https://www.scmp.com/rss/500362/feed Abacus is the home of the best coverage of China's tech scene, from insights to gadget reviews. www.abacusnews.com en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com This article originally appeared on ABACUS After Twitter shut down what it calls a Beijing-backed disinformation operation by banning more than 170,000 accounts, China has responded with a piece of curious advice.  Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters during a briefing on Friday that Twitter should shut down accounts that smear China if it wants to fight disinformation, Reuters reported. Hua said that many platforms had falsehoods about China and that there was a... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088848/china-wants-twitter-shut-down-accounts-smear-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088848/china-wants-twitter-shut-down-accounts-smear-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2020 10:48:54 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS While most gamers watched Sony’s PlayStation 5 unveiling in the afternoon or evening, in China the event was broadcast at 4am. But that didn’t stop the country’s gamers. Chinese social media is flooded with opinions and memes about Sony’s latest home console. The PlayStation 5’s most eye-catching feature is undoubtedly the look of the console itself, and gamers in China are divided on whether it looks good or not. Those who like it say it looks... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3088847/gamers-china-think-playstation-5-looks-weird-theyll-buy-it-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3088847/gamers-china-think-playstation-5-looks-weird-theyll-buy-it-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2020 10:45:06 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The arcades aren't as big of a draw as they used to be. But if you miss the retro feel of joysticks and big round buttons, the Switch Fighter might help.  The accessory, which transforms a regular Nintendo Switch into a mini arcade cabinet, is seeking funding on Indiegogo. For US$99, the Hong Kong-based campaign promises to ship backers the Bluetooth-connected gadget, allowing them to “properly play classics like Street Fighter or King of Fighters.” It... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088814/dock-promises-turn-your-switch-arcade-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088814/dock-promises-turn-your-switch-arcade-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2020 09:18:34 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS A subway station in China is taking the meaning of “contactless” to a whole new level. The railway operator in Hefei, the capital of eastern province Anhui, says it has launched a holographic ticket vending machine. It’s designed to minimize the risk of coronavirus spreading through touched surfaces.  Instead of having a traditional touchscreen, the machine projects a 2D hologram inside a hollow compartment, allowing passengers to tap on virtual buttons... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088789/subway-china-lets-you-buy-ticket-hologram?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088789/subway-china-lets-you-buy-ticket-hologram?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2020 08:03:44 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS For the second time this year, Computex has announced it will postpone its yearly event due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Computex Taipei’s organizers, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taipei Computer Association (TCA), originally rescheduled the conference from June to September with plans for live-streamed product launches. But with many countries still under travel restrictions, the organizing team has given up on 2020 altogether.... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088787/computex-taipei-postponed-again-time-until-2021?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088787/computex-taipei-postponed-again-time-until-2021?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2020 08:02:57 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Twelve people were arrested for selling game cheats for Peacekeeper Elite, a popular Tencent game based on PUBG Mobile. Police in the eastern city of Kunshan in Jiangsu province said the group had been buying cheats from unspecified “overseas personnel” with bitcoin before selling them to players in China. The hacks give players special abilities, like being able to see where other players are and auto-aiming. Police said the business was worth almost... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088666/12-arrested-selling-cheats-chinas-version-pubg-mobile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088666/12-arrested-selling-cheats-chinas-version-pubg-mobile?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 12:04:58 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The Cybersecurity Administration of China has ordered China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo to suspend two features showing trending topics for a week, the cyberspace watchdog announced Wednesday. Weibo’s hot topic and hot search are being punished for the “dissemination of illegal information” among other issues, according to the CAC.  The state body did not elaborate on the reasons for the decision but instead cited an incident involving a person... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088660/chinas-answer-twitter-ordered-freeze-its-trending-topics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088660/chinas-answer-twitter-ordered-freeze-its-trending-topics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 11:34:49 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS When absent-minded parents leave their children locked inside a car, the results can be deadly, especially on a hot summer day. Now Great Wall Motors, China’s biggest SUV maker, wants to prevent that by checking for vital signs in new cars. Once the vehicle engine is turned off and all doors are locked, the system uses millimeter-wave radar to scan for signs of life inside the car compartment, according to the company. Research has shown that these high... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088655/chinas-biggest-suv-maker-wants-stop-kids-dying-hot-cars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088655/chinas-biggest-suv-maker-wants-stop-kids-dying-hot-cars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 10:47:01 +0000 This story originally appeared as an opinion piece on Abacus The PlayStation 5 is almost here. Sony will show off their new console in a pre-recorded video on Thursday. Gamers around the world will be tuning in for their first glimpse at the latest PlayStation… even in China, where it’ll be 4am. “Staying up late!” said one poster on Weibo. Another said “I’ll just buy it the moment it launches!” The PlayStation 5 will arrive right as China’s massive gaming industry is investing more in console... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3088621/can-sony-finally-crack-china-playstation-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3088621/can-sony-finally-crack-china-playstation-5?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 08:34:04 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS If I ask you to picture a clubhouse in an apartment building, a plain room with a few chairs might come to mind. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll picture a gym or swimming pool. But in Hong Kong, the world’s most expensive housing market, residential clubhouses are nothing but ordinary. In a city where the average family needs to save for more than 20 years to afford a home, property developers are resorting to various high-tech gimmicks to entice buyers... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3088517/included-your-next-apartment-vr-pods-and-esports-arenas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3088517/included-your-next-apartment-vr-pods-and-esports-arenas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 00:00:12 +0000 Over the last two and a half years, you’ve been with us as we’ve told you everything you need to know about China’s consumer tech scene. Now, we invite you to join us on the next stage of our journey. On June 15th, Abacus will move to a new home: SCMP.com/Abacus. We’ve always been a part of the South China Morning Post, but now we’re joining forces with their Technology desk to form one of the biggest reporting teams dedicated to China tech. We’ll be pooling our expertise to enhance our... https://www.scmp.com/note-our-readers/article/3088177?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/note-our-readers/article/3088177?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 08:14:31 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Didi Chuxing says it’s removing protective plastic screens from its fleet. They were initially put in place more than three months ago to help prevent the coronavirus from spreading between drivers and passengers. In a Weibo post, the Chinese ride-hailing giant said it spent about 100 million yuan (US$14.1 million) adding the safety equipment to cars in 330 cities nationwide. Citing reduced pandemic risk, Didi says the program -- available... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088412/didi-pulls-safety-shields-cabs-covid-19-threat-eases-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088412/didi-pulls-safety-shields-cabs-covid-19-threat-eases-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 07:26:20 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The hot new short video app Zynn burst onto the scene with skyrocketing popularity thanks to offers of cash rewards to users. But now the app has been removed from the Google Play Store for reasons that remain unclear. We reached out to Google but didn’t receive a response. Zynn comes from Kuaishou, the Chinese short video app maker known for the app of the same name. The new app looks almost identical to TikTok, which is a major competitor to Kuaishou... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088411/tiktok-clone-pays-users-watch-videos-removed-google-play?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088411/tiktok-clone-pays-users-watch-videos-removed-google-play?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 07:23:00 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS During a live-streamed presentation on Tuesday, Professor Fan Zhiyong was holding something that looked like a circuit board with dozens of wires sticking out. But the most important part was the silver sphere sitting on top of the wiry contraption -- a bionic eye. The device developed by researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is the first to replicate the structure of a human eye. And in the future, it might do more... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3088289/breakthrough-bionic-eye-might-one-day-give-us-night-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3088289/breakthrough-bionic-eye-might-one-day-give-us-night-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2020 21:00:13 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The story of China’s economic success has often been told through rags-to-riches tales about famous tycoons and tech billionaires. Now as hundreds of millions of Chinese people try to weather a shrinking economy shocked by the coronavirus pandemic, some are hoping to find a small fortune in a humble place: Roadside market stalls. Chatter about street hawking has soared online after encouragement from the Chinese premier, who saw it as a new source of... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3088267/trending-chinas-tiktok-how-be-successful-street-vendor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3088267/trending-chinas-tiktok-how-be-successful-street-vendor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:31:48 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS For many TV critics, the new Netflix comedy Space Force isn’t all that comedic. But in China, where Netflix is unavailable, many people are finding ways to watch the show -- and they find it entertaining. Or at least they do when they’re not being offended by it. (Beware: Space Force spoilers ahead.) Space Force was created by Steve Carell and Greg Daniels, former showrunner for the hit sitcom The Office. Carell plays General Mark Naird, a character... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3088260/panned-critics-netflixs-space-force-finds-happy-audience-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3088260/panned-critics-netflixs-space-force-finds-happy-audience-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:05:58 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Devotion, the Taiwanese horror title that was removed from the world’s largest digital game store last year after insulting Xi Jinping, will soon be available to buy again. But it's not on Steam: This time you can only buy Devotion in a physical package. In addition to a USB drive containing the PC game, the new edition comes with several accessories that feature prominently in the gameplay, including a children’s book and an origami tulip bookmark. An... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088176/banned-taiwanese-game-devotion-gets-physical-re-release?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088176/banned-taiwanese-game-devotion-gets-physical-re-release?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2020 06:50:40 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Ever since Harry Potter: Magic Awakened was announced last October, fans have been eagerly awaiting the new game based on the franchise. But a new round of beta testing might dampen some of the early excitement, as many of the players seem disappointed with the game. “How rigid is the gameplay?” one user said on TapTap, a game review site. “[It] built a grand magic world, but the core gameplay is playing cards with other students in a dark room.” “I’m... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3088084/harry-potter-magic-awakened-beta-test-players-are-disappointed-game?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3088084/harry-potter-magic-awakened-beta-test-players-are-disappointed-game?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:41:40 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The Covid-19 pandemic is keeping us apart, but Apple won’t let physical distance get in the way of group selfies. The Californian giant has filed a US patent for what it calls a “synthetic group selfie,” as first reported by Patently Apple. According to the patent, an Apple user can invite friends to each take an individual selfie using their own device. The software will automatically stitch the selfies together to create a single group selfie, but any... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088037/apple-patents-way-take-group-selfies-during-social-distancing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088037/apple-patents-way-take-group-selfies-during-social-distancing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2020 08:30:07 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS For decades, most of us have been connecting to the internet via phone cables and cellular networks. But with the ascent of low Earth orbit internet satellites, it looks like one of China’s telecom giants is determined to move with the times. China Unicom recently announced a collaboration with Huawei, finding ways to allow connected cars and smart appliances to receive internet signals from both satellites and 5G. Together, the partners want to... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088025/huawei-joins-chinas-push-catch-elon-musks-starlink-satellites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088025/huawei-joins-chinas-push-catch-elon-musks-starlink-satellites?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2020 07:38:02 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS As developers across the globe await the start of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, a group of young programmers will soon find out which of them won the tech giant’s first coding competition for kids. The Swift Student Challenge is a virtual competition designed to help kids learn how to code using Apple’s five-year-old Swift programming language. The competition is based around Swift Playgrounds, an educational app introduced in 2016... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3087951/12-year-old-programmer-hong-kong-tackles-apples-first-student-coding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3087951/12-year-old-programmer-hong-kong-tackles-apples-first-student-coding?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:00:22 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Oppo released a unique version of one of its newest high-end phones in China. There are only 10,000 units of the Oppo Ace2 Evangelion Limited Edition available, and I was able to pick one up and spend some quality hands-on time with it. While themed smartphones can sometimes seem gimmicky, I’m blown away by the amount of detail on the packaging and the phone itself. The phone’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087798/oppos-wild-anime-phone-will-excite-any-evangelion-fan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087798/oppos-wild-anime-phone-will-excite-any-evangelion-fan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:59:56 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Until this week, only one of China’s top two mobile payment apps offered its own user credit scores. That’s now changed as WeChat has officially rolled out its credit scoring system for all WeChat Pay users in China -- as long as you have a Chinese ID number. Called the WeChat Pay Score in English, the system comes nearly five years after Alipay launched Zhima Credit, aka Sesame Credit. That system from Tencent’s mobile payments rival Ant Financial was... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087781/wechat-rolls-out-its-own-credit-system-nationwide-rivaling-alipays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087781/wechat-rolls-out-its-own-credit-system-nationwide-rivaling-alipays?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 11:03:19 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS A few years ago, Facebook introduced Safety Check, a feature that lets users let their friends know they’re safe during an emergency. Now a province in China is introducing a similar feature using QR codes in popular Chinese apps while also trying to offer a potentially life-saving tool. Zhejiang’s new “safety QR code” helps users mark themselves safe during natural disasters. It comes as the province prepares for hurricane season, which regularly... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087703/flood-prone-chinese-province-tests-qr-code-based-safety-checks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087703/flood-prone-chinese-province-tests-qr-code-based-safety-checks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 06:47:15 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Every day since early February, many Weibo users have continued to visit the profile page for Chinese doctor Li Wenliang. His death from Covid-19 saw widespread condemnation of the government’s handling of the pandemic on social media. In remembrance of Li, users routinely show up in the comment section of his last Weibo post to greet him good morning and good night and even tell him about the day’s weather. But on June 4, some users showed up to... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3087608/coronavirus-doctors-last-social-media-post-draws-commemorations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3087608/coronavirus-doctors-last-social-media-post-draws-commemorations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2020 13:17:08 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS For the first time in 30 years, Hong Kong banned an organized commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, citing restrictions on gatherings amid the Covid-19 pandemic. So instead, players of the popular Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing: New Horizons have found their own way to mark the event with a virtual candlelight vigil. Animal Crossing players started marking the event early by uploading photos to social media showing their virtual... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3087591/animal-crossing-players-organize-virtual-vigils-tiananmen-square?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3087591/animal-crossing-players-organize-virtual-vigils-tiananmen-square?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:10:52 +0000 This story originally appeared as an opinion piece on Abacus I spent a large chunk of my university days in the United Kingdom in a homesick haze. There was a lot I missed about Hong Kong: My family. The food. My friends. And the Octopus card. Every time I fumbled for change in a store in London or dug through my pockets hoping I hadn’t lost my Tube ticket, I’d think about how much easier life was in Hong Kong with an Octopus card. With that one card, I could take a train, buy a drink and pay... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087551/octopus-apple-pay-too-little-too-late?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087551/octopus-apple-pay-too-little-too-late?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2020 08:39:37 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS At 23 years old, China’s most famous esports player says he can no longer play because of poor health. Uzi, the Shaquille O'Neal of Chinese esports In a post on microblogging site Weibo, Uzi said that he has decided to retire after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year. The condition is a result of constant stress, obesity, an irregular diet and staying up late, he said. “My physical condition doesn’t allow me to keep fighting,” Uzi said in... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087444/chinese-esports-superstar-uzi-announces-retirement-age-23?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087444/chinese-esports-superstar-uzi-announces-retirement-age-23?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2020 14:00:19 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Whenever Li Xin wants to take a stroll through a local park in Shanghai, she needs to pull out her phone and show a QR code. If it’s not the right color, she won’t be allowed in. The same goes for entering her office. Her code was even checked when she was enrolling her child in kindergarten. Color-based health codes have become China’s most widely used method of trying to keep the spread of Covid-19 under control. With the danger having subsided in... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087437/china-wants-keep-health-codes-after-pandemic-users-arent-so-sure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087437/china-wants-keep-health-codes-after-pandemic-users-arent-so-sure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2020 13:24:19 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Remove China Apps has had a wild, albeit short, ride. Within two weeks of its launch, the Indian app designed to help smartphone users get rid of Chinese software became the top-trending Android app in the country, racked up 5 million installs, and then was abruptly removed from the Google Play app store. As of June 3, the app’s Google Play page is no longer accessible, but those who already have the app can continue to use it. It appears that the app... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087361/google-removes-viral-indian-app-removes-chinese-apps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087361/google-removes-viral-indian-app-removes-chinese-apps?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2020 07:35:05 +0000 Masha Borak Masha Borak This article originally appeared on ABACUS When police arrived on the scene in the northern Chinese city of Daqing, they found what seemed like it could have been ripped from the pages of a thriller novel: Two mysterious grave mounds were lying in the field. But this wasn't the site of a grim murder. The mounds were actually hiding a bitcoin mining operation. After receiving a tip from a local oil field company about suspicious power losses, Daqing police decided to inspect the area last... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087222/mysterious-tombs-china-found-be-bitcoin-mining-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087222/mysterious-tombs-china-found-be-bitcoin-mining-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:11:31 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS If you’re starting to zone out after too many Zoom meetings, you might want to pay attention to the latest gadget from iFlytek. The Smart Recording Pen A1 is a recorder that transcribes voice to text. It’s said to support 10 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. The company also says it supports 12 Chinese dialects, including Cantonese. It also looks nothing like a pen, though older people tell me it actually resembles something... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087212/voice-recorder-looks-cassette-tape-and-uses-ai-transcribe-10-languages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087212/voice-recorder-looks-cassette-tape-and-uses-ai-transcribe-10-languages?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 10:59:14 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The hottest app in India right now is an app that says it will detect and remove Chinese apps from your smartphone. Just 10 days after it launched, Remove China Apps soared to the top spot on India’s Google Play Store. The developer OneTouch AppLabs says it racked up 1 million downloads in that period, and it currently shows more than 5 million installs on Google Play. The Android app purportedly identifies all the apps on a smartphone that are made by... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087210/viral-indian-app-helping-users-get-rid-chinese-software-offers-mixed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087210/viral-indian-app-helping-users-get-rid-chinese-software-offers-mixed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 10:36:52 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS One of China’s largest facial recognition companies wants to provide a high-tech solution to a problem triggered by a tech bubble bursting: Scores of leftover shared bicycles littering the streets of China’s cities. SenseTime introduced an “intelligent patrol screen” last Friday that uses computer vision and an abundance of cameras to detect whether people parked their bikes properly. But it’s also about more than just bikes. It can detect if there’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087119/sensetimes-ai-makes-sure-you-park-your-shared-bike-properly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087119/sensetimes-ai-makes-sure-you-park-your-shared-bike-properly?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 05:13:47 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS It recently dawned on me that the smartphone gimbal is the new selfie stick. The revelation came when multiple Instagram husbands (and dads) expressed astonishment that I don’t own a DJI Osmo 3 -- or any similar stabilizing tool that allows regular people like you and me to take mobile videos that look like they’re shot with the help of a professional Steadicam. So it doesn’t entirely surprise me that a new smartphone unveiled today comes equipped with... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087042/vivo-puts-camera-gimbal-inside-its-new-x50-pro-flagship-phone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087042/vivo-puts-camera-gimbal-inside-its-new-x50-pro-flagship-phone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 13:00:24 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS After social media users accused TikTok of banning Black Lives Matter hashtags, the makers of the short video app blamed it on a technical glitch. With cities across the US embroiled in protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, some people noted that they couldn’t use hashtags related to the protests. A response from TikTok on Twitter said it was a technical issue that affected a range of random terms, including “cats”... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087031/tiktok-says-black-lives-matter-isnt-banned-and-fixes-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087031/tiktok-says-black-lives-matter-isnt-banned-and-fixes-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 12:03:47 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS China is going to start searching for extraterrestrial life this year. Zhang Tongjie, a chief scientist leading China’s search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) says the massive Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) will “officially” start its hunt in September this year, according to the state-run news outlet Science and Technology Daily. Construction of the FAST telescope started in 2011 and was completed in 2016. It officially... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086996/china-officially-start-searching-aliens-september?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086996/china-officially-start-searching-aliens-september?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:32:13 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Although 5G phones are just starting to go mainstream this year, Xiaomi has already started pre-research into the next generation of mobile connectivity, according to the smartphone company’s co-founder and chairman Lei Jun. This wasn’t the first time Lei mentioned 6G. In May, during China’s annual legislative meetings known as the Two Sessions, the entrepreneur prepared four proposals for China’s next five-year plan. One of them is making satellite... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086951/forget-5g-xiaomi-getting-ready-6g?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086951/forget-5g-xiaomi-getting-ready-6g?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 06:45:34 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS “From its first day, DingTalk has been an iron thorn whip. It turns employees into instruments, it’s a tool of enslavement.” Based on these harsh words alone, you might think DingTalk is a medieval torture device deployed by corporations to punish employees for missing deadlines. But this is actually one of many negative comments left on a local forum describing one of China’s most widely used work communication platforms. It’s used the same way in the... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3086778/dingtalk-chinas-answer-slack-and-stuff-office-nightmares?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3086778/dingtalk-chinas-answer-slack-and-stuff-office-nightmares?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2020 15:05:57 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS TikTok might still be dominating the download charts in the US, but it’s now facing some competition. Users have recently rushed to download a different short video app that looks almost identical to the popular Chinese app. The app is called Zynn, and it comes from the company behind Kuaishou, the main competitor of TikTok’s Chinese version. After being released earlier this month on iOS and Android, Zynn recently soared to the top of the iOS App Store... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086567/tiktok-clone-topping-charts-paying-users-watch-videos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086567/tiktok-clone-topping-charts-paying-users-watch-videos?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 13:40:16 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Have you ever wished it was easier to jump into a live-streaming video after paying for your Starbucks latte? Alipay is now making your wish come true. Like many apps in the country, the mobile payment platform has decided to cash in on China’s popular and lucrative live-streaming ecommerce trend. (Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba, an affiliate of Alipay owner Ant Financial.) On Thursday, Alipay added a mini... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086545/alipay-joins-live-streaming-ecommerce-trend-mini-program?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086545/alipay-joins-live-streaming-ecommerce-trend-mini-program?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 10:37:54 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS OnePlus used to pride itself on offering only flagship smartphones. But that’s changing. OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone startup that made a mark in the West CEO Pete Lau said on Weibo today that OnePlus’ product line will welcome “new members,” offering people more choices both in terms of product categories and price range. That means it will start selling cheaper phones, according to an interview that Pete Lau shared on Twitter.  Lau told Fast... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086382/oneplus-start-offering-cheaper-phones-and-build-ecosystem-xiaomi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086382/oneplus-start-offering-cheaper-phones-and-build-ecosystem-xiaomi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2020 12:44:58 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Xiaomi is gearing up to launch more affordable 5G smartphones. In fact, all new mobile phones from its budget Redmi series that cost more than 1500 yuan (US$210) will be 5G enabled, according to a statement from Xiaomi’s President for China Lu Weibing reported by local media. It comes as the company introduces the newest addition to its lineup, the Redmi 10X. Starting at 1599 yuan (US$223), the 10X line features a 48-megapixel camera and a MediaTek... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086373/xiaomis-budget-brand-says-all-redmi-phones-above-us210-will-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086373/xiaomis-budget-brand-says-all-redmi-phones-above-us210-will-have?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2020 11:19:44 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS “I don’t trust society to protect us,” said Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Now it looks like criminals on the dark web don’t even trust the underground marketplaces they’ve been relying on to trade stolen credit card accounts. Researchers at Trend Micro, a Tokyo-based security firm, have found that vendors and their customers in the dark web have essentially descended into a climate of suspicion after the FBI and Europol took down a string of major... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086366/no-honor-among-thieves-why-dark-web-having-trust-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086366/no-honor-among-thieves-why-dark-web-having-trust-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2020 10:21:29 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS More people in Hong Kong are downloading VPNs (virtual private networks) after China’s central authorities announced a plan to bypass the local legislature and draw up its own national security law for the city last week.  Atlas VPN says installations of the cyber tool surged by more than six-fold on Thursday, when Beijing revealed its proposal. Installations continued to rise by three-fold the next day, adding up to a 150-time increase in just seven... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086134/hong-kongers-scramble-vpns-beijing-plans-national-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3086134/hong-kongers-scramble-vpns-beijing-plans-national-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2020 09:42:39 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000, the Y2K bug -- a calendar formatting glitch in computer systems -- didn’t exactly lead to a digital apocalypse as some had feared. But that doesn’t mean dates can’t cause havok with modern technology, as Samsung smartphone users in China discovered. It happened on May 23, an unremarkable date in the Gregorian calendar commonly used worldwide. But at midnight, some Samsung users in China suddenly saw... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086110/why-did-some-samsung-smartphones-crash-china-may-23?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086110/why-did-some-samsung-smartphones-crash-china-may-23?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2020 08:21:13 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Health codes were introduced in Hangzhou to help combat the spread of Covid-19. But now it looks like the codes might outlive the virus, with city residents being scored and ranked based on their health status, according to a proposal by local government officials. Since February, people in cities across China have been assigned QR codes on their smartphones that come in either red, yellow or green. Each color is supposed to indicate the likelihood... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086024/chinese-city-introduced-health-codes-wants-track-drinking-and-smoking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3086024/chinese-city-introduced-health-codes-wants-track-drinking-and-smoking?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2020 21:00:15 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Realme saw rapid growth in 2019, especially in India, where it became the fourth most popular smartphone brand in the country in the first quarter, according to IDC. And now the Oppo spin-off brand is expanding in India to include a smartwatch and smart TV in its offerings. The Realme Watch will come with a square 1.4-inch LCD screen. It’s also equipped with heart rate and oxygen monitors, a fitness tracker and the ability to control music, smartphone... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3085987/realmes-first-smartwatch-costs-us50-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3085987/realmes-first-smartwatch-costs-us50-india?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2020 11:27:40 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Work collaboration and note-taking app Notion is no longer accessible in China, according to its San Francisco-based owner. “Notion is blocked by a firewall in China. We are monitoring the situation and will continue to post updates,” the company said in a tweet posted Sunday evening local time. Notion’s app lets anyone from individual users to entire workplaces and classrooms organize digital documents, take notes, set up to-do lists and team up with... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3085953/us-work-collaboration-app-notion-blocked-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3085953/us-work-collaboration-app-notion-blocked-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2020 09:18:40 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS China is going ahead with its first mission to Mars with a launch planned for July this year, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed on Sunday. If successful, the Tianwen-1 mission will make China the third country to land on the red planet after the United States and the Soviet Union. CASC is the main contractor for the Chinese space program and has been working on the project since 2016. The mission has several tasks,... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3085935/chinas-mars-mission-will-go-ahead-july-planned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3085935/chinas-mars-mission-will-go-ahead-july-planned?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2020 08:16:15 +0000