"Today the number of mobile phone subscribers has surpassed 35 million, and accounts for 75 percent of the total population.
In particular, almost all people in their 20s and 30s own their mobile phones and a mobile phone is the most wanted birthday present among elementary school students.
Not too long ago a mobile phone symbolized wealth and power, now, in such a short time it has become a necessity....
With such advanced mobile infrastructure in place, everyday life is rapidly going mobile.
Sookmyoung Women¡¯s University in Seoul is the case in point and currently attracting attention from all over the world.
Under an initiative to build a mobile campus with KTF, students now use their mobile phones with built-in student ID card to enter a library, borrow a book and inquire about personal records.
They installed an attendance check system at a large lecture hall whereby students can simply touch their phone to the system to record their attendance.
And hospitals are now getting in on this too. Samsung Medical Center now uses PDAs to identify and check patient records including the status of a patient, treatment records, prescription, test results anytime and anywhere. Much more convenient and reliable than the bulky, paper records of the past....
More interestingly, now mobile phones are used as means for well-being by providing information such as blood sugar, diet and meditation. A mobile phone even offers services like driving away mosquitoes, a finger vibrator for hand acupuncture and music therapy, a guard service by sounding a siren, a location tracking service and product information in which a camera phone is used to read a barcode." [The Korea Times, via textually.org]
"This year, LG Electronics introduced Korea's first MP3 mobile phone, the LP3000, which has sold over 300,000 units, and the company expects that the sale of their MP3 models will easily smash through 1 million units this year. An LG official noted that of the 20 new models to be introduced in the domestic market by the end of this year, 80~90 percent of them will be MP3 phones. He also said MP3 functions will become a basic function of mobile phones like camera function.
Pantech & Curitel said it expects 1 million of its 3 million units of supply to be MP3 phones. Most of its 15 new models will be MP3 mobile phones. The company added, 'We plan to provide MP3 function as a basic function.' It explained that therefore, the domestic MP3 market should greatly expand." [The Digital Chosunilbo, via textually.org]
"The SPH-V5400, unveiled today in Japan, includes 1.5GB of hard disk storage. That's barely more than you can get from a SD or CompactFlash card, but it's a start, presaging the day when handsets are as much iPods as phones." [The Register]
Monday, September 06, 2004
