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Brazil's iPad production deal is 'in doubt'
Tech product manufacturer Foxconn has been in talks with Brazil to open a factory in that country for some time now, but apparently talks have begun to break down. Reuters now says the proposed US$12 billion deal is "in doubt" because Brazil lacks skilled labor and isn't meeting Foxconn's expectations for tax breaks. Foxconn operates factories in several countries, with its most (in)famous operations in Shenzhen, China, where the manufacturer builds products for Apple and most other major tech companies. The proposed factory in Brazil likely would have supplemented iPad and iPhone-building operations in Foxconn's other factories, but the future of the deal is in trouble. Production was originally supposed to begin at the Brazilian factory in July, was then pushed back to November, and now appears to be postponed indefinitely. For its part, Brazil says Foxconn's demands with regards to tax breaks and other "special treatment" are "crazy," but Brazil's high taxes, poor infrastructure, and lack of skilled workers is likely making Foxconn think twice about initiating major operations in South America. It's still possible the deal may be salvaged, but government officials do not appear to be hopeful. One official confessed to Reuters that Brazil may "end up starting with something smaller" than the originally proposed deal.
Report: Foxconn's Brazil factory ready for business, will begin shipping iPads in December
It appears that Apple is about to expand its manufacturing operations to Brazil, where a new Foxconn factory is already in place and ready to churn out iPads, according to a report from national media outlet UOL. Aolizio Mercadante, the country's minister of science and technology, confirmed the news this week during a hearing held by the Commission of Economic Affairs. "At first many doubted, but it will be the first time that [Apple] will produce iPads outside Chinese territory," Mercadente said. "We are taking a big step for digital inclusion in the country." Located in Jundiaí, the new facility was constructed under a joint venture between Foxconn and the Brazilian government, with the former reportedly contributing $12 million to the initiative. Rumors of a South American expansion began circulating earlier this year, with many expecting Foxconn's Brazil-based operations to get underway during Q1 of 2012, according to DigiTimes. Construction, however, appears to have wrapped up ahead of schedule, with Mercadante claiming that iPad shipments will begin in December. Apple, for its part, has not commented on the report.
Netflix lands in Brazil, 43 other Latin American countries within the week
Netflix promised our friends in Central and South America would soon be able to enjoy the pleasures of Watch Instantly. Starting today with Brazil, and with 43 other Latin American countries to follow before September 12th, the pioneering streaming video service is making good on that promise. Customers in the land of Carnival can enjoy a free one-month trial, after which a subscription will run BR$14.99 a month. The roll out will be staggered over the coming days, with most areas getting a price point equivalent to $7.99 in American currency and some having both English and Spanish language options. For more details check out the PR after the break and the chart above. [Thanks, Nicolas]
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 29, 2011
This week, as always, was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of August 15, 2011: More rumors are circulating about the upcoming Sony Ericsson Nozumi, originally leaked two weeks ago. The new specs getting floated around are even better than we previously thought, which include a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution for a PPI of 342, and NFC. (Thanks, David) [via XperiaBlog] The Motorola Milestone 3 -- the GSM twin of the Droid 3, essentially -- was released in Brazil this week and will be available in select Latin American countries later this month. [via AndroidCentral] Just as we're getting used to the idea of a white HTC EVO 3D at Radio Shack, it's now reported that a purple version will soon be available exclusively at Best Buy. [via PocketNow] The BlackBerry Torch 9860 has two new Canadian homes, as it launched this week on Telus for $100 and SaskTel for $130. Both carriers involve setting up a three-year commitment. [via MobileSyrup(1) and (2)] Did someone mention SaskTel? Yes, the carrier is jumping on the 4G bandwagon by announcing its intent to deploy LTE by the fall of 2012. [via MobileSyrup] AT&T's LG Thrill 4G is finally getting released tomorrow after several weeks of delays. While the phone will be offered for $100 by the carrier itself, you'll be able to get it at Costco for $30. [via PhoneArena] Alongside the Kyocera Milano, Sprint will also launch a new feature phone called the Kyocera Brio. The Brio will offer a QWERTY keyboard, a 192MHz CPU and will run Java. [via Electronista and AndroidCentral] At HTC's Windows Phone launch this week, reps confirmed that all of its new Windows Phones will indeed have the mobile hotspot feature included, though it won't be a part of the software update to the company's existing lineup. It's likely to be added with a future refresh, but apparently the feature was added too late in the process to get thrown into the initial rollout. (Thanks, Gilles) [via Pocket-Lint]
Google Street View heads to the Amazon, enables virtual river excursions
If being able to see the Colosseum of Rome or trek around Stonehenge from the comfort of your La-Z-boy is your cup of tea, Google has another living room adventure for you. Pretty soon, you'll be able to keep dry on the sofa while floating down Brazil's Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers via Street View. That's right, folks... an expedition to one of the most remote, yet biologically diverse locales on the globe will become a reality for many who feared it'd remain elusive forever -- if you don't mind exploring remotely using your favorite web-enabled device, of course. Teams are currently gathering images from the adjacent forests and local villages using the trike, floating cameras down the river by boat and even training locals to use the equipment. The project is a joint effort between Brazil and U.S. Street View teams alongside the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon (FAS). Check out the full rundown by hitting the source link below and begin planning your trip -- to the couch, that is.
PlayStation launches digital store in Brazil
Sony has launched its second digital PlayStation Store in Latin America, in beautiful Brazil. Following Mexico, Brazil now has access to 200 items of first- and third-party digital content, including Assassin's Creed II and the demo for LittleBigPlanet2. Sony is also extending the Welcome Back program to Brazil, offering two PS3 and two PSP titles to everyone affected by the hacking blackout, through August 21. Sony also established a PlayStation Blog and PlayStation Website for its users in Brazil.
Fully localized WoW launching in Brazil
Brazilian gamers will be happy to know that Blizzard has announced that a fully localized version of the World of Warcraft client, as well as localized game payment options and subscription rates, is coming to Brazil later in 2011. Brazil has grown into one of the largest video game markets in the world, despite heavy taxes on entertainment. The free-to-play market has thrived in Brazil, and Blizzard aims to grab the Brazilian market with local pricing options and support. The new client is fully localized in Brazilian Portuguese, with Blizzard changing names, places, items, monsters, and everything in between. The monthly cost associated with playing WoW in Brazil looks like it will cost 15 Brazilian Real, or about $9.67 a month, with cheaper plans for purchasing more months in advance. This probably does not take into account the taxes that are usually levied against entertainment products in Brazil. With the localization comes an official Brazilian Portuguese WoW community site and Portuguese customer support. A free language pack for players currently subscribed to the North American servers will be available in Portuguese as well. Congratulations to all of the Brazilian WoW players out there who get to experience the game in their native Brazilian Portuguese. As more information comes out about the launch and the language packs, we will be sure to let you know all of the details. Until then, check out Blizzard's WoW Brazil page for more information.
World of Warcraft coming to Brazil
A fully localized World of Warcraft is on its way to Brazil, complete with a Portuguese client and customer service platform. This marks Blizzard's ninth officially supported language according to a press blurb on the company's website, and the third supported language in Latin America (following the English and Spanish versions). Blizzard is providing a full suite of payment options for Brazilian customers, with the base game (plus the Burning Crusade expansion) available for BRL 29.90, while Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm will retail for BRL 99.90 each. If retail boxes aren't your thing, the Brazilian version of WoW will also be available through Battle.net. Finally, subscription plans come in 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day flavors, and 60-day time cards will be available in retail stores. North American players who wish to play on the dedicated Brazilian realms may install a language pack or purchase the Portuguese client, and Blizzard says that "additional pricing details and an official release date [...] will be announced closer to launch."
Report: Skype logo on slide in Brazilian PlayStation Vita presentation
The Brazilian site GameGeneration noticed a familiar logo on stage during a PlayStation Vita presentation at a Sony "Key Account Meeting" in São Paulo. Along with PSN, Wi-Fi, and DLNA, the Skype logo sits unassumingly to the side of the PlayStation Vita, suggesting that Skype will be available on the Vita as it was on the PSP. Why would there be any doubt that a PSP feature would carry forward? Well, for one thing, between the PSP version and now, Skype was purchased by Sony's competitor Microsoft; for another, the PSP Go proved that we can't expect any feature to carry forward from one Sony handheld to another, not even playing PSP games. When it acquired Skype, Microsoft said it planned to continue supporting versions on non-Microsoft platforms, so it's not impossible that it would continue supporting Sony handhelds. Right now, this is unconfirmed, as neither Microsoft or Sony offered comment when queried by Joystiq.
iPad 2 coming to Russia, Ukraine, Chile, and Brazil on May 27
Earlier today we told you about the iPhone 4 launching in India on May 27th. Now Apple's iPad 2 is set to make a splash in new markets as well. As noted by 9to5 Mac, the iPad 2 is set to go on sale in Russia, Ukraine, Chile and Brazil this Friday. Our Russian readers will be able to pick up Apple's latest tablet at a host of stores, including MediaMarkt, Beliy Veter Cifrovoi, M.Video, ION, Technosila, Eldorado, z-Store and Re:Store. As is sadly usually the case, the iPad 2 will be much more expensive in Russia than it is in the US or Europe. The 16 GB Wi-Fi version starts at 18,990 rubles, or US$667, while the 64 GB 3G version comes in at a whopping 30,990 rubles, or $1,088. Not much information is available at this time as to what the cost will be and what resellers will have the iPad 2 in Brazil, but in Chile the iPad 2 will be sold at retailer Ripley.cl and in Ukraine it will be sold at the retailers iStore, Moyo, Comfy and Foxtrot. Ukrainian prices will be as high as Russian ones with the 16 GB Wi-Fi version costing the equivalent of US$670 and the 64 GB 3G version the equivalent of US$1100.
Brazil's World Cup host cities first in line to get 4G upgrades
Well, it looks like folks in Brazil that live in one of the twelve host cities for the 2014 FIFA World Cup now have another reason to be glad their city was chosen. The Brazilian government has just announced that those cities will be the first in line to get 4G service when the country's long overdue network upgrades eventually begin. Unfortunately, it's still not clear exactly when that will happen -- a government official only said that companies will go through a bidding process to win the contract for the network, which should presumably roll out sometime before the World Cup kicks off in three years' time.
'Kinect Me,' 'Crimson Alliance' among new Microsoft games rated
A trio of game ratings appeared on the Australian Classification website today, perhaps spoiling some of the titles Microsoft will announce just around the corner at E3. New entries for "Crimson Alliance," "Fusion: Genesis" and "Kinect Me" all list Microsoft as publisher and run the gamut from Mature-rated to PG to G. Only the Crimson Alliance page notes a developer, Certain Affinity, which is corroborated by the game's Brazilian classification. Likewise a rating for Fusion: Genesis has also shown up in Brazil, where both titles are listed for Xbox Live Arcade. Kinect Me remains the most mysterious of the mystery titles and could perhaps feature some connection to the kinect.me promotional site (pictured above) that's been live since last summer. A source tells Siliconera to expect an E3 announcement of "Kinect Fun Lab," which the site surmises could be a working title for Kinect Me -- both names are at least sufficiently generic-sounding to be one and the same game. Additionally, Brazil has classified two more Xbox Live Arcade titles, Fruit Ninja Kinect and Hole in the Wall (from Ludia), supporting previous ratings of the pair of pending releases.
Foxconn lists requirements for making iPads in Brazil
Last month we reported that Foxconn was in ongoing talks to invest US$12 billion in building manufacturing facilities in Brazil that would be used for the production of iPads and iPhones. The Brazilian president said that the deal was under consideration, but it appears that nothing is set in stone yet. This weekend Brazilian paper Folha de São Paulo said that Foxconn has issued a list of requirements the Brazilian government would have to agree to before they commit to opining the new facility. Those requirements include: Large property to house more than one division of Foxconn. High speed Wi-Fi. Export priority shipping at São Paulo (and other unnamed) airports. Financial support from the Brazilian National Development Bank, BNDES. Government help in finding minority investors. Transportation and logistics that permit quick delivery of goods to and from Foxconn facilities. Office wired 100% with fiber optic cables. As Macgasm points out, given that Foxconn is set to invest $12 billion in Brazil over the next five years, the list of requirements doesn't seem unreasonable. Brazil for its part also has a wish list it hopes to get from Foxconn, all of which seem very reasonable as well: They want Foxconn to hire primarily Brazilian labor They want Foxconn to respect Brazilian labor laws, which include a "13th salary" -- or payment for a thirteenth month every year. Let the negotiations begin!
Motorola Xoom and Atrix shipping to Latin America, get your Honeycomb on pre-order
Gadget lovers in Latin America anxious to get their hands on Motorola's Xoom tablet and Atrix superphone can stop living vicariously through our reviews, as the creator of the Pageboy is bringing the turbocharged devices to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Though Moto insists these head-turners are now shipping, Droid Matters suggests we'll see delays in getting the Xoom to Brazil and Mexico, though if you're in Argentina, they've got the tablet for pre-order at $3599. Even if you can't get your hands on Honeycomb yet, perhaps poking around with a docked Atrix will satiate your gadget desires. PR after the break.
Brazilian police live out Robocop fantasies, test glasses that scan for criminals
In advance of the 2016 Olympics 2014 World Cup (and the thousands of visitors it'll draw), military police in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are testing glasses topped with cameras capable of scanning crowds for criminals. The camera analyzes 46,000 biometric points on up to 400 faces per second -- data that then gets compared with a database of up to 13 million people. If a mug happens to match a wanted person or known troublemaker, a red light will appear on a small screen connected to the glasses. And, in a twist particularly befitting Robocop, the glasses can purportedly be calibrated to zoom in from 12 miles away, though they'll typically be used to manage crowds at a much more personal 50 meters (164 feet). For now, local cops will use them to tame crowds (and likely brawls) at soccer matches and even concerts, but hope to eventually monitor those crowded World Cup stands. As for us, we're all kinds of curious. Where do those tens of millions of faces come from -- Santa's naughty and nice list? What if people wear masks? Or sunglasses at night?
iPads to be made in Brazil?
Reuters reports that Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics giant that produces iPods, iPhones and iPads in China, is in ongoing talks to invest US$12 billion in building manufacturing facilities in Brazil. Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian president, reportedly said that this is under consideration, and she has said that she considers tablet computing as a viable option to inexpensively bring the internet to the lower-middle class of Brazil (around 80 million people). However, a rough translation from Digital&Midia suggests that it's a done deal and that iPads will be coming out of Brazil by the end of November. That report should be taken with a large grain of salt. We don't have a Portuguese speaker in the house, unfortunately, so we'd welcome a more direct translation. It's easy to spot some pitfalls in Brazil for Foxconn. The manufacturer is in the business of finding the cheapest cost of production; Brazil has one of the highest import tariffs in South America and is considered to be quite an expensive place to do business, due to such factors as heavy taxes, poor labor laws and a possibly overvalued currency. So at first blush, Foxconn doing business in Brazil doesn't seem to make sense. On the other hand, if it were to happen, import tariffs would be avoided, allowing Apple to step into the highly taxed Brazilian market at lower cost. Right now the cheapest iPad in Brazil sells for $860 while the US price of the lowest end iPad 2 is $499. If iPads were manufactured in Brazil, the selling cost would drop locally and in neighboring South American countries. So will it happen? Talks have been progressing for three months according to Aloizio Mercadante, who serves as Brazil's Science and Technology minister, and there are ongoing negotiations with other technology manufacturing companies at the same time. This leads us to question the Digital&Midia story saying that a deal has been struck. We'll be keeping an eye to the south for more news soon.
Fruity nanofibers could make for super-strong plastics, banana-flavored body panels
Carbon fiber is still the material of choice for high-end components that need lots of strength without a lot of weight, but wouldn't life be better if those components were made of pineapple? Apparently, yes. At least that's the case according to Brazilian scientists led by Alcides Leão, who have created so-called nanofibers from the pulp of various fruits, including pineapple leaves and coconut shells. These are processed down to create nano-scale threads that, when added to plastics, form a composite 30 percent lighter than carbon fiber yet three or four times stronger. Healthier, too. No word on when this stuff might be in full production, but we look forward to cradling our future fruit-based gadgets.
The Lawbringer: WoW launching in Brazil
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Running parallel to the games we love and enjoy is a world full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? In the near future, Blizzard will be launching a localized World of Warcraft, complete with language localization and specific servers, in Brazil with a Portugeuse version of its signature virtual world. This localization accompanies a potential Japanese release, with servers for both Japan and Brazil, much as there are already US, EU, Oceanic, and Chinese/Taiwanese servers. The World of Warcraft gaming community and Blizzard especially are excited to welcome these two markets into the fold with their own local servers. We're talking all things Brazil this week on The Lawbringer -- well, not everything Brazilian. I think all of the waxing and juijitsu questions are better left for The WoW Insider Show or perhaps The Queue. No, this week is all about the video game climate in Brazil, why Brazil is a huge up-and-coming market for MMOs, how a Portuguese localized version of WoW benefits a huge number of gamers, and the potentially pitfalls of the anti-video game sentiments in the South American powerhouse market.
Sharp Galapagos media tablets will bring 3G and EPUB content to US e-reader market in 2011
We like a bit of ambition around these parts and Sharp's plans for entering the US e-reader battlefield reek of the stuff. The Galapagos tablets that recently enjoyed their Japanese debut are going to be retooled, according to the Mainichi Daily News, to include new 3G radios for the internet-addicted US consumer, while the primary content format will also be switched from the proprietary XMDF in Japan to the almost universally compatible EPUB. Content partnerships are said to be brewing as we type, because, quite naturally, Sharp intends to have its own e-bookstore for Americans as well. After the Yanks, the company's said to be looking into bringing its 5.5- and 10.8-inch tablets to China, India, and Brazil. Highly ambitious indeed.
Infinity I-Kitchen sports Linux-based touch screen computer, kitchen sink still not included
We've seen ridiculous fridge concepts from Electrolux before and covered Linux running on all types of gadgets, so it's only natural that the OS has found its way into an icebox developed by Electrolux's Brazilian subsidiary in partnership with ProFusion Embedded Systems. Dubbed the Infinity I-Kitchen, it sports a Linux-based 800 x 480 touchscreen computer built around a 400Mhz Freescale i.MX25 SoC -- which itself is based on 400MHz ARM926EJ-S core and already used in some automotive systems. The touch UI was developed by the open source organization Enlightenment Foundation Libraries and allows users to control a variety of fridge functions like internal temperature in addition to running apps for notes, calendars, contacts, photos, and recipes. All of the particular open source code modifications developed for the fridge have also been shared back with the community in Tux-approved fashion and will soon be posted to Electrolux's site too. Unfortunately, there's no mention however of features like internet connectivity (WiFi or otherwise), USB ports, or SD Card slots being on the appliance. Likewise, details on pricing or availability are also unknown, so your iPhone can hold off on making those the jealousy-fueled fat jokes for now.
