Gizmo to boost ‘T-Commerce’

A new gadget developed by a state-run research institute will make it easier for viewers to dress like their favorite stars. The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute in Daejeon said yesterday that its new terminal, which can receive terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting while also enabling users to surf the Web, is the first to offer Internet access over a mobile network, or a wireless broadband connection. The device is expected to play a key role in expanding the reach of television commerce, or “T-Commerce,” a new form of shopping that combines the Internet with television. “Using the terminal, people will be able to watch television on the move, while acquiring additional information on products and services that appear on TV shows,” said Lee Su-in, who headed the development at the institute. For instance, if a character in a television show sports a particularly appealing outfit, the viewer can use a Web browser, which occupies about one-third of the screen, to find out about the clothes’ brand and availability online. And in addition to shopping services, the browsers will offer information on topics ranging from news to stock prices to weather. A spokesman with the institute said that local tech firms are currently bidding on the rights to the new terminal, which was co-developed with local firm Giga Telecom Co., and it is expected to go on sale as early as next year. Experts forecast that the hand-held appliance will offer a lucrative new source of earnings to both mobile carriers and online shopping malls. by Seo Ji-eun