Filed under: Cellphones

There’s a lot of hoopla today over a Wall Street Journal piece stating that Google’s first Android device has been pushed back to late 2008 for release — yet the article fails to mention that this is right inline with what Google has been saying for quite awhile now. Admittedly, the fresh-faced mobile competitor probably is finding itself somewhat mired in carrier demands, which doesn’t seem unexpected given the broad swath of partners it’s collaborating with and the open source nature of the project, but as phone release schedules go, it hasn’t veered off the path much. The breakdown is something like this: from what we’ve been told, you can expect an Android-powered handset before the new year (i.e., HTC’s Dream driven by Google’s OS), followed by a crop of higher profile phones showing up in early 2009 (as previously stated by companies like LG and Samsung). So… feel free to switch off the alarms anytime you like.

[Via GigaOM]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

We’ve been hearing that China Mobile would have its act together and get TD-SCDMA ready well in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics since last November, and with merely months to spare, it seems things just may work out. Reportedly, the carrier is all set to begin commercial trials of the home cooked 3G standard on April 1st, where it will be tested in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qinhuangdao and of course, Beijing. Initially, China Mobile Group will provide 20,000 lucky souls with free TD-SCDMA phones and subsidies of 800 yuan per month, while folks outside of that group can also walk into retail outlets and pick up discounted handsets on a whim. Maybe it’s just us, but we’d probably hold off until those guinea pigs gave everyone else a heads-up of the network quality before we went dropping our own change on it.

[Via mocoNews]

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Filed under: Cellphones

In a Macworld post-keynote interview with CNBC yesterday, Steve Jobs was pimping the iPhone’s numbers since launch (over four million sold — a number Wall Street didn’t like, but what can you do?) between rants about the MacBook Air’s qualities and, at some point, got on the topic of bringing the iPhone to China. The popular rumor over the last couple months has been that Apple had been working with China Mobile on making a launch happen but that talks eventually broke down. Here, Steve says that’s simply not the case; a single rep from China Mobile visited the Apple campus all of once, and that’s it. He’d love to bring the iPhone to the Far East (or so he says), but the fact remains that there aren’t any heated discussions going on with the major players. At least, that’s what Steve claims — and as we all know, CEO reality can be very, very different from real reality.

[Via textually.org]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

It wouldn’t be the first time a company has used the press to bolster their negotiating position. Nevertheless, after saying the “iPhone model was not suitable for China” back in November, a spokesperson for China Mobile now says they’ve “terminated” discussions with Apple to bring the iPhone to China. China’s largest carrier gave no reasons for the decision though the fee sharing agreement is likely a contributing factor. Well Steve, there’s always China Unicom.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Barely a fortnight after Apple began talking with China Mobile about getting the iPhone into the ginormous Chinese market, it seems that negotiations are off — or still on, or something. Yesterday, Nanfang Daily reported that China Mobile’s CEO felt that the “iPhone model was not suitable for China,” but unnamed reporters suggested that the real reason behind the call-off was the inability for both entities to agree on — surprise, surprise — a revenue sharing model. Today, however, a report over at Bloomberg notes that Apple has in fact not ended discussions with China Mobile, and moreover, it was said to have “denied newspaper reports” claiming otherwise. ‘Course, we’ve got two sides of the story here, and while Apple may feel that there’s still room to negotiate, China Mobile may see things quite differently. Time will tell, we guess.

[Via Macworld]
Read - Nanfang Daily report
Read - Bloomberg report

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

If Steve Jobs dreams of anything other than cubes or the The Beatles on iTunes, it’s this: China’s largest carriers in a tussle for rights to sell the iPhone. We’re talking about a population of some 1 billion-strong who favor BlackBerrys for their sound quality and good looks. In an apparent response to the reported talks between China Mobile and Apple, Li Zhehgmao, executive director and vice president of rival China Unicom is quoted by Dow Jones as saying, “It seems that iPhone is hot in some markets. We are willing to discuss with Apple.” Direct talks with Apple, however, have not begun. Mind you, those same remarks were captured somewhat differently by Reuters. They quote Li Zhehgmao as saying, “Right now, we don’t have any plans to introduce Apple’s iPhones in China. But of course, we’re always willing to discuss a good business opportunity if it presents itself. As for whether we’ll talk about iPhones with Apple, you’ll have to ask Apple.” Still, given that the talks have just begun, it’s doubtful that Apple will reach a deal similar to those struck in Europe and the US any time soon. Still, wouldn’t it be interesting if Apple released the iPhone in China before Meizu’s M8 MiniOne iPhone clone ever hit the streets?

Read — Dow Jones quote
Read — Reuters

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