Stories by Michael Kan

EU investigation could affect business from China's 4G deployment

The European Union may be trying to protect its telecom equipment industry with its recent threat to investigate China over networking equipment imports. But the move could end up hurting the chances of Western vendors intent on supplying technology to China's upcoming 4G services launch, according to analysts.

Foxconn reports three possible suicides at factories in China

Three workers at Foxconn factories in China have fallen to their deaths in recent weeks and police are investigating, according to the company.

Progress at Foxconn factories, but working hours still exceed Chinese laws

Employees at the Chinese factories of Apple supplier Foxconn continue to work beyond the country's legal limit of 49 hours a month, according to a report from the Fair Labor Association (FLA). But the Taiwanese manufacturer is making overall steady progress in improving the working conditions at a select group of factories in China, it said.

EU to investigate telecommunications equipment imports from China

The European Union is preparing to investigate the imports of mobile networking gear from China for anti-competitive practices, a move that's likely targeted at telecommunications equipment companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE.

Foxconn's Hon Hai reports Q1 revenue drop, likely on weak iPhone 5 demand

Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry posted a 19.2 percent year-over-year decline in revenue for the first quarter, with sales likely affected by weak demand for Apple's iPhone 5, according to an analyst.

China still safe for IT outsourcing, despite US security concerns, says vendor

China's reputation for security may have been marred by recent U.S. accusations of state-sponsored hacking but the nation is still a safe place as a tech subcontractor for foreign businesses, according to one of China's largest IT outsourcing vendors.

Apple regains fifth spot in Chinese smartphone market, shipments soar

Apple retook its spot as China's fifth largest smartphone vendor in the first quarter, as the country's market grew to triple the size of the U.S.'s.

Mozilla's Firefox OS will also appear on high-end phones

The upcoming Firefox OS will appear on higher-end smartphones, and not just entry-level handsets, with Sony expected to release a premium device running the operating system, a Mozilla executive said.

China's Xiaomi takes crowdsourced phone development model abroad

Taiwan and Hong Kong may be only the beginning of Xiaomi's expansion outside China. The popular Chinese vendor of low-priced handsets is aiming at getting into five more markets next year.

China's Alibaba aims for big smartphone sales of its mobile OS

Alibaba Group hopes to make a dent in Google's dominance of China's smartphone market, and has high hopes that handsets running the company's mobile OS will reach sales of 30 million units.

Evernote originally wanted to make 'egg-like' hardware

Note-taking software provider Evernote originally wanted to delve into the hardware business as far back as 2007, with an egg-like device capable of recording conversations, the company's CEO said on Tuesday.

Acer's Q1 net profit up 55 per cent, but revenue down

Acer said its net profit for the first quarter grew 55 per cent year-over-year, but its revenue continued to decline amid struggling PC sales.

China's Baidu expands online video business with $370 million acquisition

China's largest search engine Baidu is getting closer to becoming the country's largest online video provider with a new US$370 million acquisition.

Asus to launch Chromebook in second half of 2013

Taiwanese PC maker Asus plans on getting behind Google's Chrome OS and will launch a notebook running the OS in the second half of this year, said company CEO Jerry Shen.

Amazon's new China app store could help pave way for Kindle products

Amazon.com has updated its mobile app store to include support for its Chinese customers, in a sign that the U.S. company could be preparing to sell its Kindle e-readers and tablets in the country.