Nowadays everywhere you go you can hear the phrase "anytime, anywhere, smartly." It refers to smartphones, which are eliminating the boundaries of mobile phones, promoting collaboration between various industries. Already these kinds of products are being introduced in areas such as cars, medicine, and home appliances. The person who made the keynote address at the world's biggest appliance show last January, CES Las Vegas, was none other than Rupert Stadler, the CEO of Audi AG. CES was participated by not only Audi but other automobile groups such as Hyundai, Toyota, BMW and Ford. This is a direct example of how rapidly car and IT convergence is happening. Stadler revealed in his keynote speech that an age of the Smart Car has dawned, emphasizing "how safely and eco-friendly we can revolutionize cars is up to IT convergence technology." The concept of smart cars is "not a car, but computer on wheels." A key component is enjoying content and information such as the Internet anytime, anywhere in a car. The auto companies are anticipating that if the iPhone and the iPad stole the hearts of pedestrians, the Smart Car will steal the hearts of drivers.
"Until now, consumers bought cars in reference to engine performance, design and brands, but soon an important factor in buying a car will be how much entertainment one can enjoy in a car. Companies are looking closely for the next killer in-car content and also for who will gain the initiative in this venture," an unnamed official said. Already Hyundai Motors is working on specific partnership plans with various smart phone companies including Samsung. One plan is to install a tablet PC (as a type of onboard navigation system) onto Hyundai Motor cars which would allow automatic synchronization with Samsung brand smartphones. Hyundai Mobis has plans to install their domestically developed tablet PC by 2013. In addition to IT and automobile company telecommunications, music and movie content companies are also keeping an eye on the smart car market.

Smart Operated Remote Control Medical Industry Twitching
SK Telecom has entered a partnership with Renault-Samsung and is planning to show off the Mobile In-Vehicle system, which allows remote control of vehicles through mobile phones, by the end of this year. Various devices in a Renault-Samsung car would be controllable through an SK Telecom smartphone.
U-Healthcare and Smart Healthcare markets are also seeing disintegration of mobile boundaries. U-Healthcare is currently an estimated US $143.1 billion industry (2009 statistics). With a steady 15 percent growth every year, this is expected to increase to US $254 billion by 2013. The domestic U-Healthcare market is estimated to be around KRW 1.7 trillion, which is only about one percent of the world market. The market is yet taking its baby steps, but smartphone app developments are being actively pursued by university hospitals. Already many users download and use these apps which provide information on outpatient clinics, checkup reservations, hospital locations, treatment data, and funeral parlor use. Recently, even information given by professional doctors on medicine usage, treatment of terminal illness and cancer data have been developed into an app. However, disease treatment apps might pass as a case of remote-controlled practice of medicine which is forbidden under current medical laws. The government has proposed a revision permitting this remote treatment, but it is still under examination.
Appliances are also experiencing this border crossover. Now activating every appliance in the house with just a smartphone is no longer a dream. Experts are predicting that in the near future the smartphone will become a universal remote control that will be able to control not only normal TVs but also refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and DVD players. Samsung and LG have determined this year as the year of Smart Appliances, and are making plans to release commercial products by the first half of this year. However, this is but the tip of the iceberg of IT and vehicle convergence.