China

The Chinese government seems to be working to further strengthen its notorious Great Firewall of censorship. Or at least that’s the growing suspicion behind the still unexplained outage of Microsoft Bing in China. While it’s not really unusual for the restrictive regime to block access to Internet services to “protect” its citizens from outside corruption, Bing’s exit could mean that Chinese users will no longer have access to non-Chinese search engines completely.

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There's a new phone from Meizu which has no ports, no buttons, no slots. This is the Meizu Zero, a smartphone that takes minimalism to a new level. Unlike the rest of the smartphone industry (with a few notable exceptions) this smartphone does not hesitate to remove all unnecessary bits and pieces from the smartphone experience. But has it gone too far?

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Chinese state media has reported that officials in China are set to deploy a new 'deadbeat debtors' app that will enable the public to view which people nearby aren't paying their debts. The new app is part of a program conceived by the Hebei province in North China, where the Higher People's Court intends the app to act as a whistleblower platform for turning in financially wasteful debtors.

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Richard Yu, Huawei CEO of its consumer division, may have become notorious for his public outbursts about the US government treatment of the company, but Huawei’s highest executive might not share the same exact same sentiment. Ren Zhengfei, founder and CEO, gave a rare interview with international media and while his defense of the company’s independence from government control is not surprising, his praise of US President Trump might have come as a shock to those following the drama between the US and China, with Huawei caught squarely in between.

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Xiaomi is preparing an event for February 24, according to a newly leaked invitation, and it may include the unveiling of the Mi Mix 3 5G. The invite appeared in a tweet, which was later deleted, but not before a few people took notice. According to the deleted tweet, the anticipated event next month could involve the unveiling of a 5G version of the phone Xiaomi introduced back in October.

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The latest in the Apple Qualcomm squabble is a testimony from the iPhone maker, suggesting that Qualcomm's not been keen on supplying chips since their FTC trial began. Apple COO Jeff Williams testified during the US Federal Trade Commission trial against Qualcomm, suggesting that it seems as though once Apple filed (several) lawsuits against Qualcomm, Qualcomm's been unwilling to "support [Apple] with new design wins past that time."

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Even Apple itself practically admitted that troubles are brewing at Cupertino. It warned investors that it earnings might be lower than expected. A lot lower, in fact. Although the company won’t say it, analysts believe that it has a lot to do with the weaker than anticipated sales of the 2018 iPhones, especially the iPhone XR. And at least one such analyst believes that far from being the last, the smartphone’s price cut in Japan and China are just the start.

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The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 review you're about to read is centered on battery life, real-world use, and long-term viability. Some of this will need to be estimated based on the amount of time we've had the device thus far - we've not yet had the Mi Mix 3 for a long term. As we continue to use the Mi Mix 3, we'll continue to update the review.

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Huawei has quickly risen to the second spot in the world’s mobile market as if trying to prove to the US government that it’s making a big mistaking in pushing it out. But while the company is indeed popular in many markets, it might have made a rather bold decision that could see its fans in China divided. In the latest version of its EMUI Android experience, the OEM has implemented a policy that blocks third-party launchers due to performance and security reasons.

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Apple’s older iPhones might be banned in China, but that’s not stopping its other products from launching there. Almost as if to reassure the public that it’s business as usual, Apple has announced the upcoming availability of its HomePod smart speakers in mainland China and Hong Kong starting this weekend. And given the rather sensitive location of its new launch market, the company unsurprisingly makes a not so subtle reminder of how much it values privacy and security, even when doing business in China.

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The Redmi Note 7 was launched today as the company's first phone as a slightly more independent brand, Redmi. Before now they were part of Xiaomi, creating the most affordable line of smartphones for the Xiaomi phone collection - now they've been spun off into their own entity. Xiaomi also runs Pocophone, another company that's absolutely dashing the rest of the competition in the price vs specs race.

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Xiaomi this week announced they'd be spinning off their phone line Redmi into a new sub-brand. Much like their brand Pocophone, this brand will house a collection of phones that are aimed at a specific audience. The first device in this collection was leaked today by TENAA, the certification center in China - and there's gradient aplenty!

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