You Can Now Stick a QR Codes on Chinese Tombstones

Randy Cheung, Mar 30, 2013 3:17 AM, 389 views, 1 Comment »,

Chinese mourners now have a new way to remember their loved ones who have passed on by scanning QR codes that are displayed on tombstones. Through the use of QR codes that are displayed on a tombstone, Chinese smartphone users can scan and learn more about the individual’s past and what they did while they were alive. This high tech feature is now available on tombstones located at the Shengjiang cemetery in Shenyang, capital of north-east Liaoning province in China. According to the cemetery manager, there are already over 10 people who have signed up for the brand new service to have the barcodes added to the tombstones …

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Top Chinese University in Shanghai Linked to China Military Unit on Cyber-spying

Star Chang, Mar 26, 2013 6:56 PM, 241 views, Got something to say ?,

In a finding uncovered by Reuters, a research connection has turned up between Shanghai Jiaotong University and the People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398, suspected of participation in cyberattacks on the West. PLA Unit 61398 is well-known after a report was released by security firm Mandiant which stated that an “overwhelming” number of cyberattacks originate from the single unit located in Shanghai. The international news agency has discovered at least three research papers on cyber warfare co-authored by professors at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and members of PLA Unit 61398. According to the school’s Web site, they have been credited with developing China’s leading cyberattack platform. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any of these academic parties are actively involved in cybercrime or military operations …

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The Rise of Chinese OEM, BYD is Making HP Slate 7

Star Chang, Mar 23, 2013 1:00 PM, 457 views, 1 Comment »,

HP has chosen China’s BYD Electronic Company to be its original equipment manufacturer for producing its new Slate 7 tablet. BYD, the well-known Chinese manufacturer for automobiles and rechargeable batteries, is one of the Chinese supplier for Apple too. The aluminum back shell of first-gen iPad was made by BYD. The company also produces handset components including microelectronics, keypad, shell and module. In recent years, electronics manufacturers from Taiwan such as Hon Hai (Foxconn) and Quanta Computer have secured the majority of OEM orders for global tablet brands. HP move is a sign of leveling the playing field between Taiwan and China’s OEM manufacturers …

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China Builds its Own National Operating System Around Ubuntu

Star Chang, Mar 22, 2013 11:55 PM, 476 views, Got something to say ?,

The Chinese government is building an operating system based on the open source OS Ubuntu. The software department of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, announced that Ubuntu would be a new reference architecture for an OS targeted at the Chinese market. Working with Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, the authorities plan to release the Ubuntu 13.04-based Kylin desktop OS next month, with plans to extend the Kylin OS to other platforms at a later date. The first release of the Ubuntu Kylin OS will include features and applications that cater for the Chinese market. Features include Chinese input methods and Chinese calendars, a new weather indicator and Chinese music search. Future releases will include integration with Baidu maps and shopping service Taobao, payment processing for Chinese banks, and real-time train and flight information ..

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Is China Sending Chinese James Bond to Spy on NASA ?

Star Chang, Mar 22, 2013 10:16 AM, 559 views, 1 Comment »,

Bo Jiang, a Chinese research scientist working as a aerospace contractor at Hampton, VA, was arrested on suspicion of planning to bring sensitive technical information back to his home country of China. The Chinese national worked on contract at NASA’s Langley’s Research Center. He was charged with making false statements to U.S. authorities by failing to disclose all of the electronic devices he was carrying on his one-way flight. The chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA suggested that Jiang was in possession of information that would be useful to the Chinese military …

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Major Chinese Handsets Fail to Meet China’s Safety Standards

Randy Cheung, Mar 21, 2013 12:18 PM, 439 views, Got something to say ?,

The Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Industry & Commerce of China has announced the result of its spot check for 36 different mobile phones in the market. Twenty-seven of them were unqualified, failing to pass the battery heating test which is one of the critical safety benchmarks. Surprisingly all Chinese mobile brands are in the list, which include Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE, TCL, Hisense, Vivo, Coolpad and K-Touch. All the sample products were collected from authorized retail outlets of China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – the country’s major telecom operators. Tests were carried out on the products’ general function, battery capability and quality of chargers, and it has been found that most of the defective phones could not pass the heat exposure as required by the national standard …

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Major Chinese Smartphone Makers Face Production Difficulty Due to Components Shortage

Randy Cheung, Mar 21, 2013 6:08 AM, 499 views, 2 Comments »,

Chinese handset vendor Yulong, better known as Coolpad, is worried that the company will be unable to meet the heavy demand for its products because its suppliers will not be able to produce enough components. Coolpad may be a virtual unknown in the west, but in China here, it’s a major smartphone maker besting Apple’s iPhone and Nokia in 2012. The problem stems from the unexpectedly strong sales of smartphones in Chinese market. Many domestic phone makers have begun seeking a 5-inch hi-definition (1080p) screen for their phones, after Samsung’s Note2, which uses such a screen, became a hit worldwide. But screen makers could not expand their production lines overnight, which has resulted in the serious shortage. Other shortage includes 12-magepixel camera module and 16GB ROM chips. OPPO and Xiaomi, two of the rising Chinese smartphone makers, are also concerning the slow expand of component production couldn’t catch up the market demand. HTC, whose Butterfly phone exceeded Apple’s iPhone in sales in Japan in the first week after its debut, could not meet the demand too for its product because of the scarcity of components. Last week, HTC confirmed that its flagship One phone will be shipping late. Look like every manufactures are having the same difficulty in securing adequate phone components while competing with Apple and Samsung.

Microsoft Taps Popular China Shopping Site to Push More Windows Phone and Tablet

Randy Cheung, Mar 19, 2013 6:10 PM, 310 views, Got something to say ?,

After launching its own Chinese online store last year, Microsoft has opted to partner with popular Chinese seller Tmall to launch another online store in the region. The new partnership will see over 50 products made available on Microsoft’s Tmall store, including Surface, Office, Windows Phone, and other hardware and accessories. Tmall is ran by Alibaba.com, the country most influential e-commerce company. The business-to-consumer shopping site handles goods for more than 50,000 merchants, including major brands like Dell, Lenovo and Samsung. Tmall is a popular destination for Chinese consumers. The significant move is expected to help boost Windows Phone sales in Chinese market, as well as Microsoft’s new Surface tablet. Surface RT has been reportedly off to a slow start worldwide, the market share amounted to only 1 percent in China market, and Nokia couldn’t deliver enough Windows Phone device for Chinese customer. Right now, Android Handsets dominate in China, while Apple maintains its niche in the high-end segment, leaving only little room for Windows-based phones. We’re just hoping the additional online outlets can help to increase Microsoft’s prospects in China.

Chinese RSS Reader Service to Benefit from Google Reader Exit

Randy Cheung, Mar 19, 2013 5:11 AM, 150 views, 2 Comments »,

Google Reader has a loyal following, but over the years usage has declined. User in China will have their needs served by several Chinese firms which said they are able to provide alternative services after the search giant announced they will be shutting down the service in July. The Google Reader service, known as the most popular RSS (really simple syndication) reader, allows users to subscribe to interesting blog entries, news headlines, audio and video with automatic updates. Google Reader fans in China expressed disappointment about the pending closure online which spread widely on Chinese social media. Xianguo.com, a Chinese internet firm which provides RSS reader service, said Google’s exit has brought them business opportunities in China. Google will allows users to transfer their subscriptions and personal setup from Google Reader to third-party RSS readers like Xianguo. Xianguo (literally it means ‘fresh fruit’ in Chinese) is quite popular in China internet world, its sharing features and integration with Chinese social networks is top notch. As for the outside world, foreign user are mostly moving to Feedly.

Korean Game Maker Com2us Partners with OPPO to Expand in China

Star Chang, Mar 17, 2013 8:58 PM, 184 views, Got something to say ?,

Korean game developer Com2us announced a partnership with OPPO on mobile gaming development in China. Com2us is aggressively strengthening its presence in China right now. The Korean company is shining itself in the Chinese market with outstanding game qualities and localization strategies. Slice It, Swing Shot and Inotia series are getting hot across the Chinese-speaking markets. Com2us will be working with OPPO, one of the rising Chinese smartphone manufacturer, to popularize its mobile games to OPPO smartphone user through NearMe app store, a mobile application download platform which runs by OPPO …

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