China Mobile -- Engadget Mobile

China Mobile's Mobile Market site goes live, sort of

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 3:07PM

A site channeling 480 million subscribers into a single mobile app and content store would seem like one of the world's most lucrative properties, so naturally, there are a lot of eyes focused on China Mobile right now as it gets ready to launch its Mobile Market venture. The store's site is sort of live now, though it appears to be in a pre-release testing phase with broken links all over the place; the carrier officially says that the service will be available in September, so we'd look to that date before the full force of half a billion individuals gets unleashed on the site. Combine this with an Android-based OPhone or two, and we're totally in.

[Via PC World]

China Mobile says 3G isn't winning hearts and minds yet

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 29th 2009 at 9:42PM

China Mobile officially kicked off commercial 3G services on China's homegrown TD-SCDMA standard way back in January of this year and it's sparing no expense to build it out, but so far, only 3 percent of new subscribers -- that is, those that could easily get a 3G line and hardware if they wanted to -- are opting for the service. It'd be totally cool if 3 percent of China Mobile's total subscriber base were on 3G, but in reality, only about three-quarters of a million folks were signed up by the end of May -- and when you consider that there are nearly half a billion subscribers on the carrier, that's a drop in the bucket. Part of the problem could simply be that TD-SCDMA is unique to China, which limits hardware selection; its competitors are deploying HSPA and EV-DO networks, which may have a better chance of broad acceptance. Either that, or Chinese just hate fast wireless, and we're doubting that.

Move over, Lenovo: HTC Magic-based OPhone confirmed for June on China Mobile

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 29th 2009 at 12:13AM

Shots of that China Mobile-customized Magic in the wild have proven spot-on now that the Wall Street Journal has confirmed HTC's plans to begin offering the device starting next month. The phone will join hardware from Lenovo as a member of China Mobile's OPhone initiative, which is looking to offer a carrier-customized Android experience on surprisingly awesome handsets. Of course, awesomeness always comes with a price, and when the Magic launches in June, it's expected to run something in the range of 5,000 yuan ($732) -- a princely sum for a phone that should run no more than $450 or so totally unlocked in other locales. Just how bad do you want Android, punk?

[Via CNET]

Samsung B7300 pictured, excites only the most rabid WinMo fans

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 19th 2009 at 9:52AM

It's not the prettiest Windows Mobile smartphone we've ever seen, and there's a good reason for it -- all indications are that the unannounced Samsung B7300 is targeted squarely at the midrange of the market. In fact, the leaked pictures we're looking at here are China Mobile-branded, suggesting that the 3G- and WiFi-free device will find a home in an area of the world where EDGE doesn't matter much, much less HSDPA. Specs are said to include a WQVGA display, GPS, Bluetooth and USB 2.0, and quadband GSM, so at least you'll be able to take this puppy wherever you need to go -- and the 12.98mm-thin shell helps make the case, too. No word on when or where else we might see this one, but we'll stick with our Omnias for the time being, we think.

China Mobile planning to subvert Unicom's iPhone launch with the OPhone?

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 20th 2009 at 10:26AM

We've known for some time that China Mobile was planning to launch the KIRFy OPhone from Lenovo. Now, with word on the street that China Unicom has snagged the iPhone in that provider's home turf, a report from DigiTimes is suggesting that China Mobile might be trying to undermine the competition's supposed June iPhone launch by dropping the OPhone a month earlier. That sounds sensible enough, but are people there so eager for iPhone they'd jump on the imitation rather than wait another month for the real thing? We'll find out soon enough.

[Image courtesy of modmyGphone]

Dell smartphones planning whirlwind Asian trip courtesy of China Mobile?

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 13th 2009 at 9:07AM

China Mobile may or may not have lost out to China Unicom in the bid to (officially) bring the iPhone to the most populous nation in the world, but it seems the provider might still have an ace up its sleeve -- Dell. The Texas-based company, which may or may not be actually making smartphones, is said by analyst Zhang Jun to be in final negotiations with the Hong Kong-based provider to ship those actual devices to Asian shores, devices that were supposedly shunned by providers elsewhere on the globe. Talk of Dell's handsets running Android seems to fit in nicely with China Mobile's requirements to use its custom-baked operating system (which has a crunchy Android filling), as does Dell's apparent upcoming release of a TD-SCDMA-packing Mini 10 to Chinese netbookers. So is this a match made in heaven or an analyst daydream? Sadly we won't know until August, when this supposed deal will supposedly be done. Something tells us Unicom and Apple will still be debating by then, too.

[Via mocoNews]

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone gets hands-on video treatment

by Ross Miller, posted Apr 8th 2009 at 9:17PM

It's always nice to get an update on one of our favorite KIRFs as of late. Lenvo's Android-powered OPhone has popped up in a hands-on video, showing off its mock-iPhone OS interface and all the doppelganger apps / features -- weather, stock, calculator and even a near-identical push notification window. Surprisingly, it's actually pretty well put together and includes some things we wish our legit Apple phone would do, like on-screen widgets and an option to change backgrounds. It'll be a cold day in Hell before we see this serial patent infringer outside of China, so for now you'll have to get your OPhone kicks by checking out the video after the break.

[Thanks, Neerhaj]

Continue reading Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone gets hands-on video treatment

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone shows itself again. Launch imminent?

by Donald Melanson, posted Mar 31st 2009 at 6:03PM

Lenovo's KIRF-tastic OPhone hasn't exactly been all that camera shy since it first dipped its toes into the Android waters in December, but it's now proudly showing itself yet again, and giving everyone their best glimpse yet at its China Mobile branding. What's more, while we've already heard that the phone is on track for a launch this quarter, the talk now seems to be that a release could be just around the corner, with some speculating that it'll roll out immediately after China Mobile's other Android handset, the Dopod G2 (a.k.a. HTC Magic). Hit up the link below for a few more pics, including a closer look at the phone's slightly familiar-looking UI in action.

[Via ModMyGphone, thanks Neerhaj]

Unicom confirmed as Chinese iPhone / G1 provider?

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 25th 2009 at 8:12AM

Unicom confirmed as Chinese iPhone provider?

It's been a long, arduous road to Shanghai for the iPhone, but its trip may finally be at an end. Sure, there are already thousands of the things in the pockets and purses of trendy Chinese right now, but an official launch there has taken ages. Last summer it was looking like China Mobile had scored the deal with Apple, but word is now that China Unicom may have completed the upset, posting up a page on its site detailing the iPhone's specs and including the phone in its list of supported headsets. The company hasn't officially confirmed the phone's availability or anything else, but word on the streets of Shanghai is that the phone will be launched there on May 17th.

Update: Looks like it has posted specs for the G1 as well, albeit complete with T-Mobile branding. Hmm. [Thanks, Sze!]

[Via JLM Pacific Epoch; thanks, Scott]

Lenovo KIRFs again with the oPhone UI

by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 24th 2009 at 6:33PM

Alright, we have no idea why Lenovo's phone division is suddenly pumping out copycat handsets, but these supposed shots of the Android-based oPhone's UI look awfully familiar, don't you think? Combine that with the equally-fishy rip of Samsung's TouchWiz UI found in the recently-announced X1, and it more or less seems like Lenovo's running a high-end KIRF outfit over there -- no wonder this stuff never leaves China.

[Via The Raw Feed]

China Mobile's customized HTC Magic gets shown off

by Donald Melanson, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:28PM

China Mobile already has one Android-based handset on track courtesy of Lenovo, but it looks like it's not stopping there, with this pre-production HTC Magic (a.k.a. G2) now apparently making the rounds ahead of a May launch. What's more, as with some other phones that have landed on the carrier, this one looks to have been pretty heavily customized for its debut, both in terms of its interface and its specs, which should now comply nicely with China's own TD-SCDMA network. That, unfortunately, means the phone has dropped both 3G and WiFi connectivity, though it has at least picked up some nifty Dopod branding in the process. No word on pricing or an exact launch date just yet, but you can find plenty more pics and some (translated) impressions by hitting up the read link below.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

Motorola ZN300 gets unofficially official, is surprisingly nice

by Sean Cooper, posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 10:27AM

First in the "we're surprised they did it" category today is Motorola's ZN300, a handset that doesn't look even a little like a RAZR. We knew you could do it Moto, and congrats on what seems at first glance to be a pleasant departure form the rehashes we've seen so much of lately. The ZN300 is a slider set with quad-band GSM, CDMA, and TD-SCDMA, which makes this set a shoe-in for China mobile. Other notables include 8 MB (hopefully a typo for 8GB) of built in memory that can expand to 32GB, 3 megapixel camera with 8X zoom, Bluetooth, and styling that finally may make some people take notice. Sure this handset may not deserve a ZOMG!, but hey, we're happy to see something, anything, new from these folks. Look for it to launch this quarter; follow on for a wee gallery.

[Via UnwiredView]

Gallery: Motorola ZN300 gets unofficially official, is surprisingly nice

ZTE showing off ten smartphones at MWC

by Chris Ziegler, posted Feb 10th 2009 at 10:13PM

ZTE's quite an ODM powerhouse these days, taking boatloads of low- and midrange contracts for carriers -- especially when having a brand-name manufacturer's badge appear on the device isn't a priority. To that end. the Chinese company has announced that it'll be "unveiling" some ten smartphones at MWC next week, though it appears most of the devices have already launched somewhere in the world (like China Mobile's U981) -- and others, like the pictured VF 1231 for Vodafone, have already been well-leaked courtesy of our friends at the FCC. The goods run the full range from CDMA and GSM all the way up to HSUPA, so clearly, ZTE's aspirations may not rest merely in the low-end; look out, Nokia.

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXI: Sumsang Omnia can't fool anyone

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 8th 2009 at 2:38AM

Oh, the horror! You know, Samsung's Omnia isn't terribly unique, but we never thought we'd see it knocked off and disrespected like this. Clearly created for use on China Mobile (and by fools who don't actually inspect the devices they buy), the Sumsang Omnia is a GSM smartphone that sports a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, an MP3 player, a 13 megapixel camera (right...), USB connectivity, a couple of games, a microSD card slot and a sure-to-be-counterfeit version of Windows Mobile running the show. Of course, this abomination will only set you back a buck twenty, and hey -- at least this version comes with dual SIM slots!

[Thanks, Derek]

Vodafone's Vittorio Colao dreams up "unbeatable" alliance around LTE

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 29th 2009 at 12:52PM

And here we go again -- new CEO, same message. Just under a year after ex-chief Arun Sarin urged the industry to rally around LTE, the new bigwig (that's Mr. Vittorio Colao to you) is coming forward with even zanier ideas. In a recent interview with Financial Times, Colao asserted that collaboration between China Mobile, Vodafone and Verizon Wireless around LTE could create an "unbeatable" alliance. More specifically, he noted that the trio could "work more closely... in the management of customers, procurement and service creation," which in some courtrooms may be misconstrued as collusion. All kidding aside (maybe), this master plan makes more sense when you realize that Vodafone owns a 3.2 percent stake in China Mobile and is already involved in VZW via a joint venture. Still, just because Microsoft and Apple could join forces to create an unbeatable operating system factory doesn't mean that laws would allow it.

[Via mocoNews]