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Apple's mobile partner in China announces its own iPhone rival
The parent company of China Unicom, Apple's sole partner for carrying the iPhone in China, revealed plans on Monday to release its own mobile computing platform. Dubbed "Wophone," the platform will compete directly with Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Last year, Apple partnered with China Unicom, the nation's second largest mobile carrier, to release the iPhone 4 in China. The exclusive availability of the iPhone on China Unicom's network helped the carrier compete with rivals China Mobile and China Telecom for new customers in China's nascent 3G wireless services market. In a statement, China Unicom said it hopes Wophone will help the company and its manufacturing partners develop a broader variety of more affordable 3G devices and introduce them to market more quickly. The rapid introduction of new 3G devices could help woo new customers away from market-leading China Mobile who released its own mobile platform, "Ophone," in 2009. China Mobile leads the wireless market in China with about 589 million total subscribers, but has only 22.6 million customers for its higher revenue 3G services. China Unicom said 15.5 million of its 170 million subscribers were on 3G at the end of January.
China Telecom close to inking deal with Apple for the CDMA iPhone 4
In a research note, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White suggest China Telecom is close to completing a deal with Apple to carry the CDMA iPhone 4. White cites a report on Chinese website NetEase that claims one branch of the wireless operator is already accepting pre-orders for the CDMA iPhone 4. He also refers to a microblog post, reportedly from a China Telecom employee, proclaiming that the first CDMA iPhone call has been placed on its network. "It is unclear how pre-orders are available before an official announcement has been made by the two companies," White writes, "however, the key takeaway is that the relationship between Apple and China Telecom is clearly moving in the right direction, and we believe that a deal will eventually be announced this year." A deal with China Telecom would help Apple break further into China's telecom market, the largest in the world with over 842 million total wireless subscribers. Currently, China Unicom is the sole carrier of the iPhone 4 in China and is the #2 carrier in the Asian country with 167 million wireless subscribers. China Telecom comes in third place with 90 million subscribers. This Asian Pacific market, according to White, accounts for almost 58 percent of the world's estimated 550 million CDMA customers. The remaining carrier, government-controlled China Mobile, has a whopping 584 million subscribers and is rumored to be negotiating with Apple to develop an iPhone compatible with the carrier's future TD-LTE network.
China Mobile says Apple to support TD-LTE
In an interview with Chinese news portal Sina, China Mobile's Chairman Wang Jianzhou was quoted (Chinese) as saying that Apple would get behind the carrier's next-gen TD-LTE network technology: "Apple has its own problems to deal with and has many things to develop, and currently TD development is not on its timetable," he said. "Apple has been clear that it will support TD-LTE ... These two years we have been discussing the issue. The situation is currently moving forward step by step." If Apple has indeed thrown its support behind TD-LTE, it would be a significant boost for China Mobile as it could prompt other handset makers to follow Apple's lead. Up until now, China Unicom has been the only carrier to officially carry the iPhone. China Mobile has taken some dubious measures to keep customers from jumping on the unicorn Unicom, including providing online instructions (Chinese) for how to activate an iPhone on China Mobile's network, as well as providing SIM card cutting services at many of the company's outlets. Of course, there's much to gain from Apple's point of view as well. The company's recent earnings call showed significant growth in China and the rest of Asia, and Tim Cook indicated that the company would focus more resources there. [Via Reuters]
NTT DoCoMo, China Mobile, KT form partnership, every other carrier in the world should probably be concerned
What happens when you put two of the world's most technologically advanced wireless operators -- Japan's NTT DoCoMo and South Korea's KT -- in the same room with the largest operator in the world, China Mobile? We don't know, but we're going to find out... and something tells us it's going to be awesome. DoCoMo broke the news this week that the three titans of industry have formed a "business collaboration" designed to "provide mobile customers with new experiences and greater convenience in the rapidly growing regional market of Northeast Asia." They specifically say that they'll be eying "international roaming, enterprise services, LTE and other network technologies, smartphones and common platforms" -- and whenever we hear "partnership" and "roaming" in the same sentence, we can't help but wonder whether it could be extremely good news for customers traveling among the carriers involved. Follow the break for the press release.
Motorola's MT716 OPhone launched in China, looks just like a Droid with Cliq's keyboard
If only this was a hoax. Yes, that's some bitter talk alright, because this Motorola MT716 from China Mobile is almost the perfect Droid that we once had on our dusty wish list: a similar slider form factor but with a hard-cap keyboard, as opposed to one with spongy mashers. In fact, eagle-eyed readers might have already spotted that this is the exact same keyboard as featured on the Cliq. Compared to its distant relative, other differences on this OPhone include an 8 megapixel camera (with dual-LED flash and 720p camcorder feature), an extra VGA front-facing camera, TD-SCDMA radio, WAPI connectivity (WiFi-compatible), and CMMB TV streaming; otherwise, you'll find the same weedy 600MHz TI OMAP3430 chip, 480 x 854 LCD, AGPS and Bluetooth 2.1 inside. Now if you'll excuse us -- we have a petition to write up.
Samsung Galaxy S keeps up global offensive with three Chinese launches
Samsung's done an admirable job of pushing its Galaxy S line far and wide already, but when you enter the Chinese market -- a market with a billion wireless customers -- you're potentially taking things to a whole new level. Sammy has crafted HSPA, EV-DO, and TD-SCDMA versions of its high-end Android phone for China Unicom, China Telecom, and juggernaut China Mobile, respectively, all offering the same 4-inch Super AMOLED display seen elsewhere around the world. The Telecom model launches first -- this month, in fact -- but all three versions will be available before the end of the year. Follow the break for the full press release. %Gallery-101688%
Vodafone flips stake in China Mobile for a cool $6.6B
British wireless giant Vodafone has stakes in operators around the world -- perhaps notably its 45 percent share in Verizon Wireless -- but the company has recently made it clear that it plans to aggressively reevaluate all of its holdings, and those words are starting to turn into actions on news that its 3.2 percent piece of China Mobile is no longer. That's significant if for no other reason than the fact that China Mobile is far and away the largest wireless carrier in the world by subscriber count -- a total that exceeds half a billion -- which means that Voda's mere 3.2 percent share, acquired between 2000 and 2002, was valued at roughly $6.6 billion. What this means for Vodafone's numerous other holdings remains unclear, but needless to say, it's possible this isn't the last sizable transaction we'll see over the next few months.
Sony Ericsson announces China-bound A8i Ophone: its first-ever TD-SCDMA smartphone
We're actually surprised it's taken that long for Sony Ericsson to join China Mobile's TD-SCDMA bandwagon (potentially 554 million accounts!), but as the old Chinese proverb goes: "it's never too late to fix the fence, even if you've already lost a few sheep." The new Ophone 2.0 handset in question is the A8i, which bears much resemblance to the oh-so-popular Xperia X10 (also available in China) except for the smaller 3.5-inch touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, CMMB mobile TV feature, and the seemingly missing Timescape plus Mediascape apps. No prices announced just yet, but we're told that both the "Titanium Black" and "Shiny White" editions will be heavily subsidized when they come out in October.
Motorola Ming A1680, MT810, and XT806 begin their Android mercy mission in China
Motorola's venerable MING handset revisions were just made official in three Android-toting varieties for China Unicom (model A1680 pictured above left), China Mobile (MT810, pictured center), and China Telecom (XT806, on the right). The TD-SCDMA riding MT810 ships with the Android derived OPhone 2.0 operating system and two touchscreen displays: a 3.2-inch stylus-friendly resistive touchscreen and a second transparent capacitive cover that provides a finger-friendly experience when closed. Other specs include 720 x 480 video capture, 720p video playback, and support for China's CMMB mobile television spec. China Telecom's XT806 is built on Android 2.1 with GPS, 720p video capture, and support for both CDMA EVDO and GSM for global wanderings. Finally, China Unicom's A1680 packs a 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen, Chinese WAPI WiFi, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, and Motorola's sixth-generation SoftStylus handwriting system.
HTC starts selling phones in China under its own name
It's long been the case that if you wanted a HTC handset over in the world's most populous nation, you'd have had to look for its rebadged variant under the Dopod brand. But, as of today, that is no more. The prolific Taiwanese phone maker has decided that its name is now recognizable and valuable enough in China to be put on its own hardware and is kicking off a campaign with four own-branded phones. The Wildfire and Desire we're all familiar with already, while the Tianxi looks like a mildly tweaked HD2 and the Tianyi is a mix-and-match of design elements from the rest of HTC's portfolio. The company's also announcing a partnership with China Mobile to bring these puppies to market, so it's looking like smooth sailing ahead. Full PR after the break.
Mysterious Dell Mini 3v outed by Chinese mobile regulator, OS unknown
Fancy playing a game of "guess the phone?" Dell's got one for you -- the folks over at Chinese mobile regulator TENAA have once again prematurely outed another handset from said computer giant. As usual, there's no mention on the screen size, screen type or even the OS, but we're told that this plain-looking Mini 3v runs on both TD-SCDMA (i.e. China Mobile) and GSM networks (HSDPA supported). The photos also reveal a 5 megapixel camera with flash, along with a possible front-facing camera. This may sound like a promising package, but you won't be able to make full use of this phone outside China: there's WAPI instead of WiFi, along with a TV functionality that we assume to be the China-exclusive CMMB digital TV. That said, there may still be hope with a slight spec tweak and some Froyo love for this strange child. Update: commenter thugsin313 pointed out the stylus at the back of the Mini 3v, which suggests that this is a resistive touchscreen. This makes sense considering the complexity of Chinese characters.
GPS 800G watch phone gets the job done (and little else)
Watch phones clearly haven't hit the mainstream yet, though a resurgence of Dick Tracy may very well turn that around. Given that we're probably years, if not centuries, away from that happening, it's up to niche import shops like Alibaba to bring us goods like these. The GPS 800G -- delivered by none other than Shanghai Zhiyuan Vacuum Electric Company, of course -- manages to handle time telling, texting, GPS routing and even emergency calling. Oh, and normal calling as well. Looks as if you'll need to ping the supplier in order to get a lock on pricing, but we can't say with a straight face that it'll be worth your while.
Motorola MT810 Ophone to sport both capacitive and resistive digitizers, makes TV cameo
Remember the Motorola MT820 that got leaked in China last week? Well, for some mysterious reason it's now adopted a new name -- MT810 (but with the same codename, "North Sea"). According to IT168, the tipster isn't exactly clear on whether the two model numbers refer to the same hardware configuration, but a quick search on the Chinese regulator's database reveals just MT810, and that it'll work on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network and WAPI (China's own take on WiFi). Going back to the latest leak: we're now learning that the camera will capture 720p footage -- apparently a first on the Ophone platform -- and a minimum of 5-megapixel stills, accompanied by an LED flash. As for the flip cover, turns out it also serves as a capacitive touch layer, while the screen underneath is coupled with the good-old resistive digitizer -- ideal for those who prefer writing Chinese with a pointy stylus instead of a sausage. Sadly, the tipster's still mum about the cover's rumored 3D filter capability, which would in theory go nicely with some live soccer on the phone's CMMB mobile TV capability, as teased by a recent commercial on China's national television -- video after the break, if you can bear the jealousy. [Thanks, Rachel]%Gallery-92553%
Nokia cozies up to TD-SCDMA some more, launches China Mobile versions of the X5 and C5, joins TD Forum
Though the standard GSM technology path has always been (and will likely always be) Nokia's bread and butter, Espoo has warmed to the idea of alternatives in the past couple years -- they've ended up establishing a reasonably decent lineup with Verizon in the States, and for China, TD-SCDMA is the name of the game these days. To that end, the company has received its membership card to the TD Forum in the mail (finally joining its Nokia Siemens joint venture) and announced two new candybars: the X5 and C5. Actually, it's a bit unfair to call them both "new" since the C5's already seen an international introduction, but the X5 is a fresh design that mimics the design of its X3 and X6 cousins with a 5 megapixel cam and 2.4-inch QVGA display, becoming the company's first S60 device with support for TD-SCDMA to deliver on a promise made back in 2008. Interestingly, China Mobile's C5 is quite a bit different from the version you'll find elsewhere, rocking an entirely different ID and enjoying an additional 1.8 megapixels in its camera sensor for a grand total of 5. The X5 should start to filter into the market this quarter, while the C5 come in the third quarter. Follow the break for the press release.
Intel unveils Atom-based Queensbay system-on-chip, in-car infotainment, China Mobile partnership
Can't get enough of Intel's Atom? Try the new Tunnel Creek system-on-chip flavor that the company has announced. It's part of the Queensbay platform, something of a Menlow successor that's better suited for MIDs and the like thanks to its greater RAM capacity (still only 1GB), PCIe bus (opening the door to Ion), and integrated gigabit LAN. All that with a consumption of just 5TDP leaves our friend Chippy from UMPC Portal to say the platform could be "the natural choice for simple, low-cost MIDs." As Intel ramps up for its Developer Forum the company is also touting its partnership with the Chinese auto manufacturer HawTai to produce a MeeGo-based infotainment system that, wait for it, also runs on Atom. And, finally, China Mobile is looking to rely on Intel chips for "targeted platforms powering its wireless networks" and to "provide our broadband wireless network the benefits of world class energy efficiency." Next up: Atom-based pacemakers, espresso machines, and puppy dogs.
Dell Mini 3T1 and Mini 3iX 3G phones spotted with Chinese mobile regulator
If we need another reason to be envious of Chinese residents, it'd be the premium treatment that they're getting from Dell these days. Spotted on Chinese mobile regulator TENAA's website are two 3G phones from seemingly different design departments -- the never-before-seen Mini 3T1 (pictured) is a "TD-SCDMA / GSM dual-mode cellphone" that "supports HSDPA," dons a 2-megapixel camera on the back plus a front-facing one, and we're betting on Ophone for the OS; the second device is the familiar Mini 3iX (an exotic cousin of AT&T's Aero) that will sport the same old WCDMA radio and WAPI (the Chinese equivalent of WiFi). No word on availability of either handsets in China yet, but hey, who cares when the Streak is on the horizon? Update: on the same website we also dug up the Mini 3iW -- essentially the Mini 3i (so just 2G and no WiFi) but with the additional WAPI radio.%Gallery-90276%
China partially blocks Google search results from Hong Kong, the saga continues
You didn't think that just because Google started redirecting its Google.cn domain to its Hong Kong site, we were coming to a neat compromise to the big brouhaha between the search giant and China, did you? Oh no, brother, this thing is far from over. China has now responded by whipping its state computers into a filtering frenzy, blocking and censoring out content it considers objectionable from Google's HK-based search results. Adding to its show of strength, it's expected the Chinese government's influence will also result in China Mobile canceling a deal to have Google as its default search provider on mobile handsets. We suppose it's Google's turn to respond now. How about offering a friendly game of badminton to settle their differences? [Thanks, Colin]
China Mobile angling for iPad, iPhone service in China
China Mobile announced at a news conference that it's going after service for Apple in that country -- it wants to host both the iPhone and the iPad in China for Apple. Currently, the iPhone service there is provided by China Unicom, but China Mobile has said that if the iPhone is ported over to its government-approved 3G service (similar, it seems, to the rumored deal with Verizon), then China Mobile would be interested in offering both. Officially, Apple hasn't said anything about this -- it has been confirmed to be in talks about the iPhone, but those are only talks, of course, and it hasn't been talking at all with China Mobile about the iPad. Still, being that China Mobile is the largest data provider in the world, with over 520 million subscribers, Apple might eventually be enticed, especially if they need to widen the potential audience to sell more handsets. Plus, if the rumored deal with Verizon actually happens, Apple won't really have reason to be exclusive in the rest of the world, either.
China Mobile given OK to set up shop in Taiwan
It's not every day that a Chinese company gets regulatory approval to invest in Taiwan. Actually, a Chinese company has never before been given permission to invest in Taiwan's communications infrastructure, so it's pretty big news here that the world's largest carrier by subscribers -- China Mobile -- has just been greenlighted to set up a subsidiary there. Initially, they're going in under the guise of becoming an electronics wholesaler, but longer term, they're interested in taking a 12 percent stake in local carrier Far EasTone that would work out to $17.8 billion Taiwan dollars (roughly $558 million) which would represent a pretty unprecedented level of technical synergy between the nations. What's more, Taiwan is toying with TD-SCDMA these days -- China Mobile's forte -- so on the surface, the move seems to make good business sense.
China sent 23 billion text messages during Chinese New Year
23 billion text messages in one week, with 13 billion from the first two days alone. Pretty mind-boggling, isn't it? And this 10 percent growth in the number of gung-hey-fat-choi messages is the work of just 747 million phone users in China -- imagine what would've happened if all 1.3 billion people in the country had a phone during Chinese New Year. Throughout the same period, China also produced 1.33 billion MMS messages -- a staggering 40 percent increase from last year -- while China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom operated 127.6 percent, 19.5 percent and 15.7 percent more voice calls respectively. Looks like someone's bagged themselves some extra red pockets here. Now, any guesses for next year's figures?