and TV videos and boasts of mobile commerce and banking services.

LG says its Secret phone is an iPhone killer. It has already launched its touch-screen Vu and Shine models in Canada.

``Surely, content is a major differentiator for mobile phone. The global phone market is moving from `what phone I have' to `what call can I do with my phone','' Kim from Samsung said.

As Apple's new iPhone cost half as much as the prototype at $200, competition in the smart-phone market, which has been very strong the last six months, is widely expected to get more intense.

Industry experts say now more than 150 million smart phones are already in the hands of users, with that number expected to grow to more than 1 billion by 2010.

Debate

Analysts agree that the smart phone has emerged the fastest-growing segment of the mobile business and as consumers trade in their aging mobile phones, many are choosing Internet-enabled ``smart'' variety as replacements.

But one of the bigger debates in ``convergence'' is probably the question of who should supply services.

``For me, it is very interesting to have flexibility to pick applications from multiple suppliers. But to many users, it has become a rather bewildering,'' Park Jin-hyun, a software developer for mobiles at a local company.

She added lines between media companies and telecom companies are blurring, as are those between telecom companies and media services companies such as Yahoo, Google and even Microsoft and between telecom companies and IT companies.

Companies that started as Internet search engines are offering communications service such as messaging and location-finding services.

``The only thing is that the impact of the drive toward `convergence' is profound,'' according to the official.

```Convergence' is bound to change the way we live, the way we work and the way we entertain ourselves. The faster evolution of cell phones will result in a revolution in communications.''

yckim@koreatimes.co.kr
 
LG Group
Top 10 Stories
1Woman killed in stopped car struck by bus on highway Woman killed in stopped car struck by bus on highway
2[INTERVIEW] North Korean-born chef delights Southerners' taste buds, breaks down cultural barriers INTERVIEWNorth Korean-born chef delights Southerners' taste buds, breaks down cultural barriers
3Korea sets record of half million economically inactive youth Korea sets record of half million economically inactive youth
4Commuters still wear masks despite end of mask mandate on public transportation Commuters still wear masks despite end of mask mandate on public transportation
5KAIST student becomes first Korean recipient of Apple Scholars fellowship KAIST student becomes first Korean recipient of Apple Scholars fellowship
6Public officials reluctant to dine with coworkers Public officials reluctant to dine with coworkers
7COVID-hit Myeong-dong bounces back as tourists return COVID-hit Myeong-dong bounces back as tourists return
8Brides in early 40s outnumber those in early 20s Brides in early 40s outnumber those in early 20s
9[Analysis] Yoon-Kishida meeting raises expectations of 3-way summit with China AnalysisYoon-Kishida meeting raises expectations of 3-way summit with China
10Seoul event to promote Busan's Expo bid Seoul event to promote Busan's Expo bid
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] 'The Glory' actress Lim Ji-yeon says she wanted everyone to hate her character INTERVIEW'The Glory' actress Lim Ji-yeon says she wanted everyone to hate her character
2Competition among rookie boy groups to gain momentum Competition among rookie boy groups to gain momentum
3'Dansaekhwa' master's art museum to be prominent addition to Jeju Island's cultural fabric'Dansaekhwa' master's art museum to be prominent addition to Jeju Island's cultural fabric
4Film highlights discrimination against Chosun schools in Japan Film highlights discrimination against Chosun schools in Japan
5Centre Pompidou's Korean branch to open in 63 Building Centre Pompidou's Korean branch to open in 63 Building
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group