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Posts with tag TD-SCDMA

China Mobile could deactivate 3G / WiFi on iPhone 3G launch


Currently, over 400,000 unlocked iPhones are roaming around China. Now that China Mobile is about to officially launch Apple's latest handset in the world's most populous country, we can only imagine that figure going up. In a bizarre twist of trying to keep a homegrown 3G standard (TD-SCDMA) alive, the carrier has announced that it is intending to launch the mobile with WiFi and 3G disabled -- a move that would make it less appealing to those who may be considering buying one, unlocking it and using it on the expected W-CDMA network from China Telecom. Uncool, China Mobile. Very uncool.

[Via mocoNews]

Lenovo's IdeaPad U8 makes official Olympics debut


Well, there it is, the Lenovo IdeaPad U8 launched official at the Beijing games just as we expected. With the launch come the final specs for this Asia-only MID we've seen incubating now for months: 4.8-inch touchscreen; the latest, sub-3 watt processor from Intel (uh hem, that'd be a Silverthorn-class Atom); 350-grams and 21 x 173 x 84-mm; up to 2GB memory and 6GB flash storage; dual-cameras; support for China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (CMMB) digital television via that protruding USB dongle; and 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, EDGE data and China-specific TD-SCDMA 3G, presumably. Expect to see it trotted out tomorrow as Intel's San Francisco IDF gets underway -- with any luck, it'll be sporting WiMAX for a North American / European release.

[Via Pocketables]

China Mobile firing up TD-SCDMA trials this April

We've been hearing that China Mobile would have its act together and get TD-SCDMA ready well in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics since last November, and with merely months to spare, it seems things just may work out. Reportedly, the carrier is all set to begin commercial trials of the home cooked 3G standard on April 1st, where it will be tested in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qinhuangdao and of course, Beijing. Initially, China Mobile Group will provide 20,000 lucky souls with free TD-SCDMA phones and subsidies of 800 yuan per month, while folks outside of that group can also walk into retail outlets and pick up discounted handsets on a whim. Maybe it's just us, but we'd probably hold off until those guinea pigs gave everyone else a heads-up of the network quality before we went dropping our own change on it.

[Via mocoNews]

Samsung SGH-T578H: world's first TD-SCDMA HSDPA / GSM multi-mode handset


We knew NXP and T3G were working on an automatic handover between TD-SCDMA and GSM, and now both firms are buddying up with Samsung to gloat about the unveiling of the "world's first" TD-SCDMA HSDPA / GSM multi-mode handset. The celebrated mobile is being dubbed the Samsung SGH-T578H, which is equipped with a software-defined modem capable of achieving data transfer rates of 2.8Mbps. TD-SCDMA network deployments have already been completed in ten major cities in China, and it should be upgraded to support Release 5 (HSDPA) of the TD-SCDMA standard in time for users to enjoy streaming content from the Beijing Olympics. Regrettably, there's no mention as to when the aforementioned mobile will be released, but we're sure this trio won't let it go unnoticed should that day come.

[Via MobileTechNews, image courtesy of 163]

T3G, NXP develop automatic handover between TD-SCDMA and GSM

It sounds like the days of dropped calls and endless frustration when leaving TD-SCDMA coverage and entering a GSM realm are nearing an end, as Beijing's T3G Technology and NXP Semiconductors have introduced the "world's first voice automatic handover of multi-mode TD-SCDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE in a handset." Just as it sounds, the technology will provide bi-directional on-the-fly, automatic handovers between TD-SCDMA and GSM networks, and any equipped mobile can "automatically scan for available networks" and switch over when necessary "without any adverse effects." Apparently, the two firms have already validated the claims on a number of Chinese network environments, but we've no idea how soon this peace making creation will get rolled out to the masses.

China delays homegrown 3G rollout to Q4 2007

With China having just finalized their TD-SCDMA specification the skids were greased for a quick 3G deplyment, right China Mobile? Not so, big boy. After four years of waiting, the 1.3 billion Chinese will have to wait just a bit longer -- China's state controlled media is reporting that 3G testing has been extended into Q4 of 2007. While that's bad news for the 400 million or so current Chinese subscribers, it especially difficult for chip and handset makers who were counting on tapping that new revenue stream as early as Q1 of this year by some estimates -- a stream measured in tens of billions of dollars. On the flip side, that means 3G-enabled iPhone and BlackBerry clones will be delayed at least another 9 months as well... so it's not all bad news.

[Thanks, Eric]



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