Samsung showed off a new three-way foldable Mobile WiMAX device at a Samsung-sponsored industry conference on Mobile WiMax, today in Seoul.
The Mobile Intelligent Terminal by Samsung (MITS), weighs about one pound (560 grams) and contains a fold-out keyboard, 5-inch screen, 30 gigabyte hard drive and Windows software. It also incorporates a CDMA mobile phone. No WiFi though.
Kim Hun-bae, Samsung vice president for mobile research and development told reporters that MITs is the world’s first WiMax device that also has the function of a mobile phone. It plans to launch the device, which delivers voice, data and television, in South Korea during the first half of 2007.
No price for the device was given. The television service is delivered by Korea’s own DMB service. In the United States, MediaFLO, HiWire or Modeo are potential candidates for multicasting Mobile television.
But the tricky bit is getting power consumption down to make mobile WiMAX devices practical. They’re currently power hogs.
WiMax is backed by Samsung and LG along with land-line carrier Korea Telcom (KT) and cellular carrier SK Telcom. Limited trials of Mobile WiMax are underway in South Korea, with plans to cover the capital, Seoul, by early next year.
WiBro uses the 2.3 GHz band with a fixed 8.75 MHz width channel. The Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) standard provides additional frequencies, bandwidths, MIMO and beamforming. So far the Seoul trial has had only measured success, according to some trial users.
Portland may be getting Clearwire’s Mobile WiMAX service in the next few months. I’m watching the television towers daily with my binoculars.
