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Over 500 million Chinese citizens now connected to the web

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:01:00 +0000

The number of internet-connected Chinese citizens jumped 4 percent in 2012, pushing the country's total number of users over the 500 million mark. A report issued by the state-owned China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC) reveals that over 37% (513 million people) living in The Middle Kingdom are now traversing the information superhighway. Unsurprisingly, the majority of these internet connections (close to 70%) can be attributed to mobile phones; as we've seen over the past few days, this mobile-centric user-base has generated very high demand for certain cellular products. Those scrutinizing the CINIC's report note that the statistics quoted by the Chinese government could be a wee bit on the high side. The report considers a user "internet connected" if they are over the age of six and have been online in the past half year. Hit the source link for more surfing stats from the Far East.

Over 500 million Chinese citizens now connected to the web originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fuzhou Rockchip hypes RK2918 chip for bargain ICS phones and tablets

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:48:00 +0000

Could Fuzhou Rockchip's new RK2918 be the the next go-to processor for a budget Android 4.0 experience? We already spotted this fleck of silicon running in the company's PAD prototype (shown above) and now we're told it'll also power a China-targeted ICS smartphone made by AirTouch, as well as an 'eHome Cloud Solution' that'll somehow make it easier for smartphones, tablets and PCs to share resources over a home network. Rockchip claims it's becoming a "virtual behemoth in North America," but only hands-on time with its latest products will tell whether that means 'big' or just 'monstrous'. Read on for more ambiguous details in the press release.

Continue reading Fuzhou Rockchip hypes RK2918 chip for bargain ICS phones and tablets

Fuzhou Rockchip hypes RK2918 chip for bargain ICS phones and tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4S coming to China, Caribbean islands next week

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Apple has announced that the iPhone 4S will be making its way to China and 21 other countries beginning next Friday, January 13th. The smartphone will reportedly launch on China Unicom just before the Chinese New Year, which will be celebrated on Monday, January 23rd. Pricing has not been announced in local currencies, but is listed as $199, $299 and $399 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, respectively. Apple China is clearly the most notable of the bunch, but other countries include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda. Jump past the break for the full PR from Apple.

Continue reading iPhone 4S coming to China, Caribbean islands next week

iPhone 4S coming to China, Caribbean islands next week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China to get its first 3D TV channel within weeks

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:12:00 +0000

Half a billion TV set owners could soon have the perfect excuse for an upgrade: a new 3D channel that has already started broadcasting on a trial basis and is due to launch officially over the Chinese New Year. Operated by China Central TV and a handful of local stations, it'll transmit 4.5 hours of free-to-air fuzzy red and green content each day, which can be picked up by anyone with a hi-def set-top box and a 3D TV. They won't have to watch it on a 71-inch 21:9 panel, but it'll certainly help.

China to get its first 3D TV channel within weeks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM’s Samuel J. Palmisano: we sold PC business due to lack of innovative opportunities

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:58:00 +0000

Departing IBM head honcho Samuel J. Palmisano has been known to say some outlandish things, but there's nothing comical about the information divulged in a new piece surrounding his legacy in The New York Times. Outside of looking into the details of how IBM become one of the world's most boring, highly profitable outfits, there's plenty of fascinating nuggets to be had. For one, he focused intently on getting out of "low-margin businesses that were fading," and not surprisingly, the outfit's personal computer business was first on the chopping block.

Reportedly, he saw a lack of opportunity for innovation (at least "in the corporate market"), and felt that the "hub of innovation would shift to services and software." As if a prophet, just about everything he expected has come to pass. The article explains that the jarring sale of its PC business was no easy thing to decide upon, and he even affirms that he "deflected overtures from Dell and private equity firms, preferring the sale to a company in China for strategic reasons." As the story goes, China wants its corporations to have global reach, and by helping with that, IBM "enhanced its stature in the lucrative Chinese market, where the government still steers business." Trust us -- there's far more where this came from in the source link below.

[Thanks, Theo]

IBM's Samuel J. Palmisano: we sold PC business due to lack of innovative opportunities originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China promises to put more humans in space, less trash

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:34:00 +0000

China's recent Beidu GPS launches were mere firecrackers compared to its space ambitions for the next five years. These have been laid out in a 17-page government document, which fortunately reduces down to just a few key points once you filter out the abstract bluster. Top of the list is a pledge to prepare for the construction of more "space stations" -- plural -- to complement the Tiangong module and allow for "medium term" human habitation. Officials and scientists will also find time to plan for a "human lunar landing" as well as surveying the moon with rovers. Lastly, it seems that China wants to fix its nasty reputation as a space litterer, by moving "aging GEO satellites out of orbit" and "fully deactivating" used Long March rockets to reduce the risk of them exploding and scattering debris in the busiest lanes. Regardless of how these lofty goals pan out, the juxtaposition with America's own dwindling dream is obvious.

China promises to put more humans in space, less trash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Explosion at Apple supplier injures 57 workers

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:53:00 +0000

The welfare of Chinese workers is back in the spotlight after an explosion at Shanghai-based Riteng Computer Accessory Company left 23 people in hospital with burns and another 34 with more minor injuries. Local government officials said the explosion happened on Saturday afternoon at a workshop on the fourth floor of the facility. Riteng is a subsidiary supplier to Pegatron Corp and the Chinese newspaper Yi Cai Daily reported it was in the middle of trial production of aluminum iPad 2 back panels. A separate explosion at a Foxconn factory back in Spring was attributed to poor extraction of combustible aluminum dust.

Explosion at Apple supplier injures 57 workers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Translate app update adds handwriting recognition, breaks barriers

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:30:00 +0000

The Google Translate app for Android received a pretty significant update yesterday, bringing handwriting recognition to its bullpen of functionalities. The app, which added voice recognition back in October, can now recognize handwriting in seven different languages, including English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. It's probably most important, however, for Chinese- and Japanese-speaking contingents, who can now use their handsets to translate characters that aren't typically featured on English keypads. The update to version 2.3 is available now, at the source link below.

Google Translate app update adds handwriting recognition, breaks barriers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo LePad S2005 leaps into China

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:36:00 +0000

The Lenovo LePad S2005 is now making the rounds over in China. Our crack team over at Engadget.cn saw the above announcement on Lenovo's official Sina Weibo page. If you haven't got a dictionary to hand, we can tell you that the 5-inch Gingerbread tabletphone has a disappointing 800 x 480 display and runs Android 2.3.5 on its dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm chip. Pre-sale prices are RMB 2,499 ($390) or RMB 2,699 ($425) if you turn up on the day. Sadly you won't be able to get your hands on one of these, as it's a Chinese exclusive. If we see anyone begging eBay for a secondhand Dell Streak 5, we'll guess you just couldn't bear the thought of buying a Galaxy Note.

Lenovo LePad S2005 leaps into China originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4S cleared for use in China, sino-Siri coming soon

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:05:00 +0000

While Apple fans around the globe have had the iPhone 4S for awhile now, many of our friends in the Far East haven't gotten to enjoy the fruits of their countrymen's labor due to a lack of governmental approval. You see, before a handset makes it onto Chinese networks, it's got to be approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The good news is, the 4S has finally been blessed by Beijing and will be brought to the masses by Chinese Unicom sometime soon. That means that China's home-grown superphone, the Meizu MX, is going to have some Siri-ous competition for Chinese hearts and yuan in 2012.

iPhone 4S cleared for use in China, sino-Siri coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 06:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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