3G Mobile Tech Is So Yesterday: Welcome 4G

South Korea keeps proving its “little dragon” technology status by participating in numerous technology projects, including wireless tech, RFID/ cashless payment, and more. The latest effort is Samsung Electronics’ new 4G (4th Generation) mobile technology. So mobile that the demo was run on a bus moving up to 60 kilometres/ hour (~36 mph) while downloading up to 100 MP3 files [Antara News] in under 3 seconds to a mobile device such as a smartphone or PDA. (No, neither Keanu Reeves nor Sandra Bullock were driving the bus.)

Because of this download speed (up to 100 Mbps - megabits per second, not megabytes like the Antara News article says), the 4G technology is capable of VOD (video on demand). [Typical video is approximately 30 fps - frames per second - but if download speeds are not fast enough, you get the stuttering effect that most streaming video players exhibit over slow connections.] VOD is faster and apparently more seamless than another new technology called WiBro, the Korean version of WiMax.

Although WiBro can only handle connection speeds of 2-3 mbps, the device being downloaded to can be moving at up to 120 kmh (about 72 mph). The advantage with 4G is the ability to download high-definition TV content. But I still maintain that even as a TV junkie, I’d never want to watch an entire TV program on a puny little mobile screen and risk eyestrain. It’d be nice for trailers and maybe for video-calling, if a camera was mounted in front instead of on the back like so many PDAs.

The technology will not be available commercially for a few years yet. According to Antara News, that’ll be about 2010. But imagine it’s use in the home arena for downloading IPTV (Internet Protocol) TV content. Consider that there is more and more video content showing up online that’s not available to regular TV viewers. Internet-only content. But trying to watch it now involves long download speeds often prone to hang-ups even when using cable or DSL Internet. These are are exciting times.

P.S. If you’re looking for Internet-only TV, Jeff Pulver has a list. It’s a big alphabetical one, but it barely scratches the surface. We’re not yet at the million-channels of TV state predicted in the early 1990s, but we’re getting there. Though I’m not sure we’re ready for downtown cores displaying giant outdoor television screens a la Blade Runner just yet.