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Overwatch League gains new teams from Atlanta and Guangzhou
When The Overwatch League's 2019 season starts, you'll see two new teams compete for the chance to be crowned as the tournament's second champion. Blizzard has officially welcomed the cities of Atlanta, Georgia and Guangzhou, China to the league, expanding its reach and bringing it to more fans across the globe. They've yet to reveal their team names, rosters and emblems, but Blizzard has revealed the companies paying for their entry. Communications and automotive services conglomerate Cox Enterprises owns the Atlanta team, while the Nenking Group, which also owns the Guangzhou Long Lions basketball team, is behind the Guangzhou team.
Ehang preps its flight command center for passenger drones
Almost exactly a year ago, Ehang surprised the world with its supersized drone, the 184, made for carrying a human passenger or artificial organs. Nevada even gave Ehang permission to test its quadcopter in the state as of June, but that was the last we heard from the drone maker, until now. As it turns out, the Chinese company has yet to perform a single test flight in the US, and earlier this month, it had to lay off about 70 people from its team of around 300, plus there were signs of financial problems -- including canteen food issues, missed payments to suppliers and diminishing consumer drone shipment numbers -- as far back as August, according to Chinese news site Xtecher. Perhaps to reassure worried folks, Ehang decided to shed some light on the 184's latest development.
NIH bans funding for genetic engineering of human embryos
Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China made headlines late last month upon announcing that they had successfully edited the genes of a human embryo. This revelation set off a firestorm of controversy as the scientific community took sides in the ethical debate of genetic manipulation. Now, the National Institute of Health has weighed in on the issue and is denying funding to research that involves meddling with the human germline.
China Mobile begins TD-LTE trials in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, users need a Galaxy S III for now
It looks like China Mobile is making good on its promise to carry out TD-LTE trials this year: the carrier is launching test programs in both Guangzhou and Shenzen, according to a report from the Chinese news site Guangming Online. As it happens, this isn't technically the first time China Mobile has invited users to test its LTE network, but it is the first time people can access it via smartphones (as opposed to routers and MiFi devices). Curiously, the trial will initially work only on the TD-LTE-capable Galaxy S III, which is strange because China Mobile just unveiled a handful of LTE handsets at MWC, and didn't even mention the GSIII at its press conference. Once you've got that phone in hand, you'll need to preload it with 4,699 yuan worth of credits and sign a two-year agreement, with 388 yuan to be deducted each month. Already signed up for 2G or 3G service with China Mobile? You can add 1,500 yuan to receive a 4G device, USIM card and 15 gigs of LTE data (free for the first three months).
China claims world's longest high-speed rail line, takes travelers 1,428 miles in a workday
China has a thing for pushing the limits of trains. As of today, that includes distance: the country claims to have the world's longest high-speed rail line. Paying ¥865 ($139) will take you 1,428 miles from Beijing in the north to as far as Guangzhou in the south. The 8-hour, 186MPH trip is technically slower than flying, but it's cheaper and potentially less stressful than the often protracted airport boarding process. It's certainly far more viable than the 20-hour rail trip it's replacing, which could lead to some locals choosing a ground route that wasn't even a realistic option until now. [Image credit: Xinhuanet]
Huawei's 6.1-inch 1080p Ascend Mate flaunted by exec, leaves little surprise for CES (update: 720p only)
How big is too big? Well, that's clearly not Huawei's concern, as it's about to introduce a 6.1-inch 1080p Android phone at CES. But even two weeks (before the company's CES press day) is too much for the impatient Richard Yu, who went ahead and whipped out his beastly device in front of fans at a Huawei store in Guangzhou yesterday -- there's a video of the intimate moment after the break. According to earlier rumors, the Ascend Mate will feature a 1.8GHz HiSilicon K3V3 quad-core chip, along with a massive 4,000mAh battery, 9.9mm thickness and a price tag of just under ¥3,000 (about $480). Yu wrote on Sina Weibo saying the final specs may differ slightly, but the 43-year-old executive did add that the 361ppi display is of LTPS (low temperature polysilicon) nature. As with the Ascend W1 and the Ascend D2, all will be unveiled at CES. Update: Now that the Ascend Mate has been announced, we can confirm that its 6.1-inch display only has a 720p resolution. [Image credit: fengse (Sina Weibo)]
Sennheiser boasts anti-counterfeit efforts, unveils new authentication technologies
Sennheiser is using Tesa PrioSpot authenticity labels plus a "fool-proof" online look-up system as part of its anti-counterfeit efforts in China.
China joins Better Place on the battery-swapping bandwagon
EV's are great for getting around in a green-conscious way, but plug-in people must practice patience while waiting hours to juice up their ride. Better Place's battery swapping stations offer much faster EV refueling, which is why China Southern Power Grid Co. (CSG) is betting big on the technology. The Chinese utility giant has teamed up with Guangzhou's municipal government and Better Place to build a power pack exchange depot and an EV education center. With exhibits, meeting rooms, and EVs to test drive, the education center aims to help persuade administrative officials, captains of industry, and the general populace to jump on the electric car bandwagon. In addition, Ghuangzhou's government will "encourage local car manufacturers" to create autos with switchable batteries and "promote" EV adoption in taxis and state vehicles -- all of which seems likely to happen post-haste, 'cause what the Chinese government wants, the Chinese government gets.
PlayStation expansion into China planned
Sony is finally ready to take on one of the largest emerging markets in the world: China. A report in China Daily details Sony Computer Entertainment's plans on expanding into the Asian mainland. According to the report, Sony recently signed a letter of intent detailing plans to implement training and R&D facilities in Guangzhou province. The project is apparently "the first investment by SCEI in the mainland." In addition to localization, Sony plans on developing games in the region. Facilitating homegrown content for local markets follows the standard set by Sony's other recent expansions into India and South America. Although a timetable for launch hasn't been set, expectations are quite high for PlayStation's first release in the country. Guangdong Animation City (GAC), an investor in PlayStation's Chinese expansion, noted that the industry could expand its worth to over 100 billion yuan (about $15 billion) annually within the next five years. Obviously, Sony would do well to capitalize on such staggering potential.
Angry Birds gets real... corporeal (in China, at least)
Let's be honest: you can never get enough of Angry Birds, but for those wandering around Guangzhou, China, you might be able to get your fix at this arcade booth. Like the game itself, there's an actual slingshot for firing your enraged fowls at a bunch of plush doll piggies, except there are no special abilities like explosion or splitting -- maybe the next version will take care of that, unless Rovio Mobile decides it's game over for these guys.
Meizu M9 christens site launch with full specs list
Meizu CEO Jack Wong has been teasing the M9 handset for some time now, and if we're not mistaken, the official site just went live with a full list of specs to boot. As promised, there's a 3.5-inch 960 x 640 resolution screen (reportedly the Sharp ASV display), and we're also apparently looking at a 1GHz S5PC110 processor (just like the Samsung Galaxy S), Android 2.2, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, A-GPS, 802.11b/g/n, microSDHC, a removable 1370mAH lithium-polymer battery, and support for (drumroll, please) GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA,and HSUPA. Too good to be true? Word on the street is this very phone will be available December 25th in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, and will expand to the rest of China days later. We'll believe it when we see it.
Guangzhou Darling DP2000 is a nutty pc-in-a-projector that we kinda love (video)
What do you add to a pocket projector that already has a massive 640 x 480 resolution and the power of 9 suns lumens? Why, a WinCE-powered computer, of course. Now, when everyone else is fumbling around with their bulky laptops, you can bust out your Darling, use the top-mounted touchpad to navigate, and be the fastest projector gunslinger in the office. There's even a stand, a pair of mini-USB ports for hooking up a keyboard and mouse, and an SD expansion slot to augment the already super-generous 1GB of Flash storage. So how much does a PC with a huge display and SSD cost these days? $180. Don't tell us that ain't progress. Check it out after the break. [Via Pico Projector Info]
Skytone's Android-powered netbook to cost around $250
Guangzhou Skytone Transmission Technologies Company, which we will absolutely never call by its full name again, has just dropped a juicy nugget about its forthcoming netbook. If you'll recall, we recently caught wind of the ARM-based, Android-powered rig (the Alpha 680), which is expected to be a stripped down portable useful for web surfing and light duty Office use. Nixon Wu, Skytone's co-founder, recently confessed that it's aiming to sell the machine for around $250, and if all goes well, it should have prototypes ready by June and final products ready for consumption a month or two after that. Call us crazy (or just greedy, really), but we were totally hoping for this to ring up at $199 or less.
China Mobile opens "experience shops" as TD-SCDMA softly launches
We knew good and well China Mobile was all geared up to launch its homegrown 3G standard in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen (among other locales), and though China's government hasn't issued 3G licenses yet, TD-SCDMA has finally made its soft launch. In order to garner interest in the service, said carrier has also opened up "experience shops" in the aforementioned cities "to allow the public to experiment with TD-SCDMA handsets and gain confidence with TD-SCDMA's capabilities." During the initial launch, some 60,000 dual-mode TD-SCDMA / GSM handsets and 15,000 data cards will be on sale in these outlets, with most of the units being in the "mid- to high-end range" and costing between $286 and $572 (those are subsidized prices). Here is where we suppose China Mobile holds its breath and hopes for things to take off.[Via mocoNews]
Terrestrial HDTV programs coming to eight cities in China before Olympics
No doubt about it, the Olympics are spurning interest in HDTV programming in the Far East, and it looks like a handful of cities won't have to wait until summer to start enjoying the spoils of being this year's Olympic host. Apparently, a senior Chinese official has announced that "terrestrial high definition television (HDTV) programs will be broadcast in eight cities on the China Content Broadcasting Network in 2008 before the Olympic games commences in August." For those curious about specifics, citizens of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, Qingdao, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be able to catch HD programs on China Central Television (CCTV) in the not-too-distant future. So, how's about that flat-panel demand over there?[Image courtesy of BusinessWeek]
Guangzhou crime dog "trained" to swipe cellphones
Alright, so we're taking this one at face value, but according to an admittedly weird report in Asia, Guangzhou residents should be on the lookout for a clever pup who looks mighty innocent, but is reportedly a "hardened criminal." After locating the dog in a Panyu District home, the owner was surprised to see the mysterious creature cease playing with his daughter, dart over to his cellphone, and make a break for the exit. According to local police, it's becoming somewhat common to see "thieves training canines" to sneak into homes and swipe cellphones for crooks to resell. While it would certainly be easy to brush this off as completely ludicrous, the idea actually isn't that far-fetched, as an English Springer Spaniel is already on patrol in UK prisons sniffing out and retrieving mobiles that were brought into the jails without consent. So if you're strolling through Guangzhou, make sure that cellie is well covered, cool?[Via Textually]
