Hasta La Gadget!

DSL cables might not really be the sexiest thing in networking anymore, but what they are is ubiquitous, so let’s not begrudge Huawei its feat here. The Chinese telecoms facilitator has shown off a new prototype that can pump 700Mbps of data across a 400-meter expanse. This is done by bundling four twisted pairs of copper wire together and sprinkling in some fairy dust to make them communicate at 175Mbps each. The clever bit here is in how crosstalk and interference are minimized, and Huawei claims a 75 percent improvement in bandwidth as a result. An immediate opportunity for these new cables will be, ironically, with fiber rollouts, as they could serve as the last connection between fiber hubs and your home. Then again, with Google and Chattanooga already looking at 1Gbps lanes, maybe the day of the copper wire has already passed?

Continue reading Huawei breaks DSL speed barrier with 700Mbps prototype

Huawei breaks DSL speed barrier with 700Mbps prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Three months ago, the compensation of Chinese laborers was low enough that those who built an iPhone couldn’t dream of buying one, but the spending power of China in general has increased enough that electronics giant Foxconn (aka Hon Hai Precision Industries) is actually planning to sell such goods in those laborers’ home country. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company will open ten large electronics stores in Shanghai by the end of 2011, and extend its existing chains of smaller retail stores and booths around the country by about 50 and 200 respectively. The plans aren’t all focused on middle- and upper-class Chinese, as they provide provision for those aforementioned laborers as well — on top of several recent wage increases, Foxconn would reportedly provide $25,000 to employees to help start up electronics stores in their hometowns. We wonder how many iPads a laborer would have to sell to afford one of their own.

Foxconn makes designs on the Chinese retail market, gives laborers $25,000 to start stores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well… this is interesting. Prior to Kinect hitting the masses in November, one Eedoo looks to be doing the world one better (or worse) with the eBox. In what can only be described as a bizarre tale of mystery, a Lenovo co-founded company has decided to produce what amounts to an Xbox 360 knockoff as well as a motion sensing peripheral that unquestionably takes inspiration from Kinect. In fact, we don’t even know if conventional controllers are a part of the deal, but word on the street has this one getting official in November and shipping early in 2011. Beyond that, details are few and far between, but you can follow the links below for a couple of videos (one’s after the break) and a smattering of cellphone snapshots.

Continue reading Lenovo side project to launch Xbox 360 / Kinect knockoff in China: hello, eBox

Lenovo side project to launch Xbox 360 / Kinect knockoff in China: hello, eBox originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei has been kicking for well over two decades, and while a great deal of its business revolves around the enterprise, the company still has a presence in the consumer arena (most recently with its S7 tablet). But for whatever reason, it’s having one bear of a time breaking into the US acquisition game. According to a pair of people sourced by Bloomberg, Huawei wasn’t selected as the winning bidder of two large US assets in recent months despite having offers of “at least $100 million more in each case.” Ouch. As the story goes, the sellers (2Wire and Motorola) “doubted Huawei’s ability to win US government approval,” possibly because of the founder’s prior role as an official of the People Liberation’s Army. It’s also not the first time that Hauwei has been deterred in the US; the outfit dropped a bid in 2008 for 3Com after America began “investigating whether a deal would give China access to anti-hacking technology used by the Defense Department.” ‘Course, given the existing legal trouble between Huawei and Motorola right now, we’re not sure a +$200 million bid would’ve sealed the deal on its recently hawked wireless equipment unit. Hit the source link if you’re down for a serious read. Mystery, drama, deceit — it’s all there.

Huawei bids high, loses hard on two major US assets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shameless isn’t even the word for it. While some companies try to get away with calling themselves Nokla or BlockBerry, these Chinese KIRFers have no qualms about copying HTC’s EVO 4G in its entirety (externally, anyhow). Yes, that includes the Sprint insignia and the promise of 4G, both of which are, of course, amusingly untrue. Not only do you not get that supersonic WiMAX radio, you also miss out on Android, as this EVO rides the WinMo 6.5 gravy train. There’s also no 8 megapixel camera, no 720p video, and no mini-HDMI output. But you still get a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 screen and one of the best copy-and-paste KIRF jobs we’ve seen to date. See the back of this skilled imitator after the break.

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: EVO 4G Shanzai edition

Keepin’ it real fake: EVO 4G Shanzai edition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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