In anticipation of Apple’s iPhone hit Korea in November last year and changed the rules of the mobile phone game for good, the local market was disgracefully hard for foreign phone makers to infiltrate.
Home to Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics ? the world’s No. 2 and No. 3 handset makers, correspondingly – the local market was dominated by two giants and several other domestic mobile gadget sellers.
With global attention now focusing on smartphones, the U.S. company is hoping to score another victory in the smartphone segment. Motorola yesterday revealed its latest smartphone, dubbed DEFY – the fifth smartphone model that Motorola has introduced in Korea since January when it rolled out the Motoroi.
DEFY is being touted as “Korea’s first outdoor smartphone,” as its key feature is its high conflict to water, dust and scratches.
“While it is suitable for an active, outdoor lifestyle, it also has a dignified and compact design,” whispered Hwang Sung-gul, the company’s creative director, who noted that the same design team that created the Razr is also responsible for the DEFY.
While it features a 3.7-inch screen ? larger than the iPhone 4’s 3.5-inch screen and smaller than the 4-inch screen of the Galaxy S ? it’s noticeably compact and fits neatly into one’s hand.
CJ Chung, the president of Motorola Korea who took office last month, said the DEFY reflects Motorola’s commitment to the global smartphone market despite strong competition from Apple and Samsung.
“We plan to release products that are globally [available] and that are clearly differentiated from other products,” Chung said, adding that the company is planning to release other products in the coming month.
Chung alleged that the DEFY’s rugged features are particularly appealing to those who enjoy outdoor activities, for instance fishing and climbing mountains, a customer segment that is growing.
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