Screw the Microsoft Surface and Google Nexus.
For a real iPad killer, get the Samjiyon.
That’s right—sources familiar with North Korea and defectors tell the Dong-A Ilbo that North Korea has recently begun distribution of an independently branded tablet PC, the Samjiyon. It can’t access the Internet, unfortunately, but it does have an encyclopedia, games, eBooks and a map service. We don’t know if its made in North Korea from imported parts or made in China with the software installed in the North.
Interestingly, at least for North Korea, the names for all the software are in English. A defector told the Dong-A that in North Korea, almost all the IT terminology is in English. In fact, he found it strange when he came to the South and found that the pro sector software was in Korean.
Last month, Martyn Williams at North Korea Tech posted about a North Korean tablet shown off at the Pyongyang International Trade Fair.
The Dong-A also got a hold of some IT-related photos from North Korea, including a computer shop with American and Taiwanese-made computers and a university classroom with South Korean-made LG monitors. In North Korea, an HP computer costs about a century’s worth of wages for the average worker, but over half of Pyongyang reportedly can afford them. The North has reportedly adopted electronic payment cards, too.
Marmot’s Note: The name Samjiyon comes from a forested highland area with a lovely lake on the lower slopes of Mt. Baekdusan. When unification does come, I’m sure it’ll be a fantastic place to visit. Heck, even the South Koreans put it on a stamp.
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“does got”?
Corrected.
Encyclopedia, eh?
Something good: North Korea/ the Kim Dynasty did it/invented it.
Something bad: America/the Puppet South Korea regime/ evil evil Japan did it/ invented it.
I am playing with a Samjiyon today. Some brief points:
* the instruction booklet is brief (tiny and very short, almost no useful instructions)
* it has a game (고무총쏘기) that seems to be an exact clone of Angry Birds
* the Encyclopedia is fun to look around
* there are about 140 e-books pre-loaded
* it has a USB port to connect to computers
* there is no camera, but there is a photo album (you can download photos from your computer, or perhaps you can find a way to take a snapshot of the tablet screen)
* the 한글 keyboard is a different layout to South Korean computers (but there is an option in settings to change that)
* it has an internet browser, and there might be a way to choose a WIFI host, but I haven’t found it yet
* the recharger cord has a US 110 volt plug.
* the tablet (판형컴퓨터) is sometimes slow and not very user friendly or intuitive. E.g. It took a while to work out how to get to the main screen, the big button at the bottom of the screen (like an iphone/ipad) doesn’t seem to be very functional, there are no hard volume controls, only on the screen, etc.
Where did you get yours, Hamel?
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
And can folks in Korea see them and/or try them out? If so, where?
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