With most of South Korea's people already hooked on mobile phones, one operator has found a new market — helping fishermen locate their catches.
SK Telecom has introduced a service using a float-shaped ultrasonic transmitter, which is connected to a phone on one end and a fishing line on the other.
"This service needs an additional device costing 120,000 won (NT$4,305)," SK Telecom spokesman Lee Kyo-Hyuk said. "It shows the location of fish and the depth and temperature of the water."
It is the latest in a series of fresh services developed by South Korean firms to attract increasingly sated clients.
In 2004 SK Telecom became the first to introduce a service using ultrasonic waves to repel mosquitoes. Now all other local firms provide similar services.
"The mosquito-chasing service has helped our company attract more than 10,000 new clients every year," Lee said.
SK telecom attracted rather different publicity earlier this year when an irate customer returned his handset. The customer had made 16 calls to a support center complaining that his new handset didn't work. He'd also made two visits to the company headquarters with the same complaint.
The final straw was when an SK Telecom employee suggested that the handset should be replaced with a different model, since the original was out of stock. The customer drove his car through the door of SK Telecom's headquarters.
(Catherine Thomas, staff writer with agencies)
隨著大多數南韓人的生活與手機息息相關，一家電信業者找到了新市場︰幫釣魚者追蹤魚的方位。
鮮京電信已引進一套利用浮標狀超音波傳輸器的服務，可將傳輸器的一端連到手機，另一端連到釣線。
「這項服務需搭配售價十二萬韓幣（新台幣四千三百○五元）的額外裝置，」鮮京電信發言人李喬赫（音譯）說︰「它會顯示魚的位置、水深與水溫。」
這是南韓各家電信業者為吸引逐漸飽和的顧客，所推出一系列新穎服務的最新一波。
二○○四年，鮮京電信率先推出超音波驅蚊的服務。現今南韓其他電信業者也紛紛起而效尤。
Courtney: Did you hear about that guy who crashed into SK Telecom's headquaters?
Amy: No. What happened? Was it an accident?
Courtney: Apparently not. He wasn't happy with them because his handset wasn't working. Then they suggested that they replace it with a different model.Amy: Well, I think that's a little much.
Courtney: Indeed.
寇特妮︰你聽說了開車撞進鮮京電信總公司的那位老兄嗎？
艾美：沒有，發生了什麼事？是意外嗎？
寇特妮︰顯然不是。因為他的手機不能用，所以對鮮京電信心生不滿。公司建議換別款手機給他。
艾美：我想這樣有點過份。
寇特妮︰的確。
a little much 過份，過火
You can say that something is a little much if you think it is excessive or unnecessary. For example: "Dave's new cellphone has GPS and cost over US$500. Frankly, I think it's a little much for an elementary school student."
某事「a little much」就是有點超過或沒這個必要。例如︰「戴夫的新手機有GPS功能，而且價格超過五百美元。老實說，我覺得對小學生來說有點太誇張了」。
李喬赫說︰「驅蚊服務每年幫公司吸引了一萬多名新客戶。」
鮮京電信今年初因一名憤怒的消費者退回手機，引起另一種關注。那名消費者打了十六通電話向客服中心抱怨他的新手機不能用，也兩度為此事親臨總公司申訴。
鮮京電信的一位員工建議更換另一款手機給他，因為原款手機已經斷貨了。這成為壓垮駱駝的最後一根稻草，那名顧客遂開車衝撞鮮京電信總公司大門。
（綜合外電/翻譯︰賴美君）
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