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Qualcomm faces $774 million antitrust fine in Taiwan
Qualcomm's antitrust troubles aren't going away any time soon. Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission has fined the company the equivalent of $774 million over claims it abused its dominance of cellular chipsets in phones. The company effectively has a monopoly over CDMA, WCDMA (3G) and LTE chipsets, the Commission said, and it refuses to properly license its technology to others. Accordingly, the penalty will also have Qualcomm submit twice-a-year reports on negotiations with other companies.
Google is buying HTC's Pixel team for $1.1 billion
After weeks (months, and years) of speculation, HTC has announced that its "Powered by HTC" R&D division -- the team behind Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones -- will be purchased by Google for $1.1 billion in cash. According to HTC's CFO Peter Shen, this will mean about half -- yes, half -- of the 4,000 people in his company's R&D team will be joining Google, but he emphasized that HTC will continue developing its own range of smartphones, including its next flagship product. The agreement also grants Google a non-exclusive license for a large part of HTC's intellectual property. The deal is expected to be approved and closed by early 2018. Curious about what all of this means? You could do worse than to check out our guide to the subject from last week.
Italian court halts Uber injunction as Taiwan lifts ban
Uber doesn't have to pack its bags and leave Italy just yet. Another court in Rome has decided to suspend a lower court's rule banning the ride-hailing service from operating in the country completely. The judge has allowed it to continue its operations in Italy, at least until it's done appealing its total ban. An Uber spokesperson told Engadget that "drivers and riders... can now continue using the Uber app until the court's appeal ruling." Uber promises to "continue fighting this judgement in the hope that Italians will be able to enjoy the benefits of modern technology that provides reliable transportation at the push of a button."
Blizzard's first eSports stadium opens for 'Overwatch'
Blizzard had a formative role shaping the strategy and MOBA titles that dominate eSports today. But the studio didn't really dive into competitive events until it started devoting floorspace to its own tournaments at BlizzCon 2009. Now the gaming titan is moving up from its annual weekend convention to open its first permanent competitive gaming space, a plush eSports arena fronted by a snack bar and memorabilia shop. And it'll be in Taipei.
Taiwan to get first dibs on ASUS' Zenbo home robot
At Computex, ASUS captured the hearts of many with its cute home robot, Zenbo, with Chairman Jonney Shih hinting at a retail launch before end of this year. Well, he's not too far off in the end. At today's local launch event, the company announced that its Intel-powered bot will be up for grabs in Taiwan on January 1st, albeit in a limited quantity for the first batch. Price-wise it starts from NT$19,900 or about US$620 -- just a tad more than the intended $599 price point -- for the 32GB standard package, and then there's a 128GB model plus self-charging dock for NT$24,900 or about US$780.
Foxconn exec faces 10 years for stealing 5,700 iPhones
A senior manager at Foxconn, the company that makes Apple's iPhone handsets, is facing 10 years incarceration after being charged with the theft of 5,700 iPhones valued at nearly $1.5 million. According to AsiaOne, the Taiwanese testing department manager, identified only by his family name Tsai, coerced eight of his subordinates to smuggle iPhone 5 and 5Ses out of the Foxconn Shenzhen plant between 2013 and 2014.
Zip around Taiwan on the faster Gogoro S electric scooter
Gogoro's battery-powered scooter left us rather impressed after our test ride in Taiwan back in 2015, and the startup has since sold over 14,000 units locally plus rolled out 240 GoStations nationwide for customers to quickly swap batteries -- as opposed to having their electric scooters plugged in for hours. To keep the momentum going, today the company announced the Gogoro S, a high-performance model equipped with the new 7.2 kW G1-S motor which pushes the scooter from zero to 50 km/h or 31 MPH in just 3.7 seconds -- a notable improvement from the 4.2 seconds with the original 6.4 kW G1 motor, which is already quite quick. But for the sake of safety, the top speed is still capped at 95 km/h or 59 MPH.
The President of Taiwan tries a quick chat with ASUS' home robot
I've said before that Computex is ASUS' show -- and what better demonstration than having the recently-elected President of Taiwan "talk" to your newly announced home robot? Crowd noise necessitated several repeated commands to ASUS' Zenbo play some music, but if it was apparently a live demonstration (ASUS' PR affirmed to our Engadget Chinese colleagues that it was), then it's pretty impressive. I mean, with my connectivity, I can barely even upload to Instagram in the thick of the show.
Google puts money into cementing green energy standards in Asia
Plenty of big tech companies are looking to source green energy whenever they can for their substantial energy needs, and Google is the same. But it looks like it's hard to find the renewable energy you're looking for in Asia -- specifically China, which is why the company says it's offering seed funding to the Center for Resource Solutions. The non-profit is going to bring its experience in setting up and running renewable energy certification programs to Asia, starting in Taiwan. That's good, because that's right where Google needs green power for its data center.
Apple is reportedly working on OLED displays
Apple has opened a lab in Taiwan, according to Bloomberg, with "at least 50" engineers looking into advanced display technology for products including the iPhone and iPad. It's pulled in workers from Taiwanese display company AU Optronics, as well as Qualcomm, to develop new screens. The tech company is aiming to make its displays thinner, lighter and more efficient, with Bloomberg's sources adding that Apple is looking into OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) displays. While these would tick a lot of the aforementioned boxes (and don't need backlighting), they're also harder and more expensive to produce -- although they often look incredible. If Apple can get it right, however, it'll reduce its supply needs from other electronics giants, including Samsung, LG and Sharp.
LG dresses up a mid-range smartphone in an all-metal suit
LG has announced that it'll begin selling the LG Zero, its first smartphone to come with an all metal body, to customers in Taiwan from this week. Shortly afterward, the Korean conglomerate will begin hawking the mid-range device to users in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Unless, of course, you live in Germany, Korea, Russia or Singapore, where the phone will be known as the LG Class for reasons. Aside from the body, there's not much that distinguishes this phone from many of the others that'll occupy that chunk of the shelf in your local retailer.
Netflix is coming to Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea
Netflix only just launched in Japan last month (that's the Japan office pictured above), and it's already lining up its next destinations in Asia. In early 2016 the streaming video service is coming to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea, although no exact dates or pricing are specified. It's planning to bring the usual suite of features and even Ultra HD streaming to these countries when it lands, thanks to their existing broadband infrastructure. Where it might go after that (China?) is still unknown, but its plan for global availability by the end of 2016 is apparently still on track. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Riding the battery-powered Gogoro smart scooter
While Tesla is working on solving range anxiety with its Supercharger stations, electric motorcycles and scooters continue to be tethered to outlets for hours in order to get back on the road. Smart scooter company Gogoro is trying to solve that problem with a network of battery-housing GoStations. Riders just pull up, swap out two batteries and ride away. The whole process should take less than a minute. It's an intriguing idea that requires partnerships with local governments and companies. But none of that matters if the scooter isn't at least on par with what's already available on the market. So we flew to Taipei and put the Gogoro smart scooter to the test.
ASUS will soon let you add a xenon flash to its phones
Remember the good old days when phones came with a powerful xenon flash instead of just LEDs? Well, thanks to ASUS, you'll soon have the option to add one to an Android phone -- or at least to an ASUS one, anyway. The ZenFlash came to us as a surprise announcement at today's ZenFone 2 launch in Taiwan: It's a xenon flash dongle that connects via USB OTG, and you can stick it onto the back of your phone for that "400 times" stronger flash. Alas, it's still early days so there's no further detail on this device. No price, no date and no confirmation on whether the ZenFlash will work on non-ASUS Android phones.
Taiwan plane crash gets captured (very closely) on in-car dashcam
As the TransAsia Airways plane clipped a bridge and crashed into a river in Taipei, it was all caught on a car dashcam, dangerously close. The tragic accident saw the plane glancingly hit a bridge shortly after takeoff, as seen in the video, with the plane and its 58 passengers crashing into a shallow river below. It's the second of TransAsia's ATR 72 planes to crash in the last year. We've added the video below.
Apple takes over HTC's home country, iPhone 6 most popular smartphone in Taiwan
HTC's home country of Taiwan is now devoted to Apple, according to new sales data. The iPhone 6 has driven Apple's rise in the region, and of the top ten best selling smartphones in Taiwan last month, various models of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus stole a total of four of those spots. That's a whole lot of Apple love from the country that HTC typically dominates. HTC still managed to slide into second place in overall sales volume, with Samsung, Asustek, and Sony trailing behind. Taiwan has a population of just over 23 million people, which is about the same as Australia and a bit less than the state of Texas, if you're looking for comparisons.
Puzzling platformer Forward to the Sky scales Greenlight's tower
What do you get when you blend a third-person perspective, puzzles, platforming mechanics, JRPG-inspired art and a big sword together? Forward to the Sky, of course, the 3D puzzle-platformer-with-a-big-sword game from independent developer Magichnology. The Taipei, Taiwan-based developer added its first game to the list of Steam hopefuls on Greenlight, awaiting community approval for distribution on the PC platform. Starting out as a side project for the developer in September 2013, the game is set in a "sky tower ruin." Players control a princess that gathers crystal pieces while ascending the tower and learning about a disaster that seemingly erased history. Magichnology crafted six levels for the game, each highlighted by the game's "relaxing mood, bright art" and "adventurous but peaceful music." Forward to the Sky is slated to launch in Q4 of this year on PC, Mac and Linux for $10. [Image: Magichnology]
Path of Exile boasts 7 million registrations, 154k peak concurrency
New Zealand studio Grinding Gear Games has announced today that Path of Exile's Taiwanese release and second expansion have pushed to the game to seven million total registered players. The studio claims that Forsaken Masters, August's expansion, has been "extremely well-received" and led to a peak of 154,000 concurrent players. A new patch for the F2P OARPG will deploy early next week; it is expected to include new cosmetic pets, tweaks to missions and skills, and new maps designed by supporters.
Taiwan considers fines for smartphone-addicted pedestrians
Taiwan is considering ticketing people who cross the street paying more attention to their iPhone than the cars around them. No, seriously. Taiwan currently has over 14 million mobile internet users, many of whom lawmakers consider "addicted" to their phones. The hope is a fine would curb that addiction (quite literally), and cut down on pedestrian deaths. According to the government, Taiwanese drivers often don't yield to pedestrians (even when they have the right-of-way). The "chaotic traffic" is already a dicey situation for those on foot. When you add a phone into the mix, your chances of survival get even worse. Distracted walking infractions would only apply to people in roads (walking off a pier while checking Facebook is a-ok), and would cost just $10 a piece. If the chance of being flattened by a motor scooter isn't enough for you to pause Angry Birds, our guess is a small fine won't do the trick either.
Acer spokesperson questioned over insider trading allegations
Between the 30 percent pay cut, losing $700 million and hiring and firing two CEOs in 15 days, it's not been a great time to be an Acer executive. As if things couldn't get any worse, the company is now subject to an insider trading probe that has seen long-time spokesperson Henry Wang detained for up to two months. Taiwanese authorities raided 14 locations on Tuesday, including the company's headquarters and some employee's homes. Acer has announced that it is cooperating with the police to examine two employees' individual mis-deeds, but wouldn't name and shame 'em at this time. When it rains, it pours, eh?
