China Unicom is inviting Beijingers to experience its current and future services with China's first WCDMA 3G interactive experience center at their headquarters.

In this 700-square-meter "orange" experience center, you can try out and buy any 3G product, including various mobile phones, the iPhone (officially exclusive to Unicom), mobile Internet cards, netbooks and 3G service displays, while in the "blue" business exhibition, you can catch a glimpse of Unicom's vision of future office life. The "green" area is dedicated to broadband.

"Although 3G ads are everywhere, most Chinese people still haven't had a real experience of its services. Our center aims to give them the chance to experience it freely," Unicom PR man Su Hui told Lifestyle.

Of particular interest were the mobile Internet cards, which allow computer users access to the web if a phone signal is present. The hardware costs a mere few hundred yuan, but the user fees were enough to put many off, with the network charged by data packet transmission rates of about 80 yuan per GB.

Others were wooed by the mobile video call service demonstrated.

Buying into the 3G experience

"Most visitors are especially interested in video calling and mobile Internet," guide Li Pengfei told us. "More than half the visitors decided to buy a 3G phone after their personal experience."
"There are many headquarters of big corporations here. People here can afford high-end products and are susceptible to the product," Su added.

Business was brisk at the orange section, where a touch-receipt function allowed easy purchase of display items, but in the green and blue area, things were noticeably quiet. Future broadband services such as Ipass (which increases Internet speed), Kara OK online and motion sensor games had failed to pique the interest of browsers, while the blue area was a corporate dead zone.

Perhaps people don't want to spend their day off browsing the office of tomorrow, where Lifestyle viewed such future applications as "intelligent traffic solutions," "environmental detection solutions" and mobile banking and airline booking. Our excitement was only tempered by the fact that these visions of the future are dependent on successful deals with other companies, but one thing is clear: the future will be more convenient and more intelligent.
 
iPhone lectures

In March, two iPhone lectures are scheduled for Saturdays in the exhibition center. Specific dates are unconfirmed, but the lectures will cover iPhone operation, iPod use, web browsing and other typical applications (apps). Free services will be provided, such as the transfer of address lists, downloads of 102 applications and the PushMail appli¬cation. Participants will also receive a gift for attending. Reservations are required in advance by e-mail or phone.

source:globaltimes