I really hope this South Korean report is false: Chinese pharmaceutical companies are buying baby corpses from hospitals, grinding them into pills, and then selling them as stamina boosters. Feel free to gag uncontrollably now and then keep reading. More »
Why look at this! Samsung’s very own Galaxy Tab 10.1 decided to stop by in Beijing to greet Dell’s latest tablet. As mentioned in our hands-on post, it’s clear that the Streak 10 Pro would need to go on a little diet to match the Korean tablet’s lovely figure and weight, though the latter won’t be released in the country until some time next month. Also, there’s no doubt that Sammy will continue to ask for a premium price in exchange for the better display and portability, so our wallets will be the final judge. For now, just enjoy our quick and dirty comparison photos in the gallery below. You’re welcome.
Update: It appears that some of our readers are missing the point: the 16GB WiFi Galaxy Tab 10.1 is being sold for $499 in the US, and it’ll most likely be more expensive in China; whereas the Streak 10 Pro is priced at just ¥2,999 ($465). So again, you get what you pay for.
Dell Streak 10 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There’s a Chinese saying that will suit most of our Western readers here: “quenching thirst by gazing at plums.” Oh yes, we’re talking about Dell’s Streak 10 Pro alright. Just as promised, said US company has skipped its home country to debut its first 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet in China (ka-ching!), and we happened to be at the Beijing press event for some intimate hands-on time. To be honest, you won’t be needing many imaginary plums for this Android’s rather mundane specs: it’s equipped with the oh-so-familiar 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 chip, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 1,280 x 800 LCD (with Corning’s Gorilla Glass), 5 megapixel camera and 2 megapixel camera back and front, and regular-size SDHC expansion. That said, Chinese buyers can grab this 16GB WiFi tablet plus 2GB of cloud storage for just ¥2,999 ($465) a pop — a slightly more attractive price compared to its competitors. Check out our impressions after the break.
Update: Hands-on video added after the break.
Gallery: Dell Streak 10 Pro press shots
Dell Streak 10 Pro tablet makes global debut in China, we go hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Familiar with this scenario? You put off grocery shopping until the weekend, curse your way through the irate Sunday morning hordes, and then schlep your food all the way home only to realize you forgot to buy dish soap and use those coupons. Good thing, then, that SK Telecom is trialing a new service that syncs items from a smartphone app — like a shopping list — to its tablet PC-equipped Smart Cart. Hailed by the company as the first of its kind, this real-time aide uses indoor positioning to provide product info, tips and discounts while you peruse those crowded aisles. The WiFi-connected in-cart display also makes use of augmented reality, offering coupon clippers a high-tech solution for their cost-cutting predilections. If the current pilot test in China’s Shanghai Lotus Supermarkets proves a success, expect to see this “personalized smart shopping service” doling out recommendations based on purchase history and location. Hear that? That’s the sound of marketers licking their hyper targeting chops. Full PR is after break.
Continue reading SK Telecom’s Smart Cart syncs to phones, reminds you to buy milk
SK Telecom’s Smart Cart syncs to phones, reminds you to buy milk originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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With competition like the Samsung Galaxy S II showing us just how thin a phone can be, the iPhone 4 isn’t quite looking as svelte as it once did. How’s an Apple-loving gadget fiend supposed to stay faithful in a time like this? Why, by holding their handset next to something much, much thicker. Enter the “iPhone 4,” which actually isn’t a phone, rather a powered fan that serves to keep you cool, not connected. As you can see after the break, the Home button won’t kick you out of an app, instead kicking that ducted air-mover into high gear, and while you won’t find it in your local Apple Store, stumble across one of these plastic bricks in Shenzhen and it’ll only cost you $10 or so to take it home. Small price to keep your handset feeling good about itself — until September, anyway.
Update: Jasper wrote in with a link of where you can buy one for yourself, if you’re still suffering from a heat wave.
[Thanks, Chris]
Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video)
Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Thought Google had a mountain-sized stack of your up close and personal online habits? Think again, because the omnipresent search king’s all-seeing eyes are nothing compared to the Chinese government, which recently enacted stricter regulations to identify free WiFi users. The government-issued monitoring software will cost the cafes and restaurants it targets $3,100, putting small business owners in a sticky situation — pay up, or shut down the free surfing. An informal survey conducted by the New York Times found not one owner willing to bow to the Republic’s pressure, citing the out-of-pocket cost and low number of actual users. It’s possible the move to clamp down on anonymous browsing was spurred by recent youth-embraced, social networking-backed uprisings, like the one in Cairo earlier this year. Seems a loophole in China’s net management policy allows “laptop- and iPad-owning colleges students and expatriates” — the very same group behind recent revolts — to go online undetected. It remains to be seen if the Communist Party will make this new measure widespread, or just restrict it to central Beijing. For their sake, we echo one owner’s hope that “official fervor [will]… soon die down.”
Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with service cutoffs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but that didn’t go down too well with the three KIRF Apple Stores in Kunming, China. In fact, after American expat BirdAbroad made her local stores famous last week, local officials have since been combing through the city’s 300-plus gadget shops on behalf of Apple China, and managed to dig up two more “Apple” stores. It’s not exactly clear if these new offenders are at the same severity as the ones spotted by BirdAbroad, but the authorities have confirmed that none of the five stores are Apple Authorised Resellers, let alone having its permission to use its logo on their store front.
Additionally, two out of the five stores have since been shut down due to unlicensed retail operation. The fate of the remaining three is still unknown — the officials have only concluded that no KIRF products have been found in the stores, though details such as the decor and staff uniform are certainly very similar to those of the real deal. Well, we’re glad they agree, but this is only just the beginning — BirdAbroad has since gathered photos of more sketchy Apple stores across the world, so go take a gander. Oh, and for those who have been out of the loop, there’s a hands-on video of one of the Kunming stores after the break.
Continue reading Two more fake Apple Stores spotted by officials in China, two get the smackdown
Two more fake Apple Stores spotted by officials in China, two get the smackdown originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Unlike the last batch of bots we’ve seen, Eliza is actually quite graceful. The cartoonish humanoid got its start as a guide, shuttling people around shopping malls and the Guangzhou Asian Games 2010 Experience Center. Now it’s finally getting a chance to show off what it’s got — namely some ill dance moves. These four doe-eyed machines spin, perform complicated arm choreography in perfect synchronization, and pause to pose during this epic number. Clearly, the next step is for someone to teach them how to Dougie. Check out the videos after the break.
[Thanks, Robotbling]
Eliza is a doe-eyed, graceful dancing machine, lacks maniacal quality on the floor (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This Apple Store looks so real we still can’t quite believe it isn’t. The KIRF-ers have excelled themselves this time: mimicking or at least reinventing everything from the Brave New World posters down to the dog-tags and “We live here” demeanor worn by the staff. There were a few giveaways, however, which led observant blogger BirdAbroad to whip out her camera and start gathering evidence: slight imperfections in the decor, a lack of individual names on staff badges, plus an unlikely location in the Chinese Backwaterville of Kunming. Hey Apple, we feel your pain. You’ll find further unbelievable pics after the break and over at BirdAbroad’s blog.
Continue reading The ultimate KIRF: fake Apple Store spotted in China
The ultimate KIRF: fake Apple Store spotted in China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Could this be a case of Baidu’s browser in Chrome’s clothing? The Wall Street Journal seems to think so and the Chinese company isn’t exactly dismissing the KIRF claims. Announced back in April, the recently beta-released Baidu Browser brings a “sleek, stripped-down interface” eerily reminiscent of Google’s web-surfing entry (or a likely fork of Chromium). The copycat similarities don’t just end in the looks department: there’s also an app store, fast-tab functionality and familiar menu icon placement. In its defense, the company claims its 30,000 plus free app offerings, in addition to China-specific entertainment features are enough to set it apart. Sure, this may seem like a case of the Asian search giant that doth protest too much, but it’s the company’s desire to drive traffic to its own engine that has us seeing Google.
[Thanks, Hardy]
Baidu Browser tips hat to old Steve Jobs quote, copies Chrome’s special sauce originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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