Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tehdee]

simply put--- i've given up on the iphone.

i am however really encouraged by the arrival of the Blackberry Bold to the consumer end of SK TEL. Being launched last December it was initially only available through corporate channels.

Now, that being said im having a hell of a time trying to get my hands on one. I've been to countless T World and SK TEL flagship stores and each one has next to no knowledge whatsoever of its' availability and then tries to sell me samsung pda junk.

detailed english press release: http://wirelessfederation.com/news/16896-sk-telecom-rim-introduce-blackberry-internet-service-in-korea/

and the two sk tel pages:

http://www.mysmart.co.kr/app/blackberry/blackberry.jsp

http://www.telsk.com/solution/sol_Mobile_berry_07.asp

i've discerned that its going to cost around 600,000 and 30mb of data will be 24,000 won/month. steep as balls, but doable. i can't however figure out how to price a sk tel voice plan...

has anybody had ANY luck whatsoever in a bricks and mortar store negotiating the purchase and a service contract on one of these...

any insights would be greatly appreciated.

[steveohan]

i picked one up a couple of weeks ago.

its an amazing phone! especially after using the korean junk here for the last few years.

you wont be able to find it in the SK shops. you have to call one of those companies that are posted on your link.

i went to the first one (3KH). the president took 2 hours to sit down and explain everything to me. he never once pressured me to buy and didnt try to sell me accessories or anything like that. he spoke english as well.
they are yeoksam station.

anyway, i pay 14,000 / month for BIS + 24,000 / month for 1GB of data. then you have to pay for voice on top of that. for me, its not that much since im mostly receiving calls or communicating via text message.

you wont be disappointed in the bold! the messaging and connectivity options are incredible! i think it may even rival the iphone!

PM me if you have any questions or anything.

[tehdee]

cheers! thanks for your quick reply.

the minute my new alien card is in, ill be visiting 3kh..

24,000 for a GIG! thats *almost* on par with canadian data prices.

im excited to get back on the blackberry train after a year with a garbage ktf prepaid.

thanks again.

[tehdee]

sorry for asking, but how much was the handset proper?

[Giant]

Thanks for this, I know many of my colleagues in my office want one.

Cheers

[ulsanchris]

how is it to carry around? In some ways I wouldn't mind getting one. But I don't have much use for all of its functions. I've heard the webbrowswer on it isn't the greatest either.

[cazador83]

might be a stupid question, but if i get this phone, can it also be used back in america? or is it made to work only in korea?

[steveohan]

its fine to carry around. you may find it a little bit big if you've never used a proper smartphone before, but you get used to it really quickly. i've had no problems carrying it in my pocket. also, the web browsing is not nearly as nice as the iphone, but you learn to live with it. there are a couple of different browsers you can download that are better than the default one. i dont mind the web browsing on it anymore.

the phone is 3g so it can be used almost everywhere. it may be locked to the SKT network, but you'd just need to get an unlock code online and you'll be set!

[cazador83]

i looked online about unlocking it, but it says you can only unlock phones that are on the GSM network. I thought korea was on CDMA, so...i don't think you could use this phone in other places. unless i'm totally wrong?
http://www.unlockblackberrybold.com/

[danseonsaeng]

1. how much is the phone?
2. i'm on an e-2 visa (like most folks here). am i able to buy this phone and set up a contract? are there any crappy obstacles i might face when trying to purchase this phone?

[danseonsaeng]

k, i found the price, as low as 570,000 with a two year plan, but now my question is: WHY THE HELL IS THIS PHONE SO EXPENSIVE IN KOREA? It's down to $299 in the States.

Can I just buy one of these from the US and use it here?

[Giant]

Yes, you can buy one in the stated and use it here since its G3. My work colleage from the states brought one to Korea on a business trip and I was drooling all over it last week.

So I KNOW it will work here if bought from the states... the only question is will it work if you get a contract from KT or SK. My buddy got his contract and data plan from AT&T I believe.

[tehdee]

[cazador83]

ok, so buying one back home won't work with SK,

but buying one here will work with SK AND with service providers back home (if unlocked)?

[thurst]