China Watch Blog

China Watch Blog has learnt that the number of Chinese mobile phone users has exceeded 1 billion as of the end of February.

According to a statement posted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on its website, the total number of mobile phone users increased by 20.67 million during the first two months this year to hit a record high of 1.01 billion.

The number of 3G mobile phone users rose by 15.5 million in the first two months to reach 143.92 million, the statement said.

During the same period, the number of landphone users dropped by 828,000 to 284.29 million users.

The number of Internet users with broadband access totaled 154.96 million as of the end of February, with a net increase of 4.96 million during the first two months, according to the statement as reported by China Daily.

China Watch Blog reports that a man from New South Wales in Australia has been attacked and his home ransacked after he let two women into the house to use his toilet,

ABC News reported that the 56-year-old answered a knock on the door at Whitton near Griffith, and allowed the two women into his home to use the bathroom and phone.

The victim was then grabbed by a third person, believed to be a man, who pulled the man’s jumper over his head an punched him several times.

The trio robbed the victim’s house before leaving. The man’s phone was damaged in the attack and he could not call for help.

So, the lesson is even if you want to be kind, be very careful.

China Watch Blog reports that as technology is changing expectations in the airline industry, passengers want to be in control, and they expect airlines to become solution providers and aggregators of value, to provide them with personalized services.

Airline employees expect to be given the tools to do their jobs and to meet passenger expectations. Airline executives expect to make returns that are reasonable and relatively stable through business cycles.

All of these expectations can be met by airlines through the effective and efficient leveraging of information and technology, to shift from begin operations- and product-centric to becoming customer-centric and dramatically improving the overall passenger travel experience throughout the travel cycle.

In his new book by world-renowned airline expert Nawal K. Taneja, the 7th in a series with Ashgate, the author explores and explains the game-changing opportunities presented to the industry by new generation information and technology.

He shows how information and technology can now drive, not just enable, an airline’s strategy to become truly customer-centric at a personalized level, while at the same time enabling the operator to reduce costs, enhance revenues, reduce risks and become much more flexible and agile by better managing complexity.

China Watch Blog has learnt that Shanghai police, following the detention of 22 for theft of iPhones and iPads, issued an alert mobile phone users should take note of the following:

Tips to deter thieves

1. Do not listen to music using earphones in crowded places.

2. Do not keep your cell phone in the outside pocket of your coat or jacket.

3. Keep valuables close to you, such as in inside pockets.

4. Do not put valuables in bags. Carry a bag in front of you, where possible.

China Watch Blog has learnt that more than 50 percent of iPhone and iPad users in China have jail-broken their Apple devices to avoid paying for applications despite Apple making it easier in November for owners to pay using the yuan.

According to a People’s Daily report citing research firms, by the end of the second quarter, more than 51 percent of Chinese iPhone and iPad users were found to have jail-broken their devices.

Jail-breaking means to hack Apple’s systems so they avoid paying for applications through the official App Store.

In the first quarter the jail-breaking rate in China was 34.6 percent, according to UMeng, a mobile system research firm.

With detailed guides which can be easily found in online forums, many Chinese users jail-break the Apple devices and download the paid applications for free.

China Watch Blog has learnt that China will take greater strides in promoting the development of its mobile Internet sector.

Wang Xiujun, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said that the government will step up policy support for mobile Internet because it “promotes industrial integration and leads to revolutionary changes in development and technology.”

Wang said the country will speed up comprehensive upgrades for its information networks and boost the development of third-generation technology (3G), especially homegrown TD variants of 3G and LTE (long-term evolution) technology.

Along with the development of information networks, the innovation and development of integrated technologies and businesses should also be highlighted, Wang said during the ongoing fifth International Mobile Internet Conference, which opened Monday in Beijing.

Wang said that the Chinese government will attach more importance to the protection of users’ personal information and their rightful interests and maintain a healthy environment for the development of the mobile Internet sector.

The two-day meeting is sponsored by China Mobile, the world’s largest telecommunications firm by number of users.

China Watch Blog has learnt that China had 952.31 million mobile phone users by the end of September.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) posted on its website, the MIIT said 12.22 million new mobile phone users signed up in September alone.

China’s 3G mobile phone users reached 102.46 million by the end of September, the statement said.

The country’s telephone users totaled 1.24 billion by September, with fixed-line telephone users dropping 363,000 in September to 288.43 million, according to the statement.

China’s Internet users with broadband access totaled 149.93 million by the end of September, up 23.64 million year-on-year, whereas the number of dial-up connection users dropped by 198,000 to 5.7 million.

China Watch Blog did a quick survey of phone dealers in Mongkok, one of the busiest districts in Hong Kong, and found that the popular iPhone 4S is easily available there, for a price, of course.

Steve Job did a good job of popularising this phone and so the iPhone 4S of 16 GB is being sold for HK$8,600, 32 GB for HK$9,600 and 64 GB for HK$10,600.

A shop in Mongkok

China Watch Blog has learnt that Samsung Electronics Co. is set to announce late on Wednesday details of its planned legal action against the newest iPhone scheduled to hit shelves in seven countries next week, Yonhap News reported, citing a company official.

The official was quoted as saying that Samsung will release the details of sales injunction requests against the iPhone 4S within the day. The representative declined to discuss where Samsung will seek to ban sales of Apple Inc.’s new product.

On Tuesday, Apple introduced its iPhone 4S, the upgraded version of the iPhone, at its Cupertino, CA, headquarters. The new iPhone will be released on Oct. 14 in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Samsung and Apple are entangled in around 20 lawsuits over mobile patents and designs in the United States, Europe and Asia. Apple accused Samsung of copying its designs while Samsung claimed the iPhone maker infringed on mobile patents.

Apple secured a sales injunction on Samsung’s tablet computers in Germany last month. Samsung is seeking to lift sales and marketing bans placed in Australia on its Galaxy Tab tablet computer.

China Watch Blog has learnt that Apple has announced the new iPhone 4S available for purchase on October 14.

It looks identical to the iPhone 4, but comes packed with better graphics, a faster processor and a higher-quality camera.

Other notable features include wireless syncing with iCloud and a virtual assistant called Siri, which allows for a ton of awesome voice commands.

Are heading for the Apple store for your latest iPhone 4S?