After introducing its first smartphone last August by cleverly importing devices from China and simply switching out the Chinese brand logos for their own, North Korea recently unveiled a new smartphone that is truly 'homegrown'.
The 'Pyongyang Touch" has no access to the internet, nor can it make long distance calls. North Korea has it's own 3G network, so North Korean citizens can only browse the government's official website. Text messaging is also forbidden in North Korea. The brainiest part of the 'smartphone' is its ability to translate words from Korean to other languages. However, despite all its limitations, the gadget has reportedly become a hit with North Korea's young students and civil servants.
Authorities say this new smartphone uses Android as its OS, has a touch screen and a camera. It also comes in three different colours - pink, navy blue, and white - coincidentally the same color selections as the Samsung Galaxy flagship phones.
A 27-year-old user said "Pyongyang Touch" is more powerful and looks sharper than the previous one.
