Hasta La Gadget!

By definition, the Qi Smartbook U1000 isn’t a smartbook. It’s more like a touchscreen MID, but we’ll let the semantics slide (just this once). Based on a 624MHz CPU, Windows Mobile 6.1 and a 5-inch touch panel (800 x 480), this Chinese device is also equipped with WiFi and a mysterious camera ’round back. Sadly, that’s about all we know, but those who find themselves in Shenzhen should definitely check it out. Just be wary of those KIRFs — we hear they’re kind of prevalent over there.

[Via GadgetMix]

Filed under: Handhelds

Qi Smartbook U1000 rolls with WinMo, few buttons originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, the Meizu M8. Undoubtedly the funnest smartphone ever to talk about, though based on shipping success rates, it’s probably not the phone to order if you actually value the whole “getting what you paid for” thing. Dodgy ownership aside, we’ve been waiting for Google’s own mobile operating system to splash down on the M8 since June, and if the video seen down there in the read link is to be believed, said scenario has finally become reality. All we’re shown are a few swiping motions, but when you’re talking Meizu, that’s all you really need to believe.

[Thanks, Bidur]

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: Meizu M8 seemingly runs Android, definitely sets expectations too high originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple and carrier China Unicom have struck a deal to sell iPhones in China later this year, marking Apple’s entrance into the world’s largest wireless market.

China Unicom delivered the news in a press release Friday stating that a three-year agreement had been reached with Apple, and that iPhones would begin selling in the four quarter of this year.

The company did not disclose details on pricing or revenue sharing. However, two weeks ago China Unicom let slip that it has paid Apple 10 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) for 5 million iPhones. An 8GB model of the iPhone is estimated to sell for 2,400 yuan ($350), and a 16GB may be sold at 4,800 yuan ($700), China Unicom said in an interview with the International Business Times — a statement the company unsuccessfully attempted to retract.

The official iPhone heading to China isn’t exactly the same as the ones we see here: Apple removed Wi-Fi hardware from its iPhones for China Unicom to comply with Chinese government standards. Why? The history behind China’s Wi-Fi regulation on smartphones is controversial and complicated. For years, the country has been trying to push tech companies to adopt its own wireless encryption standard called Wireless Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI), which competes with the Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) standard.

Years ago, the Chinese government failed to impose WAPI as a mandatory security measure in China. Then, 22 companies formed an alliance agreeing to help push WAPI as a standard. China Unicom is part of that alliance.

Though China has about 700 million wireless subscribers (twice the population of the United States), Apple and China Unicom face challenges in this market. They face competition with not only other smartphones, but also iPhones smuggled through the gray market as well as counterfeits of Apple’s popular device. As many as 1.5 million consumers have purchased iPhones through the gray market, according to WSJ.

Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein, told WSJ that he estimates Apple can sell 2.9 million iPhones in China by the end of 2011. That’s a big number, but that of the of the 5 million that China Unicom purchased, that would leave 2 million unsold.

See Also:

• China Mobile Still Open to iPhone Deal
• Chinese iPhone Knockoffs Described With Hilarious Engrish
• Say Hello to Wired.com’s Fake Chinese iPhone — the HiPhone …
• Unicom

Photo: William Hook/Flickr

Nabbing a contract with a carrier pushing into nine-figure subscriber count territory would go a long way toward helping any manufacturer’s woes, so it’s reasonable to believe that Palm would be shopping its latest wares around the streets of Hong Kong and Beijng where China’s big three carriers are headquartered. Intriguingly, the Financial Times has just casually mentioned in a somewhat-unrelated piece that “China Telecom is planning to offer the Palm to its subscribers,” a perfect fit considering that rival Unicom is poised to launch the iPhone and Telecom runs CDMA with nascent EV-DO coverage in the works. The Pre already knows a thing or two about CDMA networks from its Sprint and Bell launches, of course, so they’ve already got that base covered — beyond that brief FT mention, though, we’ve got nothing, so it’s hard to say when this might be hitting retail.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

China Telecom talking to Palm for the Pre? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s apparently still not 1,000 percent official, but that A3300 we spied not long ago from Motorola is looking a lot more real now that we’ve got pictures that look like they’ve been taken with something remotely resembling pro photography gear. sina.com.cn is reporting that the full-touch WinMo phone has sprouted a “c” on the end of its name, a shout-out to the CDMA radio it’s packing as it prepares for a launch on China Telecom’s EV-DO-based 3G network. Other goodies on board include a 5 megapixel cam, WiFi, AGPS, and a WQVGA display — and no, unless you’re in China, you probably can’t have it since Moto’s all about Android now.

[Via motorolazine.biz]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Motorola A3300c coming to China Telecom with WinMo, 3G? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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