Samsung's main camera plant in China is being converted to produce high-end mirrorless cameras instead of cheaper compacts. That's a steel-and-concrete sign that the manufacturer is trying to boost digital imaging profits by focusing on cameras with higher margins, and it implies a level adaptability that other companies can only dream of. To drive the point home, Samsung's imaging chief Han Myoung-sup told the WSJ that "low-end compact camera offerings will gradually be reduced" to make way for the "mirrorless segment." A wise move? Well, Sammy's latest NX range of interchangeable-lens (ILC) mirrorless models start at around $700, which is at least twice the going rate for a decent point-and-shoot. While that higher price point may seem off-putting, demand for mirrorless cameras is actually expected to explode by 60 percent this year, according to IDC projections -- while sales of compacts are retreating in the face of ever more powerful smartphone snappers. Ultimately, Samsung's business plan could be good news for us end-users too, if a newly expanded NX range brings the entry point for ILCs down by $200 or so -- although that could just be wishful thinking on our part.

Samsung shuns point-and-shoot cameras, switches factory to pricier mirrorless types originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here's another interesting tidbit from today's HP event in Shanghai: according to Kevin Frost, Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Notebooks Business Unit, 15-inch is currently the most popular laptop screen size in the US, while the folks in China prefer 14-inch offerings. Oddly enough, Kevin wasn't keen on explaining this phenomenon, but he added that 17-inch laptops also do well in Europe and the US, but not in China.

HP's most popular laptop screen sizes: 15-inch in the US, 14-inch in China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jostling for attention among a crowd of China-focused smartphone card readers, 99Bill's card reader has now been officially revealed. It plugs into your headphone jack and communicates with apps on both iOS and Android. The familiar-looking reader supports both passcode and signature security -- China matches several European countries where passcode cards are the more common option. The company has already hooked up with three insurance companies, but it's keeping quiet on the rates it'll charge per transaction and any further expansion plans. 99Bills lays down why it should be your go-to choice for smartphone payments in mainland China right after the break.

Continue reading 99Bill smartphone card reader pushes mobile payments for China, pretends it's never heard of Square

99Bill smartphone card reader pushes mobile payments for China, pretends it's never heard of Square originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Good evening or good morning, wherever you are. We've just sat down at HP's Global Influencer Summit 2012 in Shanghai and will be seeing what the company's got up its sleeves for the rest of the year, so sit back, relax, and enjoy our liveblog right after the break.

Continue reading Live from HP's Global Influencer Summit 2012 in Shanghai!

Live from HP's Global Influencer Summit 2012 in Shanghai! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 21:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wireless HiFi maker, Sonos, has just signed a deal with Tencent Holdings to provide the QQ Music service direct via its hardware in China. The holdings firm owns the QQ suite of internet services that boasts a massive user base in the country. QQ Music already exists in an ad-supported form, but the new partnership will break it out directly into audio equipment, and hopefully encourage users over to the premium paid-for version. The consumer preview is available on all Sonos systems if China now via the Sonos controller. A personalized version will follow, later this year.

Sonos to bring subscription-based QQ Music service to its hardware in China originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We first saw Lenovo's Android 4.0 tellymabob back at CES, now the firm is getting ready to unleash the full K-series of Smart TVs on China. Four models are on offer, the 55-inch K91 and K81 models, along with a 42-inch version of the latter and another at this size -- the K71. You may remember that Ice Cream Sandwich is running on a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon CPU and Lenovo claims the interface is a mix of touch, air mouse, gravity sensor, smart keyboard and conventional remote -- lots more to lose down the back of the couch, then. The firm's joint venture with SMG's BesTV -- iSmartv -- will provide on demand HD content, and its "Le Store" developer community will serve up the apps -- with over 1,000 claimed to be available already. Prices will range from 6,499 RMB to 14,999 RMB (about $1030 to $2370) and should be in stores across China this month.

Lenovo launches four Android-powered K-series Smart TVs in China this month originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The world's second (or third) biggest PC manufacturer has announced plans to invest $800 million in a new mobile product-centric facility. Lenovo wants to get closely involved with the lucrative world of smartphones and tablets, promising that several thousand employees at the new base in Wuhan will focus on new mobile devices for both China and overseas. Lenovo's pegged to launch the K800, one the first Intel-powered Android phones, at the end of the month, but this marks a concerted effort to advance both its tablet and phone collections -- and offer up more space for those other side projects.

Continue reading Lenovo to invest $800 million into new mobile device development facilities

Lenovo to invest $800 million into new mobile device development facilities originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a classic case of east meets west, Huawei and Intel have joined forces to create an interoperability test lab that will focus on China's homegrown time-division LTE (TD-LTE) network. While the technology runs contrary to the more common frequency-division LTE (FD-LTE), the Chinese brand of 4G is situated to take root in the US under Clearwire's banner. Through its partnership with Huawei, Chipzilla -- a newbie in the smartphone arena -- will be able to engage in end-to-end testing of its mobile equipment and verify its readiness for TD-LTE. For Huawei's part, it plans to use the test lab as a means to court other handset and chipset manufacturers, and hence drive the adoption of TD-LTE. Naturally, we're left wondering the obvious: whether this unique collaboration will bring about Huawei smartphones with Intel Inside. Mum's the word on that one... for now.

Huawei partners with Intel to test TD-LTE interoperability in China originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Product delays that push back release dates a full year are never good. What's worse? When that product finally does launch and even someone inside the company votes against it. That's exactly what's going down with the CT510 GameBox, the Eedoo Kinect competitor for the Chinese market. Though it's gone through a fair share of reincarnations before arriving at its current config (it was formerly known as the eBox), the final package has a dual-core CPU, a minimum of 250GB in HDD storage and a 3D GPU, and comes pre-installed with eight games and ten apps. All told, it will cost a cool 3,799 yuan ($600) when it ships on April 29th -- some very ambitious pricing, considering that the imported Xbox with Kinect (the console isn't officially available in China) already sells for about $459 in China, according to M.I.C. Gadget. A director from the Lenovo-backed company seems to agree: in a Sina Weibo poll asking users whether they'd buy the product (pictured after the break), he selected the answer, "No way! Price-to-performance ratio too low." Though to be fair, the gentleman later clarified that it was an honest mistake, and that his company is targeting the high-end family users instead of the core gamers. Well, we shall let the sales figures do the talking.

Continue reading Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600

Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

China-based Poop Oppo is back again with yet another smartphone, only this time there's no pretty girl teasing Mr. DiCaprio. Instead, what we have here is an exclusive leak that shows off a 6.65mm-thick device -- just 0.03mm thinner than the Ascend P1 S from local rival Huawei. In other words, if all goes well then Oppo will have us the world's slimmest smartphone. Details are scarce at the moment, but judging by the above picture this phone will come with a metallic bezel of some sort, along with three capacitive buttons and a three-pin contact for dock connection. Obviously, stay tuned for more deets.

Oppo teases 6.65mm-thick smartphone, about to steal 'world's thinnest' title from Huawei originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.