Sorry if we got your hopes up for a second there, AT&Ters; we're still not sure if this one's ever coming to the US, and today is most definitely not the day. Instead, the SCH-M480, which appears to be alternately known as the BlackJack III and Ultra Messaging 2, has been launched on Korea's own SK Telecom for something in the range of 600,000 won (about $592). The Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset is a dead ringer for the i780 that's been launched for a few months now, featuring a lovely 320 x 320 touchscreen, HSDPA, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera; not really a direct successor to the BlackJack II since the latter runs Standard, but we could still see a whole host of folks going for the upgrade -- if it ever comes to AT&T, that is.

Separately, Boy Genius Report is claiming that AT&T will be getting its very own BlackJack III come October of this year, albeit with a 3 megapixel camera, up from the 2 megapixel sensor seen here. With these fancy new pink and blue versions of the BlackJack II, though, who the heck needs it? We kid, we kid.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

Read - Ultra Messaging II
Read - US BlackJack III in October?

Nice phone, but we have to admit, we're not blown away here. Pantech's diving headlong into the fashionable touch phone market with the SKY IM-R300 for its domestic market, featuring a DMB tuner, microSD slot, 260MB of internal storage, HSDPA, a 2.6-inch WQVGA display, and a relatively puny 2 megapixel camera. Oh, and what's with that gargantuan stylus there? Actually, how does that monster even fit inside the phone? We're guessing finger control doesn't play a particularly big role on this one, though the need for character recognition might make switching between the stylus and a fingertip too much trouble to bother anyway.

Or could it? As the colorful name suggests, the hallmark of Pantech's new IM-U300K flip for its domestic market is a front cover chock full of 49 LEDs that form images and messages depending on what's going on -- text messages, calls, alarms and the like. PC-based software allows users to make their own designs, which can later be exchanged between phones via infrared (totally rad right up until that last bit, which seems straight outta 2002). Other features of the phone include DMB reception, a document viewer, and global roaming, so if you see a nightmarishly bright light emanating from the pocket of an individual in your neck of the woods, you now know why.

[Via Unwired View]

Gone are the days of meticulously hand-cutting and pasting letters onto sheets of spiral bound lined notepad paper. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, criminals of all skill levels should be able to boil their carefully crafted ransom notes down to an SMS, which can be received and read by the victim at their convenience. We kid, we kid -- KTF's new "Font of Your Own" service isn't actually designed to support anonymous demands for cash as far as we can tell, but will allow any user of the free service to take pictures of 33 characters with their phone to create a custom font for use in messaging. A PC-based font editor app will also be available for those hardcore font connoisseurs looking to create that perfect typeface for their next mobile communique. And no, if you're outside South Korea, you can't have this, so don't even ask.

[Via Unwired View]

The world's top five manufacturers play an everlasting game of cat and mouse (and mouse, mouse, and mouse), jockeying for revenue dominance in a world where market share means everything. Nokia's been eating everyone's lunch lately -- and everyone's been eating Moto's lunch -- but LG's pretty proud of itself for recently passing Sony Ericsson to become the world's number four. Even as it kicks back and enjoys its magnum of bubbly, though, there's little time to relax. The company's veep for marketing strategy says that it's "carefully watching" Espoo to see what tactical moves it makes in the coming months, and will counter with "product portfolio" and "marketing strength." The paranoia originally stems from rumors that Nokia would be dropping its prices and making a grand re-entrance into the South Korean market later this year, and while that probably doesn't pose a short-term threat to Samsung and LG's local dominance, the decision of the top player in the world to suit up and check into the game is always a cause for concern.

[Via mocoNews]

For better or worse, the relentless barrage of RAZR 2 variants might only be getting started. Motorola's South Korean outpost has teamed up with SK Telecom to release the RAZR 2 Pink Silver, featuring an "espresso" hued keypad teamed with a light pink case for folks who want to whisper their fashion sense, not scream it -- or, in Motorola's words, for a "confident young generation." Look for it now in SKT retailers if you happen to be in the area.

[Via Unwired View]

For some, living in a country where BlackBerrys were outright banned would be a fate far, far worse than death -- you know who you are -- but for South Koreans, that nightmarish scenario is a reality. Weird rules and regulations in the country make it difficult for foreign manufacturers to gain the same foothold that domestic powerhouses like Samsung and LG enjoy, and RIM in particular has been a total no-show. Turns out CEO Jim Balsillie is paying a little visit to Seoul for the Organization on Economic Cooperation and Development's Ministerial Meeting on the Future Internet Economy next month though (goodness, what a mouthful), and the Korea Communications Commission felt just a little silly about his visit in light of a nationwide RIM ban, lifting it just enough to allow SK Telecom to start selling the mobile email maestros to companies. Individual sales, not so much -- but you've got to start somewhere, we suppose. If all goes well, devices should go on sale some time in July or August with service running some 26,000 won (about $25) per month.

We'd long since forgotten about Motorola's UIQ-based Z8 kick slider -- the introduction of the hotter, fancier Z10 pretty much sealed the deal for us there. Turns out Moto thinks there's still life left in the unusual smartphone, though, and it's taking an updated model to South Korea to prove it. The Z8m comes at a time when Motorola is looking to reassure its South Korean fans that the corporate break-up isn't going to affect its presence here, where SK Telecom continues to serve as its exclusive carrier partner; whether this is just the right phone to do it, we can't say, but we can say that we wish we'd get a version of it stateside. The headlining feature here is support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA (the original Z8 topped out at a mere 3.6Mbps) and appears to carry over the same type of UIQ setup from its predecessor -- just fine with us. Look for it to hit for around 500,000 won, which translates to just about $501.

"Luxurious yet simple design" is the name of the game for SKY's latest bit of mobile splendor, curiously named "Duke" of all things. For many of us, "Duke" conjures up images of rough-and-tumble sheriffs in the Wild West or gargantuan Xbox controllers, but one thing it doesn't necessarily bring to mind is "luxurious yet simple." No bother, we suppose it's the hardware that matters, so let's get to it: 2.4 inch QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camera, document viewer, media player, Bluetooth, and built-in subway maps (Korean subways, that is) all grace the rather plainly styled slider. Look for it on your favorite Seoul retailer's shelf for something in the range of 400,000 won (about $404).

[Via Unwired View]

Is there really such a thing as too much signal strength? For residents of Tsushima in Japan, the answer is a solid "yes." Folks in the area are a mere 33 miles from the South Korean shore, and NTT DoCoMo customers with international roaming enabled are finding themselves roaming on those powerful airwaves across the Korea Strait -- naturally leading to some rather unpleasant charges. The carrier reports that 38 models are affected by the problem (presumably every handset that's capable of roaming in South Korea), and unfortunately, their only solution is to have affected customers manually configure their phones to use the local network. It'd be awesome if they just juiced the towers to be, like, ten times more powerful, but we suppose that maybe that's not the healthy thing to do.

[Via IntoMobile]

Sliders with numeric keypads aren't exactly the most common form factor for Windows Mobile handsets to begin with, but throw in some HSUPA and you've got a very rare combo indeed. Samsung's SCH-M470 fits that most unusual bill, throwing in a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and WiFi -- not to say you'll necessarily need it while you're cruising along at the sickeningly fast speeds the HSPA specification originally intended. Unfortunately, this one won't find its way out of Korea, but the presence of HSUPA here is a good sign for smartphones of all creeds in the near term; 'course, if you happen to find yourself in Seoul, you'll be able to grab one for somewhere between 600,000 and 700,000 won (about $616 to $718).

[Via Slashphone]

Presumably taking a note from Japan, it's being reported that South Korean police are backing a highly controversial plan that would equip each new mobile sold in the nation with a GPS chip. Reportedly, Song Kang-ho, chief of the investigation bureau of the National Police Agency, has stated that the government has "already submitted a related bill to the National Assembly," and the general idea here is to crack down on the rise of kidnapping and various other crimes against children and women (not much different than we Americans having such a chip for E911, really). Granted, there's not a lot of supporting evidence that this is actually set to go down, so until we see it inked in stone, our skeptic hats are remaining in place.

[Via textually, image courtesy of The New York Times]

Want the Internet in your pocket? Good, because that's what LG is offering to South Koreans with its new LG-LH2300 Touch Web phone. This ain't your father's baby Internet mind you, the LH2300 features a new "Hello UI" riding atop 800 x 480 pixels spread across a 3-inch touchscreen LCD. LG didn't stop with the web though as the LH2300 also packs T-DMB mobile TV, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD memory, and a jog wheel for easy page scrolling. Its 3 megapixel camera sports face recognition and anti-shake tech. No specifics on the included "high speed" data service. Nevertheless, that front facing camera's a pretty good clue that this pup won't be riding EDGE when it launches in Korea next month for a mere $600 US equivalent.

[Via AVING]

Samsung returns with the sequel to its SCH-C220 "Miniskirt" phone. Besides sporting a handful of new seasonal colors, "smile shot" super happy face tracking tech, and models swathed in bad Jersey bridesmaid's dresses, the most notable new feature on the SCH-C225/SPH-C2205/SPH-C2255 (depending upon S.Korean carrier) is haptic feedback. God only knows how that surgically precise vibration would come in handy on a 10.9-mm slider with a tactile, physical keypad. Hmm.

[Via Akihabara News]

As nice of a phone as the LG Viewty may be, it gets a little boring in black after a while. Then, another little while after that, it gets boring in silver. It's cool, though, because LG's just released a pink version for its domestic market -- and it can keep doing this all day, if you catch our drift. The company is throwing around the term "Pink Beauty" for this particular version (which seems both appropriate and a little disturbing at the same time) and is targeting it squarely at the fairer sex. A little presumptuous, perhaps? Look for it to start selling tomorrow for 730,000 won (about $752).