Korean Job Discussion Forums

[amcnutt]

For those of you who have cellphones, do you find blackberries or iphones more accessible in Korea (Seoul, in particular is where I'm going)? Could you compare them in terms of price - to buy, monthly payments, newest models, etc?
I am wondering which would be a better deal to get once I get to Korea...
I don't really have a preference, but want to get one that is quite modern, easy to use, and has a good yearly plan. I'm willing to sign a 1 year contract since i will be there for a year anyway.

[wishfullthinkng]

I've used both Blackberrys and iPhones extensively and it's all based on what you need them for as they have their pros and cons.

Do you need unbreakable battery life, a solid physical keyboard, use your phone mainly for calling and sending emails and don't like phones with an anemic ringer and vibrator? A blackberry is a good and often cheaper choice than an iPhone in both hardware and service plan costs.

Are you a gamer, use your cellphone to listen to music, love to play with apps, can't live without the best in the business capacitive screen and like a bigger screen? If the answer is yes go with an iPhone. My recommendation would be to wait until the 4th generation iPhone comes out which will most likely be a couple months for Korea as it is coming out in a few weeks in the states.

If you don't want to be tied down to a closed applications environment (aka Blackberry OS and iPhone OS) and are scared of jailbreaking then I'd also suggest looking into an Android-based phone like the Motoroi or the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S, as Google's Android is not a closed environment and quite the wild card in the mobile space.

[amcnutt]

I basically want it for making local/international calls and texting. Maybe a blackberry is the way to go.....
I have heard that korea doesn't have many recent models, not sure if this is true or not.
What are the major cellphone companies in seoul? I might look on their website and see what models they have to offer!

[pkang0202]

I hate texting on my iPhone.

[wishfullthinkng]

[amcnutt]

[IS-F]

I had the Blackberry Bold for about 6 months and absolutely love it. It's great for my work as I can check emails on the go but I think the best reason I like this phone over other phones in Korea I had is texting (and of course emails) in English. It's very convenient and quick (as long as you don't have abnormally fat fingers).

There's also a lot of great apps available like email/text translation, Bloomsberg financial updates, Flickr, Facebook, etc, although paid apps are not available yet. Another great app is Blackberry Messenger; you can message others who have a Blackberry instantly without having to send a text.

I know a lot of people who have the iphone and they too seem quite happy with the product. I'd much rather have a physical keyboard though over touch.

One negative though is the low battery life; you pretty much have to keep in charged when you can when you're not using it. I went to Busan for a couple of days and didn't charge it and it was dead by the time I came back to Seoul.

[nchannah]

I love my BB Tour...but when I'm traveling I bring my BB charger with me and plug it in anywhere I can find an outlet (I've been known to charge my BB in the drugstore while waiting for prescriptions ).