a $50 portable media player is  providing many north koreans a window to the outside world  despite the government's efforts to keep its people isolated   a  symbol of change in one of the world's most repressed societies by some estimates, up to half of all urban north korean  households have an easily concealed 'notel', a small portable  media player used to watch dvds or content stored on usb sticks  that can be easily smuggled into the country and passed hand to  hand people are exchanging south korean soaps, pop music,  hollywood films and news programmes, all of which are expressly  prohibited by the pyongyang regime, according to north korean  defectors, activists and recent visitors to the isolated  country notel or 'notetel'   the name is a uniquely north korean   a word combining 'notebook' and 'television'   are easily found onthe black market for around 300 chinese yuan ($48) 'the north korean government takes their national ideology  extremely seriously, so the spread of all this media that  competes with their propaganda is a big and growing problem for  them,' said sokeel park of liberty in north korea (link), an  organisation that works with defectors 'if pyongyang fails to successfully adapt to these trends,  they could threaten the long term survival of the regime  itself' north koreans have been spending money more openly, a sign  that some forms of entrepreneurship are increasingly tolerated  and that the state is easing some of its harsh controls over the  economy in recent months, consumption has become more  conspicuous 'the variety and number of places for locals to spend money  has really increased,' said one regular visitor to pyongyang,  declining to be identified 'people seem a lot more confident  flashing the cash than they used to be i've seen people spend  $500 on a phone with no hesitation, for example' there is no sign, however, that the regime in  nuclear capable north korea is loosening its grip, looking to  make substantial reforms or making any change in its  unpredictable ways of dealing with the outside world but along with rising incomes, more goods are available in  the impoverished country, mostly on the black market but also in  some state controlled stores notel or 'notetel'   the name is a uniquely north korean  word combining 'notebook' and 'television'   are easily found on  the black market for around 300 chinese yuan ($48), and are  also available in some state shops and markets the device was legalised last year, according to  defector run news outlets in seoul   one of many recent measures  taken by the state to accommodate grassroots change the new rules, however, also require north koreans to  register their notel, enabling authorities to monitor who is  most likely to be watching banned foreign media notel or 'notetel'   the name is a uniquely north korean  word combining 'notebook' and 'television'   are easily found on  the black market for around 300 chinese yuan ($48), and are  also available in some state shops and markets the device was legalised last year, according to  defector run news outlets in seoul   one of many recent measures  taken by the state to accommodate grassroots change the new rules, however, also require north koreans to  register their notel, enabling authorities to monitor who is  most likely to be watching banned foreign media north koreans do not have access to the internet   those who  can go online are limited to a state run intranet, while the  country's 25 million mobile phone subscribers are not allowed  to call outside the country the notel comes from china, either smuggled or legally  imported lee seok young, a defector from the north, said he smuggled  18,000 chinese made notel into the country last year he said he  ordered them directly from a factory in guangzhou that was  likely still in production solely to satisfy the demands of the  north korean market the devices have lost their popularity in china over the  years, but still sell well in the provinces bordering north  korea, according to data on the china based online shopping  website taobao when asked to quote a wholesale price for notel, one chinese  trader in the border city of yanji said: 'you want to send them  to north korea? how many do you want to send? they sell well  there' lee seok young, a defector from the north, said he smuggled18,000 chinese made notel into the country last year the low voltage notel differs from the portable dvd players  of the late 1990s in that they have usb and sd card ports, and a  built in tv and radio tuner they can also be charged with a car  battery   an essential piece of household equipment in  electricity scarce north korea legally registered notel must be fixed to official state  television and radio channels, according to the daily nk, a  seoul based news organisation run by defectors lee, the defector, said the device's multi function nature  makes it easier for users to get away with watching illegal  material 'to avoid getting caught, people load a north korean dvd  while watching south korean dramas on a usb stick, which can be  pulled out,' he said 'they then tell the authorities, who feel  the heat from the notel to check whether or not it has been  recently used, that they were watching north korean films' park at the link organisation added: 'they are small enough  to roll up in a blanket and hide in a wardrobe they have become  so popular because they are perfect for overcoming the twin  barriers to foreign media consumption: surveillance and power  outages 'if you were to design the perfect device for north koreans,  it would be this'
south korean north korean chinese sansung
portable media player used to watch dvds or content stored on usb sticks . south korean soaps, music, films and news programmes popular . half of all urban north korean households have an easily concealed . chinese made brands on offer include 'sansung'