“I watched animation when I was young. Today, Korean children play computer games with American children on the Internet. That was surprising because I didn’t think that Korean and American children could play computer games together.”
Mr. Kim has gone to Chicago to work for six months. He needs to return to Seoul by tomorrow for a conference with his boss about a new business program, but the departure time of his flight has been delayed for a day due to bad weather in the Chicago area. He needs an alternative plan. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket and calls his boss. After a short discussion, they agree to hold a video conference. He is going to give a presentation using his cell phone. His cell phone supports mobile imaging communications so the audience can see him. He buys a suit from an online shopping mall and books into his hotel, also using his cell phone. After the conference, he watches live, also with his cell phone, a Korea-Japan soccer match.
A few years ago, people used cell phones to make calls only when away from home or the office, but nowadays cell phones are must-have items. People use cell phone for various purposes such as listening to music, text messaging, playing games, taking photos, shooting videos, and watching DMB(Digital Multimedia Broadcasting).
The media introduces new goods and services everyday, but the successful ones can take several years to become popular and the unsuccessful ones are quickly forgotten. A video phone offered three years ago has been almost forgotten. The press said that the video phone’s time had come, but only a few thousand people bought it. Now, mobile imaging communication has been brought to the attention of the public again. Between March and May, 2007, six hundred thousand people bought new cell phones that support mobile imaging communications.
In a scene from a TV advertisement for KTF`s "Show" service, a man answers a video phone call from his girlfriend who is traveling in France. He orders, in French from his home in Korea, wine and foie gras from a floating restaurant on the River Seine.
KTF has advertised their new service “Show” extensively since February. The teaser advertisement “In May, a new world is coming" appealed to a wide audience. People knew that "Show" was a new service brand of HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). KTF`s rival company SKT also began their new service called 3G+. Show and 3G+ are service brands of HSDPA. HSDPA is a 3G mobile telephone protocol.
Cell phones now support third-generation (3G) high-speed data services, such as mobile imaging communications, VOD (Video on Demand), and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). In addition we can use international roaming services in much more countries than before. International roaming services are possible only when countries use the same mobile telephone protocol as each other. HSDPA is used in 110 countries.
3G technology in cell phones also supports wireless Internet connections. We could use wireless Internet before 3G, but it was possible only in particular places and we couldn’t access it when moving. We could use only a few features that were offered by mobile communication companies when we used cell phones. Today, with the advent of new technologies such as HSDPA and Wibro (Wireless + Broadband), we can access digital files even when moving at 70km/h.
Nowadays people can see each other when they talk over cell phones. A mother can inquire after her son who is studying abroad. It is just like the TV advertisement in which a husband in Germany calls his wife while he chooses a gift and asks, "Honey, how about this color?"
Not everyone is enthusiastic about these new technologies. I read Mr. Lee`s story on the Internet. He said, "I use a video phone because the company gave it to me; it feels like I have become a prisoner." A woman said that she gave a video phone to her husband so she can watch what her husband does. Critics say that video phones can check on where people are and what they are doing. They consider that a violation of privacy.
I think the value of new technology depends on the user. I read on the Internet about a father who couldn’t attend his son’s wedding because he was a cancer patient. He congratulated his son with tears in his eyes using his video phone.
According to the Bible, people spoke the same language at the beginning of the world. Then, the Tower of Babel was built to reach to heaven. God changed their language while they were building the tower because God thought that the people stood against Him. From that time, people could not communicate with each other so they scattered everywhere.
Nowadays, new technologies break down barriers and overcome the limitations of time and space. We can communicate with foreigners any time and anywhere on the Internet. New technologies have set us free.
