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Apple patents Shanghai Apple Store's glass cylinder entryway
It's no secret that Apple devotes a lot of attention to the design of its retail stores. From the type of wood that graces the tabletops to the design of the staircases within, nothing is overlooked. One of Apple's most unique retail stores is its Shanghai location, notable for its impressive and elegant glass cylinder entryway. Now, AppleInsider reports that Apple has officially been granted a patent on the design. Apple's US Patent No. 8,544,217 not only covers the design of the cylinder, but more specifically the type of glass and construction methods used to erect such a structure. Like the flagship Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York, the Shanghai cylinder is made almost entirely out of huge monolithic glass slabs, with only connecting joints fashioned out of metal. The Chinese build is more complex, however, as the specifications required the glass pieces required be curved to form arcs. These panels were then joined to create a circle and ultimately a cylinder. Consequently, the patent encapsulates construction advancements that were developed to ensure that the structure remained sufficiently sturdy along with methods detailing how to curve the glass panels to the exact shape needed to form a perfect cylinder.
China reverses 'ban' on videogames, but there's a catch and it involves Shanghai's free trade zone
Consider this the somewhat end of China's 13-year old (loosely enforced) "ban" on videogames. A new policy issued by the country's State Council amends the language of a prior bill from 2000 which "strictly limited" the manufacture and import of game consoles. Now, foreign companies that register within Shanghai's free trade zone, the country's first such pilot program designed to spur private investment, competition and economic growth, are free to sell gaming consoles and arcade machines throughout China. Restrictions on "unhealthy" content still remain, however, with only games whitelisted by the Ministry of Culture allowed for sale. But despite this official reversal, Chinese gamers have long enjoyed access to popular videogames and consoles, anyway. Systems from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, as well as knock-offs, have all been easily accessible on the black market. That's not to mention Nintendo's China-only iQue -- a "safe" mini-N64 created with the country's cultural guidelines in mind -- which has been on sale through official market channels for some time.
Chinese state media squashes claims of less restricted internet in Shanghai zone (updated)
A few days ago, the South China Morning Post claimed that blocks put on websites like Twitter, Facebook and The New York Times were to be lifted in Shanghai's new free-trade zone. And the justification made sense, too: relax restrictions to make visitors happy, and potentially cash in on accelerated foreign investment as a result. Plausible, sure, but according to state-run news outlet the People's Daily, completely untrue. As it turns out, the Chinese powers that be allegedly have no intention of allowing web traffic in the free-trade zone to circumvent the Great Firewall, which means visiting Twitter addicts will still have to turn to Weibo for their social network / microblogging fix. [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons] Update: People.com.cn (not the People's Daily, as reported earlier) has since pulled its post. There's no explanation as to why.
China said to be unblocking sites like Facebook, Twitter and the NYT, but only in a small part of Shanghai
Given how large a mobile market China has become, and its role in gadget manufacturing globally, we sometimes forget the government of this increasingly tech-aware country still dictates what corners of the web its peoples can see. Today, the South China Morning Post reports the state has decided to unblock several foreign internet sites "considered politically sensitive," but only in the free-trade zone of Shanghai's Pudong New Area. According to "government sources," the move to open access to sites including Facebook, Twitter (both of which were cut off in 2009) and The New York Times (blocked last year) is so visitors can "live and work happily in the free-trade zone." The greater goal is to make the area more attractive to foreign companies, beyond the favorable regulatory and tax environment, of course. Furthermore, the Chinese are allegedly beckoning overseas firms to come in and "provide internet services" for the new, 30 square kilometer zone. The Great Firewall may remain firmly up for the rest of the country and its billion-odd population, but one step at a time and all that. [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Microsoft, BesTV partnering on Chinese home entertainment
Microsoft has partnered with Chinese media company BesTV to develop games and related services in China, initially called E-Home Entertainment Development. Microsoft and BesTV are investing a total of $237 million, with BesTV holding a 51 percent stake in the company and Microsoft holding 49 percent, Xinhua reports. Microsoft will choose E-Home's CEO and BesTV will appoint the board chairman, the site says. BesTV is a subsidiary of Shanghai Media Group and has 18 million IPTV subscribers across China, southeast Asia and eastern Europe. The company will likely be registered in the new free trade zone in Shanghai. Theoretically, the free trade zone will allow China to enter the international financial market on a level that is impossible with banks closed at the borders. In January, we reported that China was reconsidering its ban on game consoles, which was enacted in 2000 in the interest of protecting children's development. Microsoft launched a Chinese-language Xbox Live site in August 2012. Other companies have also been looking to the Chinese market, and in July 2012 the PlayStation 3 passed safety certification in China, valid through 2016.
Xiaomi Box launches in a three-city trial on March 19th at a lower price
The Xiaomi Box has had an arduous road to travel before it could go on sale: Chinese regulations reportedly kept it in limbo until local broadcaster iCNTV stepped in this January to get the ball rolling once again. The end is in sight now that a limited trial is set to start on March 19th. Changsha, Hangzhou and Shanghai will get about 10,000 total units of the Android media hub, whose price is dropping from the originally chosen ¥399 ($64) to an extra-frugal ¥299 ($48). The price slash could well make the set-top box that much more alluring, especially when it's still poised to give both Android and iOS users some media sharing love. Could you please hurry up your release plans, Xiaomi?
Confirmed: Apple to open Shanghai R&D center this summer
When Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month, it's possible that part of the trip was spent wrapping up a deal to open a new research and development center there. As China Business News reports (link in Chinese), the company is a lock to open an R&D operation in Pudong, Shanghai this summer. The announcement was made by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, although Apple has yet to issue an official statement regarding its plans. Apple will reportedly pay a yearly 50 million yuan (US$8.03 million) to rent three buildings -- one of which will house the R&D center -- in what the company has called its second-largest market. Rumors have suggested that Apple is also looking to establish a data center in China to service the rapidly expanding territory, but there's no word if the Shanghai site is also being eyed for that purpose. [Via AppleInsider]
Crytek opens new branch in Shanghai
Crytek is putting on its Expansionface, announcing the formation of Crytek Shanghai Software Co. Ltd, the developer's new presence in China (and not just a company that makes Shanghai games).Crytek Shanghai's responsibilities include the "regional operation" of Warface, and the promotion and support of CryEngine in Asia. " We see a lot of potential in the Chinese market, and have learned a lot from the close relationship with our eight existing Chinese Licensees, whose backgrounds range from game development to architecture visualization, and interactive exhibition to serious simulation," Crytek managing director Avni Yerli said.Crytek has previously expressed interest in going entirely free-to-play with all its post-Crysis 3 projects. That business model certainly makes sense for a company hoping to gain a foothold in the Chinese market.
New iPad quietly debuts in China
In contrast to the chaos that has surrounded the release of new Apple devices in China in the past, the third-generation iPad was launched in China today in a very orderly manner. Many credited the serene launch to a new reservation system used by Chinese Apple Stores. Apple allows customers to reserve an iPad through the Apple online store between 9 AM and 12 PM. They are then assigned a time to pick up their iPad the following day. This has reduced the amount of foot traffic around the six official Apple Stores on the Chinese mainland. One IT worker who was the first in line at the Shanghai Lujiazui Apple Store, Sun Xufei, expressed surprise over the fact that there was only a short line. "I thought there was going to be a long line so I came over a bit earlier to pick it up," said Xufei. Back in January, Apple stopped sales of the iPhone 4S on launch day after a large group of customers became unruly after being told that the phone was sold out. [via AppleInsider]
Apple sued by Shanghai firm for allegedly treading on patent with Siri, may say 'ni hao' in court
For all the heat it dishes out elsewhere in the world, Apple has had a hard time catching a break in China -- between having to settle with Proview over the iPad trademark and a recent, smaller dispute over Snow Leopard, it's been primarily on the defensive. The latest rear-guard action is in Shanghai, where Zhi Zhen Internet Technology claims that Siri's voice command charms infringe on a patent used for the Xiao i Robot voice system on phones and the web. We're just hearing about the lawsuit now, but Zhi Zhen insists that it's been long in the making with accusations filed in June and a patent application dating all the way back to 2004. Apple is characteristically silent on how it will tackle the case. We suspect it'll be more than a little eager to fight back in court: in addition to the lawsuit presenting a very conspicuous roadblock to bringing Siri to China with iOS 6, it comes from a company that hasn't been shy about plastering the Siri icon all over its home page.
ZTE Grand X (U970 and N970) and Grand X LTE (T82) hands-on
You may recall that ZTE unveiled its Snapdragon MSM8960-powered Grand X LTE handset (pictured right) just a few days ago, but as it turns out, the original Mimosa X design is still very much alive under that new Grand X moniker, and we were able to play with both Android 4.0 devices at Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai. In fact, there were three models in total, as the Grand X comes in two flavors in China: the U970 for China Mobile comes with 1.2GHz Tegra 2 (yes, Tegra 2), TD-SCDMA radio, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage and a five-megapixel camera; while the identical-looking N970 for China Telecom packs a 1.5GHz MSM8660A, CDMA2000 radio, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, microSD expansion and an eight-megapixel camera. With all the phones attached to various cords we weren't able to get a good sense of their ergonomics, but they were all surprisingly light. In terms of build quality ZTE didn't disappoint, either (at least the casing is certainly a big step up from the Skate), and their 4.3-inch qHD LCDs looked good as well. Oh, and the vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich build flashed onto these devices ran smoothly during our brief hands-on, so hopefully they'll stay that way in the hands of buyers. Help yourself to our photos below. %Gallery-158837% %Gallery-158836%
HP teases new Envy all-in-one printer, glass and metal dotted all over (video)
We all love teasers, so it's rather swell that HP decided to tease its next Envy-branded all-in-one printer at the Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai -- almost two years after introducing the Envy 100. As you can see in the above slide and the extremely brief video teaser after the break, this time round the design will feature a glass control panel, as well as a metal scan bar and a metal hinge under the scanner's see-through lid. Pretty hot, we'd say, and looking back at the Envy 14 Spectre which shares similar elements, this certainly sets a good example of how the new Printing and Personal Systems Group is already bringing a better design consistency across what used to be two different groups. For now, stay tuned for more info.
HP takes print away from town for seven days, laughs at 'print is dead' claim (updated)
With e-books and digital subscription of magazines and newspapers becoming the new hot, many are sending off the message that print is gradually losing or has even already lost to its digital counterpart, while others argue that print is far from dead. Needless to say, being one of the leading manufacturers of printers, HP took the "print is dead" claim quite personally -- and perhaps too literally. How so? Well, the company commissioned a project that got participants in the US, India and Singapore to live without printed materials -- including newspapers, books, labels, packaging, ID cards and even some clothes -- for two days. Understandably, those folks had quite a tough time, but HP certainly proved that "the role of print is vastly underestimated" and that "true print deprivation was impossible." If you think that's an overkill, just you wait: HP and renowned photographer Chase Jarvis even went as far as getting a Wisconsin town called Spring Green to undergo a similar experiment, but for a duration of seven days. The entire project will be presented in a video documentary called 7 Days Without Print, and ahead of its premiere at Guggenheim Museum in New York on June 14, we were shown an exclusive trailer for said movie at HP's Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai. For the sake of those poor participants, do check out the clip right after the break. Update: Sorry folks, but we've been asked to remove the trailer as it's not ready for public viewing yet, but we'll put up the official version once it's out.
Visualized: HP's all-in-one PCs over the years, one from 1983
HP's TouchSmart sub-brand and its other AIOs should be no stranger to many PC advocates, but in case you've never come across one before, the company's laid all of them out on one side of its Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai. Models range from the TouchSmart IQ770 launched back in 2007, all the way to the recently shipped Z1 workstation and even the just-announced t410 Smart Zero Client; but the real gem of the booth is that little beige HP 150 right in the middle -- it's one of the first-ever touchscreen PCs, dating back to 1983, powered by an 8MHz Intel 8088 chip, ran MS-DOS and cost a mere $3,995. Whilst on the topic, HP's Vice President of Industrial Design Stacy Wolff shared some interesting stats: his team found that much like laptops, there are very different screen size preferences across different regions, with the US showing strong interest in 20-inch and 23-inch HP AIOs, whereas China much prefers 20-inch over 21.5-inch and 23-inch. With the big jump in AIO market penetration in each region between 2008 to 2012 (almost doubled in Japan and the US; and an even bigger leap for other markets), HP predicts that these machines will continue to steadily increase market penetration across more price points -- this was illustrated with what it conveniently calls the "AIO wedge" on a chart. Feel free to take a gander at our gallery for more tidbits.
HP t410 AIO Smart Zero Client does single-wire Power over Ethernet, no power cord required
Now, we don't normally cover this sort of networking equipment, but we were quite impressed by HP's new t410 All-in-One Smart Zero Client after we spoke to its proud product manager Walt Jurek. First of all, this isn't an AIO desktop PC, nor is it an LCD monitor -- well, if you're unfamiliar with thin clients, just think of this as an 18.5-inch, 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit monitor (featuring a 3M technology for the 200 nit brightness -- our money's on the Uniformity Tape) that uses just one Ethernet cable to get both its 13W power from a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch, as well as data connection over Citrix, Microsoft or VMWare protocol. The t410 can automatically detect the virtualization environment and then reprogram its digital signal processor when needed, meaning less manual work for the admin (in theory, anyway). More after the break.
Meg Whitman: HP's engineering is very much still alive, aims to be cloud computing leader
HP sure knows how to wrap up a party -- by letting its CEO make a surprise appearance right at the end of the show. Joining Todd Bradley on the stage, Meg Whitman reassured the audience with her company's "commitment to fantastic products," and that "engineering is very much still alive from HP." In regards to the recent merger of HP's Imaging and Printing Group with Personal Systems Group (which changed this week's show entirely), Meg -- who's a big believer in focus -- is confident that Todd's new team will deliver a united brand and a unified design language, thus making the PC business stronger with the best customer experience and customer support. Additionally, Meg seems to be getting along just fine with the board, saying that they are deeply engaged to plot a brighter future for HP. Under Meg's supervision, HP is doubling down on R&D and incubation, as well as aiming to be a leader in cloud computing (she claims that HP is already the largest provider of private cloud services) and security by bringing a full host of benefits that the competitors lack. When asked about HP's mobile and tablet strategy, Todd skirted around by emphasizing the happy partnership between HP and Microsoft on tablets, but he also said that markets evolve and change all the time, and that his company's well aware of the differences between the needs of enterprises or small businesses and the needs of consumers. So in other words, stay tuned.
HP's most popular laptop screen sizes: 15-inch in the US, 14-inch in China
Here's another interesting tidbit from today's HP event in Shanghai: according to Kevin Frost, Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Notebooks Business Unit, 15-inch is currently the most popular laptop screen size in the US, while the folks in China prefer 14-inch offerings. Oddly enough, Kevin wasn't keen on explaining this phenomenon, but he added that 17-inch laptops also do well in Europe and the US, but not in China.
HP on laptop design similarities with Apple's: it's a struggle as we drive to simplicity
HP's spent the afternoon here in Shanghai to share some details about its latest products and strategy, and to our delight, there was one session dedicated to "Style Meets Function," during which Vice President of Industrial Design Stacy Wolff talked about his design philosophy and design goals for the current market. Most notably, we learned that some of HP's latest laptop designs were based on the work of its research centers from 11 different cities, and the company isn't afraid of admitting that it used consultants for an outside perspective as well. Despite Stacy's upbeat presentation and interesting stats (apparently these days men have a boring color preference, from first to fourth favorite: black, gray, blue and white), the inevitable question popped up: One lady expressed her concern that the brand-spanking-new Envy Spectre XT reminded her of the MacBook Air a lot, so she wondered if HP's ever worried that Apple might sue. Stacy kept his initial reply pretty brief: "I would go back to the TC1000 [Tablet PC] from about 10 years, and that's a tablet. I think if you look at the new Spectre XT, there are similarities in a way, not due to Apple but due to the way technologies developed. Apple may like to think that they own silver, but they don't. In no way did HP try to mimic Apple. In life there are a lot of similarities." As always, we wanted more from the horse's mouth, so we grabbed hold of Stacy right after the session and had a little chat over this topic -- you can see the full and surprisingly candid interview after the break.
Live from HP's Global Influencer Summit 2012 in Shanghai!
Good evening or good morning, wherever you are. We've just sat down at HP's Global Influencer Summit 2012 in Shanghai and will be seeing what the company's got up its sleeves for the rest of the year, so sit back, relax, and enjoy our liveblog right after the break.
NVIDIA says 'it's coming,' won't say what 'it' is
Ooo! It's coming! What is? We don't know, but we're excited anyway. NVIDIA has a teaser up informing us that at 7:30 pm, Pacific time, on April 28th it will have something special to announce. The venue will be the GeForce LAN / NVIDIA Gaming Festival 2012 in Shanghai -- which leads us to believe there might be a GPU announcement in store for us. Though, we wouldn't write off a Tegra reveal entirely. So, which will it be? You'll just have to check back in Saturday to find out.
