PATREONItems tagged with China
The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge popularized the notion of curved displays on smartphones, and the feature has proliferated on Android smartphones in the years that have followed. Oppo is taking the curved display concept to the extreme with what it is calling the Waterfall Screen. The curve of the display extends much further down along the sides of this smartphone concept at 88 degrees on both right- and left-hand sides. The immediate effect of the dramatic curvature is that when looked at directly from the front, it dramatically minimizes the appearance of the side bezels. Oppo Waterfall Screen (R) One other consequence of this display arrangement is that there don't appear to be any buttons...
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Is your VPN truly private? A recent study revealed that many VPN services are owned by companies that are based in China and Pakistan. User data could potentially be shared or sold to governments with notoriously poor privacy laws. VPN Pro recently investigated the VPN market and uncovered quite a bit of hidden information. At least 97 VPN services are owned or operated by only 23 companies. Their findings are concerning for a variety of legal, personal, privacy and security reasons. First, 29 or roughly 30% of the world’s top VPN services are owned by companies based in China. Another 7 VPN services are owned by Gaditek, a Pakistani company. Many national governments could potentially...
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A new rumor is making the rounds at several Chinese websites this week claiming Apple is considering a new iPhone model specific for the Chinese market. The new model would ditch the Face ID sensor in favor of an in-screen fingerprint reader according to the report. Apple is famous for its high margins on its products, and it is reluctant to cut prices to maintain sales at the expense of its margins. What Apple often prefers to do is beat on suppliers to reduce its cost on components used inside its devices. The new rumor claims that one of the places that Apple is looking to reduce its cost on the iPhone and compete more effectively in China is by eliminating the Face ID sensor. Apple is facing...
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The United States and People’s Republic of China have been engaged in a trade war for the last few years. The US is reportedly about to take this battle to the next level. President Trump will likely sign an executive order this week that would prohibit telecommunications companies from using equipment from companies such as Huawei. Three anonymous officials insisted that an upcoming executive order would ban telecommunications providers from using products from other companies that have been deemed a threat to national security. It is no secret that the United States believes that Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is a threat. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently confirmed...
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The mobile version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUGB) sees over 70 million average daily users in China, but even so, Tencent Holdings is yanking the game and replacing it with a more government friendly alternative called Game for Peace. Analysts believe it could generate over $1 billion annually through in-game purchases. Tencent announced the launch of Game for Peace on Weibo, where a Google translation pegs the name as Peace Elite. Whatever you want to call it, the game is not PUBG. This is a big deal for Tencent. PUBG Mobile is a big time money maker for the developer, with users having forked over more than $320 million, based on data from Sensor Tower. Nevertheless, its removal from...
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The United States government and Chinese telecommunications company Huawei have a strained relationship. The US Department of Justice and various member of Congress have accused Huawei of spying on behalf of the Chinese government and committing a variety of crimes, while Huawei has accused the US government of launching a smear campaign. Now the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has thrown its hat into the ring. The CIA claims that Huawei is directly funded by the Chinese government. The National Defense Authorization Act prohibits American government agencies from using products from Huawei and their smaller competitor ZTE. Huawei has been accused of spying on behalf of the Chinese...
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Apple loves its high margins, and it rarely cuts prices on devices, save for the occasional sale. It did institute a price cut in China back in February that saw prices fall modestly in the country, and sales boomed as a result. Apple cut prices in China as it faces very strong competition from local brands like Huawei and Xiaomi. Reports indicate that Apple has now cut prices in China once again. A reduction in the value-added tax (VAT) went into effect in China on April 1. Apple passed the tax savings on to the consumer in China and cut prices as much as 300 to 500 yuan, or about $44 to $75, for some of the latest iPhone models. Price cuts were made to the iPhone X, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8 smartphones....
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Chinese tech giant Huawei and the U.S. government aren’t exactly on friendly terms these days. The U.S. has long claimed that Huawei represents a security risk to governmental agencies and consumers alike, while at the same time torpedoing the company’s efforts to expand its presence Stateside with wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon. Huawei recently fought back, suing the U.S. government over what it calls an unjust and unconstitutional ban. "This ban not only is unlawful, but also restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming U.S. consumers,” said Huawei in its filing. “We look forward to the court's verdict, and trust...
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As was expected, Huawei on Thursday announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the United States government over a provision (Section 889) to the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that effectively bans all US government agencies from using products manufactured by the company (as well as ZTE), over spying concerns. The ban on Huawei and ZTE underscores the tensions that exist between the US and China, and efforts to stay one step ahead in today's cybersecurity landscape. On multiple occasions, US intelligence agencies have warned that Huawei and ZTE present a security threat and could be spying on users at the behest of China's government. Huawei has repeatedly denied the...
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Perhaps feeling as though it has been backed into a corner, Chinese telecom Huawei is preparing to sue the United States government over a defense bill that would further dissuade domestic companies from doing business with the company. The bill is the latest move in an ongoing effort to encourage businesses to distance themselves from Huawei over concerns that it is spying on users for the benefit of China. At issue here is an amendment to the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed in 2018. The new language further blocks certain US agencies from using equipment by Huawei and also ZTE, another Chinese company that security officials have previously said could be spying...
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Apple has been struggling a bit with iPhone sales as it has allegedly slashed production numbers for Q1 2019 amid soft demand. Apple isn't the only smartphone maker feeling the pinch of a soft market, while iPhone sales are down, sales of Android devices are faltering, particularly in the high-end range where Samsung and Apple dominate. The weak demand is in part due to prices growing, and consumers are waiting for 5G devices to hit the market before upgrading. Apple has had a particularly hard road in China where its high-prices are sending consumers to Chinese brands like Huawei and Xiaomi, but Apple is not lying down in the Chinese market without a fight. The company has slashed the price...
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The US Justice Department has filed a series of indictments against Huawei, China's largest telecommunications company, and its US affiliate. Huawei stands accused of several crimes, including a conspiracy to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile, more than half dozen counts of wire fraud, and obstruction of justice. US security and intelligence agencies have long warned against doing business with Huawei over concerns that it is spying for the Chinese government. Today's charges, however, are not directly related to those previous warnings. Instead, the Department of Justice says Huawei conspired to steal intellectual property from T-Mobile, and could end up paying millions of dollars if found guilty....
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Time and again, United States government officials and agencies have warned that Huawei and other Chinese telecommunication companies pose a security threat, due to spying concerns. Huawei has repeatedly denied being in bed with China's government, so to speak. Its founder recently doubled down on the company's denial that it's not a spy for China, while also acknowledging a love for his country and the Communist party. "I still love my country, I support the Communist party, but I will never do anything to harm any country in the world," Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said, according to a report in the Financial Times. Zhengfei added that Huawei had "never received any request from any government...
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You can only push prices so far before customers start turning away from your products. That seems to be the case with Apple's 2018 lineup of iPhones, which are the most expensive ever introduced for customers. A new report indicates that many Chinese retailers have taken the uncommon step of slashing the prices of relatively new iPhones in order to win the attention of customers. According to Reuters, popular Chinese retailers like Suning and JD.com are discounting models like the iPhone XR by as much as $118 off its starting price. In total, six retailers have instituted dramatic price cuts in order to spur iPhones sales according to the news organization. At this point it's not...
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Several astronauts have explored the far side of the moon, but no spacecraft has touched the surface until now. China just successfully landed its Chang'e-4 probe in the Von Kármán crater. The China National Space Administration reported that the probe landed on January 3rd at 10:26am Beijing Time (January 2nd at 9:26pm EST). The Chang’e-4 launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in early December. The probe spent three days traveling to the moon and then a few weeks in orbit to prepare for its descent. Since the moon blocks radio transmissions, the Chang’e-4’s relay satellite was launched earlier this year. The Queqiao or “Magpie Bridge” is...
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Apple and Qualcomm aren't on friendly terms right now considering that the two firms are currently embroiled in a long-running legal battle over patents and royalties. Qualcomm claims that Apple owes billions in royalty payments, while Apple maintains that its devices don't infringe on Qualcomm patents. Qualcomm was granted a sales ban on some older iPhone models in China and is now trying to add the iPhone XR and iPhone XS to the sales ban. Any possibility of having its new hotness banned in China has Apple scrambling to ready a software update that completely bypass the Qualcomm patents in question. Apple has confirmed that it will be pushing out software updates starting next week with...
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The stakes in the ongoing legal drama between Apple and Qualcomm are getting higher. Earlier this week, a Chinese court sided with Qualcomm, imposing an import and sales ban on Apple products ranging from the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus on through to the iPhone X. The basis for the preliminary injunction was that Apple infringed upon two Qualcomm patents. Qualcomm is now going for the throat, and is asking Chinese courts to ban the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. These represent Apple's most recent iPhones, and according to Apple's own figures, the iPhone XR is currently the company's best-selling smartphone. Qualcomm is looking to use the same two patents...
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What a difference a few weeks make. Back in late November, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that his company was "on the doorstep" of coming to a resolution with Apple over LTE modem licensing fees and patents. Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon echoed these comments late last week, adding, "We feel like we are probably near the end of this game — we have a lot of legal milestones approaching. Well, it looks as though a quick and amicable resolution won't be coming anytime soon thanks to legal action in Qualcomm's favor that was executed today. The company announced that the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court in China has granted two preliminary injunctions against...
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Corporate espionage is something that companies all over the world have to deal with. The latest major manufacturer to deal with the ramifications of corporate espionage is Samsung, as nine people have been indicted in South Korea for stealing Samsung's folding display trade secrets and selling them to China. Samsung showed off this folding display tech when it unveiled the folding Galaxy smartphone earlier this month. That smartphone is tipped to sell for as much as $2,500 and be limited in availability. While the people who sold the data can be brought to justice, there is no putting the genie back in the bottle, and the fear is that the stolen tech might end up in smartphones from Chinese...
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Odds are you haven't heard of Zhaoxin; the company is a joint venture between Via Technologies (a name you may know) and the Chinese government. Zhaoxin has unveiled its coming x86-compatible CPU called the KaiXian KX-6000 that promises to be at least 50% better performing than the KX-5000 CPU the company offered before. Zhaoxin wants to use the KX-6000 to take some of the market share Intel and AMD currently own in the x86 CPU market. The KX-6000 is an eight-core x86-64 SoC with 8MB of L2 cache, a DirectX 11.1 compatible integrated GPU, dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory controller, and the usual mix of I/O interfaces that users expect. That means it supports PCIe, SATA, and USB, among other interfaces....
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China is a huge market for gaming, and likewise, Twitch is the largest streaming platform in the world. Unfortunately for Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, it will have to forge ahead without a presence in China, at least for now. China decided to block Twitch not longer after the streaming service experienced a surge in downloads in the area. Twitch is gone from Apple's App Store in China after recently rising to near the top of the chart, landing at No. 3 among free app downloads. The rise in downloads is attributable to the Asian Games, and state broadcaster CCTV deciding to now to air the esports event. As a result, users in China flocked to Twitch to tune into the event. It's a weird situation,...
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In May, it was reported that Google workers were quitting over Google's involvement with a Pentagon project called Project Maven. Eventually, a petition made the rounds with Google workers demanding that the search giant sever ties with the military project. A new report is making the rounds that claims Googlers are quitting in protest to the relaunch of Google search in the Chinese market. Jack Poulson, identified as a senior Google research scientist in the research and machine intelligence department, quit in protest of Google's plans to launch a censored version of its search engine in China. The Chinese government has notoriously tight control over internet searches within the...
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