65% of smartphone users installed a new app during May

The increasing importance of mobile devices means people are still looking for new apps each month, and aren't being overcome by app overload. According to App Annie's latest research, more than 65% of smartphone users downloaded an app during May.

App Annie examined app usage in a variety of countries, including the U.S., the U.K., China, Japan, and India. It found that more than half of all users installed two or more apps during the month. In China and South Korea, more than 30% of users installed four or more apps.

Time spent in apps is increasing

Because people are still downloading apps each month, the time spent using apps is also increasing. The data shows Asia Pacific as being the current leader in time spent — more than 750 billion hours in total during 2016 — and accelerating way beyond other regions over the coming years. It's predicted time spent in apps in the APAC region will reach an astonishing 3.5 trillion hours by 2021.

In its 2017 Consumer App Spotlight report, App Annie says:

"On the whole, people are still looking for new apps to add to their arsenal. As mobile becomes more central to more industries, users will continue to be open to integrating new apps into their lives."

Source: 65% of smartphone users installed a new app during May

In China, A Cashless Trend Is Taking Hold With Mobile Payments

People in China have been paying cash for things for thousands of years, long before other civilizations. Now, increasingly, they're paying with their cellphones.

So while the Trump administration hailed a bilateral deal in May, that would allow U.S. credit card firms including Visa and Mastercard access to the China market, it may not be the coup those firms hoped. Chinese consumers are essentially leapfrogging plastic, and going straight from cash to mobile payments.

Chinese spent $5.5 trillion through mobile payment platforms last year, about 50 times the amount in the U.S., according to reports.

Nowhere is the cashless trend more obvious than in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is home to Alibaba, the world's largest online shopping platform.

Its mobile payment app, Alipay, and WeChat Pay, which belongs to the country's leading social messaging platform, together hold a commanding 90 percent of the market, leaving Apple Pay struggling to make inroads.

I recently spent a day in Hangzhou to see how easy it was to go cashless, and I found it somewhat ahead of other cities, including Beijing. I rode buses and subways, which all accept Alipay. I visited a major Buddhist temple, where visitors can make donations, buffing up their karma with a swipe of their phone.

I even listened to the plaintive tunes of a woman performing music on the street for change — or for a scan of a QR code, placed beside the change box.

Over a plate of noodles, a restaurateur named Ma Zhiguo told me that about half his customers pay for their meals with cellphones, and he uses his to pay most of the time too.

"I don't have to worry about getting counterfeit money, or having to make change," he explained. "When I go out, I don't have to worry about losing my money or getting robbed."

All this is a rapid and somewhat surprising development in a country where, a couple of decades ago, it wasn't even clear that credit cards were going to catch on.

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences research fellow Cheng Lian argues that this was a cultural problem.

"Traditionally, Chinese people didn't want credit cards," he says, "because they didn't want to owe anyone money."

The workaround Chinese mobile payment platforms came up with was to link people's phones to debit cards, so they didn't owe anyone money.

The platforms also came up with a technical fix: by using the cellular networks smartphones use, they bypassed the often-unreliable data networks used by credit card payment terminals.

As a result, after several years of growth, Cheng says, credit card use in China began to decline around 2008.

But Lin Guangyu, who is in charge of payments for urban services at Ant Financial, the financial services arm of Alibaba, says his company addressed a deeper problem: a general lack of trust in Chinese society.

"When we created Alipay in 2003, we did it to resolve the issue of trust between people. And by resolving the issue of trust, we've also resolved the issue of payment," he says.

Ant Financial's subsidiaries include Sesame Credit, which rates people's credit based on their online shopping and payment record. It also runs MYbank, an online bank which extends commercial loans to qualified borrowers.

"Ant Financial's vision," Lin says, "is that when Chinese people have credit, they will have wealth."

But Cheng Lian voices doubts about this.

"We think that by analyzing such big data, we can make an accurate assessment of a person's character," he says. "But this has not been proven."

What could go wrong? A lot, says Cheng. People could game the system. Others who don't use online payments could be marginalized, and have less access to services. And government and corporations could gain too much power to invade people's privacy.

For the moment, though, Cheng notes, there's not much debate in Chinese society about these developments, and most people don't seem too concerned.

"Folks at the bottom of society feel that what's important is getting enough to eat and making money," he says. "They don't see matters of privacy as so important."

It's certainly not a debate, Cheng adds, that China's government wants to encourage.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

People in China have been paying cash for things for thousands of years, long before other civilizations did so. But now, increasingly, they are paying with their cellphones. NPR's Anthony Kuhn takes us for a swipe at one of China's cashless cities.

(SOUNDBITE OF COOKWARE CLINKING)

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: A chef whips up a plate of noodles at a restaurant in East China's Hangzhou city. Hangzhou is the home of Alibaba, the world's largest online-shopping platform. Their mobile-payment app is called Alipay. The restaurant boss here, Ma Zhiguo, says about half of his customers pay for their meals with their cellphones. And he uses his to pay most of the time, too.

MA ZHIGUO: (Through interpreter) I don't have to worry about getting counterfeit money or having to make change. When I go out, I don't have to worry about losing my money or getting robbed.

KUHN: Think I'll give this a try myself. Scan QR code. Payment successful. How about that? Paid for my plate of noodles.

It's not hard to get around Hangzhou these days with just a smartphone loaded with Alipay or its rival, WeChat Pay, which is tied to WeChat, China's biggest social-messaging platform. You can ride the buses and subways with it.

AUTOMATED VOICE: (Speaking Chinese).

(SOUNDBITE OF BUS DOORS OPENING)

KUHN: You can buff up your karma by donating to a Buddhist temple with it.

(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)

KUHN: You can even donate to buskers...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

KUHN: ...Like this woman, performing for spare change or for a scan of her QR code. By one estimate, Chinese spent $5.5 trillion through mobile-payment platforms last year, about 50 times the amount in the U.S. And that's in a country where a couple of decades ago, it wasn't even clear that credit cards were going to catch on. Cheng Lian, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, argues that this was a cultural problem.

CHENG LIAN: (Through interpreter) Traditionally, Chinese people didn't want credit cards because they didn't want to owe anyone money.

KUHN: Lin Guangyu is a manager at the financial services arm of Alibaba. He says that at the heart of the problem was a lack of trust in Chinese society. And the solution, he said, was to link people's smartphones to their debit card, so nobody owes anyone anything.

LIN GUANGYU: (Through interpreter) When we created Alipay in 2003, we did it to resolve the issue of trust between people. And by resolving the issue of trust, we've also resolved the issue of payment.

KUHN: Alibaba also runs a credit-rating agency, which rates people's trustworthiness based on their shopping history. It also runs an online bank, which extends commercial loans to those with good credit history. But Cheng Lian says he has doubts about all this.

CHENG: (Through interpreter) We think that by analyzing such big data, we can make an accurate assessment of a person's character, but this has not proven.

KUHN: What could possibly go wrong? A lot, says Cheng. People could game the system. Others who don't use online payments could be marginalized. And governments and corporations could gain too much power to invade people's privacy. For the moment, though, Cheng notes, there's not much debate in Chinese society about these developments. And most folks don't seem too concerned.

CHENG: (Through interpreter) Folks at the bottom of society feel that what's important is getting enough to eat and making money. They don't see matters of privacy as so important.

KUHN: It's certainly not a debate, Cheng adds, the Chinese government wants to encourage. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Hangzhou.

(SOUNDBITE OF EDAMAME'S "SOME WHISPERS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Source: In China, A Cashless Trend Is Taking Hold With Mobile Payments

China smartphone vendors ramping orders at IC firms

China smartphone vendors ramping orders at IC firms

Cage Chao, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 28 June 2017]

China-based smartphone vendors including Oppo and Vivo have stepped up their pace of chip orders, while Huawei, Xiaomi Technology and Gionee are expected to increase their chip orders substantially by the middle of the third quarter, according to industry sources.

The latest round of pull-in orders from China-based smartphone vendors, notably Oppo, indicates that the recent adjustments of inventory levels of smartphone parts and components in China have come to an end, said the sources.

Judging from the order visibility of individual vendors, Oppo, Vivo and Huawei are apparently the frontrunners in the race for inventory build-ups, which in turn may allow them to continue maintaining their market positions in China, commented the sources.

Taiwan-based IC vendors for wireless chips, LCD driver ICs, touch controllers, analog chips and fingerprint sensors are thus expected to brace for brisk sales in the third quarter, said the sources.

Source: China smartphone vendors ramping orders at IC firms

Chinese spend 3 hours a day on their smartphones, ranking 2nd in the world: Survey

Chinese nationals spend an average of three hours a day on their smartphones, ranking second in the world after Brazilians who spend two additional hours on their phones, according to a survey by a German internet company.

In just a few years, smart phones have transformed from a communication tool into a daily necessity, allowing people to order food, hail a cab, shop online, manage wealth, and socialize at their fingertips.

But with such convenience comes overuse and addiction. People always feel uncomfortable whenever they are not with their smartphones.

The survey found that Brazilians spend the most time on their smartphones, about five hours a day, followed by Chinese, who spend three hours on their phones. People in the United States, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom spend more than two hours a day on their mobile devices.

According to UK mobile technology consultant Tomi Ahonen, people look at their phones about every 6.5 minutes. This means they check their phones 150 times a day over a 16 hour period.

Children are also likely to follow their parents' habit. A survey of 1,000 children ranging from ages 0-5 showed that 80.4% of children use smartphones, and more than half of their parents believe that mobile phones put their children at ease.

Fear of missing out contributed to the high amount of phone checking, said Zhu Yanshao, a researcher with the Division of Social and Engineering Psychology at the Institute of Psychology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They hope to finish their personal affairs in the shortest possible time, and it becomes a habit, Zhu added.

The lack of leisure activities is the main reason for Chinese people's smartphone addiction. Offline activities in China, such as sports, travel, art shows, and reading are not as popular as they are in other countries and regions; on the contrary, China has 668 million netizens, eight-nine percent of whom browse the internet with their phones. The internet is how they mostly kill the time.

Though smartphones bring entertainment and conveniences, they can have negative effects on health. Staring at a screen for a long period of time can cause eye or spine damage. Smartphones are also associated with lower quality of sleep, and high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate are also unfavorable results.

Related:

Embrace the language of the future: Emoji

35.8% of WeChat users want to shut it off
Source: Chinese spend 3 hours a day on their smartphones, ranking 2nd in the world: Survey

Beijing subway launches smartphone version of travel card

Beijing subway allows users to swipe their phones to ride the train. (Photo/CGTN)

Beijing subway system launched a trial of its new smartphone travel card on Monday, allowing users to swipe their phones just like a travel card to ride the train.

Beijing's subway card – Yikatong – was born in 2006 and can also be used on buses and even in some shops.

And now the explosion of different uses for smartphones has seen transport authorities in the capital launch a mobile version of the card which can be integrated into commuters' cellphones.

But how can your phone work as a travel card? The secret lies in technology called NFC (near-field communication).

A lot of modern cellphones contain an NFC chip to simulate the "beep" associated with cards like the Yikatong, allowing users to replace all their physical cards with their phone.

Starting Monday, subway travelers in the Chinese capital with NFC-enabled phones can leave their physical travel card at home and use their smartphone instead, Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card (BMAC) said.

Previous solutions

NFC is not new technology. As early as 2013, some Beijingers managed to utilize NFC-enabled SIM card to get on the subway.

A number of domestic cellphone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Huawei reached a cooperation deal with the BMAC to integrate the card into their phones.

Most of these phones came onto market in early 2016.

No to iPhone

However, while the new move will come as a pleasant surprise to the city's millions of subway customers, it's bad news for iPhone users.

Apple didn't reach a cooperation agreement with subway authorities in China and while some iPhones do have NFC chips, they are locked by Apple to function only with the Apple Pay service.

Beijing subway said the mobile pass function does not support iPhone because of Apple's restrictions.

But the good news for iPhone users is that Apple is opening up. During this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple hinted it would permit more apps to access the iPhone's NFC chip.

But iPhone users in the Chinese capital will have to wait for the iOS 11 software update to find out whether they can use their cell to hop onto the subway. Until then, they'll have to stick with their trusty Yikatong.

　　

Source: Beijing subway launches smartphone version of travel card

Efoneparts. Co., Ltd launched the online platform to deliver smartphone wholesale parts around the globe

(MENAFN Editorial) In the present age, finding the best retail store where you can get all the spare parts and screen replacements for your phone and smart device is not an easy job. Most of the retailers do not have the authentic products and others have the highest rates that often become hard to afford.

Efoneparts. Co., Ltd has introduced their online store where they are ready to meet the requirements of the customers. They understand that most of the people are living with the broken screens only because they are unable to afford a new one. So they have the iPhone 6s parts #China at the most affordable rate.

They are providing the services not only for the local customers but also for the international clients that do not have any spare parts facility in their region. All you have to do is access the online platform that you will be able to order your new iPad mini 4 screen replacement . The services are fast and the rates are affordable. That is why within the first wee k of the launch they got the best reviews, several recommendations, and the highest revenue. The customers were delighted with the iPhone 6s screen replacement because they were not expecting such a great quality from an online platform.

The organization has previously worked with the international manufacturers. However, with the passage of time, their quality lowered and the CEO of the company decided to develop their own iPhone 6 LCD wholesale stores where they will provide their clients everything durable and long lasting.

The CEO the company said that when he first launched the online platform for the iPhone 6 plus LCD wholesale he was not expecting such a great response. The positive reviews of the customers have motivated them to work harder and meet the requirements of the clients perfectly. They launch the latest products as soon as the smartphone companies launch their new device. They understand that customers might require the spare parts anytime and so their services are available 24/7.

They have managed the best customer service platform. You can get free consultation services about your phones, spare parts, and screen replacements. They will provide you the perfect advice and information about the products that you have ordered. All their services are transparent and there is no need to worry about any hidden charges.

Efoneparts. Co., Ltd has recruited the top engineers for the job to ensure that nothing will go wrong with the products. Since their launch, they have been increasing the workforce to meet the demands of their clients. There has been such a great return of the customers that it seems like soon they have to develop another platform to manage this increase outcome and ensure that the high standard is maintained. They have a bright future ahead.

Contact:Anna LiCompany: Efoneparts. co., LtdTelephone: 86-755-82526052Address: Baoan district, Shenzhen, Guangdong, #ChinaEmail:Website: http://www.ogodeal.com/

MENAFN2506201700703206ID1095581093

Source: Efoneparts. Co., Ltd launched the online platform to deliver smartphone wholesale parts around the globe

15 killed, 120 missing as landslide buries mountain village in China

BEIJING: At least 15 people were killed and over 100 others remained missing after a mountain village was today buried under tonnes of rocks following a massive landslide in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the worst such disaster in the country in recent times.

The early morning landslide, which came from a mountain in Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, engulfed 62 homes and a hotel in Xinmo Village in Maoxian County.

A side of a mountain collapsed following the landslide, blocking a 2km section of a river and burying 1,600 metres of road.

The Maoxian government said on its Weibo social media account that 15 bodies were pulled from the rubble while 120 people remained missing.

State media had earlier reported that 141 people may have been buried but later the figure was revised.

The landslide was apparently triggered by a mild earthquake in the area, an expert told state-run CGTN.

According to reports, the village which was built in a valley surrounded by mountains experienced one more landslide after the initial one in the morning.

Nearly 2,000 rescuers, including soldiers, frantically scoured through the mud and rocks to find survivors.

Armed police and experts in geology, hydrology and surveillance joined the rescue and risks assessment group with equipment including drones and laser scanners.

It is the biggest landslide in this area since the Wenchuan earthquake that killed 87,000 people in 2008 in a town in Sichuan.

A family of three was pulled out alive from the rubble, the Mao County government said on its official Weibo page.

The couple and their baby are being treated at the Mao County People's Hospital, the post said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have ordered all-out efforts to save people buried in the landslide.

Xi has ordered the State Council, China's Cabinet, to send a work team to the site.

"Authorities must make maximum effort s to reduce casualties and prevent secondary disasters," Xi said.

The prime minister has ordered an investigation into the reason for the landslide.

The provincial government has launched the highest level of disaster relief response and sent rescue teams to the site.

Pictures posted by the People's Daily newspaper showed bulldozers moving earth and large boulders as the rescue efforts continued.

"In the entire village I could only see one home. The rest had been totally buried by rocks," said a local official Li Yuanjun.

Reports from the area said some people stuck under the mud and rock used mobile phones to call emergency lines.

"A woman shouted and dozens of troopers heard her and asked her questions. She could only use a stone to tap in response," Wang Yongbo, a firefighter, told TV channels.

Roads in the county were closed to all traffic except emergency services.

Following the landslide, China upgraded its geological disaster al ert to the second highest level.

Local authorities have been asked to take extra precautions in rain-affected areas. China's national weather observatory continued a yellow alert for rain today, with more heavy showers expected across the country in the next few days. Landslides are a regular danger in mountainous regions of China, especially during heavy rains. In 2008, 87,000 people were killed when an earthquake struck Wenchuan county in Sichuan province. In Maoxian county, 37 tourists were killed when their coach was buried in a landslide caused by the earthquake.
Source: 15 killed, 120 missing as landslide buries mountain village in China

BGR India Weekly Wrap: Honor 8 Pro, OnePlus 5 smartphone announced, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns and more

Home > News > BGR India Weekly Wrap: OnePlus 5 launched in India, Honor 8 Pro announced, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns and more Here are our top five news stories of the week.

An another eventful week comes to the ceremonial wrap up, where we look at top stories that made the difference. Beginning with announcements, India this week witnessed the debut of Honor 8 Pro and the much-awaited OnePlus 5 flagship smartphone. On the other hand, Facebook added new features to keep profile picture more secure, especially for users in India. On a global level development, this week saw the exit of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. 

This week concluded with good news for Apple iPhone enthusiasts as they can now own an Apple iPhone SE smartphone assembled right here in the country. Apple, today announced the first lot of iPhone SE assembled at the at the Bengaluru facility to go on sale in the city. The company also outlined its plans to gradually expand the availability of the locally assembled iPhone smartphone in other parts of the county as well. Assembled in India, the smartphone will be labeled as 'Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in India'.

The worldwide cab hailing firm, Uber and its CEO Travis Kalanick continued to be surrounded with another controversial week. Last week, the absence of Kalanick from the company raised questions which were followed by opposition from stakeholders which reportedly compelled the Uber chief to put his papers. In a letter titled 'Moving Uber Forward', obtained by foreign press, the investors wrote that Kalanick must immediately resign as the company seeks a change in leadership. Uber was founded by Kalanick in the year 2010 and since then he held office as CEO at the firm.

On the brighter side, the much -anticipated OnePlus 5 flagship smartphone was launched yesterday in India. While most of the specifications of the 'flagship killer' were leaked ahead of the launch, it was the pricing that remained uncertain until the launch took place. OnePlus 5 comes in two variants priced at Rs 32,999 and Rs 37,999 with 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage and 8GB RAM/128GB storage, respectively. Notably, it is the first smartphone in India to launch with 8GB RAM on board. The smartphone boasts a dual rear camera setup, Snapdragon 835 SoC, and other top-of-the-class specifications.

Following the smartphone announcement, Huawei's sub-brand Honor today announced the Honor 8 Pro smartphone in India. The smartphone is an upgrade from company's previously launched Honor 8. The Honor 8 Pro highlights a mammoth 4,000 mAh battery, octa-core Kirin 960 SoC and beefy 6GB RAM. The smartphone also sports a dual rear camera setup including a pair of 12-megapixel monochrome and RGB sensors. Earlier available in China only, the Honor 8 Pro will now be available in select markets including UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. Per reports, the smartphone is expected to be priced between Rs 32,000 to Rs 36,000 in India.

Earlier this week, Facebook introduced to privacy controls developed in partnership with safety organizations such as Learning Links Foundation and Centre for Social Research in New Delhi. The profile picture guard system will now let users keep their profile picture more secured from being misused by other users. Once activated, the profile picture guard ensures that other users can't download and share your profile pictures. While this might seem a small upgrade but has a larger role to play, especially in current times when making fake Facebook profiles using profile pictures from other accounts is a common practice among notorious social media exploiters.

Here's everything that happened this week in detail:

OnePlus 5 Honor 8 Pro Apple iPhone SE Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Facebook Profile Picture Guard Published: June 24, 2017 10:26 AM IST | Updated: June 24, 2017 10:26 AM IST
Source: BGR India Weekly Wrap: Honor 8 Pro, OnePlus 5 smartphone announced, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns and more

What Makes iVOOMi Fit In Indian Smartphone Market

Looking at the Indian Smartphone market flooded with multiple national and international players, we may construe that the industry is self-sufficient and it lacks nowhere. Yet, ensuring that the right technology is equally distributed to all and the benefit reaches everyone in the bell curve from top to bottom, is the need of the hour. It seems that iVOOMi has taken up this task in the country.

With the aim to bring the best of technologies that are available in high-end Smartphones to the entry-level segment, iVOOMi wishes to ensure that its target customers get an apt doorway to begin their use of such devices.

Given the fact that we co-exist in a world where Smartphones are synonymous to necessity or essential/basic requirement, it is necessary that everyone possess this instrument. "Looking at the Indian Smartphone market bunged up with multiple players, iVOOMi as a brand was able to identify the gaps that could be filled in by an entry level Smartphone which is potent enough to pull off various aspects in a phone like its design and form factor, memory, battery and the screen. It goes without saying that iVOOMi has hit the right chord and its study is absolutely correct," says Ashwin Bhandari, CEO, iVOOMi India. 

iVOOMi has entered the Indian market with its Smartphone series called the 'ME' series. It typically looks like a unique value proposition within a range of 4G – VOLTE enabled phones providing long hours of usage and a richer user experience in that price range.As a human tendency, we generally budget our requirements to derive value out of all that we spend. These devices can directly cater to such requirements

"As a human tendency, we generally budget our requirements to derive value out of all that we spend. These devices can directly cater to such requirements were just at a price point of Rs 4999/, you can get all that you can expect out of a quality Smartphone," says Bhandari.

These Smartphones offer 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM with the battery as big as 3000mAh. Further, company also offer a fast charge that can help you charge the phone to 100% within two hours. This makes the phone unbeatable in this category and puts it far ahead of its competitors.

With its experience and legacy of 16 years and R & D centres in China and Hong Kong, iVOOMi has been able to develop an unparalleled proposition in the market and launch such an innovative product. "In future, with plans to bring in more SKUs and series lying between the range of Rs 4000 to Rs 10,000, the brand promises to come up with more such lucrative offers for the telecom fraternity and give a boost to the segment as a whole," concludes Bhandari.

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Author

Samiksha is a digital enthusiast and identifies herself as an entertainment junkie, writer, bona-fide foodie, dreamer and a self-lover. At IndianWeb2 she aims to gain insights on the startup ecosystem more closely.

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Source: What Makes iVOOMi Fit In Indian Smartphone Market

British luxury smartphone maker to use Chinese chips

A Vertu Aster luxury smartphone sits on a table. [Photo/VCG]

Vertu, one of the world's leading manufacturers of luxury mobile phones, has announced that it has signed an agreement with TCL Communication.

This is the first agreement signed by Vertu since the company was purchased by entrepreneur Hakan Uzan in mid-March of 2017. This agreement, worth $40 million, will enable Vertu to "use advanced and innovative technology from TCL Communication for 30,000 handcrafted Vertu phones".

Speaking from the new corporate offices of Vertu AK France in Paris, Hakan commented, "We are delighted to have signed this agreement with TCL Communication. It is the first of many, considerable investments we are making into the business. TCL Communication is a valued partner of Vertu and we hope that this will be the start of a prosperous new chapter in our relationship."

Today's announcement is seen as a first step in helping Vertu enable its full potential as a powerful global brand. Under new patronage and the leadership of Hakan, Vertu is going through a substantial restructuring and modernisation of all its business units, whilst preserving the heritage and craftsmanship it is renowned for around the world.

"Customers will have access to limited, special edition Constellation X products as soon as mid-July, with full ramp up by early September. The new generation of Vertu Concierge Services will start being introduced in mid-July in limited markets, with a new wide ranging portfolio of Vertu Life Style Products becoming available in Vertu Boutiques in early September," Hakan added.

"As a leading smartphone innovator, TCL Communication is very pleased to extend our successful relationship with Vertu," said Alain Lejeune, Senior Vice President of TCL Communication. "Combining our advanced smart phone technology with Vertu's superb craftsmanship and commitment to superior design and performance, it will help create an outstanding experience for its discerning customers."

Vertu AK France, the parent company, is aiming to launch new services and products in September, alongside announcing several exclusive luxury partnerships with leading global brands. The new products will be sold in the key luxury markets of France, UK, China, Asia, Russia, Western Europe and the Middle East.

While the company has moved its corporate offices to Paris, all Vertu products are designed and manufactured in the UK, with around 90 percent destined for export markets. The company has operated from its Hampshire base since 2000, shipping its first phone in 2002. To date, Vertu has sold more than 500,000 devices worldwide. The new Vertu phones have an entry selling price of 7,500 pounds and the company has more than 225,000 registered users.

One Vertu phone, the Signature Cobra, is on sale for $350,000. The highlight of the Vertu Signature Cobra feature phone is that it has been designed by a France-based jewellery brand, Boucheron. Other highlights of the new Vertu phone include the 439 rubies inlaid in the device, fitted in a cobra design. As the name suggests, the phone features a cobra design around the front and the eyes are 2 emerald stones.

Source: British luxury smartphone maker to use Chinese chips

10 Chinese firms ranked among world's top 14 smartphone suppliers

Visitors examine the new Huawei P10 devices during the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain on Feb 27. [Photo/VCG]

Chinese mainland companies took 10 spots among the world's top 14 smartphone suppliers in 2016, according to a recent report by market research institute IC Insights.

The shipments of Chinese smartphone brands Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, ZTE, Lenovo, Xiaomi, TCL, Gionee, Meizu and LeEco/Coolpad totaled 587 million units last year, with a combined market share of 39 percent, according to the report.

Of the 14 smartphone suppliers, OPPO and Vivo were the two fastest growing last year with each growing by almost 90 percent. They are owned by the same parent company BBK Electronics.

Shipments of Gionee and Huawei surged by 53 percent and 33 percent respectively in 2016.

As LeEco became Coolpad's largest shareholder in October last year, the report combined the two companies' smartphone shipments.

Apple and Samsung continued to dominate the smartphone market in 2016, but their combined shipment slipped from 555 million units in 2015 to 526 million in 2016, with market shares dropping four percentage points to 35 percent.

In 2016, global smartphone shipments were 1.49 billion units, an increase of 4 percent from 2015.

Source: 10 Chinese firms ranked among world's top 14 smartphone suppliers

ZTE Axon 7S up for sale in China

Back in April, ZTE announced the Axon 7S powered by the Snapdragon 821 chipset. It is finally up for sale in China for 4599 Yuan($675).

The Axon line of smartphones by ZTE is their premium flagship line of phones. And they have been doing justice to their title. The Axon 7 is an example. The Axon 7S follows heavily on its predecessor, Axon 7's design.

On the spec front, the Axon 7S sports a 5.5 in QHD display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, an old, but powerful chip coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage which is expandable, an upgrade over its predecessor​'s 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage.

In the camera department, the rear sports a dual camera setup with a 20MP Sony IMX350, 1.25micropixel sensor and a 12MP Sony IMX368, 1micropixel sensor. The front houses an 8MP sensor for selfies. A 3,500mAh battery fuels the Axon 7S with support for Quick Charge 3.0 via USB Type-C port.

As compared to many flagships on the market, the 7S doesn't really stand out. It doesn't have specs which you'd expect in a smartphone that's a flagship in 2017. Priced at 4599 Yuan ($675) on Jingdong, the 7S is pretty expensive even for a flagship if you compare other phones on the market.

Related

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Source: ZTE Axon 7S up for sale in China

Xiaomi to Reach 23 Smartphone Sales in Q2, 28 Million in Q3, 80 Million by Year End

In the previous week, an industry insider, Kevin Wang had claimed that the 2017 second quarter result of Xiaomi appears impressive. In the first quarter of this year, Xiaomi sold 13 million smartphones and in the second quarter, the company is expected to exceed more than 20 million units.

The substantial increase in sales is not only because of the high popularity of Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship phone in the home country of China but also because of the stupendous popularity of mid-range smartphones such as Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4A and Redmi 4 in the Indian market.

Today, Kevin Wang has again claimed that the sales of Xiaomi phones in this month has been even more impressive. He has revised statement on second quarter sales. Previously, he had stated that Xiaomi may sell more than 20 million units in Q2 and his today's Weibo post states that Xiaomi is expected to sell 23 million units in this quarter. Moreover, he has also forecasted that Xiaomi may sell 28 million smartphones in the third quarter of 2017. Here is the Weibo post:

Considering the fact that Xiaomi recorded a sale of only 13 million units in Q1, the company seems to have rebounded very well in this quarter. Xiaomi is expected to continue to impressive sales till the end of the year as it is rumored to launch couple of "start products" in the remaining half of the year. It seems that it won't be difficult for the company to cross 80 million units sales mark by the end of 2017.

Rumors have it that Xiaomi has several smartphones lined up to release in this year. The Redmi Pro 2 is speculated as the first Snapdragon 660 chipset driven phone from the company. It is also rumored to be the cheapest smartphone with full-screen display design like Galaxy S8. Speculations also suggest that Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus may debut soon.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 3 and Mi MIX 2 are also some of the most awaited smartphones from the Chinese firm this year. Also, before the end of the year, Xiaomi is also pegged to announce the budget-friendly Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 smartphones in China.

(source)

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Source: Xiaomi to Reach 23 Smartphone Sales in Q2, 28 Million in Q3, 80 Million by Year End

Karol Bagh to China: How a Delhi gang ‘revived’ stolen iPhones, sold them as new

If you have a dealer offering a brand new iPhone at half the price, do not fall for the trap. Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested four persons who allegedly cheated several unsuspecting buyers by selling them old stolen mobile phones that were passed them off as new after changing the motherboard and IMEI numbers.

The men not only fooled people but also Apple service centers as they succeeded in passing the stolen phones as genuine and got them exchanged for new phones under the warranty scheme. With the arrest the police have recovered 409 I phones, 18 I pads, 250 front displays of iPhones along with other accessories.

The police received an information about the men running an illegal Apple iPhone workshop at Mal Colony, Filmistan area in north Delhi and an Apple iPhone Store at Gaffar Market, Karol Bagh, where they allegedly refurbished old Apple iPhones.

According to the police, Muneer Khan, Anash Khan, Mohammad Hamza Khan and Mohammad Ibrahim imported motherboards of iPhones from China along with new valid IMEI numbers that they then embossed on plates of old phones. They then packaged those phones and sold them as new phone with attractive discounts online or at shops in Karol Bagh.

"After receiving a stock of stolen phones, the men in the workshop used to burn the IMEI of those phones. They then procured motherboards of old mobile phones from China. Once they got the motherboards, they would emboss a valid IMEI number and package it nicely for sale. For some phones they used to approach the Apple iPhone service centers and complain of a defect in the device. With connivance of the staff at the center they would then exchange the stolen phones for new devices. They were not only fooling customers but also the company," joint commissioner of police, crime, Praveer Ranjan said.

The police official said the crime branch was monitoring certain inputs regarding change of IMEI of stolen mobile phone, when they were given a tip off about a gang running an illegal Apple iPhone workshop at Filmistan and a store at Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh. "We conducted a raid at the workshop and found a number of new and old Apple iPhones, two laptops, computer spare parts and machine. We found Muneer Khan getting Apple iPhone assembled with the help of two boys and he was immediately nabbed. A bag with 12 different models of apple iPhones were recovered," DCP Crime, Bhisham Singh said.

During questioning, Muneer Khan revealed that he had purchased some mobile phones from China and some of them were stolen, the police said. "He revealed that a laser machine was used to change IMEI of stolen mobile phones. While he stole some phones, others were replaced for new phones in connivance with staff of Apple iPhone service centers. After packing in new duplicate boxes with high quality accessories, they were selling these mobile phones in market as new ones without bill," Singh said.

HOW IT WORKED

The accused received stolen mobile phones from various sources. In their workshop, such phones were given the name of "flight". After receiving the phones, the culprits used to throw the SIM tray and display was removed. At the second stage, the motherboard of phone containing inbuilt IMEI was removed and taken to China for destruction of evidence.

After the IMEI was burnt, they imported new motherboards and valid IMEI numbers from China.

The accused used 'Wechat' App to obtain such IMEIs from China, which were under warranty and could be replaced from Apple Care Centers.

Once received the instrument was again assembled. The new SIM tray was then put and the new IMEI number was embossed using laser.

The arrested men told the police that they have a huge market in Hong Kong of old iPhones under warranty. These phones come to China, and from China the accused persons import these phones to India. Thereafter they get them replaced in connivance with Apple Store employees with new phones.

These new Apple iPhones are packed in duplicate boxes. Stickers, that are printed in their workshop showing new IMEI are pasted on the duplicate boxes. After complete packing these phones are sold online and at Gaffar market, Karol Bagh.

Source: Karol Bagh to China: How a Delhi gang 'revived' stolen iPhones, sold them as new

Samsung Galaxy S8 Shook The Chinese Industry, More Full Screen Phones Coming From China

A Full-screen forum was held in the Shenzhen district of China's Guangdong province on Thursday with the deliberations bothering squarely on full display technology, innovations, concepts and other new things that could change the way we use smartphones. The forum had in attendance individuals from all walk of life.

The Full-screen forum is a clear demonstration of the growing admiration for bezel-less displays in China. The Xiaomi Mi Mix was the first to break the barrier and launch a full-screen phone with up to 93% screen-to-body ratio. Thereafter South Korean giant Samsung caught the bug and released the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus with a bezel-less Infinity display having 84% screen-to-body ratio. Samsung seems to have leveraged on the wide receivership the Mi Mix but the Galaxy S8 is looking way more superior and successful than the Mi Mix.

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are already demolishing previous sales records set by the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. That is perhaps why Lee Hyun Hong ShaneLee, Director of Samsung China Design Institute thinks Samsung shocked the entire Chinese smartphone manufacturers with the release of its latest flagship. In actual sense, the frenzy was already catching on before Samsung launched the Galaxy flagships. Xiaomi, not Samsung kickstarted the whole thing with the LG G6 coming out with a similar design even before Samsung's flagships. But then, Samsung's position as a global market leader is the best form of promotion the new smartphone design could get. The success of the Mi Mix and the monumental feats achieved by the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus so far will only make more manufacturers want to key into the design style.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition May Feature 8 GB RAM; Galaxy Note 9 May Have 12 GB RAM

Already, several Chinese manufacturers have different models in the works like the Doogee Mix, Maze Alpha, Bluboo S1, IDWell D10, Leagoo T-Mix, all with various degrees of full displays. There are indicators such as the huge turn out experienced during the Full-screen forum which points to the likelihood of next year being flooded with full-screen models. Before then, expect more models this year, like the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. Huawei and Vivo are also expected to launch full-screen models this year.

(source)

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Source: Samsung Galaxy S8 Shook The Chinese Industry, More Full Screen Phones Coming From China

China Gains Smartphone Share But Sucks Up Losses

Is this a great achievement or does it show China has learnt how to bend plastic round a Qualcomm or MediaTek chip-set?

It would seem the latter. Apple and Samsung took 95% of the smartphone industry's profits last year, says Strategy Analytics, and Huawei, Vivo and Oppo took a collective 4.4% so that the other 150 smartphone manufacturers either live on the thin gruel of a collective 0.6% market share or suck up large losses.

Why do they do it? Well in China it's probably for the greater glory of the Communist Party's current 5 year Economic Plan. For others it's a bit of a mystery. Why earth, for instance, is Google making its Pixel smartphone? A tax loss? Who knows.

Anyway, although the market is a bit silly, here are the numbers for the last three years.

Apple and Samsung are losing share – tricky competing with so many non-profits – with their combined market share falling 4% last year to 35%

In third place is BBK with its two fast-growing brands Vivo and Oppo both of which grew almost 90% last year.

Unit volumes in millions are: Samsung 310, Apple 215 and BBK 170.

The top ten China companies had a combined 39% market share last year – up from 36% in 2015 and 32% in 2014 shipping 587 smartphones.

But they have a long way to go before they make money. They need to make their own chips, they probably need to develop their own OS and they need to develop some innovative functions if they are ever going to do that.This is a funny old game. Motorola's share slipped from 21% to 6% between 2009 and 2006; Blackberry's share went from 50% to zero between 2009 and 2016; Nokia's share went from 50% in 2007 to 3% in 2013.

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

Source: China Gains Smartphone Share But Sucks Up Losses

2017 Top 5 Smartphone Camera Lens Manufacturers (Sales;Revenue;Price; Profiles;Strategy)

Topics :Smartphone Camera Lens ManufacturersSmartphone Camera LensMarket

This report studies Smartphone Camera Lens in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa, focuses on the top 5 Smartphone Camera Lens Players in each region, with sales, price, revenue and market share for top 5 manufacturer.

For Any Query, before Purchasing Report email to Milly@marketresearchreportstore.com

Smartphone Camera LensMarket Analysis: Key Players

1. Largan

2. Sunny Optical

3. Kantatsu

4. GeniuS Electronic Optical

5. Asia Optical

6. Kolen

7. Sekonix

8. Cha Diostech

9. Newmax

10. Ability Opto-Electronics

11. Kinko

Smartphone Camera LensMarket Analysis: By Regions

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Korea)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy and Russia etc.

South America (Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina)

Middle East and Africa (Egypt, South Africa, Saudi Arabia)

Smartphone Camera LensMarket Analysis: By Product

VGA

1.3 MEGA

2 MEGA

3 MEGA

5 MEGA

Smartphone Camera LensMarket Analysis: By Application

Smartphone Rear Camera

To know the latest trends and insights prevalent in this market,email to

Milly@marketresearchreportstore.com

Table of Contents:

1 Smartphone Camera Lens Market Overview(Overview and Scope;Segment;Market Size)

2 Global Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Players

3 Global Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue (Value) by Regions, Type and Application (2012-2017)

4 North America Top 5 Players Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue and Price

5 Europe Top 5 Players Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue and Price

6 Asia-Pacific Top 5 Players Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue and Price

7 South America Top 5 Players Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue and Price

8 Middle East & Africa Top 5 Players Smartphone Camera Lens Sales, Revenue and Price

9 Global Smartphone Camera Lens Players Profiles/Analysis

10 Smartphone Camera Lens Manufacturing Cost Analysis

11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

13 Market Effect Factors Analysis

14 Global Smartphone Camera Lens Market Forecast (2017-2022)

15 Research Findings and Conclusion

16 Appendix

Browse full table of contents and data tables, search on

https://www.marketresearchreportstore.com/about-us

Related Reports:

1.2017-2022 Global Top Countries Smartphone Camera Lens Market Report

2.2017-2022 China Smartphone Camera Lens Market Report (Status and Outlook)

3.2017-2022 India Smartphone Camera Lens Market Report (Status and Outlook)

4.2017-2022 UKSmartphone Camera Lens Market Report (Status and Outlook)

5.2017-2022 GermanySmartphone Camera Lens Market Report (Status and Outlook)

6.2017-2022 United States Smartphone Camera Lens Market Report (Status and Outlook)

7.2017-2022 Japan Smartphone Camera Lens Market Report (Status and Outlook)

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Source: 2017 Top 5 Smartphone Camera Lens Manufacturers (Sales;Revenue;Price; Profiles;Strategy)

Oppo R11 surpasses 500,000 pre-sale registrations within three days in China

Home > News > Oppo R11 surpasses 500,000 pre-sale registrations within three days in China By Marcia Sekhose | Published: June 14, 2017 9:43 AM IST Email @marciasekhose comments Tags: Oppo Oppo R11 Oppo R11 Plus News

The Oppo R11 along with the R11 Plus were officially launched in China on June 9. The R11 is available in three color variants – rose gold, black, and champagne gold, and is priced at 2,999 Yuan (Rs 28,500 approximately). Following the launch, the Oppo R11 went up for registrations on online retail website JD.com. The website has now received over 500,000 registrations for the device.

As reported by GSMArena, the Oppo R11 has surpassed 500,000 registrations within just three days of its listing on JD.com. The first sale for the Oppo R11 will begin on June 16, and the smartphone is likely to get sold out in seconds. There is also a red color variant of the Oppo R11 listed on the website which is priced higher at 3,199 Yuan (Rs 30,300 approximately). Oppo, however, did not unveil the red color variant of the R11 at the official launch, and it could perhaps be an exclusive for the retailer.

Oppo, along with Huawei and Vivo is one of the top smartphone players in China. In the first quarter of 2017, Huawei beat Oppo to take first place in smartphone sales in China, which mostly attributes to the P10 and P10 Plus that were unveiled at MWC 2017. Oppo managed to ship 20 million units in the first quarter, but with this new device, numbers could change for the Chinese smartphone maker. ALSO READ: Huawei beats OPPO to lead China's smartphone market in Q1 2017; Xiaomi under 'increasing' pressure: Canalys

Speaking about the Oppo R11, the smartphone flaunts an all-metal unibody design with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display offering full HD resolution. Under the hood of the smartphone, it runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz. The Oppo R11 comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. On the software front, the Oppo R11 runs on Android 7.1 Nougat with Color OS on top. ALSO READ: Oppo F3 Review: The one for your selfies and groupfies

In the photography department, the Oppo R11 sports a pair of 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel rear cameras. The features of the dual rear cameras include 2x optical zoom with Qualcomm Spectra ISP for image processing, Portrait mode for achieving bokeh effect. Up front, the smartphone houses a 20-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling. Keeping the smartphone ticking is a 2,900mAh battery. ALSO READ: Oppo, Vivo and other Chinese smartphone brands are slowly taking over the world

Oppo R11

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Published: June 14, 2017 9:43 AM IST | Updated: June 14, 2017 9:43 AM IST

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हिन्दी खबरें Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 को खरीदने का आज है एक और मौक, यहां होगा 12 बजे सेल के लिए उपलब्ध क्या आप अपने स्मार्टफोन के डिजाईन से बोर हो गए हैं, तो ऐसे दे सकते हैं इसे एक नया अवतार Nokia 3: ये 6 स्मार्टफोन हो सकते हैं इसके सबसे बढ़िया अल्टरनेटिव Nubia Z17 mini को मिले 2 लाख रजिस्ट्रेशन, जानें स्पेसिफिकेशन और फीचर्स HTC U11 भारत में 16 जून को होगा लॉन्च, जानें इसके बारे में सबकुछ

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Source: Oppo R11 surpasses 500,000 pre-sale registrations within three days in China

Honor 9 dual camera smartphone launched in China from RMB 2299

Huawei today launched a new handset in China, the successor to Honor 8, called the Honor 9. This handset like the Honor 8 comes with dual cameras on the back and is powered by Kirin 960 octa core processor. Honor 9 price in China starts from RMB 2299 that comes to approx Rs. 21K.

The Honor 9 is a dual SIM handset using a Hybrid slot. It houses the Kirin 960 64 bit octa core processor clocked at 2.4GHz coupled with Mali G71 GPU. EMUI 5.1 over Android 7 runs out of the box with 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage or 6GB RAM / 64GB /128GB storage  and with micro SD support.

Screen is 5.15 inches with 2.5D curved glass supporting 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. There are dual cameras on the back – one with a 20MP lens and other with 12MP lens, Laser AF and 4K recording capabilities. Front camera is a 8MP shooter. This handset gets power from a 3200 mAh battery.

Honor 9 Specifications

CPU : HiSilicon Kirin 960 @ 2.4GHzGPU : Mali G71OS : Android Nougat + EMUI 5.1RAM : 4GB/6GBROM : 64GB/128GBMicro SD : SupportedSIM Type : Hybrid dual SIM (nano + nano/micro SD)Screen : 5.15 inches, 2.5D, 1920 x 1080 pixels resolutionRear Camera : 20MP + 12MP dual camera, 4K, CAF, Laser AF, PDAF, Dual Tone LED flashFront Camera : 8MP fixed focusSecurity : Finger Print SensorWeight : 155 GramsConnectivity : 4G, VoLTE, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, WiFi (dual band)Battery : 3100 mAh (fast charging)

Honor 9 Price in China

4GB/64GB – RMB 2299 (approx Rs. 21K)6GB/64GB – RMB 2699 (approx Rs. 25K)6GB/128GB – RMB 2999 (approx Rs. 28K)

Source: Honor 9 dual camera smartphone launched in China from RMB 2299

Oppo R11 & R11 Plus Smartphones with 20MP Selfie Camera Launched in China

A couple of days back, Oppo announced the new Oppo R11 smartphone which we had already covered in detail about. Now the company has officially launched both the smartphones i.e the Oppo R11 and the R11 Plus in China. We already know what the Oppo R11 is powered by and what are the different set of specs that it has to offer. The R11 Plus also almost has the exact same specs.

The R11 Plus has a 6″ display instead of the 5.5″ found on the R11. We also have 6GB of RAM along with 64GB storage which is more than the 4GB & 64GB combo on the R11. And finally, we have a better battery coming in at 4,000 mAh as compared to the 3,000 mAh battery on the R11. As far as the pricing is concerned, we don't have much info regarding the same as of now, but stay tuned to know about the same.

Earlier –The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo has now announced the new R11 smartphone. We have been hearing a lot about this particular smartphone over the past couple of days and now we finally have it officially announced by the company. This is the company's new selfie-focused smartphone that also comes with a dual rear camera setup. This camera setup at the back resembles the one on the iPhone 7 Plus and it is one of the major highlights of the smartphone itself. However, we only got to see the Oppo R11 and the Plus variant is still not officially announced.

Talking about the specs of this new smartphone, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC. This powerful chipset is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It has a metal unibody design along with a home button on the front. This home button also houses the fingerprint scanner for unlocking the smartphone. The power button sits to the right side of the device whereas the volume rockers are sitting on the left side. And yes, the smartphone also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

On the front, we also have a 5.5″ FHD display which has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The new Oppo R11 is running on Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. However, taking about the highlight of the smartphone, we can't miss the cameras on this device. At the back, as we mentioned earlier, there is a dual camera setup. One of them is a 20MP sensor whereas the other one is a 16MP sensor. These sensors are accompanied by a dual LED flash as well.

This rear facing camera comes with 2x optical zoom as well. Now coming to the selfie camera, we have a 20MP sensor which should idea for all your good looking selfies and video chats, etc. The smartphone is powered by a 2,900 mAh battery which should also be able to last for a day's worth of usage easily. Some of the other connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE.

Talking about the availability of this smartphone, it will be available in three color options i.e. Black, Gold, and Rose Gold. You will be able to get this in China starting June 10th, however, the pricing of the same is unknown now. If in case you are interested in knowing more about this, then be sure to stay tuned to PhoneRadar for more updates on this.

Related

Source: Oppo R11 & R11 Plus Smartphones with 20MP Selfie Camera Launched in China

China and India expected to be the biggest smartphone markets by 2019

What will smartphones even look like then, you think?

The United States may be one of the top-selling smartphone markets in the world, but it's on track to soon be eclipsed by India, according to Statista.

After breaking down smartphone sales over three years (2013-2016) by geographical region, the report concluded that both China and India are headed for the top two spots on the regional sales charts. Today, China is the current leader at 31%, while the U.S. sits in second at 16.7%, says Statista.

At present, 220 million people in the U.S. own a smartphone, but by 2019 — two years from now — India is expected to surpass that number and have almost 15% of the entire world's smartphone market share. The U.S. is expected to stall at 10%, with Brazil a distant fourth with 4%.

News like this is certainly inside baseball for the rest of us. But for those who've been closely following smartphone releases over the past few years, it should also come as no surprise. Companies like Google and Apple have taken great strides in attempting to capture both Chinese and Indian markets, with initiatives like Android Go and selling iPhones at lucrative discounts in India.

Smartphone shipments worldwide are also expected to increase to two billion units by 2019, with China laying claim to at least half of those sales.

Source: China and India expected to be the biggest smartphone markets by 2019

Two SIM Cards and Better Selfies: How China’s Smartphones Are Taking On Apple

SHENZHEN, China—The top player in Africa's fast-growing smartphone market isn't Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics Co. It is Transsion Holdings Ltd., an obscure Chinese manufacturer that won customers by offering handsets with features targeted to local markets.

Transsion—whose products are sold under the Tecno, itel and Infinix brand names—developed handsets with two SIM-card slots after research showed people were carrying...

Source: Two SIM Cards and Better Selfies: How China's Smartphones Are Taking On Apple

US tech firms should keep trying to crack China, trade body says

U.S. technology companies like Facebook and Google should still keep trying to get into China despite censorship and other challenges because the rewards could be big, the head of a trade body told CNBC on Wednesday.

Many American technology firms have struggled in China. Facebook and Google are both banned under the censorship regime in the world's second-largest economy.

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which represents 2,200 firms, made the comments as the annual Consumer Electronics Show Asia kicked off. CES is held in Las Vegas every year and showcases the latest gadgets and technology. But the organization also holds an event in Asia, which is now in its third year.

"There are challenges … there is still major censorship that goes on here. But if you can get into the market, if you could get the partner, if you can understand the rather vague and ambiguous market, you have a huge market of 1.4 billion people and a lot of them are middle and upper class," Shapiro told CNBC.

Some U.S. technology firms have publicly said China is not a market they are focusing all their efforts on in the short-term. Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, told CNBC in May that China was "off the table for the next couple of years." Yet despite the challenges, there are definitely rewards.

"It is tough to get in this market, but it's worth it," Shapiro said.

The CTA head discussed the relationship between the U.S. and Chinese governments and said there is a "much better relationship" than anyone thought there would be after the anti-Chinese rhetoric during last year's election campaign. Then-candidate Donald Trump had threatened to brand China as a currency manipulator, but his administration has since backed away from that label.

Source: US tech firms should keep trying to crack China, trade body says

China’s top 10 unicorn companies

CB Insights recently posted its list of 197 world unicorns, also known as a private company valuing more than USD 1 billion. Here is the top 10 unicorn companies in China that AllChinaTech has picked by valuation from CB Insights' list.

Didi Chuxing

Photo from Baidu Images

Founded in: 2012

Headquarters: Beijing

Financing status: USD 5.5 billion in pre-IPO financing in April 2017

Didi Chuxing is China's largest ride-hailing app and possessed 93.1% of the market share in August last year when it acquired Uber China.

The app has attracted 400 million users and offered services including taxi hailing, private car hailing, car pooling, car rental, and so on. In 2016, as many as 20 million rides were completed on DiDi on a daily basis.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi offline store. Photo from Miui.com.

Founded in: 2010

Headquarters: Beijing

Financing status: undisclosed Series E round in April 2015

Xiaomi is founded by veteran engineer Lei Jun, who was previously the CEO of office software giant Kingsoft.

Xiaomi started its business by manufacturing smartphones at extremely low cost performance ratios and coined the term "Xingneng Guaishou", which literally means "performance monster". Its first batch of users are geeks and hardcore gadget buyers who are attracted to these high tech performance parts. Over the last few years, the company gradually added more products such as smart televisions, air purifiers, and e-scooters to its line.

Lu.com

Photo from Pixabay.com

Founded in: 2011

Headquarters: Shanghai

Financing status: USD 1.2 billion Series B round in January 2016

Shanghai is the financial center of China, and Lujiazui is the financial center of Shanghai. Lu.com is a fintech company based in Lujiazui, offering peer-to-peer personal loan services to its users.

Its latest investors include BlackPine Private Equity Partners, CDH Investments and China International Capital Corporation's private equity division, according to a news release featured on Lu.com.

Meituan Dianping

Photo from Pixabay.com

Founded in: 2010

Headquarters: Beijing

Financing status: Undisclosed financing round of more than USD 100 million in July 2016

Meituan Dianping, or China Internet Plus Holdings Ltd (CIP), was formed when group buying platform Meituan and Dianping, also known as China's Yelp, announced their merger in October 2015.

After that, the new company enjoyed 80 percent of China's group purchasing market, and became the biggest online-to-offline company in China.

Toutiao

Photo from Pixabay.com

Founded in: 2012

Headquarters: Beijing

Financing status: USD 1 billion Series D round in April 2017

Toutiao is a Flipboard-like news aggregator app that recommends news content using computer algorithms based on deep learning and data mining technology. When you read Toutiao, Toutiao also reads you, keeping track of your browsing history, your clicks, your comments, and time spent on every article.

The company claimed that it had more than 47 million daily active users in May 2016, having served more than 480 million users. It was valued at USD 500 million when it closed a Series C financing round worth USD 100 million, as reported by Tencent Tech in June.

DJI

Photo from www.jiqiren365.com

Founded in: 2006

Headquarters: Shenzhen

Financing status: USD 75 million Series C round in May 2015

This company is a world leader in camera drones and quadcopters, taking up 70 percent of the global consumer drone market. It has up to 3,000 employees in its Shenzhen headquarters and has branched out to Beijing, Hong Kong, the U.S., Germany and Japan.

Its official website says it now makes different types of drones that can be used in aerial photography, filmmaking, agriculture, search and rescue, energy infrastructure, remote sensing mapping and more.

Zhong An Insurance

Photos from Baidu Images

Founded in: 2013

Headquarters: Shanghai

Financing status: USD 934 million Series A round in June 2015

This online insurance provider offers more than 200 insurance products and has written over 3.6 billion policies for over 300 million customers by the end of 2015. It is the first company that obtained an internet insurance license in China.

Zhong An Insurance is backed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, top Internet company Tencent and leading insurance provider Ping An.

Lianjia

Photo from Pixabay.com

Founded in: 2001

Headquarters: Beijing

Financing status: RMB 3 billion (USD 441 million) Series D round in April 2017

Lianjia – or Homelink – is China's leading real estate service platform. It has expanded its network to large Chinese cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu via acquisitions and investments.

As of April 2016, it has covered 24 cities with 5,000 physical stores and 100,000 agents, achieving an annual Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) of RMB 709 billion.

Meizu Technology

Photo from Meizu

Founded in: 2003

Headquarters: Shenzhen

Financing status: RMB 200 million (USD 29 million) Series B round in October 2016

Meizu started manufacturing MP3 players before it transformed itself to a smartphone company in 2007.

In February 2015, China's e-commerce giant Alibaba bought shares in Meizu for USD 590 million to promote its "YunOS" operating system. Meizu sold more than 20 million phones in 2015.

Ele.me

Photo from Baidu Images

Founded in: 2008

Headquarters: Shanghai

Financing status: RMB 1.25 billion (USD 285 million) Series F round in April 2016

Alibaba-backed Ele.me is a leading Chinese food delivery app. According to data released in December 2015 by Ele.me, its daily transaction volume has amounted to RMB 100 million with more than 3.3 million daily orders by the end of 2015.

According to Zhang Xuhao, CEO of Ele.me, the company has covered 1,000 cities in China and has a user base of 70 million people. Domestically, it competes with Meituan-Dianping and Baidu Delivery in food delivery.

(Top photo from Pixabay.com)

Source: China's top 10 unicorn companies

Vivo becomes official smartphone sponsor of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup

Vivo was presented today as FIFA's official smartphone sponsor under a sponsorship agreement that will run until 2022 and include the next editions of the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 and 2022. The announcement was made today in Beijing at the historical and iconic Imperial Ancestral Temple in the presence of Vivo Executive Vice-President Ni Xudong and FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.

As FIFA's official smartphone brand, Vivo will sponsor the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups as well as the FIFA Confederations Cup. The global reach of this six-year partnership is set to take Vivo to new heights.

The Vivo logo will appear during every match on pitch advertising boards, match tickets, media releases and other key promotional platforms. The agreement includes special marketing activations such as the right to select guests to be a Vivo phone photographer during pre-match player warm-ups.

Vivo will also gradually introduce a customised FIFA World Cup™ phone that will offer a unique experience for football fans around the world.

Ni Xudong explained: "Football is a sport full of passion and moments of wonder, creating happiness for millions of people. The spirit of football is about constant progress.

As a global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, Vivo hopes to strongly associate itself with the football spirit and show consumers all over the world Vivo's creative, joyful and international brand image. In the meantime, Vivo will bring more personalised, energetic and youthful elements to the FIFA World Cup experience and the game of football."

Speaking about the new agreement, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said: "Football and technology are coming closer by the day, on and off the pitch, and it is a great moment to start a partnership of this nature with the leading global smartphone brand. We are very excited to be working closely with Vivo and keen to see their involvement in the next editions of the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup."

Vivo's previous involvement in sport includes the title sponsorship of the Indian Premier League cricket competition and a strategic partnership with the NBA to become NBA China's official mobile handset sponsor.

Source: Vivo becomes official smartphone sponsor of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup

7 in 10 Smartphone Apps Share Your Data with Third-Party Services

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.

Our mobile phones can reveal a lot about ourselves: where we live and work; who our family, friends and acquaintances are; how (and even what) we communicate with them; and our personal habits. With all the information stored on them, it isn't surprising that mobile device users take steps to protect their privacy, like using PINs or passcodes to unlock their phones.

The research that we and our colleagues are doing identifies and explores a significant threat that most people miss: More than 70 percent of smartphone apps are reporting personal data to third-party tracking companies like Google Analytics, the Facebook Graph API or Crashlytics.

When people install a new Android or iOS app, it asks the user's permission before accessing personal information. Generally speaking, this is positive. And some of the information these apps are collecting are necessary for them to work properly: A map app wouldn't be nearly as useful if it couldn't use GPS data to get a location.

But once an app has permission to collect that information, it can share your data with anyone the app's developer wants to—letting third-party companies track where you are, how fast you're moving and what you're doing.

The help, and hazard, of code libraries

An app doesn't just collect data to use on the phone itself. Mapping apps, for example, send your location to a server run by the app's developer to calculate directions from where you are to a desired destination.

The app can send data elsewhere, too. As with websites, many mobile apps are written by combining various functions, precoded by other developers and companies, in what are called third-party libraries. These libraries help developers track user engagement, connect with social media and earn money by displaying ads and other features, without having to write them from scratch.

However, in addition to their valuable help, most libraries also collect sensitive data and send it to their online servers—or to another company altogether. Successful library authors may be able to develop detailed digital profiles of users. For example, a person might give one app permission to know their location, and another app access to their contacts. These are initially separate permissions, one to each app. But if both apps used the same third-party library and shared different pieces of information, the library's developer could link the pieces together.

Users would never know, because apps aren't required to tell users what software libraries they use. And only very few apps make public their policies on user privacy; if they do, it's usually in long legal documents a regular person won't read, much less understand.

Developing Lumen

Our research seeks to reveal how much data are potentially being collected without users' knowledge, and to give users more control over their data. To get a picture of what data are being collected and transmitted from people's smartphones, we developed a free Android app of our own, called the Lumen Privacy Monitor. It analyzes the traffic apps send out, to report which applications and online services actively harvest personal data.

Because Lumen is about transparency, a phone user can see the information installed apps collect in real time and with whom they share these data. We try to show the details of apps' hidden behavior in an easy-to-understand way. It's about research, too, so we ask users if they'll allow us to collect some data about what Lumen observes their apps are doing—but that doesn't include any personal or privacy-sensitive data. This unique access to data allows us to study how mobile apps collect users' personal data and with whom they share data at an unprecedented scale.

In particular, Lumen keeps track of which apps are running on users' devices, whether they are sending privacy-sensitive data out of the phone, what internet sites they send data to, the network protocol they use and what types of personal information each app sends to each site. Lumen analyzes apps traffic locally on the device, and anonymizes these data before sending them to us for study: If Google Maps registers a user's GPS location and sends that specific address to maps.google.com, Lumen tells us, "Google Maps got a GPS location and sent it to maps.google.com"—not where that person actually is.

Trackers are everywhere

More than 1,600 people who have used Lumen since October 2015 allowed us to analyze more than 5,000 apps. We discovered 598 internet sites likely to be tracking users for advertising purposes, including social media services like Facebook, large internet companies like Google and Yahoo, and online marketing companies under the umbrella of internet service providers like Verizon Wireless.

We found that more than 70 percent of the apps we studied connected to at least one tracker, and 15 percent of them connected to five or more trackers. One in every four trackers harvested at least one unique device identifier, such as the phone number or its device-specific unique 15-digit IMEI number. Unique identifiers are crucial for online tracking services because they can connect different types of personal data provided by different apps to a single person or device. Most users, even privacy-savvy ones, are unaware of those hidden practices.

More than just a mobile problem

Tracking users on their mobile devices is just part of a larger problem. More than half of the app-trackers we identified also track users through websites. Thanks to this technique, called "cross-device" tracking, these services can build a much more complete profile of your online persona.

And individual tracking sites are not necessarily independent of others. Some of them are owned by the same corporate entity—and others could be swallowed up in future mergers. For example, Alphabet, Google's parent company, owns several of the tracking domains that we studied, including Google Analytics, DoubleClick or AdMob, and through them collects data from more than 48 percent of the apps we studied.

Users' online identities are not protected by their home country's laws. We found data being shipped across national borders, often ending up in countries with questionable privacy laws. More than 60 percent of connections to tracking sites are made to servers in the U.S., U.K., France, Singapore, China and South Korea—six countries that have deployed mass surveillance technologies. Government agencies in those places could potentially have access to these data, even if the users are in countries with stronger privacy laws such as Germany, Switzerland or Spain.

Even more disturbingly, we have observed trackers in apps targeted to children. By testing 111 kids' apps in our lab, we observed that 11 of them leaked a unique identifier, the MAC address, of the Wi-Fi router it was connected to. This is a problem, because it is easy to search online for physical locations associated with particular MAC addresses. Collecting private information about children, including their location, accounts and other unique identifiers, potentially violates the Federal Trade Commission's rules protecting children's privacy.

Just a small look

Although our data include many of the most popular Android apps, it is a small sample of users and apps, and therefore likely a small set of all possible trackers. Our findings may be merely scratching the surface of what is likely to be a much larger problem that spans across regulatory jurisdictions, devices and platforms.

It's hard to know what users might do about this. Blocking sensitive information from leaving the phone may impair app performance or user experience: An app may refuse to function if it cannot load ads. Actually, blocking ads hurts app developers by denying them a source of revenue to support their work on apps, which are usually free to users.

If people were more willing to pay developers for apps, that may help, though it's not a complete solution. We found that while paid apps tend to contact fewer tracking sites, they still do track users and connect with third-party tracking services.

Transparency, education and strong regulatory frameworks are the key. Users need to know what information about them is being collected, by whom, and what it's being used for. Only then can we as a society decide what privacy protections are appropriate, and put them in place. Our findings, and those of many other researchers, can help turn the tables and track the trackers themselves.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Source: 7 in 10 Smartphone Apps Share Your Data with Third-Party Services