Tencent tackles mobile game addiction with time limits for kids

Posted on 04/07/2017 by Engadget RSS Feed

In the face of public pressure, Chinese internet giant Tencent is limiting play time for younger users of its hit mobile game Honor of Kings (dubbed Strike of Kings in the west). Starting Tuesday, anyone under 12 will be restricted to one hour of pla...

Huawei is considering cell towers that wirelessly charge drones

Posted on 27/02/2017 by Engadget RSS Feed

Huawei's big news at MWC was, of course, the P10 handset and a new watch. The company does have its fingers in other pies, though, and one of those is the drone game. Far away from the exhibition halls where all the smartphones are on display is an a...

World’s first 128GB phone now available from Meizu, but only works in China

Posted on 18/11/2013 by Richard Lai

You may recall that a little while back we checked out China's Meizu MX3, and in addition to its unique 15:9 1,800 x 1,080 display, one of its other selling points is the 128GB storage option. Well, this version is finally available as of today, except it's only offered to the TD-SCDMA variant of the phone, meaning you can only use it on China Mobile's network or, if you're desperate, any GSM 2G network. If that's no problem and you have an address in China, then you can head over to online store JD.com and hand over CN¥3,999 (about US$660) for the 5.1-inch, Exynos 5 Octa-powered device off contract.

As for the rest of us, it's probably just a matter of time before the WCDMA-flavored MX3 gets the same treatment, so stay tuned. Alternatively, the upcoming Vivo Xplay 3S is rumored to have a 128GB option as well, and given that it'll support both TD-LTE and FD-LTE, it might be a better buy for us speed freaks outside China.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Engadget Chinese

Source: JD

WSJ: Apple near shipping iPhones to China Mobile (updated)

Posted on 06/09/2013 by Jon Fingas

If you believe the rumors, Apple has been in discussions to bring the iPhone to China Mobile almost since day one. Those seemingly endless negotiations may have drawn to a close: the Wall Street Journal now claims that Apple is near shipping at least the iPhone 5C to the giant Asian carrier. There's no word on ship dates or what kind of deal (if any) is in place, although imminent shipments would suggest that there's some kind of official arrangement. Neither side has commented on the rumor; we wouldn't necessarily expect a mention of China Mobile at the iPhone launch event next week. When Apple is reportedly launching the iPhone on other holdout carriers this year, however, an expansion to the world's largest cellular provider only makes sense.

Update: Bloomberg hears that Apple is "close to a deal" with China Mobile, but that there won't be an announcement at the September 10th event in Cupertino.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Wall Street Journal

Tim Cook meets with China Mobile in Beijing

Posted on 31/07/2013 by Brian Heater

After a less than spectacular couple of months for sales in the Greater China area, Tim Cook paid a visit to Beijing to speak with China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua. Apple's CEO was there to "discuss matters of cooperation," according to Reuters, a conversation that no doubt included bringing iPhones and iPads to the the carrier's massive subscriber base. Apple has yet to issue a comment on the discussion, but a partnership could mean huge numbers for Cupertino, delivering iOS products to the mobile provider with the world's largest subscriber base.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Reuters

Nubia Z5 mini official, touts full-size hardware at a tiny price

Posted on 16/07/2013 by Jon Fingas

ZTE's sub-label Nubia may want a refresher on the definition of "mini," because we're not seeing many sacrifices in its just-shipped Z5 mini. At 4.7 inches, the Android phone is nearly as large as the 5-inch Z5 flagship; it also shares the bigger Z5's quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, 2,300mAh battery, 13MP f/2.2 rear camera and 5MP front camera. The mini is likewise a first-class citizen in its home country with 3G support for China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom. Prospective owners are only really giving up screen resolution (down to 720p) and storage (down to 16GB), and they're getting a choice of pastel-colored, replaceable backs in return. As such, that makes the Z5 mini a potential bargain at its ¥1,888 ($308) price -- buyers are getting most of the Z5 experience for considerably less cash.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Source: JD.com (translated), Zealer China (Sina Weibo)

ZTE Geek U988S outed as world’s first Tegra 4 phone, headed to China Mobile

Posted on 15/07/2013 by Richard Lai

China's TENAA certification database is notorious for leaking mobile devices, but this time ZTE's learned that if you can't beat it, then just play along with it. After this U988S was leaked by TENAA recently, ZTE decided to share some product shots on a forum and Sina Weibo ahead of time. What's more, the company confirmed that this red device is actually the China Mobile version of the Geek, but the Intel chip has been replaced by NVIDIA's upcoming Tegra 4. As teased before, this will likely make the new Geek the world's first phone to pack this quad-core chip, which will be clocked at 1.8GHz and will have 2GB of RAM, according to the TENAA filing.

Other changes include a 5-inch LCD upgrade from 1,280 x 720 to 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, plus the front-facing camera is now at two megapixels instead of just one. On the other hand, the old 8-megapixel main camera is here to stay. Sadly, this particular device will only work on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network, meaning the rest of the world will have to stay tuned for a global version. Let's hope it doesn't take too long.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Engadget China

Source: Sina Weibo, TENAA, ZTE Fans

Huawei Ascend W2 shows up prematurely, packs color-matching backlit soft keys (hands-on)

Posted on 26/06/2013 by Richard Lai

After the official product shot leaked in late May, we knew it wouldn't be long before Huawei's Ascend W2 makes an official appearance. Well, today's the day, but as the company's second-ever Windows Phone device, the W2's appearance at Mobile Asia Expo was surprisingly low key. According to the spec sheet at Huawei's booth, this affordable phone comes with a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 display (looked like IPS to us) and a 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8230 SoC (same as the W1 but faster) with 512MB RAM. There's 8GB of built-in storage along with microSD expansion -- the slot is located next to the removable 1,700mAh battery plus full-size SIM slot, all underneath the red or yellow back cover.

Even though Huawei doesn't hide the fact that the W2 is a low-cost device, it's actually not too shabby. Most notably, the three usual soft keys are color backlit and will match your desired theme in Windows Phone 8. As a bonus, the touchscreen has a glove mode -- as featured on several other more recent Huawei phones -- for the cold winter days. There's still no price or date announced just yet, but since this particular model packs a TD-SCDMA radio for China Mobile, folks outside China will have to wait for the WCDMA variant. For now, we have a hands-on video for you after the break.

Gallery: Huawei Ascend W2 shows up prematurely, packs color-matching backlit soft keys (hands-on)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Sony announces the Xperia SP M35t, its first TD-LTE device for China Mobile

Posted on 25/06/2013 by Richard Lai

Announced alongside the Xperia C just now is the TD-LTE version of the Xperia SP (M35t), and naturally, it's headed to China Mobile, which pretty much owns the technology right now. Like before, the device comes with a 4.6-inch 720p plus a touchscreen that works fine with gloves. Additionally, NFC and the iconic illuminating transparent element are still present. Not much was said about the detailed specs, though, so we're not sure if it's the same chipset inside. Again, stay tuned for further announcements.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

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HTC Desire 608t with BoomSound joins 606w on Chinese online store

Posted on 23/05/2013 by Richard Lai

While taking a look around HTC China's online store after the Desire 600 (aka Desire 606w in China) announcement, we also stumbled upon this Desire 608t that was first outed by TENAA in late April. With the exception of the One SV-like design and the TD-SCDMA radio for China Mobile, this model is otherwise identical to its 606w sibling, especially with the Sense 5-enhanced Android 4.1, BoomSound front stereo speakers, dual SIM and even the CN¥2,499 ($410) unsubsidized price tag. Other specs include: 4.5-inch 960 x 540 Super LCD 2, 1.2GHz quad-core chip by Qualcomm, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage (with up to 64GB expansion via microSD), 8-megapixel imager (with f/2.0 aperture and 720p video capture), 1.6-megapixel front camera, 1,860mAh battery and NFC. Interestingly, the 608t is also listed with Zoe camera feature, yet the 606w isn't, so hopefully it's just a mistake for the latter instead of the former.

Gallery: HTC Desire 608t press shots