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TikTok-owner Bytedance reveals its first smartphone
The rumored smartphone by TikTok's owner ByteDance is now available. The Nut Jianguo Pro 3 is ByteDance's first smartphone. It's a continuation of work by the Chinese phone maker Smartisan (which partially explains the name), and it's being released under the Smartisan brand.
TikTok's parent company confirms plans for a smartphone
Yes, the company behind TikTok really is making a smartphone. ByteDance has confirmed that's producing a handset in a "continuation" of a project from Chinese phone maker Smartisan. Details of the phone itself are scarce, but ByteDance had obtained both patents and some staff from Smartisan before this. You'll see the outside influence in this design, then.
TikTok's creator is reportedly making a smartphone
TikTok's owner ByteDance may have grander ambitions than chat apps and streaming music -- Financial Times tipsters have claimed that the company is working on its own smartphone. The device would draw on acquired patents and talent from Chinese phone maker Smartisan, and would unsurprisingly come loaded with ByteDance apps. The rumor didn't include specs or a launch schedule, although founder Zhang Yiming had supposedly "long dreamt" of a phone, according to one source.
Smartisan's T2 phone is all about metal and minimalism
You may not have heard of Smartisan before, but this Chinese smartphone maker is already three-and-a-half years old and has released two devices so far: the premium T1 and the budget-friendly U1, both of which featuring an insanely long list of unique UI tricks that left us smiling. All good things take time: 19 months after its first flagship model, Smartisan is finally back with a fancy metallic upgrade, the T2, and this time it's less about specs, but more about refining the design in favor of minimalism. No power button, no exposed screws, no visible SIM tray and, most interestingly, no plastic bands on the smooth and subtly rounded aluminum frame. This seamless bezel alone is apparently the outcome of 588 days of research and development, so it's no wonder that this is also a first for Chinese smartphones.
A unique twist on Android for broke college kids
For those who still remember, it's been well over a year since China's Smartisan launched the T1, which turned out to be a surprisingly good effort from the teacher-turned-entrepreneur, Luo Yonghao. Today, the startup has finally launched its second Android device, the U1 aka JianGuo (which means "nuts" in Chinese), to cater to the younger audience with an 899 yuan (about $140) base price. That's about the same as the Redmi Note 2, though some may find this to be a more fun design with what's arguably a more intuitive interface, as we first saw back in April 2013.
Year of the Goat: 11 Chinese smartphone brands to watch
2014 had been a wonderful year for the ever-competitive Chinese smartphone market. We saw the birth of new brands, the record of world's thinnest phone broken three times, and a couple of companies entering India with great reception (although not without some struggle). So with MWC following right after Chinese New Year, what better way to celebrate both than to look at the top Chinese smartphone brands? Granted, not all of these companies will be on the show floor next week (not Xiaomi or Oppo, for instance), but there's no stopping us from saying "ni hao" to them, anyway.
Smartisan's CEO wants to be the next 'Steve Jobs of China'
Xiaomi's regular channeling of Apple -- from its stage presentations all the way to disguising Aperture's icon as a phone's camera -- has earned its CEO Lei Jun the "Steve Jobs of China" nickname. Or rather, "Lei Bu Si," a Chinese combination of "Lei" and "Jobs." It's also a double entendre -- something along the lines of "endless shocks" -- that mocks Xiaomi's aggressive marketing. It's no wonder Lei hates the comparison. Fortunately for Lei there's another Chinese CEO gunning for that title. Meet Luo Yonghao, an English teacher turned founder and CEO of smartphone startup, Smartisan, with designs on being the next great tech visionary.
Meet the Smartisan T1, a surprisingly unique Android phone from China
A little over a year ago, a fresh Chinese startup by the name of Smartisan ("smart" and "artisan" combined) showed off its first work: the Android-based Smartisan OS. What caught our attention was its truly unique UI and insanely thoughtful UX features, so naturally, we had very high expectations for the company's own hardware back then. At long last, the Smartisan T1 phone was unveiled in front of some 5,000 people -- along with 2.74 million online viewers -- at the two-hour long event earlier this week, and despite the usual flagship-level specs, it was still full of nice surprises. Don't be mistaken: unlike the low-cost, high-end devices from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nubia and other young Chinese brands, the T1 isn't about affordability; it's positioned as a more premium smartphone with much more differentiation. How so? Read on to find out.
Smartisan OS goes pre-alpha, available for international Galaxy S III only (video)
You may recall that a Chinese startup dubbed Smartisan promised to offer its first custom Android ROM on June 15th. Well, the time has come and the company stuck to its word, but there's a catch: the software is currently still in pre-alpha status, so it's neither stable nor speedy -- definitely not recommended for daily use just yet. That said, the release apparently includes most of the features demonstrated at the three-hour-long launch event. The other catch is that you'll need an international Samsung Galaxy S III (i9300, WCDMA) plus Windows (presumably non-RT) to flash this early version of Smartisan OS. If you're game then head to the source link for the download and the instructions (but in Chinese). If not, you can wait for the upcoming release for the HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S II, Xiaomi Phone 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Or you can just wait for Smartisan's very own phone due next year, if you don't mind testing your patience. Update: Someone's already made a quick hands-on video in Chinese. We've got it right after the break.