USA

Huawei is probably thanking its lucky stars that it got off easy. The US government might be working to block sales and use of its products in the country, but it remains unhindered in making such products and selling them elsewhere, even indirectly in the US. Unfortunately for ZTE, it might be facing the worst challenge to its smartphone business yet. And while this single instance could be justified in some way, the sanctions imposed by the US government could pose problems for the entire mobile industry it left unchecked.

Continue Reading

Never say never, some advice, and that actually goes both ways. Huawei recently said that it isn't giving up on the US market just yet, despite mounting government pressure and withholding its latest and greatest flagship, the Huawei P20. Now, however, sources indicate that the Chinese OEM, now the third largest smartphone maker globally, might actually make a U-turn. Especially after it laid off some American employees, including its biggest American lobbyist.

Continue Reading

It’s almost too easy to start a war. All it takes is for someone in power (after all, those without power can’t start wars) to say something that offends another person in power who, in turn, says something back. It’s not easy, however, to end the war or to pick up the broken pieces. In the case of a trade war like the one brewing between the US and China, those pieces are the consumers from both sides. Because in a clash of titans, it’s the little humans below that get stomped on.

Continue Reading

ZTE just became the first smartphone brand to release an Android Go phone in the United States. Android Go is a version of Android that makes "entry-level" smartphones perform their best, making their value propositions far more exciting than in phones of the recent past. ZTE's release is the ZTE Tempo Go, a 5-inch display-toting smartphone with bare essential features on the newest version of Android.

Continue Reading

This week two potential flaws in Monero's code suggested the blockchain-based cryptocurrency might've been traceable. Monero is a cryptocurrency built on the premise that cryptocurrency should be anonymous - completely anonymous - and as such, it depends on that anonymity to survive, and to retain value in the open marketplace VS Bitcoin and USDT. It would appear that these flaws might not matter as much as initially feared.

Continue Reading

According to Facebook, the investigation they face at the hands of the FTC isn't only good, it's welcome. "We remain strongly committed to protecting people’s information," said Rob Sherman, Deputy Chief Privacy Officer for Facebook. "We appreciate the opportunity to answer questions the FTC may have." The FTC investigation into Facebook was confirmed by Tom Paul, Acting Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The investigation itself is not open to the public.

Continue Reading

The walls are closing in on Huawei. Its retail partners in the US, actual and potential, are dropping it like a hot brick. There will be suspicions, both implied and explicit, of government pressure working against the Chinese manufacturer. It is undoubtedly a loss for Huawei to miss out on one of the most important smartphone markets. But, in the midst of his unexpected rant, CEO Richard Yu does make one important point. It is also a loss for the US consumer as well.

Continue Reading

Donald Trump pitted video game creators against some of the "harshest critics" of violent games in a closed-door meeting this week. Instead of focusing on who was there and what they said, let's take at why they were there and how video games have been studied - extensively - with regard to violence over the past couple of decades.

Continue Reading

Over the past half-decade, the United States Department of Justice has been holding Bitcoin auctions. These auctions took place in a manner not entirely unlike what most people know as Police Auctions. Once a criminal is apprehended, charged, found guilty, and sentenced for a crime, their assets are (potentially) up for forfeit. In selling these Bitcoin lots, the United States government has instilled legitimacy in their worth, time and time again.

Continue Reading

A few years back, Chinese OEMs outside of Huawei and, to a lesser extent, ZTE, barely made a blip on the US smartphone market radar. One name, however, continued to pop up over and over again: Xiaomi. Younger than many of these other companies, Xiaomi was making miracles over at China, with sales and rabid fans that were immediately compared to Apple. Xiaomi grew to actually threaten not just Apple but also Samsung and even its own compatriots. Fast forward to today, there is still not a single Xiaomi phone available in the US. They’re still coming, assures Wang Xiang, Xiaomi’s new international business chief. When it does, however, its arrival might make less noise than expected, for reasons both within and beyond its control.

Continue Reading

It isn't exactly a secret that the US government has a certain hesitancy when it comes to phones made by Chinese companies, but today, we're seeing some top security official state that apprehensiveness outright. Many top security officials have come out and recommended that Americans avoid buying phones made by Huawei and ZTE. Such a recommendation won't really come as much of a shock, and may even do something to solidify some recent rumors we've been hearing.

Continue Reading

Bitcoin prices fell quickly at a news break about US regulators issuing a subpoena for both crypto exchange Bitfinex and Tether. Tether is a cryptocurrency trade coin whose claim to fame is its tie to the US dollar. Bitfinex is a trading venue for cryptocurrencies of all sorts.

Continue Reading