https://www.scmp.com/rss/506036/feed With news on China's top tech players such as Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba, its fledgling start-ups, and all the things that affect how Chinese people live their lives on the internet, whether it's 5G, the hot new apps such as telegram or WeChat or government censorship. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A leading Chinese solar panel maker has leased space for its first US factory in another win for the Biden administration’s efforts to build up the nation’s clean energy manufacturing base. JA Solar Technology will build a US$60 million panel plant in Phoenix with plans to be operational by the fourth quarter of this year, the company said in a press statement issued by the Arizona Commerce Authority. The plant will be able to produce 2 gigawatts (GW) of panels a year once fully functional, it... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3206506/chinese-solar-firm-plans-us-factory-boon-biden-energy-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3206506/chinese-solar-firm-plans-us-factory-boon-biden-energy-push?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jan 2023 03:19:55 +0000 Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker, said profit dropped by more than two-thirds last quarter in its worst fall in more than a decade, as an economic slowdown pummelled prices and demand for IT gadgets and servers. Operating profit fell 69 per cent to 4.3 trillion won (US$3.4 billion) for the three months ended December, according to a company statement, missing the average estimate of 6.7 trillion won by analysts. Sales fell to 70 trillion won. Samsung is slated to... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3205773/samsung-profit-tumbles-69-cent-historic-drop-memory-chip-price-slump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3205773/samsung-profit-tumbles-69-cent-historic-drop-memory-chip-price-slump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2023 02:03:01 +0000 Shanghai’s authorities ordered several districts in China’s commercial hub into partial lockdowns, as health officials sealed off neighbourhoods including the area around ByteDance’s head office to contain an outbreak of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dozens of neighbourhoods across Shanghai’s 16 administrative districts had been cordoned off, and residents ordered to undergo mandatory tests. Only Chongming island and Jinshan in the southwestern corner of the city of almost 25... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3170011/bytedances-shanghai-tower-under-lockdown-city-seals-dozens-areas-hold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3170011/bytedances-shanghai-tower-under-lockdown-city-seals-dozens-areas-hold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Mar 2022 12:50:45 +0000 Didi Global is in talks to launch its initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong in the second quarter, as China’s dominant ride-hailing company prepares to exit the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), according to two sources familiar with the matter. Didi’s bankers have had preliminary discussions with the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) before submitting the A1 form to officially apply to list on the exchange, according to the sources, requesting anonymity for discussing a matter... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3163075/didi-talks-second-quarter-ipo-hong-kong-its-way-delisting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3163075/didi-talks-second-quarter-ipo-hong-kong-its-way-delisting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jan 2022 07:28:46 +0000 China’s three leading electric vehicle (EV) start-ups posted a record number of deliveries for November, amid a surge in demand for premium EVs. Guangzhou-based Xpeng Motors delivered 15,613 vehicles last month, a jump of 270 per cent from a year ago. Shanghai-headquartered NIO reported 10,878 deliveries for the month, more than doubling last year’s number, and Beijing-based Li Auto delivered 13,485 EVs, a surge of 190 per cent year on year. The delivery of 10,000 or more cars a month is viewed... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3158060/leading-chinese-ev-trio-xpeng-nio-and-li-auto-post-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3158060/leading-chinese-ev-trio-xpeng-nio-and-li-auto-post-record?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:30:26 +0000 The uncertainty over central banks’ policy responses to get the global economy on track in the post-Covid-19 era is causing inflation worries to rise, leading investors to look for higher returns, banking and finance experts told the China Conference organised by the Post.   Sectors such as health tech, electric vehicles, companies that embrace environment, social and governance (ESG) principles and cryptocurrency assets could yield attractive returns and cushion the blow from inflation on... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3137554/sustainable-investing-bitcoin-and-health-tech-could-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3137554/sustainable-investing-bitcoin-and-health-tech-could-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jun 2021 13:19:29 +0000 Outside a residential compound in the Longhua district in southern China’s technology metropolis Shenzhen, home to some of the country’s most advanced companies, a quiet revolution is unfolding. A green, giant recycling bin outside the delivery room of the compound receives discarded cartons, plastic wrappings and packaging of nearly 1,000 parcels on an average day. Operated by Cainiao, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group Holding, the recycle bin and the delivery room are among 80,000 established... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3131788/chinas-carbo-neutral-goal-cainiao-jdcom-and-online-retailers-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3131788/chinas-carbo-neutral-goal-cainiao-jdcom-and-online-retailers-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 May 2021 02:00:20 +0000 Smart helmet maker Shenzhen Qianhai Livall loT Technology is in talks with China’s leading food delivery firms about intelligent helmets that will improve the safety of their riders. A major maker of such helmets globally, the company was founded in 2014. It started with the manufacture of smart sports helmets before gradually extending production to urban road motorcycle helmets. “Growing demand for online food delivery services in recent years has increased concerns about their deliverymen’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3131004/chinese-smart-helmet-maker-livall-targets-food-delivery-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3131004/chinese-smart-helmet-maker-livall-targets-food-delivery-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:30:19 +0000 Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume globally, is marketing its first security token backed by Tesla stocks trading on the Nasdaq exchange to investors – including those in Hong Kong. The marketing campaign could be deemed a regulated activity that requires a licence in Hong Kong. Binance, however, does not have any such licence in the city, according to Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) records. Moreover, a list of restricted jurisdictions – mainland China and... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3130489/binances-marketing-security-token-based-tesla-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3130489/binances-marketing-security-token-based-tesla-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Apr 2021 16:30:21 +0000 Apple has made deep inroads in helping its suppliers in China transition to renewable energy and achieve its carbon-neutral target by 2030 by exceeding its goal of bringing online over 2 gigawatts of renewable energy on the mainland. By surpassing its green energy goal, the Cupertino, California-based company said it can avoid the emission of nearly 4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually in China – the equivalent of taking nearly 1 million cars off the road each year. Last July, Apple... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3127933/apples-carbon-neutral-goal-gathers-pace-it-brings-2gw-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3127933/apples-carbon-neutral-goal-gathers-pace-it-brings-2gw-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Apr 2021 09:30:10 +0000 Xiaomi’s major announcement event, hyped a week in advance by the gadget maker on social media, turned out to be nothing more than a launch of its latest smartphones. Defying expectations of new semiconductor chips, a foldable phone and even a project to develop electric cars – denied by Xiaomi’s supposed partner Great Wall Motors in a stock exchange filing – the Beijing-based company’s founder and chief executive Lei Jun spoke at length at a much-heralded event. He abruptly ended his launch of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3127560/after-week-hype-xiaomi-underwhelms-abrupt-end-launch-event?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3127560/after-week-hype-xiaomi-underwhelms-abrupt-end-launch-event?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Mar 2021 01:07:08 +0000 Samsung Electronics Co warned it is grappling with the fallout from a “serious imbalance” in semiconductors globally, becoming the largest tech giant to voice concerns about chip shortages spreading beyond the automaking industry. Samsung, one of the world’s largest makers of chips and consumer electronics, expects the crunch to pose a problem to its business next quarter, co-chief executive officer Koh Dong-jin said during an annual shareholders meeting in Seoul. The company is also considering... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3125894/samsung-says-it-may-skip-new-galaxy-note-phone-year-amid-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3125894/samsung-says-it-may-skip-new-galaxy-note-phone-year-amid-global?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 01:30:31 +0000 Players can now place wagers on one-on-one video games using a new app called 1v1Me that was inspired by at-home betting during the pandemic. The app, first reported on by TechCrunch, will allow gamers to place wagers in one-on-one matches on Call of Duty and Fortnite while at home.  1v1Me launched with well-known content creators, such as NoisyButters, joining in. It is starting off small and supporting just two video games, so that it is a “much more controlled environment,” said founder... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3125727/new-invite-only-iphone-app-lets-people-gamble-money-fortnite-and-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3125727/new-invite-only-iphone-app-lets-people-gamble-money-fortnite-and-call?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Mar 2021 02:24:10 +0000 At a premier spot in Donlim Emperor Court, a shiny new shopping centre in the southern Chinese city of Foshan, stands a 1,700-square-foot Huawei store. With massive Huawei logos adorning its walls, the franchise outlet has been such a treasured presence that the mall’s property management featured it in promotional materials to woo potential tenants. On a recent visit, however, the store was deserted, save for a tiny Christmas tree and a few pieces of furniture. The door was locked. It turns out... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3124415/china-huaweis-smartphone-star-quickly-fading-us-sanctions-bite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3124415/china-huaweis-smartphone-star-quickly-fading-us-sanctions-bite?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Mar 2021 02:00:17 +0000 The blocking of popular audio-chat social media app Clubhouse in China has sparked renewed debate over whether a Chinese version could emerge from a group of potential local contenders trying to fill the void. Clubhouse became inaccessible in mainland China on Monday, following the proliferation of discussions on sensitive political topics like the Hong Kong protests, Xinjiang re-education camps and mainland-Taiwan relations. As Clubhouse fades from view in China, several Chinese social audio... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3121328/clubhouse-blocked-can-audio-only-chat-phenomenon-go-mainstream-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3121328/clubhouse-blocked-can-audio-only-chat-phenomenon-go-mainstream-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Feb 2021 10:30:11 +0000 36-year old Lin Yanqiong left her home in a small village in China’s central Hubei province to become a migrant worker at the age of 15, moving across the country to take a variety of jobs, including a nurse, waitress and masseuse. Her relatively underprivileged life changed though when she watched a streaming show by online celebrity Xinba, a guy who sold 1.25 billion yuan of products in a single live-streaming session on Kuaishou, a short video app she enjoys watching. She was shocked. “I... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3119151/kuaishou-has-changed-daily-lives-many-chinese-people-will-short-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3119151/kuaishou-has-changed-daily-lives-many-chinese-people-will-short-video?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jan 2021 23:00:11 +0000 Huawei Technologies Co. must decentralise its operations, simplify product lines, focus on generating profit, and maintain pay levels for three to five years to survive US trade restrictions, according to a recently published speech from company founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei. Ren made the speech last June, but Huawei only made it public on Friday, two days after the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. The Shenzhen-based telecoms equipment giant has faced many obstacles in the past six months:... https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/3118902/huawei-founder-ren-zhengfei-calls-decentralisation-focus-profits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/3118902/huawei-founder-ren-zhengfei-calls-decentralisation-focus-profits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jan 2021 22:00:12 +0000 Some users of China Telecom, one of the country’s three state-owned telecoms companies, can now make quantum encrypted phone calls using a special SIM card and smartphone app, the company announced last week. The move is the latest from China showcasing the country’s commitment to all things quantum computing, an area that, like artificial intelligence and 5G, has become part of the ongoing US-China tech war. The service was launched as a pilot programme in Anhui province, where China Telecom... https://www.scmp.com/tech/innovation/article/3116659/china-telecom-launches-quantum-encrypted-phone-calls-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/innovation/article/3116659/china-telecom-launches-quantum-encrypted-phone-calls-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2021 01:13:37 +0000 The holidays are almost here. Still looking for last-minute gifts? Our tech reporters have spent the past year experimenting with various gizmos, gadgets and games. From the priciest to the cheapest, here are our favourites. (All prices are for reference only.) 1. MacBook Air - US$999 Some of us are dedicated Windows and Android users, not Apple fans. That includes one of our editors. But this year’s new Apple laptop has won him over: “I have only ever owned two Apple products – a MacBook Pro... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3114376/eight-christmas-gift-ideas-tech-lovers-2020?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3114376/eight-christmas-gift-ideas-tech-lovers-2020?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2020 23:00:16 +0000 The launch of Apple’s AirPods Max on Tuesday night stirred up heated discussion on Chinese social media, where netizens mocked the headphones’ “insane” price of 4,399 yuan (US$674) apiece. Hashtags relating to the American tech giant’s first-ever over-ear headphones trended on microblogging site Weibo, with the topic garnering 110 million views and over 240,000 discussions on the platform as of Wednesday evening. Many of the comments were critical of the wireless headphones’ price tag, which is... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3113221/chinese-netizens-mock-apples-new-airpods-max-headphones-insane-price?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3113221/chinese-netizens-mock-apples-new-airpods-max-headphones-insane-price?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2020 13:00:14 +0000 In a span of more than 4,000 years, many great emperors have ruled China. While people know them through what has been depicted in books and ancient illustrations, artificial intelligence (AI) technology now makes it possible to put a realistic face on a number of these historical figures. Hu Wengu, an independent Chinese video game developer and programmer, has used AI tools to recreate the animated faces of Chinese emperors from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties – a period that dates more than... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3112919/video-game-developer-uses-ai-recreate-faces-ancient-chinese-emperors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3112919/video-game-developer-uses-ai-recreate-faces-ancient-chinese-emperors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:18 +0000 Live-streaming has become such a normal part of the online shopping experience in China that even the government started recognising “live-stream salesperson” as an official profession this year. Now one of Alibaba Group Holding’s e-commerce platforms says it wants to help people who are deaf or mute get into the business. Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post. Live-streaming shopping sessions are typically full of chatty sales pitches. But in a nearly two-hour session on... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3112581/alibaba-experiments-basic-captions-deaf-live-streaming-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3112581/alibaba-experiments-basic-captions-deaf-live-streaming-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Dec 2020 00:00:10 +0000 Li Zhao was having a rough day. As the young, bearded man staggered home, he worried about the scolding he would receive from his mother-in-law. As he considered this in the middle of an empty street, a blue bolt of light streaked down from the sky, knocking Li to the ground. When he sat up again, with torched hair and a burnt face, he realised he was blessed with superhuman abilities. The 50-second trailer from TikTok owner ByteDance is one of many videos online that promote stories with... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3111645/tiktok-owner-bytedance-bets-free-web-novels-challenge-tencents-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3111645/tiktok-owner-bytedance-bets-free-web-novels-challenge-tencents-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:00:16 +0000 Google removed two Android apps from Chinese search giant Baidu in the wake of a report published by researchers at Palo Alto Networks, which found the apps collected sensitive user data that could be used to track people even after they switch to a new smartphone. The apps had a combined 6 million downloads. Baidu confirmed that its search app and Baidu Maps were both pulled from Google Play Store globally on October 28 but denied that the apps were removed over the research findings. A Baidu... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3111288/google-removes-baidu-apps-after-they-were-found-collecting-sensitive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3111288/google-removes-baidu-apps-after-they-were-found-collecting-sensitive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Nov 2020 09:30:11 +0000 Since late October, Mao Biying has been spending four to five hours every day feeding and dressing up a virtual cat on her smartphone. But the college student based in China’s Hebei province, who asked to go by a pseudonym, was not playing for the sake of caring for a digital pet. What she was really after were coupons for products sold during the world’s biggest shopping festival, Singles’ Day. Playing games has increasingly become part of China’s online shopping experience in recent years as... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3108768/singles-day-mini-games-keep-shoppers-coming-back-more-taobao-and-jdcom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3108768/singles-day-mini-games-keep-shoppers-coming-back-more-taobao-and-jdcom?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2020 12:00:18 +0000 Has the world’s biggest shopping day become too elaborate for its own good? Chinese e-commerce giants that revel in the annual retail ritual on November 11 may disagree, but NetEase says it has had enough. In a manifesto published on Wednesday, a week before the shopping bonanza, the internet behemoth announced, “This Singles’ Day, we are quitting the battle.” Quit might be an exaggeration. The company’s shopping platform, NetEase Yanxuan, said it still plans to bring consumers “the year’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3108586/quitting-singles-day-netease-platform-decries-complicated-gimmicks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3108586/quitting-singles-day-netease-platform-decries-complicated-gimmicks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2020 10:45:17 +0000 “So awkward I’m physically uncomfortable after seeing it.” A new talent show featuring virtual idols is drawing mixed reactions as people complain about technical glitches and uninspired characters. The “physically uncomfortable” viewer is just one of many people leaving negative reviews for Dimension Nova on Chinese review site Douban. The new show comes courtesy of iQiyi, one of China’s biggest video streaming platforms. It pits 30 digital anime avatars against each other in front of three... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3107625/30-virtual-idols-are-facing-talent-show-iqiyi-viewers-complain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3107625/30-virtual-idols-are-facing-talent-show-iqiyi-viewers-complain?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:00:17 +0000 When a 61-year-old woman in the southeastern province of Jiangxi found out she was being followed by TV star Jin Dong on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, she was elated. The woman was convinced that the 43-year-old actor was in love with her and she was ready to leave her family. There was just one problem: she was not interacting with the real Jin Dong. The story of the woman, who used the pseudonym Huang Yue on a local news programme, went viral online earlier this month. Huang had been... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3107118/older-women-chinas-tiktok-are-being-scammed-flirtatious-fake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3107118/older-women-chinas-tiktok-are-being-scammed-flirtatious-fake?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:00:06 +0000 TikTok owner ByteDance is engaging China’s consumers longer through its popular apps Douyin and Jinri Toutiao, compared with rival Tencent Holdings’ multipurpose social media platform WeChat, according to a new survey from analytics firm TalkingData. The survey, which was first reported by Chinese tech site 36Kr, said users of news aggregator Toutiao spent an average of 73.4 minutes on the app every day. Toutiao reportedly had more than 1.5 billion monthly active users as of July last... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3106493/bytedance-apps-toutiao-douyin-engage-chinese-consumers-longer-tencents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3106493/bytedance-apps-toutiao-douyin-engage-chinese-consumers-longer-tencents?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Oct 2020 22:45:13 +0000 Zoom has two new weapons in its fight against competitors like Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. The company announced a new events platform called OnZoom and mini programs called Zapps that can be launched from within Zoom itself. Video communications company unveiled the new products during its three-day online conference called Zoomtopia, which concluded on Friday. The announcements come as Zoom has been facing both skyrocketing growth during the Covid-19 pandemic and increased scrutiny over... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105776/zoom-selling-ticketed-virtual-events-and-offering-its-own-mini-programs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105776/zoom-selling-ticketed-virtual-events-and-offering-its-own-mini-programs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Oct 2020 10:01:57 +0000 When people think of censorship in China, they usually think about the Great Firewall and netizens turning to clever images and puns to circumvent restrictions. But users are not the only ones left at the whims of censors. Digital platforms are often on the hook for figuring out how to keep disagreeable content off their services. The latest big content provider to face the wrath of Chinese censors is NetEase, which was fined this week because of comments on its news app that were deemed... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105522/beyond-great-firewall-chinas-vast-censorship-apparatus-ropes-companies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105522/beyond-great-firewall-chinas-vast-censorship-apparatus-ropes-companies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:00:24 +0000 Facial recognition is ubiquitous in China these days, and it is used for everything from making payments to logging into video games. While consumers have become increasingly concerned about the technology’s privacy implications, it is now facing criticism from a state-sponsored industry group. Facial recognition has both solved problems for consumers and introduced new security risks as a result of overuse, the China Security and Protection Industry Association (CSPIA) argues in an opinion... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105702/facial-recognition-video-games-comes-security-risks-chinese-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105702/facial-recognition-video-games-comes-security-risks-chinese-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2020 13:15:15 +0000 China woke up on Wednesday morning to its first look at Apple’s newest smartphones. Various hashtags related to the iPhone 12 were trending on social media, but one in particular drew outrage: “iPhone 12 does not include earphones and charger”. Apple launches iPhone 12 line with 5G speeds, new screens The Californian tech giant announced that the iPhone 12 and existing older models will no longer ship with wired earphones and wall chargers, allowing for smaller packaging. This, according to... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105474/iphone-12-launching-without-earbuds-or-wall-chargers-compared-eating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105474/iphone-12-launching-without-earbuds-or-wall-chargers-compared-eating?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2020 11:00:09 +0000 The perfect emoji speaks louder than words, but finding the right one among the more than 3,000 that exist can be difficult. Now a group of researchers discovered a new way to help people find the emoji that best matches their facial expressions, no typing or talking required. And it could have applications beyond just expressive texting. The invention, created by a team from Cornell University, involves an earphone or headphone system called C-Face. Cameras are attached to each earpiece,... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105322/earphone-wearables-designed-cornell-convert-facial-expressions-emoji?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105322/earphone-wearables-designed-cornell-convert-facial-expressions-emoji?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2020 03:00:12 +0000 Illegal drug deals are typically surreptitious operations, but Chinese police said they managed to catch one in action using a drone. In a video shared with state broadcaster CCTV, authorities in the southern city of Guilin were shown trying to tail a suspected drug dealer. But instead of sending officers on the road, they deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle. The operation led them to an abandoned brick factory, where a customer was already waiting in a car. The suspects were seen to be... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3105181/police-drone-busts-alleged-drug-deal-china-after-tailing-suspect-and-filming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3105181/police-drone-busts-alleged-drug-deal-china-after-tailing-suspect-and-filming?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2020 02:00:10 +0000 Chinese app Tuber briefly granted Chinese internet users access to blocked foreign sites such as YouTube and Facebook, leading some to celebrate that Beijing was moving to allow a more open internet. But it promptly became unavailable on Saturday after going viral on Friday. Tuber is an Android app made by a little-known company that is 70 per cent owned by a subsidiary of China’s biggest cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360. Sporting a logo similar to that of YouTube, Tuber’s main page offered a feed... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105106/chinese-browser-helped-users-bypass-great-firewall-disappears-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3105106/chinese-browser-helped-users-bypass-great-firewall-disappears-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2020 04:59:15 +0000 Getting around in China without a smartphone is a difficult task in 2020, and this has been a particular problem for the country’s elderly population. It has caused numerous altercations as people trying to get home or use public transport are turned away because they cannot show a digital health code that has become so common in the country. Now one railway station in the eastern city of Wuxi is trying to help. Chinese netizens are applauding the station for setting up a special help desk for... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104856/no-smartphone-no-health-code-no-problem-railway-station-china-offers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104856/no-smartphone-no-health-code-no-problem-railway-station-china-offers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2020 02:15:09 +0000 China has more than 880 million users of online video platforms, and streaming has been booming this year during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now Baidu is looking for a way to attract more of those users with yet another video app. The Chinese search giant released a video app this week called Kankan, which means “take a look” in Chinese. For now, the app is little more than a new search app for videos that lets people browse short videos and live streams. And most of the content there is not... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104692/baidu-has-new-douyin-and-kuaishou-rival-called-kankan-its-mostly-just?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104692/baidu-has-new-douyin-and-kuaishou-rival-called-kankan-its-mostly-just?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2020 00:00:20 +0000 When Lao Dongyan’s residential neighbourhood in Beijing decided to install facial recognition, she made an uncommon choice: She decided to fight it. Lao had concerns about the data security for such systems, so she raised her objections in a group chat with other residents. As a law professor at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University, Lao had knowledge and resources that most people do not have. Lao sent out legal letters to the property management and neighbourhood committee. “When property... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104512/facial-recognition-data-leaks-rampant-across-china-covid-19-pushes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104512/facial-recognition-data-leaks-rampant-across-china-covid-19-pushes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2020 03:20:17 +0000 Masha Borak Masha Borak Toy vending machines are a popular fixture in China’s myriad shopping centres and entertainment venues, as they help attract young consumers. China’s central bank now sees these vending machines as a means to further expand the use of the country‘s digital currency. Shanghai-based company Delfino, a unit of Japanese housing builder Okura, has been tapped to supply these so-called gashapon machines that will be installed in various areas on the mainland where the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104335/chinas-digital-currency-can-soon-be-used-china-buy-toys-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3104335/chinas-digital-currency-can-soon-be-used-china-buy-toys-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2020 03:00:18 +0000 Russel Zeng lives in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. But Google Chrome is his window to the world. From his office in the city often called the Silicon Valley of China, the tech worker reads English news sites in Google’s web browser on his computer. With FireShot, one of the myriad free browser extensions available on Chrome, he takes screenshots of articles that he finds useful and shares them with his colleagues. To improve his English writing, he uses the Grammarly extension to check... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103747/google-chrome-remains-chinas-most-popular-web-browser-even-google?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103747/google-chrome-remains-chinas-most-popular-web-browser-even-google?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2020 03:00:17 +0000 More RSS apps are disappearing from Apple’s App Store in China in a new crackdown on feed readers. Apple removed two additional apps that pull content from RSS feeds, allowing Chinese users to access articles that might normally be blocked by the country’s Great Firewall. Fiery Feeds and Reeder both acknowledged on Twitter that their iOS apps had been removed in the country. They cited a 2017 tweet by Inoreader, another popular RSS service, which posted a letter from Apple saying its app was... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103830/apple-removes-rss-readers-fiery-feeds-and-reeder-ios-app-store-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103830/apple-removes-rss-readers-fiery-feeds-and-reeder-ios-app-store-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2020 03:00:09 +0000 The Covid-19 pandemic encouraged millions more people in China to work, shop and seek entertainment online this year. That has resulted in increased use of live-streaming and short video-sharing services, but other segments are still struggling to recover, according to a biannual government report on internet usage. Internet users in China ballooned to 940 million in June, up from 904 million internet users in March, the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) said in the report. Much... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103622/china-internet-services-struggle-recover-covid-19-countrys-internet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103622/china-internet-services-struggle-recover-covid-19-countrys-internet?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2020 13:31:25 +0000 China’s brutal bike-sharing war created many “bike graveyards” across the country, but some of those bikes want you to know they’re not dead yet. In Changsha, the capital of China’s central Hunan province, residents near an abandoned construction site full of shared bikes said they kept hearing cries for help, according to Chinese media. The bikes are designed to call out through an installed speaker when tipped over. “Little yellow bike fell. Please hurry and help me up!” the voice repeatedly... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103485/abandoned-ofo-bikes-cry-out-help-while-piled-bike-sharing-graveyard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103485/abandoned-ofo-bikes-cry-out-help-while-piled-bike-sharing-graveyard?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2020 03:05:11 +0000 The personal computer just got a little less personal. China, already known as the capital of shared bikes and power banks, will soon launch the first shared laptop scheme thanks to a limited promotion from Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. Honor is best known for its affordable line of smartphones, but it also has a budget laptop brand called MagicBook. This is the laptop that people will be able to borrow during China’s upcoming national holiday that runs from October 1 to 8, the company announced on... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103347/shared-laptops-are-latest-sharing-economy-idea-huaweis-honor-doorstep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3103347/shared-laptops-are-latest-sharing-economy-idea-huaweis-honor-doorstep?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2020 21:00:19 +0000 The art of translation has existed as long as literature. While artificial intelligence has so far proven to be inferior at the job compared to humans, that hasn’t deterred China’s online literature platforms from betting on algorithms to introduce Chinese web novels to English-speaking audiences. And they hope that computers can do it faster and cheaper. While a professional human translator might take hours to translate 1,000 words, AI can do it in a single second, according to Funstory.ai, a... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3102891/chinese-publishers-see-ai-translation-killer-app-pushing-web-novels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3102891/chinese-publishers-see-ai-translation-killer-app-pushing-web-novels?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2020 23:00:17 +0000 The Chinese brand that launched the world’s first foldable smartphone, beating Samsung and Huawei to the punch, is back with a new model. On Tuesday, Shenzhen-based Royole launched the FlexPai 2, the company’s second foldable phone. Starting at just 9,988 yuan (US$1,470), the FlexPai 2 is one of the cheapest smartphones with a foldable display available today, especially one with a tablet-sized display. The first FlexPai, launched in late 2018, wasn’t much of a success. Like many people who... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3102532/royole-flexpai-2-launches-china-little-fanfare-follow-worlds-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3102532/royole-flexpai-2-launches-china-little-fanfare-follow-worlds-first?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2020 17:00:15 +0000 A California judge has blocked the Trump administration from imposing a US ban on downloads of WeChat, the super app owned and operated by Tencent Holdings, hours before that executive order was to be implemented on Sunday. The move gave temporary relief to WeChat’s growing number of US users, who depend on the app for work as well as staying in touch with friends and relatives in China. In her ruling dated Saturday in the US, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler of the US District Court for the... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3102365/what-us-users-can-expect-after-trumps-ban-wechat-was-suspended?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3102365/what-us-users-can-expect-after-trumps-ban-wechat-was-suspended?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2020 21:00:10 +0000 Most carmakers today are keeping their eyes on the road, but not Geely. The Chinese manufacturer’s latest vehicle is an electric drone. The X-Chimera 25 is built by Chinese drone maker AOSSCI. The start-up recently merged with US-based flying car developer Terrafugia, which Geely acquired in 2017. The resulting joint venture, known as Aerofugia, hopes to eventually introduce a hybrid car that travels on the road and flies like a plane. Geely has also invested in German air taxi developer... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3101768/volvo-owner-geely-chinas-bestselling-carmaker-selling-drones-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3101768/volvo-owner-geely-chinas-bestselling-carmaker-selling-drones-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2020 03:05:15 +0000 For the first time since 2011, Apple did not announce a new iPhone at its annual September event. The phone’s absence had already been reported in advance, so it’s not a complete surprise. But in China, it still caught some netizens off guard. On the microblogging site Weibo, the hashtags “#iPhone 12 wasn’t announced” and “#Apple event doesn’t have Phone 12” were trending for hours. Many users complained that they have been waiting a long time for a new phone and asked why Apple didn’t announce... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3101786/without-iphone-12-apples-new-product-announcements-make-most-boring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3101786/without-iphone-12-apples-new-product-announcements-make-most-boring?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2020 17:00:17 +0000