OK, many of us are getting pretty fed up with the B.S. surrounding the iPhone application process for foreigners in Korea.

Heard of the Google’s new phone, Nexus One? If you haven’t let me tell you about it……

It’s a groundbreaking phone in the U.S. because not only is it a fantastic phone, there is an option to buy the phone DIRECTLY from Google without a mobile carrier contract. Yes, the iPhone in America works with a SIM card from a different carrier – same with every other country in the world EXCEPT Korea. However, there’s certain key features that won’t work without being used on AT&T’s network – the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the states.

The Google Nexus One is a game-changer in the states because it truly is an unlocked phone that can be used with full functionality with any carrier that uses a SIM card.

If this phone were to arrive in Korea, it would be a great day for many of us. Cheaper and possibly a better phone without getting locked down on a rip-off 2 year contract (or 1 year if you pay the full 800,000 won up front) with KT – an already notoriously horrible mobile carrier. LG seems to have the best deals, but still expensive, and SK seems middle of the road and most popular in Korea.

Some key features about the Nexus One to be excited about:

-Large 3.7 inch 460 x 800 pixel AMOLED screen (bright, vivid, and slightly larger than the iPhone’s)

-Beautiful design (much more impressive actually holding the phone from what I understand), but still not as beautiful as the iPhone

-1 GHz Snapdragon processor (much faster than the iPhone, able to run multiple applications concurrently unlike iPhone)

-Full touch-screen functionality (same as iPhone, not the lame button-less screens they call touch screen on most “touch screen” phones in Korea)

-Android 2.1 (Google mobile operating system with better integration of Google products like Gmail and Google Maps)

-Google Voice (woo-hoo!)

-5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and video

-WIFI

-AGPS (allows for turn-by-turn directions), compass, long life replaceable (another iPhone pitfall) battery

Pricing:

No contract; $529.99 fully unlocked and can be purchased directly from Google

With contract: $179.99 with 2 year plan with T-Mobile (U.S.)

My Humble Thoughts

The Nexus One is finally a legitimate iPhone competitor with just as good core applications. Most every-day applications are on par if not better than the iPhone’s, but with far less availability of games. Perfect integration of hardware and software like the iPhone which most other phones lack. It’ll be interesting to see if it can take away market-share from the iPhone and it’s far superior App Store and iTunes.

Update:

If it comes to Korea (updated), definitely buying this phone if I can get it to work in the states also. I might have to carry around an iPod separately, but I know I can handle it since I’ve been hauling around both my Korean phone and my iPhone for the past year.

Any word on the street about a Google phone landing on Korea’s shores?

Video ad below is very reminiscent of Apple’s marketing.

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Festive balloons tethered to the gymnasium venue for the iPhone in Korea launch “party” of 2009.

Portion of the 1,000 lottery winners. Some of these guys were waiting more than 24 hours.

iPhone demos for people to actually hold and handle the device. First time for most. The guy in front of me pulled out his iPod Touch to compare side by side to the iPhone. He realized the iPhone is a little bigger, thicker, and heavier.

View of the outdoor area of the iPhone launching event. They had different sections where the 1,000 lottery winners were herded into. They had separate holding areas, just like for livestock.

Home stretch if you are a lottery winner. You pick up your iPhone, make your way around, and pick up other free goodies like accessories and information about the iPhone.

New iPhone owner holding the famous device. When I asked if it was OK to take a picture of him for the website, he said it was fine only if it wasn’t for a Korean website.

A couple more fans.

Part of KT’s fleet of SHOW vehicles parked outside the venue.

Below is a screenshot from the Apple website.

곧 만나실 수 있습니다. (Translation = We’ll see you soon.)

http://www.apple.com/kr/

Thank you Jeremy

내가 그 동안 사용했던 모든 휴대폰과 휴대장치 중에 iPhone이 가장 우수하다.

나는 여전히 1세대 iPhone을 이용하지만 애플의 지속적인 소프트웨어 업데이트와

iPhone 어플리케이션 개발자들이 개발한 5만여 개의 다양한 어플리케이션을 사용 가능하며,

그 외에도 항상 새롭고 흥미 있는 것들이 있다.

신형 3GS phone은 한층
더 굉장해 보인다.

그 중 특히나 관심이 가는 것은 자동포커스가 지원되는 300만 화소의 카메라가 탑재와

드디어 추가되는 동영상 기능이다.

휴대전화와 뛰어난 품질의 인터넷 브라우징, iPod, 훌륭한 성능의 저가 카메라 그리고 동영상 촬영 이 모든 기능이 하나로 묶여진 장치라면 정말 대단할 것이다.

(현재 난 어딜 가든지 간에 나의 한국 휴대폰과 iPhone 그리고 디지털 카메라, 모든 것을 들고 다녀야만 한다.)

이런 이유로 한국에 도착하자 마자 했던, 첫 번째 임무 중 하나로 나의 iPhone을 한국에서 작동 시키게 하는 것 이었다.

내가 찾을 수 있는 모든 휴대전화 대리점에 걸어 들어가 나의 iPhone을 가리키며 그저 간단히“Sim card” 라고 말했다.

하지만 하나 같이 모든 대리점의 답변은 이러했다. 팔을 절래 가로 지어 흔들며, 되풀이 하며 말하길 “노, 노, 노!”

결국 영어와 한국어 2개국어가 가능한 친구들과 몇 군대 대리점을

더 방문한 후, 내가 헛수고를 하고 있다는 것을 깨달았다.

한국에 왜 iPhone이 존재 하지 않는지 많은 이론들이 있는 듯 하지만,

내가 마침내 밝혀낸 진상은 이러하다.

한국에서 iPhone 출시가 불가능한 가장 커다란 이유는-

한국 휴대폰들은 한국 무선인터넷 플랫폼인 `위피(WIPI)’ 를 탑재해야만 하는 것 이다.

이 WIPI 탑재의무가 한국 휴대전화 시장의 보호막 역할 하고 있으며, 이렇듯 타국의 기업들의 한국 핸드폰 시장 진입을 불가능하게 하는 것이다.

당분간은 내 주머니에 3가지 장치들(한국휴대폰, iPhone, 디지털 카메라)을 가지고 다녀야만 한다.

하지만 여전히 그 중 iPhone은 내가 가장 좋아하는 기기이다.

WIFI가 있는 곳 언제 어디서라도 자유롭게 데이터통신을 제공하고, E-mail 확인, 심지어

휴대전화 성능이 없음에도 불구하고 Skype 인터넷 폰 으로 전화도 걸 수 있다.

그렇지만 어렴풋하게 실낱 같은 희망이 비치는 듯 하다. 지난 4월, 다른 무선플랫폼 경쟁이 가능하도록 국산 무선인터넷 플랫폼인 `위피(WIPI)’의 탑재 의무를 해제하였다.

애플이 방송통신위원회(KCC)로부터 iPhone 3G 한국 내 방송통신기기인증을 획득한 것으로 드러났다.

추측으로는 한국의 대표적인 이동통신 업체인 SKT와 KT, 두 회사 모두 iPhone 도입을 위해 애플과 협의를 진행 중으로 본다.

또한 편으로 다수의 소식통에 의하면, iPhone이 작년 여름 그리고 지난 겨울 다시, 올 봄에 출시 되어야 했었다고 한다.

이런 모든 상황으로 볼 때, 현시점에서는, 그저 iPhone이 한국에 출시 되길 바라고 기다리는 수 밖에.

Step 1: Get a WiMAX subscription with your Korean mobile phone company

Step 2: Get a wireless router for your WiMAX called an “egg”

Step 3: Get your iPhone or iPod Touch

Step 4: Get Skype

If you have a WiMAX subscription, you can get a router called an “egg,” manufactured by a company called Interbro (branded as Yota in Korea) to use with your iPhone or your iPod Touch. The “egg” turns into a WIFI hotspot, with speeds up to 4 megabits per second. The Egg’s battery lasts an impressive 5 hours, an hour longer than my MacBook. That is faster than most high speed cable connections anywhere in the world. KT has their WiBro service everywhere, including the subways.

KT offers 30 gigabytes of data transfer at speeds up to 4 megabits per second for $20 per month. This is a much, much better than Verizon Wireless’s similar offering in the US called MiFi for $60 for only 5 gigabytes of data transfer.

I currently use my iPhone everywhere here in Korea, and I also use Skype daily to make phone calls home to the US. I’ve used my Skype iPhone App on my iPhone, and it works great. Now you can use your Skype account to make phone calls anywhere in the world for CHEAP. I pay $30/year for a US-based phone number (you can also get a Korean phone number), and $10/month for unlimited phone calls anywhere in the world. Some countries are limited to just land-lines. Fortunately, there are no surcharges to mobile phones in the US and Canada.

There’s been talk for 3 years about the iPhone reaching the Korean shores. There’s a ridiculous amount of hype about it, but its still not here. For now, I’ve found my own band-aid fix to use my iPhone in Korea.

See Also:

How To Use Your iPhone in Korea Without Skype (Full Mobile Phone Capability)

Do Korean SIM cards work in the iPhone in Korea?

Why is the iPhone not in Korea?

iPhone 3G vs the 3GS

아이폰 나는 나의 iPhone 을 정말 좋아한다

Who are the major mobile carriers in Korea?

10 reasons why Korea needs the iPhone

Confirmed. Could it really be true? Finally? iPhone is coming to Korea at last? In a phone interview just this past Friday:

“Apple iPhone will be in our smartphone line-up. iPhone will help to expand the smartphone market and will contribute to increasing the ARPU” (average revenue per user)

Kim Yeon Hak, Chief Financial Officer, KTF

We’ll see. We’ve been hearing the same thing over and over, although this one seems a little more official.  Despite the seemingly good news, no word yet on when its the iPhone’s arrival in the land of kimchi soup, and no word on pricing.

It is speculated however, that it will be priced similarly to the US – $100 USD for the 3G, $200 USD for the 16 gigabyte 3GS, and $300 USD for the 32 gigabyte 3GS. Additionally, there is talk about Korea possibly being the only country where the iPhone will be released with more than one service provider (SK Telecom is the other contendor).