Article

2005-01-06 Arabia

First 'Made in Saudi Arabia' Mobile Coming

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by tipper 2005-01-06 12:54:13 AM|| || Front Page|| [11159 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Um, okay. Sure, I'll play...

"Based on indigenous technology..."
Well, there's an excellent chance that this is simply bullshit. Much of the circuitry and most of the chips will be standard stuff, probably purchased from Motorola, Nokia, TI, Samsung - the usual suppliers. You don't build cleanroom chip fabrication facilities and do the design and all of the other aspects of this - ready for production runs, for $9M. Sorry - that doesn't add up. Their custom chip(s) will be produced elsewhere, prolly Indonesia or Malaysia. Methinks that likely one little programmable DSP contains locally produced microcode to gen their little Mecca pointer onscreen (the only unique thing identified and something the Arab Airlines have done on their in-flight progress screens for years). A funny thought occurs to me... if the US Govt ever turns off GPS, as in a time of war - as a recent article here implied was possible - there will be a buncha Muzzie asses pointed wrong-wise. How will Allan take it, heh? Their dependence upon technology continues to grow...

Kudos on what they did "themselves" - and raspberries for implying they did it all.

I've always wondered why Allan didn't embed digital watches with a compass in every Muslim's right wrist...

Posted by .com 2005-01-06 3:13:10 AM|| 2005-01-06 3:13:10 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 I'd be more impressed if a company in Dubai hadn't announced this 6 months ago.

Posted by AzCat 2005-01-06 5:00:51 AM|| 2005-01-06 5:00:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 I found this German gem about those mobile phones:

"Das LG-Handy G5300 Quiblah macht's mÃ¶glich. Laut LG-Sprecher Kim Kyong Hwan wurde das mit einem Kompass ausgestattete GerÃ¤t eigens fÃ¼r die islamische Welt entwickelt. Der Kompass richte sich dank GPS immer genau auf Mekka aus. Die erste Lieferung werde noch in dieser Woche auf den Weg nach Saudi Arabien gebracht."

Haha the "speaker of that company LG is called Kim Kyong Hwan and the mobile "was sent to Saudi Arabia".

I suppose the only thing the Saudis did was to stick "Made in KSA" on it.

Posted by True German Ally 2005-01-06 7:59:42 AM|| 2005-01-06 7:59:42 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 I thought Standard Can was a US company.

Posted by Shipman 2005-01-06 8:57:06 AM|| 2005-01-06 8:57:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Does it come standard with the port to connect to your explosives, or is that optional?

Posted by Steve 2005-01-06 9:33:55 AM|| 2005-01-06 9:33:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Steve, the explosives pack comes with the battery upgrade.

Posted by BH 2005-01-06 10:58:48 AM|| 2005-01-06 10:58:48 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 #3
Saudi cell phone joins a venerable list:
Arabic numerals, Damask steel, etc.

Posted by gromgoru 2005-01-06 11:34:54 AM|| 2005-01-06 11:34:54 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Yeah what's next? Female drivers?

Posted by True German Ally 2005-01-06 11:36:27 AM|| 2005-01-06 11:36:27 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Wireless because it uses string.

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2005-01-06 11:37:01 AM|| 2005-01-06 11:37:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 Made in Saudi Arabia...by imported workers from India, no doubt.
Can't wait for the next KSA scientific breakthrough.

Posted by Desert Blondie 2005-01-06 12:14:54 PM|| 2005-01-06 12:14:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Bluetooth bombvest accessory? Or is the technology israeli, and if you call one of the phones and type in a code, will it explode?

Posted by Mark E. 2005-01-06 1:03:39 PM|| 2005-01-06 1:03:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 "Customized in Taiwan, Assembled in the Magic Kingdom!"

Posted by mojo 2005-01-06 1:48:57 PM|| 2005-01-06 1:48:57 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Does it come standard with the port to connect to your explosives, or is that optional?

The communication protocol used by the phone to interface with external devices will be fully compatible with Wahhabi remote triggering requirements.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-01-06 5:25:12 PM|| 2005-01-06 5:25:12 PM|| Front Page Top

23:17 Glenmore
23:01 Frank G
22:57 Poison Reverse
22:55 Sock Puppet of Doom
22:48 Poison Reverse
22:47 Sock Puppet of Doom
22:39 The Mossad
22:37 Frank G
22:23 Wolf
22:20 Wolf
21:56 JosephMendiola
21:50 Poison Reverse
21:47 BA
21:45 The Mossad
21:33 Bomb-a-rama
21:33 JosephMendiola
21:30 Bomb-a-rama
21:29 Frank G
21:29 BA
21:21 Frank G
21:21 muck4doo
21:20 Tom
21:20 Frank G
21:16 Aris Katsaris