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iPhone 5 launches in mainland China and Taiwan today, lines show up as usual
While the iPhone 5's been out for some time already, it wasn't until today that our friends in China and Taiwan (along with many other countries) can finally buy the device locally. Since midnight local time, several carriers and shops welcomed customers with balloons, drinks and even musical performance. But in the case of Apple Stores in China, the lines were much shorter than before as interested buyers have to first make an online reservation, before trekking to the stores once they are notified -- a policy no doubt welcomed by residents of bitterly cold Beijing at this time of the year. On top of that, both China Unicom and China Telecom are simultaneously offering the iPhone 5 -- with WCDMA or CDMA radio, respectively -- alongside several tariff options. In China, the unsubsidized iPhone 5 starts from ¥5,288 or about $850. Our brethren in Taipei went to check out the various shops today and saw warm reception for the iPhone 5 launch as well, with Chunghwa Telecom getting the most attention, followed by local resellers Studio A and Data Express. Including tax, the Taiwanese iPhone 5 starts from NT$21,900 or about $750 unsubsidized. More pics after the break.
25-man raids have harder challenges and better rewards on Asian realms
The European raiding team Method had a chance to interview Ion Hazzikostas, World of Warcraft's Lead Encounter Designer. Most of the discussion centered around the recently released item upgrade system that came in patch 5.1. One of the more interesting tidbits is how item rewards and raids are slightly different in Asia compared to the European and North American regions. Ion Hazzikostas How does the upgrading system work on the Asian servers? From what I have seen their items are upgradable not 2, but 4 times. Won't this result in a problem while tuning the bosses of the next content? Ion: The way it works in Asia, we actually use the upgrade system to create the distinction between 10 player and 25 player that we previously announced for 5.1. So in Korea, Taiwan and China, when you kill a boss in 25 player mode, it drops an item that is already 2/4. So instead of 496, it drops as 504 but can be upgraded 2 more times, so effectively they are 8 ilvls higher but you are still only upgrading any item twice. The other thing that is changed in 5.1, is actually that all 25 player bosses have 8% more health and do 8% more damage, than they do in the US or Europe. It is a bit more like the Wrath of the Lich King system, where 25man is just harder and drops higher item level loot but in theory doing 25 player with 25 player loot in Asia should be the same as doing 25 with 25 loot in Europe/US. source Items that drop in 10-man raids have 0/2 upgrades. Items that drop in 25 man raids have 2/4 upgrades. This is similar to the Wrath of the Lich King model of rewards. Blizzard has already stressed that Asian realms aren't used as "experimental realms" for possible system changes in other regions around the world. In other words, it isn't likely that we'll see these types of reward systems in place anytime soon. But it's an interesting solution to the whole 10 man vs 25 man raiding issue and logistics incentives. The interview dove into other topics such as: Brawler's Guild Dominance Offensive Current raiding discussion To those of you who play on Asian realms, we'd love to hear from you regarding your raiding experiences and this reward structure. 25-man raids seems to be the dominant raiding format compared to 10-man raids in that region. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Massively Exclusive: Uncharted Waters Online sails to China
This past month, the captains and admirals at Uncharted Waters Online have made an incredible discovery: a brand-new continent called El Oriente. This update expands the game world to include China and Taiwan, additional trade goods and dungeons, and plenty of Oriental-themed ships. To uncover all of El Oriente's secrets, Tecmo Koei's Director of Production Takeda Tomakazu has a look at the update and the real-world history behind it. Hit the jump for this exclusive dev diary!
HTC One X sees Jelly Bean rollout in Taiwan and Singapore, One S update reportedly coming soon
We've known for months that HTC intends to upgrade the One X to Jelly Bean, but now it appears the update is finally going live, at least for folks in Taiwan. Members of the XDA Developers forum are chiming in about a 352.87MB OTA update that's available within both HTC's home country and Singapore, which brings Android 4.1.1 and HTC Sense 4+ to the One X. Jelly Bean's appearance for the handset matches an earlier report from Engadget Chinese of an incoming update promised by HTC Taiwan. According to PocketDroid, general manager of HTC North Asia, Jack Tong, announced that One X users within Asia will see the update begin to roll today, and that the One S will also receive Jelly Bean a tad later. We've reached out to HTC to verify Mr. Tong's comments, and for clarification of specific regions throughout Asia. [Thanks, Ryan]
Rara.com expands to iOS, Windows 8 and more countries
Rara.com has been mighty busy since its luddite-friendly music streaming service launched at the end of last year, and now it's reporting the outcome of those 10 months of toil. In addition to an improved web experience and new Android widget, an AirPlay-compatible app for iOS is now available, with software for Windows 8 arriving alongside its launch. Rara's 18 million tracks haven't only invaded other platforms, but other countries, too -- residents of Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa and Portugal have joined the party, bringing the total number of compatible countries to 27. Lenovo is also getting a piece of the action, as a worldwide agreement means Rara software will now come pre-installed on the manufacturer's Android tablets and Windows 8 gear. Want to hear more about Rara's recent accomplishments? Then head for the PR after the break.
HTC One S 'special edition' comes draped in white, boasts 64GB of storage
HTC previously showed off a special edition One X geared toward fashionistas in New York City, and now it's time for a slightly lesser-specced member of the numero uno family to get a somewhat similar treatment -- we're talking about the One S. And while the most noticeable characteristic of this "special edition" slab is obviously its new white livery, HTC has also made internal improvements by loading the 4.3-inch device with 64GB of internal storage -- which should pair nicely alongside that 1.5GHz, dual-core S4 CPU and 1GB RAM. The only bad news is this unicorn type is expected to only be available in Taiwan, and mum's the word on when, or if, it'll ever make a trip outside the company's home turf.
ASUS PadFone 2 hands-on in Taipei (updated with video)
Well look at this! Our lucky buddies over at Engadget Chinese managed to get an early hands-on with the brand-spanking new PadFone 2 from ASUS. As we mentioned earlier, the bulkiness of the original model is totally gone and we're still blown away by the combo's new weight. But first, the phone: in our hands, it really just feels like an enlarged version of the original PadFone, especially with the ripple pattern on the back, as well as the plastic chin at the bottom along with the slightly tapered aluminum bezel. We do love the new and larger Super IPS+ screen, which is much sharper than the old PenTile Super AMOLED display, and it no doubt has better outdoor performance as well. Additionally, the Android soft keys are no longer virtual -- you can access them below the screen at any time, and we dig that. While docking the phone into or pulling it out of the PadFone Station is hardly a challenge, there's some sort of magic that keeps the phone tucked into the bay no matter how hard our pals shook the tablet upside down (please don't try this at home) -- the geared rubber grip along the two sides of the bay are somehow responsible for this. The back of the PadFone Station has a rubbery texture that's essentially identical to its predecessor's, making it just as comfortable to hold, but only time will tell how durable the coating is. Software-wise it's just as snappy on the tablet as it is on the phone, and we noticed the switch between phone mode and tablet mode is now a tad quicker as well. It'll probably be easier to see once we have our English hands-on video, so stay tuned. Update: We've finally managed to upload our hands-on video -- it's right after the break. Watch how we kept shaking the PadFone Station upside down and the phone still stayed inside its bay (again, don't do this at home, kids!). Also, we have a demo of the phone's Instant Dictionary feature. It's very handy. Update 2: We've just been informed that the magical grip mechanism in the docking bay took over two years to develop. Nice one, ASUS!
ASUS PadFone 2 vs PadFone 1... hang out!
While getting their hands dirty with the ASUS PadFone 2, our guys over at Engadget Chinese also had the chance to compare it with the OG PadFone, and they came back with a generous batch of side-by-side shots. Here you can see how the phone itself is almost just a scaled-up copy of its predecessor, while the new PadFone Station slate loses some body fat by shedding the original docking bay cover, and we're certain that the battery has become denser and lighter as well to achieve this amazing diet -- we're talking about losing just over 200g here! Also apparent is the new 13-pin dock connector (MHL plus concurrent data, display and power) at the bottom of both the phone and the tablet. For the rest, we shall let your eyes do the work in the gallery below. Enjoy!
ASUS PadFone 2 unveiled in Taiwan, boasts quad-core CPU, LTE, NFC and lighter tablet (video)
Today's no doubt a big day for ASUS: while chairman Jonney Shih is gearing up to introduce the PadFone 2 in Milan later today, we just saw CEO Jerry Shen wowing the crowd with the same phone-in-tablet combo back in Taipei. Just as the recent leaks have shown, ASUS' surprisingly quick follow-up to the original PadFone is simply bigger and better in many ways, notably with a screen upgrade to 4.7-inch 720p Super IPS+ panel (with up to 550nits brightness thanks to Sharp's efficient IGZO LTPS technology), Qualcomm's awesome quad-core APQ8064 SoC instead of its dual-core sibling, 13-megapixel f/2.4 BSI sensor from Sony, 1.2-megapixel front camera, and a much slimmer PadFone Station slate -- partly because it no longer features a docking bay cover! New owners will be greeted by Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but ASUS promises a Jelly Bean upgrade soon. There's much more than meets the eyes so read on to find out more. Update: We've been notified that the phone's display is of the more mature LTPS nature instead of IGZO. %Gallery-168424%
TPA takes home trophy in League of Legends World Championship
Taiwan team Taipei Assassins won the League of Legends World Championship on Saturday, walking away with the $1 million grand prize. TPA includes members Chen Hui Chung (MiSTakE), Kurtis Lau (Toyz), Alex Sung (Lilballz), Cheng Bo Wei (Bebeisadog) and Wang June Tsan (Stanley). But you can just call them "The Champions."TPA defeated South Korean team Azubu Frost in the final round. The League of Legends World Championship tournament saw a snowball of delays, beginning with "connectivity issues" and concluding with reports of cheating. Riot Games issued multiple "unsportsmanlike conduct" warnings and slapped one player, Azubu Frost's Woong, with a $30,000 fine (20 percent of the $150,000 prize for advancing to the semifinals).Still, the tournament ended on time and with a clear winner. Congratulations, TPA, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Taiwan asks Apple to obscure radar defense system in iOS 6 Maps
Another day, another complaint about iOS 6 Maps. Today, the Taiwanese government is asking Apple to obscure details of a new radar system near Hsinchu Air Base on the island that appear in satellite images. Apple's doing nothing illegal; it's just a request to have Apple use lower-resolution images in the map of this area. While we don't know exactly where the radar system is or what it looks like, a quick look at the Hsinchu Air Base in both iOS 6 Maps and Google Maps shows that the Apple images are already at a bit lower resolution than the Google images. In the Google Maps image, I was able to easily discern Taiwanese F-16 fighters sitting next to a taxiway (below). The iOS 6 Maps images (above) were less sharp, although I was able to tell the difference between an F-16, what appears to be F-5E or F, and a Mirage 2000 on a taxiway. A post on The Verge notes that Google has been asked to obscure images before in the past, so this similar request to Apple is nothing out of the ordinary. For the Maps team, it's probably just another few hours of overtime.
Just Mobile talks about working with Apple and why it manufactures in Taiwan exclusively
For the average Joe that have managed to stay out of the Apple circle, the Just Mobile brand might not immediately ring a bell, but chances are you would've come across one of its peripheral designs at some point. The only problem is unless you knew the company in the first place, you'd easily assume that the aluminum or even plastic knock-offs are just based on generic designs, because there are simply too many of them. It's no wonder Just Mobile co-founders Nils Gustafsson and Erich Huang take imitations of all forms very personally (especially the ones they and their lawyers see at CES), but fortunately, we were spared from prolonged ranting when we visited the duo's office in Taichung, Taiwan recently. What we were treated to instead was an insight into how an accessory maker works with Apple and why Just Mobile manufactures exclusively in Taiwan, as well as getting a preview of the upcoming AluRack, HeadStand and AluBase that are due out this month.
Daily Update for October 1, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Taiwan information minister chastised for promoting iPhone 5
When you're in politics, even the most innocuous statement -- or Facebook post -- can land you in hot water. That's what Hu Yu-wei, Taiwan's information minister and a government spokesperson, discovered on Sunday when he posted a photo of an iPhone 5 on his personal Facebook page. Hu's post seemed to be the typical type of thing you'd see on Facebook, with a picture of Apple's latest handset and the words "Help the economy and bolster consumption" underneath. That seemingly harmless statement set off a firestorm in Taiwan, both in the media and on the Internet. Why? Many consider it to be a slap in the face to HTC Corp, a major Taiwanese tech company. HTC includes Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou as a major fan, and he often gives HTC smartphones to visiting foreign dignitaries. After being accused of being unpatriotic, Hu reported that he uses an HTC One, but was considering possibly purchasing an iPhone 5. The Taiwanese press appears to have ignored the fact that the iPhone 5 uses many components made in Taiwan and that Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group assembles the phones in China. However, HTC's diminishing sales have been pointed out as a reason why Taiwan's exports have declined for the last half-year, and economics minister Shih Yen-hsiang has made public pronouncements that citizens should buy HTC products.
Fusion Garage's Grid 10 just won't die, preparing comeback as Compal's Smart Pad PBJ40
Usually, once a gadget gets canned it either just disappears or it ends up stumbling back under a different brand. Because, you know, some unfortunate manufacturer may have an orphaned stock to get rid of, or maybe it doesn't want to waste the expensive tooling developed for the failed product. Either way, judging by a fresh NCC (Taiwan's FCC, basically) filing dug up by our brethren over at Engadget Chinese, it looks like the Grid 10 from the now-defunct Fusion Garage may well crawl out of its grave just like that. While there's still the "Grid 10" branding on the back of the tablet, the two-day-old NCC document recognizes Compal as the company brand (presumably it was Fusion Garage's OEM partner for this), and there's also a new but rather mundane name for the device: "Smart Pad," model "PBJ40." Sadly, there's not much else to look at here apart from the vanilla Android Froyo or Gingerbread (instead of Grid OS) sighting in the pics, as well as the Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n WiFi mention. So the question is: what will Compal do with this Smart Pad? Resurrect Fusion Garage in Taiwan? Unlikely (though Chandra does like to surprise people). Offload the lot to Taiwanese carriers or stores? We'll bet our money on that.
BenQ: We're not going back to cellphones and laptops, but check out our luxury lamps!
There was a time when the BenQ brand could be seen on laptops and mobile phones, but nowadays you'd have to turn your eyes to projectors, LCD monitors and cameras (in select markets) in order to spot it. If you're in China, you might have even come across the gigantic BenQ Medical Center in Nanjing. That's right, a hospital; and later this year BenQ will be opening another one in Suzhou, which is where the company's Chinese operation is based. Interesting times, right? But as to whether BenQ has any intention to re-enter the two mobile markets in the near future, the answer is a firm "no."
Visualized: 50 shades of Nexus, by ASUS
ASUS is never shy at showing off its creative side. At Taiwan Designers' Week last Sunday, we spotted the company's above art installation dubbed "Palette": a mesmerizing circle of 50 overlapping Nexus 7 back covers, each in its very own shade of color. Interestingly, all of these were actually used in the development process of Google's Nexus 7, which just goes to show the kind of mad dedication ASUS had put into the joint project. But wait, there's more! To match the event's "Flow" theme this year, ASUS decided to also show off parts of the design process that determined the final appearance of its other hero products -- hence the title "Becoming" for the booth's own theme. For instance, much like what the company's lovely Michelle Hsiao showed us on the Engadget Show, the booth again featured a handful of tablet chassis parts and dummies (mainly of PadFone, Zenbook, Transformer Prime and a 7-inch device) at different stages of their development, complemented by a generous selection of colors and finishes. Only this time the designers used some of them to create gradient wall art that we wouldn't mind having at home. Check them out after the break.
HTC's waterproof, WiMAX-capable J handset now available in Hong Kong and Taiwan
Not to be outdone by Motorola and Nokia, HTC's quietly trying to steal some of the competition's thunder by unexpectedly outing a not-for-sale, fashion-driven variant of the One X and now with the announcement that its 4.3-inch waterproof J handset will be heading to a couple more Asian markets. Of course, let's not forget the Taiwanese outfit also has something else to show us at an upcoming special event in NYC. But, regardless of what we'll "see next," the J's actually here -- well, in Japan -- and with eyes set on Hong Kong and Taiwan next, making this the first time that Sense 4-loaded device is headed outside the Land of the Rising Sun. Just a quick recap: the HTC J comes with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8660A, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, qHD PenTile OLED display, eight-megapixel camera and 1,810mAh battery. As for connectivity, you get quad-band GSM, WCDMA 2,100MHz, CDMA2000 800MHz and WiMAX 2.5-2.7GHz (for Japan and Taiwan only) radios, making it a fairly nice all-rounder albeit with limited regional compatibility for each of the faster connections. Oh, and about that waterproofing business: KDDI doesn't actually list it as a waterproof device, but HTC informed us that while the J meets global standards for waterproofing, it is not marketed as such in Japan due to particular criteria required by said carrier. We shall add more info here if HTC has more to say about this. At any rate, Hong Kong folks will be able to pick up this waterproof device for HK$4,498 (about $580) unsubsidized, whereas Taiwan will have to wait until the press event next Tuesday for tariff details on Taiwan Mobile. For now, we got you a video of the J going for a swim after the break. You know, just for kicks. Richard Lai contributed to this report.
Mainland China, Taiwan send first data over direct fiber optic link, take steps towards peace and harmony
Relations between mainland China and Taiwan haven't always been what you'd call warm, even with many companies having a footprint in both regions. Consider the first bursts of network traffic from a newly active connection as olive branches: a pair of undersea fiber optic cables running between southern China's Xiamen and the Taiwan-claimed Kinmen island chain represent the first truly direct data link between the two sides. Built by China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, the link both has its share of diplomatic symbolism as well as the very practical advantage of a faster, more reliable route -- there's no globetrotting required to get data and voice to their destinations, and there's fewer chances of blackouts if a boat inadvertently slices a cable. We wouldn't go so far as to call it a Happily Ever After for either faction after decades of tension, but it does at least provide a greater semblance of normalcy to their communication. [Image credit: Aine Hickey, Wikitravel]
British Telecom says it's 'highly likely' to write off OnLive stake
British Telecom has reported that it is "highly likely" to simply write off the 2.6 percent stake it invested in the recently rebooted cloud computing service, OnLive. The issue isn't yet settled, but a BT spokesperson told TechRadar that "the 2.6 percent shareholding in OnLive does not represent a significant investment for BT as a whole. We consider it highly likely that we'll have to write off our investment."HTC also made a $40 million investment in OnLive, and it has already reported to the Taiwanese Stock Exchange that it considers the money written off. With all of OnLive's assets being transferred to form a new company, getting compensated for their investments may be more trouble than it's worth for both HTC and BT.But the book isn't closed just yet – BT says it will "keep a close eye on developments" with OnLive, and that current customers who are able to access the service can continue to do so for the time being.
