iPhone News Updated

KT hopes Nexus One will be next iPhone

KT Chairman Lee Suk-chae is intending to take his iPhone success one step further with the introduction of Nexus One, a smartphone designed by Internet giant Google and manufactured by Taiwanese vendor HTC.

KT Chairman Lee Suk-chae speaks during a news conference marking the first anniversary of the merger between KT and its mobile carrier KTF in Seoul, Monday. / Korea Times

In a news conference Monday, Lee confirmed the late June release for Nexus One.

Lee predicts the device to be the next high-profile addition to its smartphone lineup. He hopes Nexus One, a standout among a growing pack of devices powered by the Google-backed Android operating system, will ease KT’s overreliance on Apple’s do-it-all smartphone. Lee’s plan will likely come at the cost of further deteriorating its relationship with technology giant Samsung Electronics.

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Verizon iPhone would Rock the Smartphone World

With the clock ticking down to Steve Jobs keynote (and rumored Steve Ballmer appearance) at the Apple WWDC event, as well as the rumored launch of the next-generation iPhone, it is to be expected that there is increased speculation over the end of iPhone exclusivity for AT&T and the possible launch of a Verizon iPhone. If Verizon gets an iPhone it could be a game-changer for the smartphone market.

The Android OS is rapidly gaining smartphone market share thanks to devices like the Motorola Droid, the Google Nexus One, and the HTC Droid Incredible, but part of the reason for Android’s success is the limited availability of the iPhone. RIM’s BlackBerry OS is the leading smartphone platform although it is more or less coasting on its former glory. It has been some time since BlackBerry has done anything really innovative or exciting.

The BlackBerry and Android platforms could both be in for quite a shock when the iPhone breaks the shackles of its AT&T exclusivity. The iPhone is only available from one wireless carrier in the US–accounting for less than half of the potential wireless customers, yet it’s the number two smartphone platform. The iPhone is perceived as a consumer gadget, not ready for enterprise primetime, yet it has captured 25 percent of the smartphone market and continues to chip away at BlackBerry’s lead.

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