Items tagged with China
China is again tightening its grip on Internet access and policies (big surprise, right?), this time by issuing a ban on online accounts that impersonate people or organizations. China will also begin strictly enforcing a requirement that web users go by their real names, not nicknames, when registering for online accounts.Enforcing the latter is a difficult task, as China has found out in the past. Its efforts have seen limited success up to this point, though it's not clear how China plans to enforce the rule going forward compared to its current efforts.It's a daunting task when factoring in the number of Internet users in China -- there are now more than 649 million in the country that hop...
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It should strike no one as a surprise at this point that the US and China have a bit of a strained relationship when it comes to trust. Both have accused each other of cyber offenses, and likewise, neither has much faith in the products it sources from the other. Post-Snowden, the situation has only become worse. That leads us to this point, where China is demanding that American companies that sell software products to Chinese banks must hand over their source code to be reviewed. And, it gets even better. China also wants these same companies to begin using Beijing-sanctioned algorithms in lieu of their preferred algorithms. Flickr: Yves Doutreligne This all boils down to the absolute lack...
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Lenovo knows a thing or two about rising to the top. Just ask every other PC maker on the planet -- by volume, Lenovo is the top supplier of PCs around the world, sitting on top of HP, Dell, and every other player. Samsung and Apple should take note of this, as Lenovo is turning its attention to the mobile market and has its sights set on China. The company already has a mobile presence in China with its own branded devices, though with the $2.9 billion Motorola Mobility acquisition now complete, Lenovo is setting itself up to be a major force in the high-end handset market. Up to this point, Samsung and Apple have owned this territory. Image Source: Flickr (Anderson...
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Earlier this month, it was discovered that China was using man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks against Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird email clients, as well as smartphone apps that use IMAP and SMTP protocols. Or did it? A spokesman for the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) claims the allegations that Chinese authorities hacked into Outlook are just "groundless slander." "The Chinese government is a staunch defender of the Internet's security, and resolutely opposes any form of cyberattack," the CAC said. Image Source: Flickr (Robert Scoble) Online censorship watchdog GreatFire.org pegged China's government as most likely being responsible, noting that "If our...
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It was always assumed (outside of Cupertino, anyway) that if Apple released a bigger size iPhone model to compete with large screen Android devices, it would be a huge hit. Well, that notion was proven right when Apple launched its 4.7-inch iPhone 6 (1334x750; 326 ppi) and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus (1920x1080; 401 ppi) models, which combined to break sales records. Those flurry of initial sales weren't just a knee jerk reaction, either -- Kantar Worldpanel ComTech notes that the latest smartphone sales data for the three months ending November 2014 shows that the impact of the iPhone 6 launch continued in the run up to Christmas. According to KWC's number nerds, iOS grew is market share in all surveyed...
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In the race to sell the most game consoles, Sony suffered a slight setback when Chinese officials asked that it make adjustments to its PlayStation 4 (PS4) system before launching it in China. Sony originally planned to release the PS4 in China on January 11, 2015 (this Sunday), but has now postponed the launch to a date that's yet to be determined. "The government asked us for final adjustments, which will take some time, so we decided to delay the launch date," said Kaede Bun, a spokeswoman for Sony. As for when the new launch date will be, Bun said Sony would offer up more details at a later date. For now, the company has to focus on making whatever adjustments China requires, which Sony didn't...
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The funny thing about the mobile industry is that the landscape can change in the blink of an eye. Just ask HTC, the once dominant company that helped popularize Android and reaped multiple record-breaking quarters for its efforts, only to be rendered an also-ran against the likes of Samsung and Apple. There's a similar story for BlackBerry, which these days is struggling to regain relevance in the mobile market. And if we're to take a snapshot of the mobile world today, we'd see Samsung contending with disappointing sales while privately owned Xiaomi Technology is starting to make a bigger name for itself. The Chinese company is also starting to make more money -- Xiaomi...
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In its latest round of fund-raising, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi was able to raise $1.1 billion. Because of its successful fund-raising efforts, the company announced that it is now valued at $45 billion. The revelation means that the company is now one of the most valuable venture-backed tech startups to date. That lofty figure means that Xiaomi is now more valuable than companies such as Sony and Nokia. To add to its winning streak, Xiaomi has already become the number one smartphone OEM in the Chinese market smartphone overtaking Samsung. It is also the world’s third largest smartphone maker.Founded in 2010, Xiaomi’s success has been attributed to the company...
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If you've been paying any attention at all to the Internet this past month, you're no doubt aware of the fact that North Korea has simply dominated tech headlines thanks to Sony's film The Interview. But lest we forget China, another nation infamous for the restrictions imposed on its citizens. Making great use of its Great Firewall, China's allegedly decided to cut off access to Gmail over the weekend. A spokeswomen for China's Foreign Ministry said that she didn't know anything about Gmail being blocked, but website GreatFire isn't ignorant of what's happening. There, a member has said: "I think the government is just trying to further eliminate Google's presence in China and even weaken its...
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Chinese OEMs are stepping up their game in the smartphone sector. Companies like Huawei and Xiaomi have bolstered their share of the market, with the latter booting Samsung out of first place in China. One Chinese OEM, however, is looking to expand its presence in the smartphone world while at the same time partaking in nefarious acts. Palo Alto Networks has discovered that Chinese OEM Coolpad has been installing a backdoor called “CoolReaper” on the millions of smartphones that it sells around the globe. Coolpad has taken additional steps to ensure that its CoolReaper backdoor goes undetected by widely available antivirus programs for the Android operating system. Palo Alto Networks’ investigation...
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As a consumer, you have to love Microsoft's strategy in the new generation console wars -- price cuts! Here in the U.S., game bundles and promotional discounts bringing the Xbox One to as low as $329 at times have given the system the sales boost it needed to finally scurry in front of the PlayStation 4. And over in China, it's being reported that Microsoft just slashed $80 off the console’s price. Citing a Chinese-language news report, Kotaku says the Xbox One is going through a "pretty rough time in China," prompting Microsoft and its retail vendors to drop prices. When the console launched in China, the Day One Edition sold for 4,299 RMB (~US$694)...
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It looks like Sony is finally going to bring its gaming consoles over to China after the county ended its 14-year ban on foreign gaming consoles back in January of this year. The PlayStation Vita is expected to go on sale January 11, 2015 alongside the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation 4 will be arriving about four months after Microsoft’s Xbox One Chinese launch. Microsoft was the first company to take advantage of the third largest gaming market, dominated by PC and mobile gaming, which saw the company sell over 100,000 units within its first week when the console was release September 29. "PS4 is expanding at the fastest rate in PlayStation hardware history, and the global gaming community...
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The World Internet Conference has kicked off, taking place in China, which has brought many of the world’s top technology companies together. At the beginning of the conference, Chinese officials called for controls on the internet in order to maintain stability. As an example, officials pointed to China’s model for cyperspace regulation and how it can be attributed to helping create commercial successes such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The conference will have sessions on global internet governance, mobile internet, and cyber security and is China’s attempt to begin playing a larger role in the management of global cyberspce. Alibaba had a $25 billion listing in New York...
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Despite some fingers being pointed at China for some recent “man-in-the-middle” attacks on Apple, the company is still looking to expand its presence there. Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke to Chinese news portal Sina.com stating that the company plans to add 25 Apple-brand retail stores in Greater China within two years. Tim Cook also went on to talk about how the company will also increase its investment in China by an undisclosed amount. According to the website, Cook sees a lot of potential in China and that it could be the company’s biggest source of revenue saying, “In the future, China will become Apple’s biggest revenue contributor. It’s just a matter of time.”...
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Apple recently posted a security bulletin alerting iCloud users to the presence of "intermittent organized network attacks using insecure certificates to obtain user information," and though the company didn't publicly point a finger at China, several reports suggested that's where they're coming from. In response to the attacks, Apple CEO Tim Cook booked a flight to China today to try and resolve the issue. Citing China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, PCWorld says that Cook met with Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai in Beijing to talk about improving cooperation in the telecommunication industry, as well as to discuss security related topics, protecting users' privacy, and other issues. It's not all...
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As Apple gets ready to release its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices in China on Friday, October 17, Chinese consumers are already coming out in record numbers to own the company's latest iOS handsets. More specifically, it's estimated that Chinese consumers have placed 20 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders since last Friday. Assuming the figure from Chinese-language website Tencent is accurate, that works out to around double the number of combined orders Apple placed during the iPhone 6's launch weekend in September, and five times as many that were sold in the first 24 hours of availability. Apple didn't include China in its initial launch because there was a delay in the regulatory...
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It appears Microsoft’s gamble to have its Xbox One console be the first released in China is paying off. According to Chinese video games news site 17173, the Xbox One, which was released on September 29, has sold over 100,000 units within its first week. The information came from Shanghai Media Group vice-president Zhang Dazhong, who let the news slip during an interview. He also revealed that the number of units sold also includes the pre-sales when the Xbox One became available for pre-order. As for sales expectations for the console, Shanghai Media Group, the parent company of BesTV, is looking to sell over 1 million consoles in China by September 2015. Image Credit: Microsoft Microsoft...
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After China announced that it would be removing its ban on gaming consoles, there was speculation as to which console manufacturer would try to take advantage of the new market. Up until now, it appeared that Microsoft would be the first to release its console in the Chinese market on September 23. However, the company changed its mind today, the day before the official release, and has announced that the Xbox One will be available in China sometime later this year. "At Xbox, we pride ourselves on delivering first-rate gaming and entertainment experiences, and to allow us to deliver on that promise, we need to reschedule the launch of Xbox One," a Microsoft spokesperson said to Polygon. "Working...
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Just days before Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone model, two U.S. watchdogs have come out and jointly criticized the Cupertino outfit for allowing "a number" of health and safety violations to take place at a second-tier supplier factory in China that builds parts for the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. China Labor Watch (CLW) and Green America, a pair of non-profit organizations in the U.S., claims that an investigation into a Chinese factory called Catcher Technology found numerous violations, such as inadequate personal protective equipment for handling toxic materials. The organizations say that some workers had their skin exposed directly to toxins, such...
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Tensions are high between the Chinese government and Microsoft right now, with the former banning the latter's Windows 8 software for government use. Taking it a step further, China is said to be building its own operating system, which it hopes to have ready by October. On top of all that, China's been investigating Microsoft over antitrust allegations, and we've now learned that it's Microsoft's browser and media player bundling that are of issue. Citing what Zhang Mao, the head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce told reporters during a briefing in Beijing this week, Reuters says Microsoft hasn't been all that transparent about it's Windows and Office sales, but is willing...
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If it hasn't been made clear enough in recent months that China would love nothing more than to cut down on its reliance to American technology companies, its just-announced decision to create its own operating system should remedy that. At first, this OS will target the desktop, but eventually, it'll make its way to smartphones and other mobile devices. At this point, we know very little about what China's OS will look like, or be like for that matter, but we do know that it's being designed to be a proper replacement for Microsoft's and Google's OSes. It seems very likely that China's OS would use Linux as a base, since there's little point in reinventing the wheel, and because of its open-source...
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A 2013 audit of working conditions at Quanta Computers, a Chinese supplier of Apple products, pointed out various working violations at two factories in China, including excessive overtime and unpaid sick days, among others. Apple has been working with Quanta to address those violations, and to its credit, the Cupertino outfit has made strides in how things are done overseas. "Excessive overtime is not in anyone's best interest, and we will continue to work closely with Quanta and our other suppliers to prevent," Apple said in a statement. "This year, through the end of July, Quanta has average 86 percent compliance with our 60-hour workweek." Image Source: Flickr (Annette Bernhardt) Apple and...
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