Asia
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Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra Confirms “No Plans” To Push Its App Store Outside China
Rumors that Google feels threatened by the fast-paced rise of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which has built its own UI atop Android and in China also offers its own app store (rather than pre-loading Google Play), were presumably front of mind for Xiaomi VP and former Google employee Hugo Barra today. Read More
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Sony Does A Tablet With An Add On Bluetooth Keyboard
Sony isn’t done with mobile hardware yet, despite its recent talk of an exit strategy from smartphones. Here at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona it’s showing off a new 10.1 inch Android tablet, the Xperia Z4, coming this June, and a new mid-tier 4G/LTE smartphone, the Xperia M4 Aqua — its first octa-core 64-bit smartphone. Read More
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A Leaner HTC Still Finds Room To Shine In High End Phones, With One M9
After plentiful leaks in the past few weeks, HTC has today confirmed its new flagship smartphone at a press launch in Barcelona, ahead of the Mobile World Congress tradeshow which kicks off tomorrow. Hands On Video With HTC’s New Android Flagship, The One M9
It’s evolution not revolution for HTC’s new top-of-the-line smartphone, the One M9. But the predecessors in the range set a high quality bar so HTC evidently feels its flagship handset isn’t in need of radical revisions in the design department. HTC And Valve Partner To Make A VR Gaming Headset Called Vive
HTC has just dropped another tidbit of news here in Barcelona, on the eve of the Mobile World Congress trade show. Namely that it’s gearing up to compete in the gaming wearable space, announcing a partnership with games publisher Valve to bring a virtual reality headset to market, called the HTC Vive — to compete with the likes of the Oculus Rift. Read More
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Opera Adds Free Apps To Its Android Data Savings App Opera Max
Last year mobile browser company Opera launched Opera Max, a data-compressing Android app that let users save money on their mobile data. Now, to drive more usage of the product, Opera is adding another feature to Max: apps you can use for free. App Pass, as the service is called, is aimed first at users in emerging markets, where smartphone adoption is booming, but the average smartphone… Read More
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LG Reveals Four Mid-Range Smartphones For Those On A Tight Budget
LG had a good 2014, posting record quarterly shipments and doubling its annual profits. The company released some eye-catching smartphones (and smartwatches), but much of its success came down to solid, affordable mid-range devices. Xiaomi’s Mi Note Is A Great Phone You’ll Probably Never Get To Buy
Last week Chinese electronics company Xiaomi gave Western media an in-depth look at its products and business model. From its phones and the Android variant that powers them to its ambitions in the smart home of the future, Xiaomi demonstrated its approach to capturing the demand for premium gadgets while costing less than industry leaders like Apple and Samsung. As reporters shuffled out of… Read More
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Japanese company Metaps has pulled in a $36 million Series C round of financing from existing and new investors in Japan. While its initial focus was on app monetization, the company now touts itself as a big data and machine-learning play. 
Alibaba is stumping up more than half a billion dollars to kick its mobile phone division, which has yet to make any headway, into gear. The NYSE-listed e-commerce giant today announced a $590 million investment in Chinese phone-maker Meizu.