KT apparently plans to use the investment to roll out WiBro into five new cities - Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan – with service there expected to kick off tomorrow.  According to the carrier, by using the 10MHz channel they’ll instantly boost quality of service by 1.5-2x.

A range of WiMAX-enabled notebooks and netbooks from Samsung, LG and Acer are also dropping into the country, and follow Gateway’s WiMAX notebook for the US which was announced yesterday.  No word on if the same machines will see a US launch, or indeed whether CLEAR in the US will now ink a roaming deal with KT.

Unlike, say, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Korea Telecom’s slate uses an LCD TFT panel.  There’s also an ambient light sensor, SD card slot, accelerometer and multitouch support.  KT are positioning it as a web-surfing device with a sideline in ebook reading, media playback and social networking.

The KT Identity Tab will go on sale from today in Korea, priced at 300,000 won ($251) contract-free or free with a 24-month WiBro agreement (priced at 27,000 won ($23) per month).

[via Akihabara]

WiBro is the high-speed WiMAX equivalent already rolled out in South Korea, and just as a WiMAX iPad would offer much faster browsing speeds than the existing iPad WiFi + 3G, so would the WiBro model.  According to the leaks, KT are looking to secure all three models, offering their subscribers the basic WiFi-only iPad, the iPad WiFi + 3G and a new, country-exclusive iPad WiFi + WiBro.

Of course, there’s no official confirmation from either KT or Apple themselves, and so this has to get filed into the “vague rumor” category for the moment.

[via Unwired View]

Each of the S7 models will use Intel’s Atom Z520 processor running at 1.33GHz, paired with 1GB of RAM.  Storage will range from a 60GB HDD on the entry-level S7 I-LOG HX, through to a 32GB SSD on the I-LOG 3X and D-LOG 3X.  That final model will also get a DMB digital TV tuner.

We had a brief chance to go hands-on with the S7 back at CES in January, and came away impressed at the touchscreen responsiveness and the generally sturdy build of the prototypes the company were showing.  With the positive reaction to the S5 MID and X70 UMPC, the S7 could be the device that picks up those last, die-hard mobile users who won’t settle for anything less than a hardware keyboard.  No word on when exactly they’ll arrive on the market.

Update: International versions detailed here, including 2GHz Atom Z550 model

[via Pocketables]

Other sources at the company have clarified that these are still tentative plans, and not set in stone, but from this end it seems like such changes would certainly make the mintpad more attractive.  The first-gen model has a 2.86-inch touchscreen, which is certainly on the compact side, so a bigger display but using the same OS (which has proved a hit in Korea, where the Internet Tablet is already on sale) would broaden their market.

Given how much mintpass manage to pack into the 90g first-gen chassis, though, it doesn’t seem too far a stretch to expect big things from the second model.  The mintpad has a 1.3-megapixel camera, WiFi b/g, Flash for streaming video and onboard blogging software; that leaves plenty of space for more memory, Bluetooth and GPS, which would be the obvious upgrades.

[via Pocketables]

The Egg uses a WiBro connection over Wi-Fi networks to create “hotspots.” WiBro is very similar to WiMAX. The Egg can make for download speeds as fast as 37Mbps and is intended for use with the iPod touch. Yes, this means you would be able to get 4G on your iPod touch.

Other wireless devices can make use of it as well, but it is expected the Egg will be sold at Apple stores. You can get it in Korea now for the equivalent of $164, however if you enroll in KT’s 50GB data plan, you can get the Egg for free.

[via iPodNN]

Connectivity includes three USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi b/g.  There’s also a 1.3-megapixel webcam and 1GB of RAM, and the whole thing weighs 1.23kg.

Samsung are calling the curvy-casing of the N310 as “pebble smooth” and luxurious.  No pricing nor availability for the Samsung N310 have been confirmed.

It gets worse, too.  Only 150 pre-order units are on sale at that price, which means it’s entirely probable that TG Sambo will crank up the cost once the Lluon Mobbit reaches general availability.  If you want the WiBro version (which is unlikely unless you’re actually in Korea) then it’ll cost you KRW 699,000 ($503) but tie you into an 18-month data contract.

Now admittedly you do get a 2-megapixel camera, a DMB-T TV tuner (again, only really useful in Korea), and the US15W chipset which supports hardware video decoding, but the price increase puts it in line with some impressive alternative MID and UMPC models.  It’ll be interesting to see whether TG Sambo ever begin selling the Lluon Mobbit outside of Korea; for the price, I can’t see the demand being there.

[via UMPC Portal]

The display may be on the small side, but it’s still running at an internet pleasing 1024 x 600 resolution.  There’s also a 2-megapixel camera on the back, a DMB-T TV tuner, and the US15W chipset which supports hardware video decoding. 

Measuring 166 x 88 x 21mm and weighing 375g, with a switch to 3G HSDPA (rather than WiBro) and maybe WiMAX as well, this could be an impressive little media and ‘net device.  Best of all is the price; apparently just 600,000 won ($411) when it launches in January 2009.

[via UMPC Portal]

Size is just 158 x 94 x 19mm, putting the MID in line with the Aigo and Gigabyte MIDs, but the clamshell form-factor more closely resembles Fujitsu’s UMPC range.  Of course, the UMID device lacks a convertible swivel hinge, so although it has a touchsceen you can’t use it in slate-orientation.

Of course, the headline aspects are still the connectivity options: WiBro, WiMAX, HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth.  Under the hood there’s a choice of Intel Atom 1.1GHz or 1.3GHz processors paired up with 512MB or 1GB of RAM; storage ranges from 8GB to 32GB SSD.  Still no word on pricing or definitive availability; UMID are saying it’ll launch early in 2009, which could mean a full CES or CeBIT launch.

Other specs include DMB-T and DVB-T digital TV tuners (which covers both the common Korean and European standards), a range of SSD storage from 8GB to 32GB, and a 1.3-megapixel camera.  The MID also has a microSD slot, USIM card slot (for Korean use) and a single mini-USB 2.0 port.

Windows XP and Vista, together with Linux, are all supported, though it’s unclear which OS UMID will pick for the launch next year.  Still, the amount of technology packed into a 315g package is the real killer here; they’ve been particularly clever with the chromed side-strips that help disguise the MID’s thickness.  No word on price, specific release date nor availability outside of Korea.

[via jkkmobile]

Specs on the compact netbook are generally unknown, but it weighs 990g and uses an LED backlight.  The special edition is currently on sale at the W Style Shop in Korea.

The U100 first went on sale back in 2005, with a 1.2GHz Intel Pentium M 753 processor, 512MB of RAM and a 60GB hard-drive.  It was priced at $1,999, and weighed just 2.1lbs.