We thought it a little odd that an “exploding” cellphone battery could inflict the kind of physical damage that killed that South Korean quarry worker , who we only know as Seo (his last name). Broken ribs and spine aren’t the type of injuries we’d expect from a faulty mobile phone’s battery. And, with this breaking news, LG has been vindicated (and their assertion of the impossibility of an exploding mobile phone battery has been corroborated). It seems that Seo was not killed by his LG mobile phone’s battery, but rather by his co-worker’s drilling machine. The co-worker, identified only by his surname, Kwon, confessed today that he backed the drilling rig into Seo. He admitted to having fabricated the “exploding cellphone.” Kwon told Min Kang-gi, a detective in Chungju, that he used the cellphone battery as a diversion to throw off investigators. Interestingly, the co-worker claims to have not set fire to, or melted, the LG mobile phone in Seo’s shirt pocket. We presume the damage to the mobile phone was caused by the accident. LG has released a statement, saying that “LG rigorously tests all the products not only for functionality and design, but safety as well.” So, for all of you out there with an LG mobile phone in your pocket or purse, there’s no need to worry that your LG phone will end up killing you - just keep an eye out for co-workers with industrial machines. [Via: AP ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Exploding cellphone kills South Korean manKinky - Handcuff cellphone strapsSouth Korea kicks off rehabilitation program to cure mobile phone addicts48 inch tall S60 mobile phone15% of U.S. mobile workers wants an iPhone

South Korea’s wireless infrastructure blows the US’s mobile environment out of the water. The country’s wireless networks are some of the most advanced in the world - and South Korean network operators push feature-packed, highly-advanced mobile phones into their customers’ pockets. In a country where cellphones outnumber landlines (68% cell, 49% land), is it any wonder that Koreans, especially teens, are starting to display addictive behavior towards their mobile gadgets? So, in an effort to try and curb teenagers’ mobile phone addictions, SK Telecom and the Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion are collaborating on the School Beautiful Movement. The program marks what is believed to be the world’s first effort to help fight cellphone addiction through research and education. Twelve elementary, middle and high schools will be enrolled in the pilot program at the School Beautiful Movement - in which the students will be discussing their mobile phone use, how they feel when they’re without their precious gadgets, and what habits constitute proper mobile phone use. We might need some sort of mobile phone addiction rehabilitation ourselves. [Via: FarEastGizmos ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Samsung To Debut SCH-B710 DMB Phone At Korea IT Show - PIP For DMBHands-On Mobile to bring Korean mobile games to EuropeNo surprise here: Japan and South Korea lead mobile TV adoptionFree mobile broadcasts to be available across the South Korea in MayNorth Korea: Want a mobile phone? Sure you do…

WiMAX is really starting to come into its own recently. We know, there have been WiMAX devices in Asia for quite some time, but now that the US is on the verge of getting our own WiMAX network we actually care about these Asian WiMAX handsets. Actually, Sprint’s been dangling WiMAX in front of us like so many donkeys following a carrot, but we’ll trod obligingly along until we get that damn carrot WiMAX network. The newest lineup of IEEE 802.16e WiMAX-enabled devices from Samsung is destined for Korea-flavored WiMAX (they call is WiBro) networks and comprises of one UMPC, one PDA phone, and two USB WiMAX modems. The Samsung SPH-P9200 UMPC rocks a folding QWERTY-keyboard and Windows XP. Connectivity options include HSDPA, Mobile WiMAX and Wi-Fi - all powered by a 1 GHz Transmeta Via C7-M CPU and 512MB of RAM. The Samsung SPH-P9200 UMPC follows up on the company’s prevous Mobile WiMAX-enabled UMPC, the Samsung SPH-P9000. The folding QWERTY-keyboard has changed a bit, but it’s still pretty trick. The Windows Mobile 6.0-powered Samsung SPH-M8200 PDA phone will feature CDMA EV-DO, Mobile WiMAX, terrestrial DMB, full touchscreen, and Bluetooth in a 16.6mm-thick package that’s sure to brighten up a Korean WiMAX-lover’s day. Lastly, there are two USB WiMAX modems available from Samsung - the Samsung SPH-H1300 and Samsung SWT-H200K. These bad-boys will bring all that Korean WiMAX data right down into your laptop. Availability and pricing are not known, but you can bet that the UMPC will demand a pretty penny when it launches. We’ll just keep waiting for WiMAX to hit our Yankee shores so that we can play with these incredible toys for ourselves (without having to buy a plane ticket to Seoul). Keep reading for more pics of Korean chicks with slightly freaky, surgically-altered eyes (it happens a lot, don’t ask how we know) holding Samsung’s new WiMAX (WiBro) lineup. [Via: Unwired View ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Nokia WiMAX mobile phones in 2008D-Link getting in on WiMAXSprint considering WiMAX network optionsWiMAX Subscriptions Jump 85% in 2007Nokia Readies Shipments Of WiMAX Phones For 2008