Seoul’s ‘World IT show’ all about 3D and robots

The “World IT Show” is running in Seoul, South Korea this week. The show is an exhibit of the latest innovation in technology from around Asia and the world, and this year’s show was no exception, showcasing 1313 booths with 440 exhibitors including Samsung, LG Electronics and Qualcomm.

The aim of the show is to alert the global stage to South Korea’s contribution to the world of technology. Big names, such as Samsung and LG, dominating a sizeable amount of the exhibition stage did not deter the hundreds of other companies present. Most of the companies exhibiting products were mostly Korean-based companies, although a few of them had partnerships with European or American investors.

“Previously Korea had seven different IT shows in, which was too much. So we decided to combine all of them into one,” says Troy Choi, Team leader at Korea Association of ICT promotion (KAIT) the group responsible for the World IT Show. “Korea has a lot offer in terms of ICT and we will like to make this a bigger and more global event in the years to come,” he said.

The showcase rage at the show included 3D technology, and Samsung and LG were intensely competitive over who had the best 3D product. The LG booth, for example, required the audience to wear 3D glasses as they made their way through the booth. The pride and joy of LG’s exhibition was the LG Optimus 3D, the first “full 3D smartphone that doesn’t require 3D glasses”, according to LG this new smartphone will revolutionise the mobile experience.

Samsung’s display also included a 3D tour of its latest “SmartTV” which combines the television experience with social media. LG also introduced its “SmartTV” which the Samsung rep predictably referred to as “good” but not as good as Samsung’s. Samsung dedicated a booth to the Galaxy S II, boosting Google’s Android OS Gingerbread, which the company has dubbed “the future” of smartphones.

Qualcomm unveiled a mirasol protoype, its latest eReader. According to Qualcomm what makes this reader different to all the others currently on the market is its use of natural light which makes it easier on the eyes. The reader also allows for video play, so users can watch movies and listen to audio books.

Many companies also exhibited products designed around Apple’s iPad, iPhone and Macbook – products ranged from covers, screen guards and applications for Apple products. There were also some clone products, such as tablets, that shared the same design and features as the iPad and the Galaxy Tab.

The most fascinating booth was that of the Future Robot. Future Robot is an “intelligent service robot” company that specialises in building “smart-service” robots. According to the company’s President, Se-Kyung Song, Future Robot is busy supplying “robots to restaurants and hospitals”.

The robot is “fully loaded with a variety of digital content and can easily be customised to the consumers needs.” According to Song, the robot is an advanced version of a smartphone. It is loaded with responses for various situations. The robot also likes to dance. “She enjoys dancing, especially doing ‘the robot’,” says Song.

Only in its fourth year running, the show organisers hopes to have more companies from all over the world exhibiting products in years to come.