10 Reasons Why Korea Needs the iPhone
10 Reasons Why Korea Needs the iPhone
아이폰이 한국에 필요한 10가지 이유
Rumors of an iPhone in Korea have been in the air for 3 years now. Since my arrival in Korea, I have had to carry around an iPhone with basically the functionality of an iPod Touch. Why? Its the best mobile device I have ever used. Even without it’s primary function as a mobile phone, I still feel a need to carry it around with me, along with my Korean phone.
I have now gone through 2 Korean phones now. One was a SKY phone, and my current phone is an LG Lollipop. Both of these phones are a joke compared to the iPhone. Here are the biggest issues I have with my cell phone here in Korea:
Reasons 1 to 5:
I Get Frustrated With Mobile Phones in Korea
나는 한국 휴대폰에 실망했다.
1) Terrible interface – The interface is the equivalent to the first Motorola color-screen flip phone I had 5 years ago. Internet browsing is useless.
2) Rip-off service plans. For about 100,000 Korean won, you get a plan with 1,800 minutes with SK Telecom. There is no unlimited call plan. Likewise, there is no unlimited text-messaging plan. In the states, I had an unlimited plan with unlimited data and unlimited text messaging for $140 USD/month.
3) Only Korean manufacturers. The handset manufacturers are limited to basically Korean brands. The so called touch-screen phones in Korea are a joke. Basically “touch” buttons instead of the full touch screen functionality of the iPhone. I see a few Motorolas out there, but some of the best phones that are available in the rest of the world are not in Korea due to its WIPI requirement (network that is unique to Korea)
4) Poor translation. When changing the language settings on my LG Lollipop from Korean to English, everything converts to English except text messaging – so annoying.
5) Cheap and bad design. Just doesn’t have the aesthetics or the smooth feel of my iPhone. Both phones, including my Lollipop feel cheap. All plastic and feels like it could break any second. The glass surface of the iPhone really is the best material.
I had used the iPhone for 2 years in the US, basically since within 2 weeks of it’s debut in the States. I really miss having the phone functionality of my iPhone to really take advantage of the device. The iPhone is superior in several ways:
Reasons 6-10:
iPhone Features That I Love
내가 정말 좋아하는 아이폰의 특징
6) iPhone Apps – By far, the biggest advantage of the iPhone is it’s access to more than 50,000 applications. A large portion of those applications are free and easily accessible through iTunes. I have everything from subway maps to multi-lingual dictionary applications on my iPhone that I use on a daily basis.
7) Brilliant interface – The interface is in a league of it’s own… everything from general settings to using the camera and multi-function center button have legendary Apple simplicity and elegance. For example, click the center button once to go to the home screen, click it twice to go to “favorite contacts,” and click it with the power button, and it will take a photo of the screen (similar to “print screen,” F12 on a PC) and save it to your “photos.”
SMS text messaging - Predictive text-messaging, with both landscape and portrait sized keyboard, is far more efficient. Those of you who use T9 text messaging, I’d say texting is at least twice as fast with the iPhone, although due to the touch screen, the iPhone lacks tactile sensitivity. Easily send multimedia such as pics you just took with the integrated camera to your friends.
9) Great internet browsing. Internet browsing and email is a breeze. You have a REAL internet browser. You basically have the same experience on your iPhone as you do on your laptop or desktop computer. One button email, with the option of automatic updating makes email access easier on your iPhone than your desktop.
10) WIFI! – WIFI, which basically doesn’t exist in Korean phones, it terrific for internet access whenever I’m near a coffee shop. In fact, WIFI is everywhere in Korea, so whenever I need to use the internet, about 30% of the time, I have a free WIFI connection.
There you have it. Wherever my Korean phone leaves off, my iPhone even without phone capability always picks up. It can be annoying carrying two phones everywhere, but its actually worth the inconvenience. Hopefully, I’ll have a Korean iPhone 3GS in my hands in the next month or two.