Chinese Stalwarts are Bringing the Fight Back to Xiaomi

If you talk to anyone in Asia about smartphones and it's difficult to have a conversation without bringing up Xiaomi. Not least because they have quickly become the fifth-largest smartphone manufacturer in the World. In recent months however, it would appear that the same brands that Xiaomi fought off in China to get to where they are today are bringing the fight right back to them, and it could start to really affect their growth going forward. As Business Insider is reporting, Xiaomi's figures might be great right now, but that might not hold true for much longer.

According to figures from Strategy Analytics, during Q2 of this year Xiaomi controlled 4.6% of the global market, an improvement from the 3.5% during the same period last year. As well as this they shipped almost 20 Million smartphones, an increase of 5 Million from the previous year. These are impressive figures, but Huawei has recently enjoyed some decent results, and there's no stopping their growth with the Honor brand. Huawei has been pegged as the faster growing smartphone vendor in the world, and Strategy Analytics' Neil Mawston makes it clearly by saying that "Xiaomi is facing intense competition from Huawei, Meizu and others."

Xiaomi has successful expanded into India, another important market, and have quickly become a cult favourite in the region, but at home things are heating up. Huawei and Meizu are pushing back against the tide of affordable Xiaomi devices, and it would seem that the Chinese customer is ready for something a little different. Outside of China, companies like Huawei and ZTE already have the upper hand – excluding Xiaomi's presence in India, naturally – with Huawei shipping high-end devices like the P8 in Europe, and ZTE launching the Axon for an incredible price.

Whether or not things start to change for Xiaomi this year remains to be seen, with Q3 results still to come. However, with just China and India as their main markets – with others throughout South-East Asia – it's become clear that Xiaomi needs to expand into the West to keep things moving. After all, there are only so many devices one company can sell in one region.

Source: Chinese Stalwarts are Bringing the Fight Back to Xiaomi

Coolpad Dazen Note 3, first fingerprint scanner smartphone priced under Rs 10,000, to launch in India soon

After the blockbuster sales of Dazen 1 and Dazen X7 into the Indian market, Coolpad Dazen, now a top selling brand on Snapdeal plans to launch Dazen Note 3 which is the world first fingerprint scanner smartphone priced below Rs 10,000 in India soon. Dazen Note 3 will offer premium features with an affordable price tag.

– The device got launched in China last week and crossed 2.6mn registrations in 7 days

– Dazen Note 3 is the first fingerprint scanner smartphone below Rs 10,000

Recently launched in China by QIKU which is a joint venture by Coolpad group and worldwide internet Giant QIHU 360, Dazen Note 3 has taken the Chinese smartphone market with a storm by receiving more than 2.6 million pre-orders in one week.

Two striking points which is driving QIKU Dazen Note 3 in the market are:

1. The Dazen Note 3 is the first fingerprint scanner smartphone below Rs. 10,000 worldwide

2. It delivers amazing performance for its super affordable price.

DAZEN Note 3 is equipped with 5.5 inch HD screen, coupled with 2GB of RAM along with 16GB of in built storage. For India, the company might choose to upgrade the handset to 3GB RAM hinted Varun Sharma India CEO of Coolpad Dazen. The smartphone supports 4G LTE, 3G and GSM network frequencies have dual-SIM slot. It features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and auto focus alongside a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Both front and rear-facing cameras feature CMOS image sensor for better image quality runs with a huge 3,000mAh battery. Dazen Note 3 is expected to be available in white and black colour.

About Dazen

Dazen is a subbrand of QIKU, a joint venture between Worldwide internet giant QIHU 360 Technology Co Ltd. and Coolpad Group Ltd. QIKU will leverage Coolpads extensive expertise in smartphone design, manufacturing, supply chain management, and aftermarket services, while benefiting from QIHU 360s strong capabilities in Internet security software, mobile apps development and online marketing to provide superlative products.

QIKU promises to launch its own 360 OS which is fastest, Most Secure OS experience with huge battery saving innovations. It is expected to release the OS in mid-August.

First Published on July 30, 2015 8:13 pm

Source: Coolpad Dazen Note 3, first fingerprint scanner smartphone priced under Rs 10,000, to launch in India soon

China Lifts Ban on Video Game Console Sales

The Chinese government is stripping away its last restrictions on the sale of video game consoles, but the action is unlikely to significantly boost the fortunes of dominant manufacturers Microsoft and Sony.

Instead, the removal of a 15-year-old ban on console sales actually could intensify competition in China for Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation.

Xiaomi, Baidu, ZTE and other Chinese technology companies are now free to position their own entertainment devices more as gaming consoles. That's because a policy change confirmed last week by the Chinese Ministry of Culture opens up all of the country to the manufacture and sale of consoles, whether by domestic or foreign companies.

"This is as much about supporting local industry as it is about opening the market to international players," said Piers Harding-Rolls, a London-based video games analyst for consulting firm IHS. "What the Chinese state is saying to local technology companies is that consoles can be built and distributed within your own existing factories and plants."

For the last couple of years, console makers have had to operate within a set perimeter of Shanghai. Microsoft and Sony eagerly moved in. The Xbox One hit stores last September, and the PlayStation 4 arrived earlier this year.

China has more than half a billion gamers, but Harding-Rolls said he expects the two consoles combined to reach no more than 700,000 boxes sold by the end of the year.

That's because computer and smartphone gaming are far more prevalent in China. The lack of televisions in homes, the high cost of consoles and an affinity for free-to-download smartphone games hamper the console market.

Above all, there's heightened censorship of console games compared with mobile games, limiting the number of titles available and thus their appeal. Worries about the negative psychological effect of video games is what had led to the console ban.

"The constraint on the games catalog, if that's unchanged, that's not an excellent value proposition for Chinese consumers," said Lewis Ward, a video game industry analyst at research firm IDC. "I'm still skeptical we're going to see a dramatic increase over the next year because it's been a slow ramp-up."

Microsoft and Sony must find a way to get their exclusive titles approved to spur demand, he said.

But the Chinese companies could make some headway. Many, such as smartphone maker Xiaomi are already well-ingrained in consumers' lives, giving them a jump-start in trying to be a part of the living room too. Through local equivalents of an Amazon Fire TV or a Roku, Chinese companies are now free to offer stronger gaming options alongside online video streaming.

"Previously, access to overseas video content was a key selling point, but that's been clamped down on," Harding-Rolls said. "They are looking at other content that can sell their product: Gaming is an opportunity."

Sony said Monday that it's "committed to" reaching "as many Chinese users as possible," and a Microsoft spokeswoman said "the future is bright for gaming in China." Nintendo said it's "studying the developing situation."

© 2015 Los Angeles Times (CA) under contract with NewsEdge. All rights reserved.

Source: China Lifts Ban on Video Game Console Sales

Sleeping with smartphones, and other vices

Washington (AFP) - Consumers around the world admit it: they sleep with their smartphone, take it in the shower, and would rescue the device from a fire before saving the family cat.

Those are among the findings of a seven-country survey of more than 7,000 people about smartphone habits released Tuesday by Motorola, the newly acquired division of Chinese electronics giant Lenovo.

Sixty percent of those surveyed said they slept holding their handsets -- with the highest percentages in India (74 percent) and China (70 percent). And 57 percent said they took the device into the toilet, with the highest totals from China and Brazil.

One in six smartphone users said they used their phones while showering, and more than half -- 54 percent -- said they would reach for the smartphone before saving their cat in the event of a fire.

How close are people to their devices? 22 percent said they would give up sex for a weekend before parting with their smartphone . And 40 percent tell secrets to their phones they would not reveal even to their best friend.

But the relationship is not perfect. Only 39 percent said they were "happy" with their smartphone, and 79 percent felt bothered that their devices interrupted them at inopportune moments.

The survey was conducted online by KRC Research with a total of 7,112 smartphone owners in the United States, Britain, Brazil, China, Spain, Mexico and India.

It was released as Motorola unveiled two upgraded versions of its flagship Moto X handset -- one with a larger 5.7 inch display and another with a 5.5 inch screen. The company said the devices would be priced hundreds of dollars lower than other flagship devices.

The company also unveiled a second-generation Moto G, priced at under $200 and aimed at emerging markets.

Motorola will be selling most of the devices unlocked for use with almost any carrier.

Motorola

Source: Sleeping with smartphones, and other vices

Chinese Police Shut Down a Huge Counterfeit iPhone Factory

A police raid in Beijing has shut down a large counterfeit iPhone factory that had produced over 41,000 handsets, reported to be worth $19 million.

The factory was run by husband-and-wife team under the cover of a gadget maintenance shop. Their six assembly lines were set up in January of this year, employing "hundreds" of workers to piece together second-hand smartphone parts that were being passed off as iPhones for the export market.

Chinese police acted on a tip-off from US authorities, ultimately seizing 1,400 devices. The raid happened in May, but the news has only now been made public. It's not clear where the phones actually ended up being sold overseas.

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Source: Chinese Police Shut Down a Huge Counterfeit iPhone Factory

Chinese firm busted for mass-producing fake iPhones

Beijing, July 25 (IANS) Police in China have cracked down on a Beijing-based company which allegedly made more than 40,000 fake Apple iPhones worth about $19.6 million, a media report said on Saturday.

Police said they arrested nine suspects and found six assembly lines and more than one million cell phone parts in the company's factory, Xinhua reported. Police started investigating the company in May after fake China-made cell phones were seized in the US.

Officials said the company bought old phone mainboards from other countries and fake parts with logos from the city of Shenzhen. The company hired hundreds of workers who assembled the parts and then sold the fake phones to other countries, police said.

Modified Date: July 25, 2015 11:24 PM comment
Source: Chinese firm busted for mass-producing fake iPhones

East meets West as Uber offers smartphone delivery

Would you buy an Android smartphone if it were Ubered to you? 

That's what Xiaomi, China's largest smartphone maker, is hoping. The electronics giant launched a partnership Thursday with popular ride-hailing app Uber that will allow consumers to purchase the Mi Note smartphone "within a few minutes," according to a statement from Xiaomi.

The couriering will begin on Monday in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Currently, the companies don't have plans to expand this service to other cities.

"Ordering a Mi Note follows the exact same process as calling for an Uber – users simply open the Uber app, use the slider at the bottom of the screen to select 'Xiaomi,'" the statement reads. "Payment will be charged directly to the credit card tied to a rider's Uber account and a Mi Note will be delivered to the user within a few minutes."

Uber users will also be able to order the Mi Note in a "flash sale" 24 hours before the service's launch on the company's official website. 

Xiaomi and Uber are both wildly popular tech companies on opposite sides of the world, making for an alluring partnership.

Uber is one of the world's trendiest and most valuable startups, with an estimated valuation of $50 billion. A report released by the company in December said that it had more than 162,000 "active drivers," and the number of new driver sign-ups had doubled every six months over the past two years.

As Uber upends traditional hackney business models, the company continues to face resistance in many countries. Uber is now looking to establish a market in China, particularly with the help of politically connected partners, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Xiaomi, a brand still relatively unknown outside of Asia, is valued at $46 billion and has grown at a formidable rate since launching just five years ago. A report released Thursday by the International Data Corporation put Xiaomi in spot no. 4 among the world's largest smartphone manufacturers, and the company's leader has his sights set on further international expansion, including to the US and Brazil.

"Xiaomi's mission is to change the world's view of Chinese products," CEO Lei Jun told The Wall Street Journal. "I had a dream when I was young to found a global, first-rate company."

Whether this new partnership will contribute to his goals remains to be seen. Progress of Uber's other delivery ventures has been disappointing. Earlier in the year, the company canceled UberEssentials, an add-on service that delivered household items to users in DC. Last month, the Journal reported that a food delivery service launched last year called UberEats fell behind competitors like the Postmates app, with drivers sometimes having "so few customers that drivers have to throw away food at day's end."

But some say Xiaomi's tie to Uber could go a long way in building brand recognition for them both.

"Sure, it's a publicity stunt," wrote the Journal's Eva Dou. "But it's a clever one, and an exercise in testing the limits of convenience." 

Source: East meets West as Uber offers smartphone delivery

Global smartphone market enjoyed strong second quarter, IDC says

The smartphone market enjoyed a strong second quarter of 2015, with manufacturers shipping 337.2 million smartphones, according to IDC. It's an impressive 11.6 percent growth year-over-year, and is the second highest quarterly total that IDC has analyzed.

 

 

"The overall growth of the smartphone market was not only driven by the success of premium flagship devices from Samsung, Apple, and others, but more importantly by the abundance of affordable handsets that continue to drive shipments in many key markets," said Anthony Scarsella, research manager of the IDC Mobile Phone team.

 

Not surprisingly, Samsung and Google led the market - but Chinese smartphone manufacturers are making up ground. Samsung has 21.7 percent market share, ahead of Apple's 14.1 percent, with Huawei (8.9 percent), Xiaomi (5.3 percent), and Lenovo (4.8 percent) making gains.

 

Samsung was the only smartphone manufacturer in the top five that saw its market share drop, dropping 2.3 percentage points year-over-year.

Source: Global smartphone market enjoyed strong second quarter, IDC says

Samsung keeps top spot as smartphone market grows

Samsung remained the top global smartphone vendor in the second quarter despite slowing sales, while Apple and Chinese manufacturers boosted market share, a survey showed today.

The quarterly survey by research firm IDC showed the global market for smartphones grew 11.6 per cent from a year ago to 337.2 million units, the second highest quarterly total on record.

South Korea's Samsung led the market with a 21.7 per cent market share, even though sales dipped from a year earlier and its market share was below the 24.8 per cent in the same period a year ago.

Apple, which briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter of 2014 with its new iPhones, saw its market share rise more than two points from a year earlier to 14.1 per cent, IDC said.

But some of the biggest gains came from Chinese manufacturers with their more affordable handsets.

Huawei took the number three position with an 8.9 per cent share, thanks to strong European and domestic sales, which helped the Chinese group's 48 per cent year-over-year sales growth.

"The overall growth of the smartphone market was not only driven by the success of premium flagship devices from Samsung, Apple, and others, but more importantly by the abundance of affordable handsets that continue to drive shipments in many key markets," said Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC.

IDC said the entry-level smartphones are gaining ground as consumers move away from basic mobile handsets or "feature phones."

Xiaomi, a rising star from China, was the fourth largest vendor with 5.3 per cent of the market, following sales growth of nearly 30 per cent.

The company has begun expanding outside of China into India and Southeast Asia, and has plans to sell in Brazil as well.

Lenovo was number five on the list with a market share of 4.8 per cent, as the Chinese electronics giant was helped by its acquisition of the Motorola brand from Google.

"Lenovo continued to witness success in many emerging markets such as India with entry-level and mid-range models," IDC said.

"The Motorola brand within the Americas and Europe continues to thrive with the ultra-affordable second generation Moto E and entry-level to mid-range Moto G devices."

First Published on July 23, 2015 10:50 pm

Source: Samsung keeps top spot as smartphone market grows

Our first look at the OnePlus 2 comes from China's regulator

So far, OnePlus has done a fairly good job of keeping its next smartphone under wraps ahead of the July 27th launch. However, as spotted by our sister site Engadget China, a clear shot of the OnePlus 2 has been revealed by one of the biggest 'leakers' out there -- Chinese wireless regulator Tenaa. We already knew that the 2 would have a fingerprint reader, and that's visible in the (badly lit) image. Its camera setup looks an awful lot like the LG G4's, meaning it may have laser focusing and not dual cameras, as had been rumored. Unusually, the camera is mounted very low on the back.

OnePlus has already let most of the rest of the specs out of the bag, including the Snapdragon 810 CPU, 4GB RAM, a 3,300mAh battery, 13-megapixel back camera and dual SIMs. It's clearly clad in the OnePlus One's "multi-material" back and is expected to have a metal frame. All of that sounds swell, but at what price? The original model sold like (invitation-only) hotcakes thanks to its $300 sticker, but the 2 is expected to cost a bit more -- luckily, we'll find out in less than a week.
Source: Our first look at the OnePlus 2 comes from China's regulator

ZTE Launches Flagship Axon Phone, Axon Watch and Spro 2 Smart Projector in China

BEIJING, Jul 21, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ZTE, a leading global mobile device maker, today launched its flagship Axon phone for the China market at the Water Cube in Beijing. Together with this announcement came the unveiling of a brand new wearable called the Axon Watch, as well as the China debut of the Spro 2 smart projector.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150721006238/en/

"Today's launch marks a significant new chapter in product development for ZTE, and the three devices launched today are results of our ongoing commitment to becoming more consumer-centric in the global market," said Adam Zeng, CEO, ZTE Mobile Device. "Following its U.S. debut last week, we are excited to bring our first ever global flagship to China – a market where our aim is to return to being a top-three smartphone vendor within the next three years."

ZTE Axon phone

The Axon phone for China comes with the same premium design as the version recently launched in the U.S., but includes a number of additional features for the China market.

In terms of hardware, the Axon phone for China comes with a fingerprint scanner, dual-SIM support, 128GB of internal memory (expandable to 256GB), and Corning's Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass.

On the software side, the device is loaded with the latest rendition of ZTE's customizable user interface MiFavor 3.2, as well as ZTE's innovative voice control solution. This latest iteration of ZTE's Smart Voice supports voice translation for English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Thai and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), as well as a host of other new voice control functions, including voice SMS and voice search.

The Axon phone for China is also the world's first smartphone that can be unlocked with three different biometric authentication options: fingerprint, voice control and eye-scan, making it one of the most secure smartphones available on the market. In addition to unlocking the device, the Axon phone's fingerprint scanner also offers support for NFC payments.

The Axon phone will be available for pre-order in China on July 21 via ZTE's online store at http://m.myzte.com/act/axon and JD.com. Two Axon phone versions are available: 128GB for 3,888RMB and 32GB for 2,699RMB with two color options: Ion Gold and Chromium Silver. A ZTE Axon Mini version will also be made available in the near future.

ZTE Axon Watch

The Axon Watch features a 1.4-inch Gorilla Glass screen with sapphire coating and is IP67 certified. It comes with a 300 mAh battery, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB storage and Bluetooth 4.1. Developed by ZTE and Tencent, the smart watch runs on Tencent OS and supports both voice and gesture control.

In terms of functions, the Axon Watch can be used for both fitness and health monitoring, and supports a range of other applications, from phone calls to messaging.

ZTE Spro 2 Smart Projector

Previously launched in the U.S. on AT&T and Verizon, the Spro 2 is a portable Smart Projector that also includes mobile hotspot features and a built-in 5-inch Android™ touchscreen.

For its China debut, ZTE has added its innovative voice control solution to the Spro 2, allowing users hands-free control over the smart projector. Users can simply say "projector on" in Mandarin to activate the device and can control the device using a number of other voice commands.

The Spro 2 Smart Projector will be priced at 3699 RMB in China and will also be available for pre-order from July 21 via ZTE's online store at http://www.myzte.com/6934933090095.html.

About ZTE Mobile Device

ZTE Mobile Device is a division of ZTE Corporation, a global telecommunications equipment, networks and mobile devices company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. ZTE is a publicly traded company listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges.

ZTE is one of the global leaders in the mobile handset manufacturing industry in the world, offering a complete range of mobile devices, including mobile phones, tablets, mobile broadband modems and hotspots and family desktop integration terminals.

ZTE has strategic partnerships with 47 of the world's top 50 carriers. ZTE is also the only company globally that has been ranked inside the Top-3 by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) for the past 5 years (2010-2014) for patent filings. For more information, please visit: www.ztedevice.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150721006238/en/

SOURCE: ZTE Corporation

ZTE CorporationEva Chen, +86 21 68897511chen.zhengying@zte.com.cnorWaggener Edstrom CommunicationsLaura Liu, +86 10 59001242laural@waggeneredstrom.com

Copyright Business Wire 2015

Source: ZTE Launches Flagship Axon Phone, Axon Watch and Spro 2 Smart Projector in China

Report: Huawei on track to hit 100M smartphone sales in 2015, as first-half revenue booms

Huawei is ahead of schedule on reaching its goal of 100 million smartphone shipments in 2015, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. The report comes as the Chinese smartphone and network equipment vendor posted first-half results that showed the strongest sales growth in five years.

Huawei has had monthly global smartphone shipments of more than 10 million units every month since May, the head of the company's consumer business, Richard Yu, wrote to staff in a memo sent on Monday, according to a Reuters report. A Huawei spokeswoman declined to comment beyond the company's statement on its first-half results.

If Huawei hits the goal of 100 million smartphone shipments in 2015, it would be significant because the company has a history of failing to meet its own smartphone shipment projections. For 2014, the company had said it would ship 80 million smartphones, and wound up shipping 75 million. In 2013 the company said it expected 60 million smartphone shipments, and ended up shipping 52 million. In 2012, Huawei had forecast it would ship 50-60 million smartphone units but wound up shipping 32 million.

According to research firm Gartner, Huawei was the No. 4 smartphone player in the world in the first quarter with 18.1 million smartphone shipments and 5.4 percent market share, behind Samsung Electronics, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Lenovo.

Huawei executives have said the firm doesn't want to sacrifice profitability for the sake of volume growth in smartphones. Huawei aims to expand its business beyond Asia and Europe and truly crack the U.S. smartphone market this year. Zhiqiang Xu, president of Huawei Device USA, said in April that the company aims to eventually be the No 3 smartphone player in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Huawei posted a 30 percent year-over-year jump in first-half revenue to $28.3 billion (175.9 billion yuan) and said it would achieve "effective growth" in 2015. According to the Financial Times, the 30 percent growth rate is the highest recorded rate of expansion for the period since Huawei started reporting half-year revenue figures in 2011. The last time Huawei posted a comparable growth was in 2008, when annual sales revenues rose by one-third year-over-year.

"Huawei achieved stable and healthy growth in all of its three business segments," Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou said in a statement, referring to the company's telecom, consumer device and enterprise business segments. "We are confident that we will maintain effective growth and steady and healthy development in all business segments in 2015."

"Huawei's mid-range and high-end smartphones, Mate7 and P8 in particular, as well as Honor-branded phones, have made solid progress, helping us guarantee quality and sustainable growth in the consumer business," Meng added in the statement.

For more:- see this release- see these two separate Reuters articles- see these two separate WSJ articles (sub. req.)- see this FT article (sub. req.)

Related articles:Rumor mill: Huawei working with Google on Nexus phone, Chinese app storeHuawei wants to maintain profitability in smartphones as it preps U.S. expansionHuawei boosts 2014 profit by 33% thanks to sales of LTE gear and smartphonesHuawei 'giving up' on cheap smartphones, hopes to sell 100M smartphones in 2015 by targeting high end

Source: Report: Huawei on track to hit 100M smartphone sales in 2015, as first-half revenue booms

AH Tech Talk: China Has A Big Counterfeit Smartphone Problem

Virtually everybody these days owns a smartphone, millions are purchased every day around the world. Unfortunately, smartphones that people purchase aren't always what they appear to be, especially if you live in China. Both Samsung and Xiaomi are very aware of this issue as they are apparently the two manufacturers being affected most by this issue. This issue is counterfeit smartphones, something that has become a growing issue in China. You see, there are a huge amount of counterfeit smartphones in China and a new report is claiming that over half of those are fake models of Samsung and Xiaomi devices. This is obviously not good for either the consumer or Samsung and Xiaomi as both end up with a loss in the end. The consumer receives a cheaply made and underpowered device and the actual manufacturer loses out on a sale.

Just to give you an idea of the depth this issue has, Antutu, which is a Chinese benchmarking app with over a 10 million users, has reported that 31% of devices using their service are counterfeit devices. On top of that, 37% of those 31% of devices are fake Xiaomi devices alone. Xiaomi is fully aware of this counterfeit device issue and they are actively trying to prevent it. In fact, located on Xiaomi's official website the company has built an online tool that allows people to cross-check the authenticity of their Xiaomi device. This is done by users inputting their devices security code and having the program check for legitimacy.

As was mentioned above, Samsung has been hit pretty hard by counterfeit devices in China recently as well. All you have to do is take a trip to China or try to order a Samsung device from China and you will see for yourself. A substantial amount of devices being sold in China are branded as Samsung but actually have nothing to do with the smartphone giant. This, of course, hurts Samsung as they lose more and more sales in China to these much cheaper devices with their branding on them. You can see this as Samsung's device shipments fall by 4% year after year, this year not excluded. Sure, this can't be solely caused by counterfeit smartphones, but there is no doubt that they certainly don't help.

The Antutu report did not reveal any numbers of percentages of counterfeit iPhones in China, but those numbers would almost certainly be high. Possessing an iPhone in China is seen as a status symbol and many people can not afford them. Becuase of this people will make very cheap knockoffs of iPhones or just any random device with the Apple logo on it and sell it for a portion of the cost of an actual iPhone. Counterfeit devices have always been an issue as they promise people a great device at a portion of the cost. Becuase of this, smartphone manufacturers need to work together to weed out and eliminate these counterfeit devices and manufacturers. This would not only benefit them but their customers as well.

Source: AH Tech Talk: China Has A Big Counterfeit Smartphone Problem

Xiaomis Hugo Barra Q&A: Why Chinas Hottest Smartphone Maker Is Amassing a Patent War Chest

By Bloomberg News (Emily Chang)-

(Bloomberg Business) -- Xiaomi was founded only five years ago, but its already jockeying with Apple for the top spot in China's smartphone market. The company was recently valued by investors at$45 billion, and it has beenexpanding its phone salesoutside China to such countries as India and Brazil. It has also moved beyond phones to sellsmart televisions, fitness bands, and water purifiers.

Helping to lead Xiaomis world-dominating ambitions isHugo Barra, a former Google executive who worked on the Android software that underpins Xiaomi phones. Barra, the company's vice president of global operations, recently sat down for an interview withBloomberg TV's Studio 1.0, which airs July 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. He talked about his former colleagues at Google, when Xiaomi might start selling phones in the U.S., and why the Chinese gadget maker isn't following Apple's lead to become a carmaker.

The big question is when are you going to start selling phones in the U.S.?

Hugo Barra: It's probably going to take having a team here, potentially even a sizable team here, to manage the whole process operationallycertification, ongoing engineering help, and so on. It's no less than a year-plus away.

How protected are you if you do start selling phones in the U.S.? Are you worried about patent law and potentially getting sued?

Of course, we are always worried about patent licensing, intellectual property, and so on. There are two things that we're doing, which take time. One is systematically taking patent licenses around the world. We've been meticulously talking to everyone we need to talk to. Secondly, we're building our own portfolio of patents for defensive purposes, because you kind of have to have that. Think of it as a war chest of sorts. We've filed over 2,000 patents, which is actually a lot, and we're acquiring patents.

Google is blocked in China. Google apps are blocked in China. Is there a way forward for Google in China?

I personally don't think that it is the end of the road for Google in China, purely thinking from the point of view of how useful Google is, and the fact that people in China at universities or who have studied abroad, they depend so heavily on Google, even despite the fact that it's blocked. I just think, at the end of the day, someone is going figure out a way to solve whatever issues exist to bring all this innovation, present and future, to people in China.

Google Chief Executive OfficerLarry Page handed over a lot of control to Sundar Pichai. What's your relationship with Sundar?

I think that was an amazing decision. Sundar is very capable. He's the most well-rounded executive at Google. He's a great product guy. He's a great business guy. It frees up time for Larry to think about, What should Google be 10years from now? How do we think about DeepMindand artificial intelligence? Larry is the most brilliant person in the company. So he should be the one thinking about the future of Google, which in many waysthis is going to sound dramatic, but it is also about the future of humanity, right? Sundar and I do have a really good relationship.

Tell me about your first meeting with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun.

Our first meeting was a four-hour meeting, which tends to be the case with Lei Jun. Very deep, involved discussions. He's that kind of guy. It was a dinner in Beijing sometime in late 2012. And we spent time talking about everything from mobile to Internet, to Brazil and cars. I found him to be one of the most fascinating people I'd ever met, at the same level as someone like [Android co-founder] Andy Rubin. His ability to understand consumers, think so many years ahead, it was just mind-blowing. Four hours flew by like 10minutes. He spoke to me in Chinese, and Xiaomi President Bin Lin translated it. It was surreal.

Would you ever make a car?

We are not making a car right now, to be clear. I think that's an extraordinarily difficult task. It's not something we can build today. We're just not resourced to do something like that. But why not? Why not?

To contact the author on this story: Emily Chang at echang68@bloomberg.net To contact the editor on this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net

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Source: Xiaomis Hugo Barra Q&A: Why Chinas Hottest Smartphone Maker Is Amassing a Patent War Chest

nubia Releases the First "My" Series Smartphone "nubia My PRAGUE"

Sci-Tech | July 17, 2015

SHENZHEN, China, July 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — China's high-end Android smartphone manufacturer nubia unveiled it's first "My" series device, "nubia My PRAGUE," in Beijing on July 15. This is the official debut of the new product in China following the world premiere in Prague, Czech on July 8.

"City of Prague is a symbol of art, romance and love, a symbol we desire to share with our users via this phone." said Li Qiang, president of Nubia Technology Co., Ltd., "Every single design element can remind users of this beautiful city." Thus, nubia blends in "Prague" as a romantic touch and artistic outline with modern technologies in order to provide unique user experience.  

The original thought of designing "My" series, according to Li, is that nubia desires to encourage users to pursue essence of life and discover themselves by using an artistic product that fits their aesthetic requirements. "Beauty is the eternal pursuit of mankind," Li explained, "it has been penetrating into everyday life including technology." Thus, "My" series introduces this aesthetic into technology, offering the smartphone not only aesthetics but also life energies.

The most outstanding feature of the phone is the camera system, adopting nine different real-time filters and effects. According to nubia, the design was inspired by the famous Czech painter and designer Alphonse Maria Mucha who successfully combined the western and eastern artistic styles.

Uniqueness is another emphasis among "My" series concepts. By adopting the voice-command technology, the phone allows users to launch the camera and to take photos without touching any buttons. An 8 megapixel front-facing camera introduces a beauty mode and a continuous capture mode for a better photography experience. Also, a selfie button specially designed on the left side of the phone allows users to take one-handed pictures of themselves from the best angle.

In addition, "Prague" features a slim design and a 2.5D curved glass screen, making it more ergonomic and easier to hold. It also uses music and images from Prague as built-in ringtones and wallpapers, trying to restore the exotic taste originated from the city.

About nubia:

nubia is a high-end Android smartphone provider famous for professional photography function. Committing to technological innovation, nubia brand is based on domestic markets, and is going global. It intends to provide more brand choices for consumers.

Photo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150717/0861506485-a Photo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150717/0861506485-b

Source: nubia Releases the First "My" Series Smartphone "nubia My PRAGUE"

Samsung Galaxy J5 And Galaxy J7 Smartphones Hit India

Samsung Group (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) has officially launched its Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 smartphones in China shortly after launching the Galaxy A8 smartphone in China. The Galaxy J5 and J7 devices are already available in China for a month now, but the two smartphones that were just launched in India are slightly different from the ones in China.

The Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone features a Super AMOLED 5-inch HD display at 720 x 1280 pixel resolution. The one in China uses TFT LCD display. The Galaxy J5 measures in at 142 x 73 x 8.5 mm and weighs approximately 149 grams. The processor and RAM is the same which is quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC chip, clocked at 1.2GHz backed up by 1.5GB of RAM. The Chinese model features 16GB of internal storage, but the Indian one comes with only 8GB off built in storage. Nevertheless, both models have micro SD card support for expansion purposes, up to 128GB. It is powered by a 2,600 mAh battery which translates to about 342 hours of standby time. The main camera on the back is a 13 mega-pixel one featuring autofocus with f/1.9 aperture. The secondary front facing camera is 5 mega-pixels. Connectivity options include 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC, Glonass, and a micro-USB port. The Galaxy J5 is priced at Rs. 11,999.

The bigger brother, the Galaxy J7 features nearly the same specs as the Galaxy J5. The Galaxy J7 measures in at 152.2 x 79.1 x7.9 mm and weighs approximately 168 grams. It features a larger screen compared to the Galaxy J7, with a Super AMOLED 5.7 inch HD display at 720 x 1280 pixel resolution, and just like the J5, it does not use TFT LCD like the model in China. The most notable change comes in the processor, featuring an octa-core Exynos 7580 processor clocked at 1.5GHz backed with 1.5GB of RAM, unlike the Chinese model which features an octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC chip. The smartphone is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery which translates into 354 hours of stand time. The Galaxy J7 is priced at Rs. 14,999. Both devices run on Android v5.1 Lollipop.

Both the Galaxy J5 and the Galaxy J7 will be up for purchase on July 24 exclusively on Flipkart. Pre-booking for the device has already begun and will last till July 23. The company is also offering free in-game credits (up to Rs. 3,200) for those who purchase either of the phones courtesy of Gameloft. Airtel customers get a double data offer and Airtel Wynk music offer worth 594. Both smartphones are available in three color options Black, White, and Gold.

Source: Samsung Galaxy J5 And Galaxy J7 Smartphones Hit India

Samsung Group Launches Galaxy A8 Smartphone In China

Samsung Group (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) has finally launched its latest smartphone in the Galaxy A series in China. The new Galaxy A8 smartphone is the largest device in the A series and the slimmest as well, being just 5.9mm thick. The Galaxy A8 looks very similar its Galaxy S6 device, featuring very thing metal side bezels. The Galaxy A8 measures in at 158 x 76.8 x 5.9mm and weight slightly heavier than its successor at 151 grams.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the smartphone features a 5.7 inch Super AMOLED full HD display at 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution with 386 pixel per inch. Inside, the device is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Processor (four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.5GHz + four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.0GHz). There is also an Adreno 405 graphics unit and 2 GB of RAM. The smartphone is available in two storage variants, 16 and 32 GB. The phone features two SIM slots, one of which acts as a microSD card slot. So users have the option to either get dual SIM support or use a single SIM and opt for increase in storage memory via microSD card (up to 128GB). It also hosts a larger battery than its predecessor, a 3,050 mAh battery with 304 hours of standby time.

Other features include a fingerprint sensor located in the home button of the smartphone. The device features a 16 mega-pixel primary camera on the back with features like LED flash, autofocus, f/1.9 aperture, optical image stabilization, and a 120 degree wide angle lens. The secondary front facing camera is a 5 mega-pixel shooter. Connectivity options include dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.1, 4G LTE, NFC, GPS and USB 2.0.

The Galaxy A8 runs Samsung's TouchWiz user interface atop Android Lollipop 5.1, and according to Engadget, the Galaxy A8 is rumored to be around $560 or 3,499 yuan. The device is only available in China for now in White, Black and Gold color options.The Galaxy A8 is a mid-tier smartphone, but it easily places itself at the upper end. It will be a good match against the outgoing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 6 this year.

Source: Samsung Group Launches Galaxy A8 Smartphone In China

Make in India: Chinese telecom giant Huawei to set up a unit in Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI: Within two months of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China during which he had promised an easy investment regime for Chinese companies, the Home Ministry has cleared a 19-month-old proposal from China's biggest telecom gear maker, Huawei, to set up a unit in Tamil Nadu.

MHA cleared the proposal last week after it was submitted way back on December 13, 2103 by Huawei Telecommunications (India) Pvt Ltd for setting up a unit for electronics/telecom hardware and support services including trading and logistics activities at SIPCOT Special Economic Zone, Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. This could now help Huawei to manufacture telecom gear for the first time for the Indian market, a point which was a major concern earlier for Indian security agencies given the possibility of the gear being infected with malware or bugs.

The company will however need to reserve key technical positions for Indian nationals and also get separate security clearances from the Home Mini stry if it wishes to appoint a foreign national as its Chairman, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The Department of Telecom (DOT) will also draw up "mandatory security parameters" in addition to technical, quality and interface parameters to enable the definition of clear security standards for technical equipment relating to network system and set up state-of-the-art testing facilities within one year to check foreign equipment entering the Indian market.

The security clearance for setting up of this manufacturing unit has been conveyed to the DIPP and Department of Telecom (DOT) last week, a senior home ministry official said. Huawei India has an existing SEZ in Chennai where it manufactures optical network transmission systems purely for export markets like China, APAC & the Middle East. Shortly after Narendra Modi became PM and launched his `Make in India' drive, Huawei also applied for DTA (Domestic Tariff Area) status for this f acility so that it could either set aside a portion of the Chennai output for the India market or alternately set up a separate telecom gear manufacturing unit dedicated for the India market. The Security clearance from the home ministry is expected to hasten that process now.

The issue of conferring DTA status will now be taken up by the commerce ministry, an official said. Huawei recently invested some $170 million in an R&D facility in Bangalore. The 5000-seater facility went live in February. Some 3,500 techies are involved in software development/coding and associated R&D work purely for Huawei's global clients. 65% of all Indian telecom equipment presently is said to be Chinese-made, officials added.

In respect of Huawei, the government has stipulated conditions to both DIPP and DOT, as per the home ministry's new 'national security clearance policy' which was cleared last month to ensure achieving the 'Ease of Business' and 'Make in India' policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One, the DIPP and DOT have been asked to tell Huawei to reserve critical positions from national security point of view like the Office-In-Charge of technical operations and Chief Security Officer to Indian nationals in Huawei Telecommunications (India).

Also, the MHA has stipulated that its clearance will be required in respect of the Chairman, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, if the position is held by foreign nationals. DOT has also been asked to ensure setting up of state-of-the-art laboratory and certification facilities for security certification of foreign equipment entering the Indian market, through both direct and indirect routes. The Home Ministry has also specified to DOT that there should be continious testing and audit of networks, after the deployment of such equipment and that all these requirements and systems should be in place in a one-year time-frame.

Source: Make in India: Chinese telecom giant Huawei to set up a unit in Tamil Nadu

Is Xiaomi's Smartphone Growth Story Over?

Xiaomi, China's largest domestic smartphone maker, recently posted slower-than-expected growth in the first half of 2015. The company's smartphone shipments rose 33% annually to 34.7 million units, representing a steep slowdown from the triple-digit growth it posted in previous years. That figure also represents less than half of its prior full-year forecast for 80 million to 100 million shipments.

Xiaomi's Mi 4i. Source: Xiaomi

Is Xiaomi, which was recently valued at $45 billion in its latest funding round, about to see its growth peak before it can go public? Let's take a look at the challenges the smartphone maker faces over the next few years.

How Xiaomi makes moneyXiaomi, which was founded in 2010, became the fourth largest smartphone maker in the world after Samsung (NASDAQ Other:SSNLF), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Huawei (in that order) at the end of 2014. Xiaomi also finished the year as the top smartphone in China, with a 12.5% market share, according to research firm IDC. But Apple surpassed Xiaomi in the first quarter of 2015, claiming a 14.7% share compared to Xiaomi's 13.7%.

Xiaomi's rapid growth was fueled by three things. First, it spends very little on advertising, and relies on word of mouth, social media campaigns, and flash sales to generate interest. Xiaomi also avoids distributing its devices through brick-and-mortar retailers, and launches limited batches of its devices periodically through its online store. That strategy eliminates an inventory buildup of unsold phones while inflating consumer demand. Lastly, Xiaomi is willing to sell its devices at much thinner margins than its rivals.

The combination of those three strategies allows Xiaomi to sell devices with comparable specs as Samsung's flagship devices for a fraction of the price.

But here's the problem ...For a while, Xiaomi enjoyed a first-mover's advantage in the market for cheap smartphones with high-end specs. But that success inspired other companies to do the same. In addition to smaller challengers like Meizu, Xiaomi now faces bigger and better-funded competitors like Lenovo (NASDAQ Other:LNVGY), which bought Motorola's handset unit from Google last year, and Huawei.

To make matters worse, chip makers Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), MediaTek, Rockchip, and Intel introduced "turnkey" designs that reduced development costs and enabled smartphone makers to launch new devices in a matter of weeks. Those cheap phones lowered price expectations and quickly commoditized the market.

Smartphone growth in China is also slowing down. In the first quarter of 2015, IDC reported that the Chinese smartphone market contracted 4% year over year, representing its first annual slowdown in six years.

How Xiaomi can counter that slowdownIn response to those challenges, Xiaomi is expanding overseas and diversifying its product portfolio. The company has already expanded into India and recently announced plans to launch several smartphones in Brazil. Over the past year, Xiaomi launched new products like fitness bands, smart scales, air purifiers, smart TVs, action cameras, and premium headphones through its online store. It also expanded its online store to Europe and the U.S.

Xiaomi doesn't just sell smartphones anymore. Source: Xiaomi

Yet both strategies have already hit roadblocks. Last December, Xiaomi was partially banned from selling phones in India due to violations of wireless patents owned by Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC). Similar patent challenges should prevent Xiaomi from selling its smartphones in developed markets like the United States anytime soon. But I previously speculated that Xiaomi could get around that issue by signing a partnership with Microsoft, which co-owns many of Ericsson's wireless patents, in exchange for producing a limited number of Windows Phones.

IPO potentialDespite those challenges, there has been plenty of buzz about Xiaomi eventually going public. Xiaomi is currently valued at $45 billion, but Russian billionaire Yuri Milner -- one of the company's top investors -- believes that its valuation could hit $100 billion.

But there are two main problems that Xiaomi must address before going public. First, it needs to show investors that its revenue -- which doubled annually to $12 billion in 2014 -- can keep growing by selling new products and expanding into new markets. Second, it needs to keep it margins positive as it expands. That could be challenging considering Xiaomi had an operating margin of less than 2% last year. By comparison, Samsung's mobile unit had an operating margin of nearly 11% last quarter.

Xiaomi's futureXiaomi is still growing, but its declining growth rates and low margins indicate that by the time the company finally goes public, most of its momentum will have cooled off. But that slowdown could force Xiaomi to evolve into a well-diversified electronics company that is less dependent on the saturated smartphone market.

3 Companies Poised to Explode When Cable DiesCable is dying. And there are 3 stocks that are poised to explode when this faltering $2.2 trillion industry finally bites the dust. Just like newspaper publishers, telephone utilities, stockbrokers, record companies, bookstores, travel agencies, and big box retailers did when the Internet swept away their business models. And when cable falters, you don't want to miss out on these 3 companies that are positioned to benefit. Click here for their names.  Hint: They're not the ones you'd think!

Leo Sun owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google (A shares), Google (C shares), Intel, and Qualcomm. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google (A shares), Google (C shares), and Qualcomm. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Source: Is Xiaomi's Smartphone Growth Story Over?

Huawei Nexus smartphone tipped again

Yet another report has confirmed that Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is working with Google to launch a new Nexus smartphone before the end of the year.

The new report from The Information doesn't really reveal a lot of new details but confirms pretty much all the info that has been leaked on the web till now. Once again, the report claims that a partnership with Google will be quite beneficial for Huawei as it will give the manufacturer a chance to create a brand identity in western markets where it has close to zero presence currently.

However, it isn't just Huawei that stands to profit with the partnership. Google too will benefit as Huawei will help the search giant develop an Android app store dedicated to the Chinese market. This is definitely quite crucial to Google as there is no official Android app store for Chinese Android users. This forces them to download third party app stores instead.

Source: The Information

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Source: Huawei Nexus smartphone tipped again

OnePlus 2 To Be Smaller Than OnePlus One

Last year, OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer surprised almost every player in the smartphone industry with its high end affordable OnePlus One smartphone. The company introduced a new way of buying their product; one could only do so on an invite basis, although this affected its sales, despite retaining the exclusive image it wished to build amongst users. While most users preferred to turn to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s (NASDAQ:SSNLF) smartphones or Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone, users who took the leap of faith by buying the OnePlus One were not left to rue their decision.

The company introduced a smartphone with an in-built Cyanogen-Mod at a reasonable price of just $350, naturally attracting users and developers alike. With the company set to launch the second iteration of its OnePlus series of smartphones on July 27, users have been at the edge of their seats trying to get more information about the forthcoming device.

The company has been teasing users with details about the OnePlus 2 at regular intervals, such as informing them that the forthcoming model will be powered by Qualcomm Inc.'s (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor alongside an impressive RAM of 4GB.

The company that proclaims itself to launch smartphones dubbed "the flagship killer" will be introducing design changes in its upcoming model. It recently took to Reddit and shared an image which showcased that the new OnePlus 2 will in fact be somewhat smaller than its predecessor. Although it is certain that the device will be smaller than the original flagship, the OnePlus 2 could yet feature a similar 5.5 inch display.

Other features set to be introduced in the forthcoming device focus on the inclusion of a beefed up 3300mAh battery, nearly 10% more powerful than the OnePlus One. The device will also be getting StyleSwap back covers for users to customize its outer look while adjusting to changes in connectivity via the inclusion of a USB Type-C port. It is still unsure as to how much the device will be priced at; we believe it will be less than $450.

We will be giving you more insight on the OnePlus 2 as the device nears its launch.

Source: OnePlus 2 To Be Smaller Than OnePlus One

India overtakes China in high-end phone volume growth

India has pipped China to drive the volume growth of smartphones in the world on the back of falling prices of high-end devices and growing adoption of 3G services, according to an HSBC report.

India has pipped China to drive the volume growth of smartphones in the world on the back of falling prices of high-end devices and growing adoption of 3G services, according to an HSBC report.

"China was the volume growth engine since 2013. However, given China's smartphone penetration having reached 95 % in 2014, further growth will be derived from other emerging countries with relatively low smartphone penetration.

"We forecast that smartphone shipments will grow at a 2014-19 CAGR of 26% in India, followed by 19% in Middle East (West Asia), 8% in Latin America and 5% in China," HSBC Global Research report said today.

It noted that India was the global No 2 mobile phone market in 2014 with 275 million units of shipment, or 14% of world market. However, it was global No. 3 smartphone market last year with 81 million units of shipment, or 6% of global market.

India's smartphone penetration was merely 30% in 2014. This is far below 95% for China and 72% at the global level, the report observed.

It attributed the meagre penetration to lower disposable income and lack of carrier subsidy but said the falling smartphone prices and growing adoption of 3G should help increase the penetration of high-end phones in India.India will account for 12 % of global smartphone market with a penetration rate of 65 % in 2019, it said.

"While we believe demand for 3G smartphones will continue to dominate for the next 12-18 months, post that, will it be still 3G-led demand or 4G-led demand will depend on how successful 4G entrants are with their offerings." The report noted that the online channel currently accounts for less than 10% of smartphone sales in India compared to 20% in China.

"We note there are currently 70 million 3G users and total Internet users are estimated at 243 million (including 2G data users). Increasing Internet adoption and ability of e-commerce portals to get into exclusive deals with handset makers suggest that online handsets sales may double to 20% over the next 18 months," the report said.

Source: India overtakes China in high-end phone volume growth

China’s Meituan Aims to Raise More Than $1 Billion

Updated July 8, 2015 4:07 a.m. ET

HONG KONG--Meituan.com, a Chinese startup backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. BABA -1.92 % , is planning to raise more than $1 billion in a new funding round that could value the online group-buying service at more than $15 billion, people familiar with the matter said.

The fundraising plans, which are at an early stage, could more than double the price tag hung on the company by investors after Meituan raised funds in January at a $7 billion valuation. Meituan is an online marketplace where users can find discount deals from restaurants, hotels, movie theaters and other local businesses.

China's mobile Internet industry is booming and local startups are rushing to carve out niches within e-commerce, social networking and other areas. Companies such as Meituan are burning through cash by offering big discounts and subsidies to attract more users to their services, necessitating frequent fundraisings.

Meituan is in discussions with investment banks to serve as its placement agent for the deal, the people familiar with the matter said. Terms of the fundraising, such as valuation and amount raised, could change as Meituan gauges investor appetite. The January fundraising brought in prominent Beijing-based investment firm Hillhouse Capital Group and Fidelity Management & Research Co., the investment adviser for Fidelity's mutual fund family, the people said.

Meituan's existing backers include Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba as well as private equity and venture-capital firms such as Sequoia Capital China, Boyu Capital, and General Atlantic Inc.

Meituan's fundraising comes amid a recent slide in China's stock market, which has raised concerns about investors' appetite for startups. But firms like Meituan backed by prominent venture capitalists or large tech firms should have fewer problems raising money, investors say.

Meituan is spending aggressively to expand its user base and better compete with similar services such as restaurant review site Dianping Holdings Ltd., which is backed by Alibaba rival Tencent Holdings Ltd. Earlier this year, Dianping raised $850 million from a group of investors including smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. in a round that valued the Shanghai-based startup at $4.05 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

Meituan Chief Executive Wang Xing co-founded the Beijing-based company in 2010, taking inspiration from U.S. group-buying service Groupon Inc. Mr. Wang, who studied computer science in the U.S., adopted the business model to fit China's market, where the company takes smaller commissions to generate larger volumes of sales. It now has more than 200 million active users and operates in more than 1,000 Chinese cities, according to the company.

Meituan earns its revenue by collecting a commission from merchants on each transaction. The company doesn't disclose its earnings, but has said that it aims to boost the volume of transactions through its website and mobile application to more than 100 billion yuan ($16.11 billion) this year from 46 billion yuan last year.

Before Meituan, Mr. Wang founded a Facebook-like social networking website, Xiaonei, and a Twitter-like microblogging platform, Fanfou, in China.

Write to Rick Carew at rick.carew@wsj.com and Juro Osawa at juro.osawa@wsj.com

Source: China's Meituan Aims to Raise More Than $1 Billion

China Smartphone Shipment Volume Reached Around 94.4 Mln in Q1 2015, States MIC in Its Report Published at MarketPublishers.com

  July 07, 2015 --

London, UK (PRWEB) July 07, 2015

The shipment volume in Chinas smartphone industry reached close to 94.4 million units in Q1 2015 (a 10.1% sequential decrease), with 273 models launched during the quarter. Shipping close to 14.2 million smartphones, Xiaomi topped Apple and reclaimed the throne of the countrys smartphone market for the 3-month period ended in March. Apple's novel iPhone sales lost some momentum in February but had picked up since March. All in all, the market is moving toward a higher level of concentration where the 10 leading vendors represent more than 90% of the shipments. Owing to the ongoing drop in shipments, AUX, Hisense and Bird had spitted from the top 15 rankings whilst ASUS made its way into the rankings for the first time due to its midrange models, Zenfones.

Comprehensive market research study The Chinese Smartphone Industry, 1Q 2015 developed by Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) is now available at MarketPublishers.com

Report Details:

Title: The Chinese Smartphone Industry, 1Q 2015Published: June, 2015pages: 62Price: US$ 2,800.00https://marketpublishers.com/report/consumer_electronics/mobile_phones-smartphones/chinese-smartphone-industry-1q-2015.html

The research publication presents an all-encompassing overview of the Chinese smartphone industry in Q1 2015. The study provides shipment volume of the domestic leading smartphone branded vendors, presents a break-down of shipment volume shares of each vendor based on chipset manufacturer, application processor (AP) model, ASP, camera pixel, panel size, resolution, and also 3G and 4G technologies. An analysis of the dominant chipset manufacturers' product range of smartphones sold within the country is included. The report provides a granular investigation of the competitive landscape of the major players in the market space.

Companies mentioned: Apple, Coolpad, ASUS, Leadcore, BBK, Doov, Gionee, Google, Hisense, HTC, Hisilicon, Huawei, Intel, Koobee, MediaTek, Lenovo, Marvell, Meizu, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Oppo, Samsung, TCL, Spreadtrum, Xiaomi and ZT.

More reports by the publisher can be found at MIC page.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/07/prweb12833734.htm.

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Source:PRWEB.COM Newswire. All Rights Reserved

Source: China Smartphone Shipment Volume Reached Around 94.4 Mln in Q1 2015, States MIC in Its Report Published at MarketPublishers.com

Super Consumers’ to help India surpass China in smartphone growth

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India is an exciting destination for all retailers and telecom service providers. Affordable handsets and a wider array of features have ensured that one in three phones shipped this year will be a smartphone, according to a report by Nielsen. Marketers believe these volumes will only grow, making India the market with the highest smartphone growth rate, surpassing even China.

The average Indian spends around two hours and 45 minutes per day on his or her smartphone. This is one of the highest usage statistics globally. Among its western counterparts, users in the US, spend only two hours and 27 minutes on their phones in comparison.

Heavy users of the internet are also substantially more involved with their phones than regular consumers. Although 33 per cent of smartphone users heavily use internet on their phones, these 'Super Consumers' can be very influential in trendsetting and influencing behaviours. They are also a huge area of opportunity for marketers of mobile applications, online products and digital services.

Based on data usage habits, Neilsen segmented smartphone users into three groups – heavy, medium and light. While the top 33 per cent and the bottom 33 per cent constitute heavy and light users, respectively, the remaining have been considered medium users.

The telecom super consumer typically is a tech-savvy, urban smartphone user and they utilise three times more data than regular consumers.

Predictably, teenagers form a huge chunk of the super consumer strata. The report found that the age group of 18 to 24 years spent approximately three hours per day on their smartphones. Interestingly, mobile world tends to feature more participation from men — 80 per cent of smartphone users are male while just 20 per cent are female.

There is a distinct correlation between the type of phone used and data usage patterns. Easy navigation and advanced operating systems enable frequent application downloads and media consumption, contributing to increased data consumption. Super consumers seem to favour the Android while users of the Symbian largely fall into the light user space.

Super consumers present a big opportunity across the telecom industry, as these heavy users are also the ones ready to pay extra for any useful and relevant services. Given their high engagement, they will also be willing to adopt newer services ahead of the curve. As a result, they present a very good opportunity for test marketing of newer services and applications.

However, for retailers and advertisers to cash in on this opportunity, it is highly imperative for the service providers to provide seamless data connectivity and experience. Super consumers are demanding a global experience, and poor broadband connectivity is still a huge challenge.

Nevertheless, preliminary forecasts indicate that smartphone usage in India is likely to exceed 45 per cent by 2020. Reliable networks, as well as wider arrays of apps and digital solutions will positively affect numbers within this sector in a country like India. More importantly, it will significantly change the way users interact, whether personally or professionally.

Source: Super Consumers' to help India surpass China in smartphone growth

MasterCard Eyes Facial Scans for Mobile Purchase Security

An experimental project will look at how facial scans taken with mobile devices could be used for online purchase authorizations.

MasterCard is looking at using facial recognition and fingerprints as more secure and simpler ways of authorizing consumer purchases made using mobile devices.The company, one of the largest credit card processing firms in the world, will launch a pilot program this fall with about 500 customers who will use fingerprints and/or facial scans to confirm their identities with MasterCard, enabling their mobile purchase transactions to be approved without having to manually enter passwords or security codes. The initiative, which was unveiled in a July 1 report by CNNMoney, will ask customers during their mobile check-outs to hold up their smartphone and snap a photo of themselves, the report continued."The new generation, which is into selfies ... I think they'll find it cool," Ajay Bhalla, who heads security research for MasterCard, told CNNMoney. "They'll embrace it."MasterCard is conducting the scan testing because passwords that are used today can be forgotten, stolen or intercepted, which leads to data theft and losses for card issuers and retailers. MasterCard customers today can use the company's "SecureCode" service, which requires a password when shopping online, the report continued. The service, which prevents thieves from stealing a user's credit card information, was used for some 3 billion transactions last year, according to MasterCard. MasterCard plans to test out the scanning identification system with the 500 customers and expand it publically once it is proven and working well, the story reported. To make that happen, the credit card company is now working with smartphone vendors to get them to build the capabilities into their phones. Users will have to download an app to use the service, according to CNNMoney. Once enabled, a pop-up will appear that will ask for a user's authorization via a fingerprint or facial scan after they pay for an order, the report continued. If a facial scan is chosen, users will look into the smartphone camera and blink once to activate a scan."MasterCard's security researchers decided blinking is the best way to prevent a thief from just holding up a picture of you and fooling the system," the story reported.The scans are not captured as photographs but instead create a code that remains on the device to identify a user, mapping out their face and converting it to 1s and 0s that can be transmitted over the Internet to MasterCard, according to the report. The company is also experimenting with voice recognition for online transactions as well.Similar mobile scanning systems are being developed by other companies, too.In March, Chinese e-commerce merchant Alibaba revealed that it has been developing a mobile purchase security system that uses a selfie taken on a s martphone at the time of a purchase to compare to a stored photo using facial recognition software to positively identify a buyer.The system, called Smile to Pay, was demonstrated by Jack Ma, founder and CEO of Alibaba Group Holdings, at the CeBIT 2015 conference, according to an earlier eWEEK story. The facial recognition system, which is still in development, is being created to work with Alibaba's own mobile payments system, called Alipay.The technology is being developed by Ant Financial, a subsidiary of Alibaba that also operates Alipay, which is China's largest online and mobile payments service. Alipay has more than 300 million registered users and handles approximately 80 million transactions every day, according to the company.Ant Financial is also working a secure mobile user identification system that would require users to give a voice command with a keyword or phrase to be logged in to make a purchase, according to a report by CNBC. The system would even allow users to log in securely using a scanned image of something as unique as a tattoo or a photo of a pet, CNBC reported.Alibaba is not well-known in the United States yet, but it is growing around the world. In September 2014, the company garnered $21.8 billion on the first day of its stock sales in a then-record IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, according to an earlier eWEEK report. That $21.8 billion first-day IPO result easily eclipsed the previous record, $19.7 billion raked in by Visa International, when it went public in 2008. In comparison, Facebook made $16 billion on its IPO in 2012, and Google's 2004 offering earned a relatively modest $1.7 billion.Alibaba sells lots of merchandise but more than anything markets mobile devices, cloud services and mobile apps. It wants to sell in high volumes to small and midsize companies in the same way Amazon sells to consumers.Ma, Alibaba's founder, is a former English teacher who started the company in his Hangzhou, China, apartment in 1999. In China, he is being hailed as a new Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates. 
Source: MasterCard Eyes Facial Scans for Mobile Purchase Security

Global Smartphone Sales 2015 – 2017: India Will Surpass The US [REPORT]

Global Smartphone Sales is estimated to grow from 1.5 billion in 2015 to 1.7 billion by 2017, according to the latest report from Strategy Analytics. What is more interesting is that India will leapfrog US to become the second largest smartphone market by 2017. China, India and US, together, will account for nearly 50 percent of global smartphone market by 2017. However, smartphone market has started showing a sign of slowdown, as the year over year growth will decline from 16 percent in 2015 to mere 5 percent in 2017.

The growth and sales forecast figures don't surprise much as stagnation smartphone market in the US will hit the wall soon. Consequently, almost every major smartphone manufacturer has either ventured or is gearing up to make India debut. According to the report, India is the only country in the world which will be recording a double-digit year over year growth for the next few years, while the yearly growth in China and US will fall 7% and 2% by 2016.

The report also claims, in 2015, nearly 458 million smartphones would be sold in China, making it far bigger market for smartphone components, app developers, mobile service providers and OTT solutions providers. Little over 31% of global smartphone sales will take place in China, which will remain constant by 2017, forecast the report.

"China has been the engine of global smartphone growth in recent years, but China is now maturing and slowing", says Linda Sul, Director – Strategy Analytics.

It would be the first time when India will cross 100 million mark as the sales of smartphone devices in the country is estimated to reach 118 million, accounting for about 8% of global smartphone market 2015. Unlike US and China India will see a constant growth in the upcoming years. The year-over-year growth will slow down tough; the country will still remain the most favorite market for all smartphone manufacturers for a very long time. By 2017, the contribution of India to global smartphone sales will also reach in double-digit, estimates analysts at Strategy Analytics.

The smartphone sales growth in India is driven by the low smartphone penetration, growing demand of entry-level smartphones and increasing buying power of middle-class. A country with nearly 940 million mobile subscriptions is the fastest growing smartphone market now.

Nearly 155 million smartphones were shipped in India by the end of 2014. In the light of these new figures on smartphone sales, it safe to estimate that smartphone user base in India will touch half-a-bilion mark by the end of 2017.

The report also highlights the stagnating smartphone market scenario of the US. With just 1% growth between 2016 and 2017, the yearly growth in US smartphone market will be dead. From 164 million in 2015, the sales of smartphone will rise up to just 169 million by 2017.

While the smartphone sales figures look exciting, the dependent markets – solution, app, services – are pegged to actual devices in use only. According to eMarketer report, there would be 2.4 billion active smartphone users by 2017. However, 50% of phone users by then will still be using feature phones. Therefore it is clearly evident that smartphone device market will have a long way to go. The average selling price (ASP) of smartphones has declined to $265 and people are upgrading or replacing their smartphone more often than before. The replacement cycle of a smartphone has come down from 19 months to 14 months, however, the duration varies country to country though.

Source: Global Smartphone Sales 2015 – 2017: India Will Surpass The US [REPORT]

Alibaba Said to Be Investing in Indian Smartphone Player Micromax

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Source: Alibaba Said to Be Investing in Indian Smartphone Player Micromax

Xiaomi takes first big step outside Asia with Brazil smartphone

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has started making devices in Brazil for sale locally, promising to dramatically undercut rivals on price in the first big step beyond Asia for the world's most valuable technology start-up.

Xiaomi's global vice-president, Hugo Barra, said in an interview on Tuesday that Brazil was "stage one of our Latin America launch," pointing to Mexico and Colombia as logical next steps in the region, although he declined to say when.

Without traditional advertising or stores, China's top-selling smartphone company is betting that a tempting price tag will capture the attention of Brazilians who have become increasingly cost sensitive as their economy sours.

"We offer high-quality products at incredibly aggressive prices, so we're starting with larger developing markets where people are very price-sensitive," Barra told Reuters.

At a launch event earlier in the day, he announced that the entry-level Redmi 2 smartphone would go on sale in Brazil next week for 499 reais ($160).

The phones are already rolling off an assembly line outside of Sao Paulo run by Foxconn Technology Group, the same contract manufacturer making Apple's iPhone in the country since 2011.

An unlocked Brazilian iPhone can retail for more than $1,000 - one of the highest prices in the world and well above what they sell for in the United States. Even more affordable options in the country remain out of the reach of ordinary Brazilians.

Just three years after selling its first phone, Beijing-based Xiaomi, dubbed 'China's Apple', is worth $45 billion, making it the most valuable start-up in the technology sector.

By choosing Brazil as its first smartphone market outside of Asia, Xiaomi keeps its focus on emerging consumer markets, working in from the edges of a global market dominated by giants such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co.

Brazil's smartphone market is also at a tipping point, with users swapping simpler feature phones for smartphones to keep up their avid social-media habits. Smartphone sales in the country jumped 55 percent to 54.5 million units last year despite stagnant economic growth, according to market research firm IDC.

Xiaomi, which is the fifth-highest selling smartphone brand in the world, aims to break into the Brazilian market with its novel business model, Barra said. Low profit margins on handsets are meant to win user loyalty for the company's software and an array of more profitable home electronics and accessories.

Source: Xiaomi takes first big step outside Asia with Brazil smartphone

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi enters Brazilian market

China's Xiaomi, the world's No. 5 producer of smartphones, is entering Brazil, where it plans to open its first plant outside Asia.

Xiaomi, known as "China's Apple," is making its Redmi 2 smartphone available at its online store to Brazilian consumers for 500 reais ($160) starting on July 7.

The device's affordable price is due to low spending on advertising and the use of an online sales model, Xiaomi vice president Hugo Barra said during an event in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

"One of the difference makers in being able to offer high tech products at highly competitive prices is direct sales to consumers via the Web site and advertising only via social networks virally, without investing in other media," Barra said.

Xiaomi, which was founded in April 2010, has 100 million customers using its MIUI operating system.

The company, which is estimated to be worth $45 billion, sold 61 million mobile devices in 2014.

Xiaomi has been successful because it sells "high-quality products, the prices are fair and fans are passionate about it," Barra said.

Fans of the Chinese tech company's products turned out in large numbers for the Redmi 2 launch event in Sao Paulo.

Xiaomi is also selling the Mi Band wearable fitness tracker, the Mi Power Bank charger and a variety of accessories in Brazil. EFE

Source: Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi enters Brazilian market