Wifi Revolution

(The following is taken from Mae Kowalke’s Wireless Mobility blog:)

It often seems to be the case that the latest and coolest wireless devices become available first in Asia, and eventually make their way to Europe and the U.S. Hopefully for us geeks, that will be the case with Samsung’s latest gadget, the WiMAX-enabled SPH-P9000 (or more affectionately referred to by Samsung (News - Alert) as “MIT” for “Mobile Intelligent Terminal), which is a combination cell phone, MP3 player, and PDA with built-in QWERTY keyboard.

The device was unveiled today at Mobile WiMAX Summit in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung describes the P9000 as both “a PDA-based device utilizing Mobile WiMAX and CDMA EV-DO connectivity” and a “true convergence device capable of voice and multimedia data communications through Mobile WiMAX technology.”

Here are a few of the new device’s notable features:

--Five-inch LCD screen

--QWERTY keyboard

--Runs Windows XP

--30 GB hard drive

--Weighs just over one pound

--Built-in 1.3 megapixel camera

--Bluetooth with BT Messenger

--Mini USB/24 pin connector

--1 GHz CPU

--2980mAh/7200mAh battery

As sweet as Samsung’s newest gadget may be, like any tech toy it’s not without problems. An engadget review says that people playing with the prototype complain the screen is too small and that the device gets very hot.

Perhaps a bigger problem is that WiMAX hasn’t caught on yet in the U.S., although companies like Samsung are working to change that.

An Associated Press report published on USAToday.com commented that Samsung is a strong backer of WiMAX, and “is cooperating with U.S. companies Intel, Sprint Nextel and Motorola to commercialize it in the United States.”

South Korea, USA Today noted, so far is the first country to commercialize WiMAX technology, which “promises fast wireless broadband connections and mobile roaming at high speeds.” Trials of mobile WiMAX already are underway there, and plans are in the works to blanket the entire city of Seoul with WiMAX by early 2007.

"We have established a standard in (South) Korea but it won’t take long to spread throughout the world,” the USA Today report quoted Lee Ki-Tae, President of Samsung’s telecom network business, as saying.

Samsung hasn’t yet revealed a price for the P9000, but said it will be launched in Korea during the first half of 2007

What do you think—if WiMAX become a reality in the U.S., and the MIT is launched here, will you buy one?

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Mae Kowalke previously wrote for Cleveland Magazine in Ohio and The Burlington Free Press in Vermont. To see more of her articles, please visit Mae Kowalke’s columnist page. Also check out her Wireless Mobility blog.

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