14 DAY TRIAL // LG Electronics recently showcased the PM 80, a PDA that supports T-DMB. While satellite DMB mobile phones receive broadcasts at 2.6 Ghz (UHF), the T-DMB is broadcast at 200MHz (VHF).
The handheld is Microsoft Pocket PC 2003 SE powered and comes equipped with a 65k color 3.5 inch QVGA LCD. PM 80 is the first PDA to support T-DMB (Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) that has been described as a "promising cross between telecom and broadcasting, enabling people to enjoy crystal-clear video, CD-quality audio and data on the move via mobile handsets". Users can continuously watch TV on this handheld for around 2.5 hours due to the high-capacity battery.
Featuring an Intel Bulverde 312 MHz processor, 64 RAM, 64 MB flash memory and an SD slot for memory expansion, the PM 80 doesn't bring anything spectacular for a PDA feature-wise, while most of its brothers pack 262k color touchscreens, run on the newer Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and usually feature a full QWERTY keyboard for easier messaging and document editing.
PM 80's capabilities will, however, allow users to manage their e-mail lists and check their mail as well as manage a phone book or calendar. But it's the blend between the PDA and T-DMB capabilities that make it an interesting handheld, especially on the Korean market where cellphones sporting digital TV have become quite popular.
According to LG, the PM 80 will even offer a stable service when the user is moving at over 100km/h and there is also a separate key provided for DMB access. The LG PM 80 will be released in Korea, as usual, and will have a price of around $383, or $576 with optional GPS.