Complaints about iPhone 7 reception stir in China

Apple has unveiled its iPhone 7 handset. (Kyle Venktess, Fin24)

Beijing - Complaints about call connection problems with Apple's iPhone 7 models are spreading across social media in China just weeks after the devices were released.

READ: WATCH: iPhone 7 lands in SA, here's our rapping review

A chat group on the QQ instant messaging platform had grown to 1 600 people through Friday, just two weeks after it was set up, with critics saying the phones can't receive incoming calls from mobile networks in standby mode and slamming Apple's customer service.

Apple didn't respond to requests for comment after being informed of the social media reports.

Li Dengke, who set up the QQ group, began noticing the missed calls a week after buying a silver iPhone 7 through Apple's store on Alibaba's Tmall.com. After the device was tested at an authorised service center, he was given a replacement.

"I received the new one on October 5, a few hours later, it is 'out of service' again," Li said.

The term "out of service" has become a hot topic on microblogging site Weibo while users have said a way to fix the problem is to shut down its fourth-generation connectivity and rely on slower 3G networks instead.

Greater China is one of Apple's biggest markets and generates more than 20% of sales at the Cupertino, California-based company.

The region has driven Apple's spectacular growth for years, even as smartphone demand elsewhere faltered, and the company has dozens of retail outlets on the mainland.

Source: Complaints about iPhone 7 reception stir in China

Boycotting our goods will damage ties, China’s state media warns India

Protectionism against Chinese companies and boycotting goods from the East Asian country on the pretext of political issues will not help bridge the yawning Sino-India trade deficit, instead only damage bilateral ties, state media said on Friday.

Besides allowing free flow of Chinese goods into its huge market, India should focus on expanding and improving industrial infrastructure to address the issue of imbalance in trade, the nationalistic tabloid Global Times said in two separate write-ups on bilateral economic ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping cannot be expected to talk in detail about the trade deficit when they meet in Goa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit this weekend. But the issue is likely to be flagged — as it has been repeatedly done during past meetings — during the one-on-one meeting.

Quoting Chinese government figures, one GT article said: "Data from China's General Administration of Customs showed Thursday that India in September exported goods worth $922 million to China, while importing goods worth $5.4 billion from China."

It added: "The major imports from China include electronic components, telecom instruments, chemicals and pharmaceutical products, while India's major exports to China include ore, plastics and cotton."

According to mid-year statistics from India, bilateral trade was $70.73 billion in 2015-16, down from $72.34 billion in the previous fiscal.

Read | Gujarat trade body calls for boycott of Chinese goods

The deficit with China was around $52.68 billion in 2015-16, from $48.48 billion in the previous fiscal, figures quoted in Parliament showed.

China's investment in India — according to Chinese state media — soared to around $ 870 million in 2015, six times what it was in 2014. Clearly, it wasn't enough.

India's commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament in August: "Increasing trade deficit with China can be attributed to the relative demand for imports in India and China for each other's goods."

She added, according to a PTI report, that efforts were on to increase overall exports by diversifying the trade basket, with emphasis on manufactured goods, services, resolution of market access issues and other non-tariff barriers.

That diversification is precisely what is not happening on India's side, Chinese media said.

"Efforts such as encouraging Chinese smartphone makers to set up production lines in India may be the most effective way to reduce the trade deficit, which is partly the result of a price gap between India's imports of finished goods and its exports of raw materials," the newspaper said.

"Besides, India may need to roll out domestic reforms, such as further streamlining its tax system, to improve the country's economic ecology to attract more Chinese investment," it added.

Read | India need not be 'jealous' of close China-Bangladesh ties: Chinese media

But instead of attempting to attract Chinese investment, there's been a call to boycott Chinese goods from some quarters in India.

"The first happened in April. It was caused by dissatisfaction over China's stand on the issue of Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed active in Kashmir, who is accused of committing terrorist acts in India. The second was in July and because of China's lack of support for India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Now Chinese goods are on the stage again due to the Kashmir issue," wrote Zhen Bo from theInstitute of South Asian Studies in Sichuan University.

The newspaper said there had been 322 anti-dumping cases in India in March of which 177 cases involved Chinese products. "Besides, a social media campaign urging people to refrain from buying China-made products have recently been building in India. Such moves will not help contribute to reducing India's trade deficit, but could damage bilateral ties instead."

Read | Don't use terror issue for political gains: China after India's Jaish ban push

Source: Boycotting our goods will damage ties, China's state media warns India

Nomu S30 Smartphone with IP68 Certification and 5000mAh Battery Announced

#NomuS30 #Smartphone – Nomu S30 Smartphone with IP68 Certification and 5000mAh Battery Announced : Apple went to great lengths [removing 3.5mm jack] to add water resistance to its iPhone 7, 7Plus smartphones. Now, many smartphone manufacturers have followed the suite.

Multiple brands are coming up with water-resistant handsets. Recently, new Nomu S30 smartphone has been announced. The budget phone comes with IP68 certification. The new Nomu S30 can survive up to of 5 meters beneath the water for 2 hours.

The shock-proof handset can withstand dropping from the height of 1.2 meters. Additionally, it also comes with full dust protection. The new smartphone comes from Shenzhen Xin KingBrand Enterprises, a professional manufacturer of rugged mobile phones in China.

The Nomu is being made by this company to be the most professional rugged phone brand in China and all over the world. As far as specifications are concerned, the Nomu S30 features a 5.46′-inch IPS display with full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels) resolution.

It is powered by a 2.0GHz 64bit octa-core MTK6755 processor along with 4GB of RAM, and 64GB internal storage [expandable up to 32GB]. The handset runs Android 6.0 operating system.

The Nomu S30 sports a 13MP rear camera (Interpolation to 16MP) with auto-focus.AF and a 5MP fixed-focus front camera (Interpolation to 8.0MP). It measures 162 x 83 x 13.35mm. Connectivity options include 4G LTE support.

The NomuS30 is backed by a 5000mAh non-removable Polymer electric battery. It uses latest quick charge technology, PumpExpress 3.0 to offer 45 percent boost in charging speeds. Users will get 4 hours talk-time with just 5 mins of charge.

The Nomu S30 is aimed at the consumers needing the high level of protection. It is designed to survive in harsh environmental conditions. The combination of safety/protection features and high-end specs makes it a nice product on paper. There are still no details about the price and availability. Source: mobipicker

Source: Nomu S30 Smartphone with IP68 Certification and 5000mAh Battery Announced

Company changes tack over phones in China

Samsung is changing course to recall more than 190,000 Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in China.

The company has angered Chinese consumers after it excluded the country from the international recall, claiming models sold in China used batteries from a different supplier.

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said yesterday there had been 20 incidents of overheating and combustion of Galaxy Note 7 units on China's mainland.

"The product being recalled has problems with abnormal heating and burning, which can have serious consequences including fire," it said on its website, adding that Samsung's Chinese unit had begun a recall of all 190,984 phones sold on the mainland.

Customers can get a full refund or exchange their device for a new Samsung model and a bonus payment of 300 yuan ($45), it said.

Samsung is advising customers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or a replacement Galaxy Note 7 to power down and stop using the device.

Domestic online retailers including Tmall and JD.com have launched refund or exchange programs.

China Mobile said yesterday it had stopped sales of the Samsung model through its online and offline channels and was negotiating with Samsung regarding after-sale service issues.

　　

Source: Company changes tack over phones in China

Lenovo Z2 Plus review: Smartphone that packs quite a punch

Touted as one of its premium yet affordable flagship devices, the positioning of Chinese smartphone maker makes it lucrative for a simple reason: It packs so much that it will make some players run for cover.

Z2 Plus was launched in China earlier this year as ZUK Z2 but in India, the company is using its own name to target a huge customer base (the box, however, carries 'Powered by ZUK' branding).

The device, which represents Lenovo's ZUK family of smartphones, differs from the company's Vibe series as it does not carry Vibe UI and runs on ZUI on top of an Android Marshmallow operating system (OS).

The Lenovo Z2 Plus is priced at Rs. 19,999 for the 4GB/64GB and Rs. 17,999 for the 3GB/32GB variant.

Here's what works for the 4GB device that was tested.

Refreshing and compact

The Z2 Plus is built differently from other flagship smartphones we have seen so far. The device does not have a metal finish. Rather, it sports a fibre glass frame with a 2.5D curved glass that gives it a refreshing look. The frame also gives it a sturdy feel.

It is not as thin as most premium devices but uses a 5-inch display, making it the smallest handset among the flagship Android smartphones. The 1920x1080 resolution produced natural-looking colours on screen.

Being compact, the Z2 Plus can easily be used with one hand and people who want a small-sized powerful gadget will love this.

Fingerprint sensor

The physical home button also acts as fingerprint sensor that Lenovo calls "U-Touch" and enables users to programme seven different gestures and shortcuts into it.

Users can touch once to go back, press takes them to homescreen, a double press brings up the app history and swiping left or right allows for multi-tasking.

U-Touch also allows users to customise the home button. For example, users can long press or long touch to set it up for sleep, notification centre or to open an app (the customisations work only when the phone is unlocked).

The multi-functional fingerprint scanner has a learning curve to it and may take two-three days to adjust to.

Under the hood, Z2 Plus houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC (System on Chip) that powers some of the high-end flagships. So performance wise, there is hardly anything that the phone will not do.

U health app

The Z2 Plus also has a dedicated U health app that keeps track of your steps taken, distance covered and calories burnt.

We found the app to be accurate almost all the time. You do not need to invest in an additional smartband or another gadget to keep you updated on your fitness goals. The app consumed very little power, thus saves on battery too.

13MP rear camera

The camera app is slightly tweaked compared to what we have seen in other Android devices. Users are greeted with a circular layout which they can toggle both clockwise and anti-clockwise to select from HDR, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, Pano, Flash and Scale menu options or can select these by tapping directly.

The 13MP rear camera captured good, detailed pictures and so did the front 8MP snapper, be it in bright or low-light conditions.

The rear camera can also shoot 4K videos and front-facing camera can shoot full-HD videos. Slow-motion video can be shot at 120fps, 240fps and 960fps.

Long-lasting battery

The 3,500mAh battery easily ran for a full day over moderate to heavy usage while using a mix of apps including YouTube, social media and games, and can last a day-and-a-half with normal usage.

What does not work?

The glossy frame at the back that gives an illusion of glass attracts fingerprint smudges. Whether you buy a 32GB storage version or 64GB variant, the storage is not expandable.

Outside viewing is good but in some instances, we found that the adaptive brightness did not always work well and often needed to be set manually to 80 per cent for proper viewing.

Conclusion: With Z2 Plus, Lenovo has managed to give more at a lesser price and the device delivers all-round performance. If you want a device whose specs not only look good on paper but perform as well, Lenovo Z2 Plus under 20K offers the best value for money.

Source: Lenovo Z2 Plus review: Smartphone that packs quite a punch

Report: Samsung Temporarily Halts Production of Note 7 Smartphones

South Korean media say electronics conglomerate Samsung has suspended production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, following reports of fires in replacement devices.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted an unnamed source at a Samsung supplier Monday as saying the work stoppage on the Note 7 was done in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States and China.

"This measure includes a Samsung plant in Vietnam that is responsible for global shipments [of the Galaxy Note 7]," the source was quoted as saying.

Samsung did not immediately comment on the Yonhap report.

The Note 7 recall and Samsung's handling of incidents have left the company facing its biggest crisis in years. The South Korean tech giant has been dogged by problems with the Note 7 catching fire since its release in August. The electronics firm confirmed the battery cell in the model was faulty and recalled 2.5 million phones in September, but media reports said the replacements were also catching fire.

Multiple pictures of the charred phones have been posted on social media, with their owners claiming the devices had randomly caught fire.

Last week, a Southwest Airlines flight was evacuated when a replacement Note 7 began smoking.

Source: Report: Samsung Temporarily Halts Production of Note 7 Smartphones

China plans internet ban to combat gaming addiction among kids

Beijing:  Children in China could be banned from playing online games after midnight under a new rule designed to combat internet addiction amid rising concerns over mushrooming military style "boot camps" treatment centres.

The rules, released by the Cyberspace Administration of China last week, also call on schools to work with "institutions" to help rehabilitate young internet addicts, raising concerns about the risks to children at "boot camp" treatment centres.

If the regulations go into effect, web game developers would have to block minors from playing online games from midnight to 8 am, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.

Anybody under the age of 18 would also have to register for the games with their identity cards and the information would be stored on the game operator's servers.

The games should be designed to deter young people from becoming addicted and software developed to detect under-age users.The draft rules are open to public feedback until the end of the month, the report said.

The regulations are the latest official effort to stop young people from spending too much time on online games.

Last month a 16-year-old girl from northern China killed her mother because she was angered by the harsh treatment she received when she was sent to an internet addiction treatment centre.

The girl said she had been beaten and ill-treated at the "boot camp" in Shandong province where she spent four months earlier this year.

According to the China Internet Network Information Centre, 23 per cent of China's internet users were aged below 19, as of June 2016, with the total number of internet users stated to be 750 million.

Military-style "boot camps" promoting themselves as treatment centres for internet addiction have flourished in China.

Some reportedly use extreme methods such as electric shocks and other physical punishment to wean clients off online games.

Lawyer Wang Qiushi said he feared the regulations would lead to more of the boot camps.

"This is a disaster for Chinese teenagers," Wang said.

"More such boot camps might emerge after the passage of this regulation. It will encourage more people to get into the 'business'," Yue Xiaodong, a City University of Hong Kong psychologist who has studied internet addiction in China, said the problem used to be a serious social issue but was waning.

Now the smartphone is replacing computers as the new cause of addiction.If the 'no gaming after midnight' rule comes into effect, it might affect the industry, Su Jun, a Shanghai-based senior web game developer, said the proposed regulations could make a slight dent in gaming companies' revenue.

Source: China plans internet ban to combat gaming addiction among kids