But do we want it to do everything?
TEXT OF STORY
MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: It could be called the Swiss Army Knife of gadgets. Samsung has unveiled a new device that’s part PC, part cell phone, and part MP3 player. From the Marketplace Innovations Desk at North Carolina Public Radio, Janet Babin reports.
JANET BABIN: The one-pound Mobile Intelligent Terminal has a pull-out keyboard, a 5-inch screen and a 30-gig hard drive. It’s tailored for an emerging wireless broadband technology called WiMax, that offers super-fast broadband over wireless and mobile connections.
Some say such do-it-all gadgets could one day replace Apple’s iPod as the new consumer favorite.
But Brian Fuller with electronics guide EE Times doesn’t think Samsung’s device can compete with the iPod just yet.
BRIAN FULLER: Yeah, it’s going to be more robust. Is it going to take off with consumers? I don’t think so, because there have been devices out there that have tried to be all things to all people, and they really haven’t taken off.
Fuller says the Samsung gadget is just a showcase for WiMax technology.
The device will hit store shelves in South Korea early next year. No word yet on when it will be available in the U.S.
I’m Janet Babin for Marketplace.
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