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China tops global telco service study

Asian telcos came out top in a new global study of the prepaid mobile market by KPMG designed to find the best customer experience in-store and over-the-phone, with the UK, US and Australia all placing disappointingly outside the top ten. The In Search of a Better Customer Experience study (PDF) rated 106 mobile providers across …
Phil Muncaster, 24 Jul 2013
iPad apps on Apple's iTunes Store

Phantom apps appear in Chinese fanbois' iTunes accounts

Chinese fanbois are reporting that mobile apps they didn’t buy have started appearing in their iTunes accounts, leading to speculation an app promotion company may be illegally accessing accounts. The scale of the problem is unclear at this stage but it’s been enough to persuade staff at popular local app forum iApps to …
Phil Muncaster, 23 Jul 2013
A fake tattoo on the leg of Canberra Raiders footballer Sandor Earl, sent by Huawei as an April Fool

Former CIA and NSA head says Huawei spies for China

Michael Hayden, a former head of the CIA and the NSA, has openly accused Chinese networking giant Huawei of spying for China in a move likely to further inflame tensions between the US and China over state-sponsored hacking. Retired four star general Hayden told the Australian Financial Review that "at a minimum, Huawei would …
Phil Muncaster, 19 Jul 2013
LIghtning

Beijing fanboi in coma after iPhone 4 shock treatment

A 30-year old man has been in a coma in a Beijing hospital for over ten days after being electrocuted whilst charging his iPhone 4, the second such incident reported in China this week. Wu Jiantong is now breathing unassisted and undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment in an effort to help his brain recover, according to Beijing …
Phil Muncaster, 19 Jul 2013
SOURCE: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/959469

US propels global technology market to $2 TREEELION in 2013

The US will be the primary driver of global growth in the technology market in 2013 and 2014, with Asia Pacific spend contracting thanks to a slowdown in India and China and a strong US dollar, according to analyst house Forrester. The firm’s latest report A Mixed Outlook for the Global Tech Market In 2013 and 2014, claims that …
Phil Muncaster, 18 Jul 2013

China stalls WTO trade talks on tariff-free IT goods

Chinese negotiators have come in for heavy criticism after global trade talks aimed at removing tariffs on a range of technology products broke down because Beijing wanted to exempt nearly half of them from the discussion. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was originally signed in 1996 but …
Phil Muncaster, 18 Jul 2013

NEC to ditch smartmobe biz after failed Lenovo talks - report

Japanese IT and electronics giant NEC is ready to throw in the towel on its ailing smartphone business after a deal with Chinese PC giant Lenovo failed, according to reports from Japan. Rumours emerged earlier this month that NEC had been chatting to the Chinese firm since 2013 about selling its smartphone biz or partnering up …
Phil Muncaster, 17 Jul 2013

Sony coughs up £250K ICO fine after security fears

Sony has begrudgingly abandoned its fight to contest a £250,000 fine handed down by the Information Commissioner’s Office after its massive 2011 PlayStation Network data breach. The Japanese electronics giant was slapped with the fine back in January for breaching the Data Protection Act after the personal info of millions of …
Phil Muncaster, 17 Jul 2013
SOURCE: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/959469

Chinese search giant Baidu blows $1.9 BEELION on app store

Chinese search giant Baidu has splashed a cool $1.9 billion (£1.26bn) on popular mobile app store firm 91 Wireless Websoft, in another sign of the growing value of the mobile internet. In a brief statement, Baidu said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to acquire 100 per cent of 91 Wireless, a subsidiary of Hong Kong- …
Phil Muncaster, 17 Jul 2013

Beijing offers cons reduced sentences for friendly Tweets

The Chinese government is offering to reduce prison sentences for inmates who post pro-Beijing comments on social networks, according to a new study on the Middle Kingdom’s murky censorship regime. Xiao Qiang, professor at Berkeley’s School of Information and founder of China Digital Times, has acquired and sifted through over 2 …
Phil Muncaster, 16 Jul 2013
Great Wall of China

Google's China boss Liu steps down after torrid time

Google's head of Greater China, John Liu, will step down after four torrid years in the role that saw the firm’s search business rendered all but irrelevant in the Middle Kingdom. Liu arrived at Google around six years ago as head of sales before stepping into the shoes of founding president Kai-Fu Lee in 2009. A Google …
Phil Muncaster, 16 Jul 2013

Forecast cloudy as Office 365 pushes into 38 new markets

Microsoft has reached a milestone in its ongoing efforts to make personal productivity a cloudy caper, by switching on Office 365 available to users in 38 new markets and three new languages including Vietnamese and Malay. Asian and African countries featured heavily on the list of newly Office-in-the-cloud-equipped markets with …
Phil Muncaster, 15 Jul 2013
Apple iPhone 5

Chinese police probe iPhone user's death by electrocution

A Chinese family wants answers from Apple after a 23-year-old woman died after being electrocuted when answering a call on her iPhone. Ma Ailun, a former flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, tried to take the call on her smartphone while it was charging, according to a micro-blogging post from her sister on Saturday …
Phil Muncaster, 15 Jul 2013

China slips behind US in technology innovation stakes

China may be driving much of the global economy, but a survey of global technology executives believes the good old US of A will be the source of the next big disruptive technology breakthrough. KPMG is the source of this assertion, which it makes after interviewing over 800 leaders of entities that range from start-ups to large …
Phil Muncaster, 12 Jul 2013

Google Groups blunder exposes THOUSANDS of Japanese govt emails

The Japanese government has admitted sharing thousands of email conversations with world+dog after a mix-up over Google Groups' privacy settings. Officials from several ministries shared messages on the free web-based service without realising that the default setting is for public access to all discussions, the Daily Yomiuri …
Phil Muncaster, 12 Jul 2013

Up yours, Google! Iran to launch OWN state email service

The Iranian government is set to roll out a national email service to all of its citizens in another ominous step towards the dismantling of their online freedoms. There’s not much detail on the new home-grown service, which was apparently reported in local media and on state-run TV, except that it will use the “mail.post.ir …
Phil Muncaster, 11 Jul 2013

Not even Asia can save PC market's slump

PC shipments officially entered their longest slump in history last quarter after a 10.9 per cent year-on-year decline, with even the once-proud APAC region registering another double-digit drop, according to analyst Gartner. The market watcher’s preliminary forecast for Q2 2013 makes for pretty grim reading if you’re a PC …
Phil Muncaster, 11 Jul 2013

BlackBerry gives Indian spooks BBM and BIS access

BlackBerry has finally given in to demands from the Indian government to access its consumer messaging services, although enterprise communications will remain safe from prying eyes. An internal Department of Telecommunications document seen by Economic Times apparently declared that the “lawful interception system for …
Phil Muncaster, 11 Jul 2013
Intel_Penang_Malaysia_Wall_of_fame

Intel’s Asia pivot: How Chipzilla beat Obama by decades

Years before president Obama announced his infamous military “Pivot to Asia” policy, chip giant Intel had already embarked upon its own initiative to build out manufacturing and design capability in the region. Last week for the first time it opened the doors of its Penang facility – Chipzilla’s largest outside of the US – so El …
Phil Muncaster, 11 Jul 2013
Sina Weibo logo

Sina's self-censorship scheme swamped with spam, not rumours

It's become fashionable for the likes of Facebook and Twitter to reveal how often spooks ask them to retrieve data. Chinese micro-blogging giant Sina Weibo has now more or less done likewise and revealed its army of 5,500 community reviewers have been more busy dealing with spam complaints over the past year than politically …
Phil Muncaster, 10 Jul 2013

Seoul to train 5,000 infosec pros

The South Korean government is planning to train up 5,000 information security experts to address the growing threat from Pyongyang and a shortage of home-grown talent. The science and technology ministry said that the shortfall of information security professionals in the country currently numbers 1,749, rising to an expected 2 …
Phil Muncaster, 09 Jul 2013

India's centralised snooping system facing big delays

After recent revelations about governments snooping on their own citizens, it's nice to know that not every such effort is going smoothly, as India’s much criticised NSA-style Centralised Monitoring System (CMS) is facing big delays after it emerged that the project is still missing the vital software which will allow analysts …
Phil Muncaster, 09 Jul 2013

Olympus trio escape jail but firm fined £4.6 MEEELION

Three former Olympus execs have been found guilty of massive accounting fraud and the camera-maker fined ¥700m (£4.6m), although the disgraced trio escaped prison sentences. Tokyo District Court on Wednesday sentenced former chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, auditor Hideo Yamada, and ex-VP Hisashi Mori to suspended prison terms after …
Phil Muncaster, 04 Jul 2013
gavel_judgment_channel

Apple back in court as Shanghai firm takes offence at Siri

Apple has been back in a Shanghai court this week defending claims by a local company that Siri voice assistant technology infringes one of its patents. Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology is suing the fruit-themed tech giant’s Apple Inc and Apple Trading (Shanghai) businesses for alleged IPR infringement. In Shanghai No. 1 …
Phil Muncaster, 04 Jul 2013

Lights, camera, action: Snowden movie hits the web

Video Well, that didn’t take long: a group of amateur film-makers in Hong Kong have already managed to release an Edward Snowden movie. The five minute mini-epic charts the early part of the PRISM whistle-blowers’ story, in other words the bit set in Hong Kong: Watch Video var MediaPlayerVars = { '_': { 'https://www. …
Phil Muncaster, 02 Jul 2013

China's e-petitioners crash government site on first day

China’s attempts to drag its centuries old petitioning system into the 21st century left Beijing rather red-faced on Monday after a web site designed for the purpose unceremoniously crashed on its first day. The government agency which deals with petitions – the State Bureau for Letters and Calls – was subject to widespread …
Phil Muncaster, 02 Jul 2013

India's low cost tablet dream lives on with Aakash IV

The Indian government is pushing ahead with plans for a new and improved low-cost Aakash tablet for students which it hopes will reinvigorate a project hit by countless delays. The technical specs of the proposed Android-based Aakash IV have been posted to the web sites of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and …
Phil Muncaster, 02 Jul 2013
Cellular antenna. Source: Vxla/Flickr

Myanmar picks for telecoms jackpot stoke controversy

The Myanmar government has awarded Norway’s Telenor and Qatar’s Ooredoo each a lucrative contract to run a telecoms license in the country, in a move which is already proving controversial. The government announced the decision via presidential spokesperson Ye Htut’s Facebook page last Thursday, adding that a consortium of …
Phil Muncaster, 01 Jul 2013

Korean doctors: Smartphones really ARE doing your head in

Forget Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training, prolonged exposure to digital devices is actually putting children at risk of early onset dementia, at least according to South Korean doctors. Cases of memory and attention disorders are apparently increasing in gadget-crazy South Korea, one of the most technologically advanced nations on …
Phil Muncaster, 27 Jun 2013

Indian govt blocks 40 smut sites, forgets to give reason

The Indian government has ordered ISPs to block 39 smut flick web sites hosted outside the country without giving any explanation, stoking further fears of online censorship by the back door. Most of the sites are web forums and so allow for the uploading of naughty images and URLs where smut-seekers can download their grumble …
Phil Muncaster, 27 Jun 2013

China's piracy watchdog to keep tabs on Amazon, Apple & co

China’s copyright watchdog is set to expand its oversight of e-commerce platforms including those run by Apple, Amazon and local giant Taobao as part of a renewed effort to police online piracy. The National Copyright Administration already monitors 19 major sites in China but said it will be expanding that number this year to …
Phil Muncaster, 27 Jun 2013

Ex-inmate at Chinese prison: We made airline headsets

Major airlines including British Airways and electronics manufacturers have been accused of sourcing products from a Chinese prison where inmates are tasered if they don’t hit production targets. BA and some of the other companies denied this while others said they hadn't knowingly bought them and are investigating their supply …
Phil Muncaster, 26 Jun 2013
Cellular antenna. Source: Vxla/Flickr

SK Telecom launches first LTE-Advanced network with new Galaxy S4

South Korean mobile operator SK Telecom is claiming to be the first in the world to launch a smartphone-supported LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, promising speeds of up to 150Mbps – almost double that of 4G. The carrier said the network, which comes two years after it launched its LTE service, will provide speeds 10 times that of …
Phil Muncaster, 26 Jun 2013

Moses tablets ease Noah's flood headaches

Philippines authorities are hoping technology will help save lives this rainy season, after announcing a plan to equip local disaster officials with tablets to access and upload key info to prevent flood-related deaths. The Monitoring and Operating System for Emergency Services (Moses) tablets will be handed out to local …
Phil Muncaster, 25 Jun 2013

India's eager IT grads fall for fake interview scams

Technology companies in India are warning prospective employees of a fresh round of scam mail designed to trick job-seekers into paying a security deposit in return for an interview. The fraudulent letters and emails usually hit a peak between June and August as this is the beginning of the academic year in India and the time …
Phil Muncaster, 25 Jun 2013

Trend Micro turns RAT catcher as Taiwan cops cuff hacker

Security vendor Trend Micro has embiggened its industry collaboration credentials this week after helping Taiwanese police arrest one man in connection with a widespread targeted attack, and teaming up with Interpol on a new cyber crime prevention centre. The targeted attack in question used the notorious Ghost remote access …
Phil Muncaster, 25 Jun 2013

Blind activist Chen given spyware-laden iPad and iPhone

An NYU professor is claiming that blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangchen, who staged a dramatic escape from house arrest and fled to the US, was given an iPad and iPhone loaded with spyware on his arrival at New York University last year. The self-trained lawyer was imprisoned and then held under house arrest for years after …
Phil Muncaster, 24 Jun 2013

NSA hacked China's top carriers in hunt for SMS data - report

PRISM snitch Edward Snowden responded to the US government formally charging him with spying on Friday with fresh revelations that the NSA hacked China’s three state-run telcos in a bid to nab SMS data. In another carefully-timed disclosure, this time to Hong Kong’s Sunday Morning Post, Snowden handed over confidential documents …
Phil Muncaster, 24 Jun 2013
Two Musudan missiles in Pyongyang in October 2010

NORKS harbouring 3,000-strong cyber army, claims Seoul

South Korean defence minister Kim Kwan-jin reckons Pyongyang has 3,000 highly trained hackers tasked with stealing military secrets and disrupting systems. In a warning clearly designed to set the alarm bells ringing in Seoul, Kim said that Seoul’s near neighbour to the north poses a clear threat to national security thanks to …
Phil Muncaster, 21 Jun 2013
US flag

India's outsourcers fume over new US immigration bill

Indian outsourcing body NASSCOM has labelled a new immigration bill being considered by the US as “discriminatory”. The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act could bring in sweeping reforms including limiting the number of H-1B visas – the class of visa granted to temporary foreign workers – …
Phil Muncaster, 21 Jun 2013
grab_that_cash

Embezzler stings IBM, Microsoft in Japan

A former IBM Japan employee who stole nearly £1 million from Big Blue has been arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of embezzling £100,000 from his new employer, Microsoft Japan. Yoshiyuki Ikutani, 48, who hails from the capital, worked for a year at IBM Business Consulting Services, but pocketed most of the fee he charged clients …
Phil Muncaster, 20 Jun 2013

EU Justice Department stalls India's security clearance

India’s outsourcing giants are likely to face more delays in their frustrated bid to tap a potential IT services market worth $30 billion, after a report emerged suggesting the EU still has big data security concerns with the country. The EU and India have been trying to finalise their Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement …
Phil Muncaster, 19 Jun 2013

Chinese hackers launch PRISM scare campaign

The Chinese group behind the recently discovered NetTraveler attacks is now using widespread interest in the infamous National Security Agency (NSA) PRISM surveillance program to encourage users to open malicious email attachments, it has emerged. Brandon Dixon of the 9bplus blog said he came across an email uploaded to …
Phil Muncaster, 19 Jun 2013
Geak Ring China

'Smart ring' revealed by upstart Chinese mobe-maker

Glasses and smartwatches dominate talk about wearable technology, but there's a new piece of binary bling to consider: a smart ring from new Chinese mobe-maker Geak. The little-known company yesterday introduced the Android-powered Mars and Eye smartphones alongside the Geak Watch and Geak Ring. The wearable devices serve as …
Phil Muncaster, 18 Jun 2013
Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4

Samsung is looking to shake off some poor recent sales forecasts for its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone with the launch of an LTE Advanced version in South Korea this month, promising data transfer speeds up to double those of the current 4G handset. Head of the firm’s mobile biz, JK Shin, told Reuters on Monday that his team is …
Phil Muncaster, 18 Jun 2013

Anon posts Filipino president's phone numbers

An Anonymous hacktivist has published what he claims to be three telephone numbers belonging to the Philippine president Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, including his private mobile number, in a bid to urge voters to confront their leader directly. Going by the pseudonym “#pR.is0n3r”, the hacker posted the numbers to his 10 …
Phil Muncaster, 17 Jun 2013
Qinling panda

Panda-peddlers cuffed for chess gambling gambit

Two Chinese virus writers jailed in 2007 for spreading the info-stealing Panda (Fujacks) malware have been nabbed again after setting up an illegal online gambling site on their release from prison. After getting out of the slammer, Zhang Shun and Li Jun decided to go straight and launch an online gaming company, however things …
Phil Muncaster, 17 Jun 2013

Rally supports Snowden amid claims GCHQ tapped G20 summit

Over 900 Hong Kong-ers braved torrential rain on Saturday to march on the US Consulate and HK government in support of infamous PRISM whistle-blower Edward Snowden, as the man himself released yet more classified info on US intelligence operations. The supportsnowden.org movement is positioning Snowden’s case and how the …
Phil Muncaster, 17 Jun 2013

Japan proposes NSA-style agency and new snooping laws

In a masterpiece of timing, the Japanese government is considering a new NSA-style agency to monitor internet communications in the country. Top government security advisory panel the National Information Security Centre (NISC), which is chaired by prime minister Shinzo Abe, is currently seeking public consultation on its Cyber …
Phil Muncaster, 14 Jun 2013

You dirty RAT: Trend Micro spots new Asia-wide attack

Security researchers are warning of yet another advanced, large-scale attack campaign using sophisticated techniques to hide itself from its targets – organisations across Asia. Trend Micro has dubbed the campaign Naikon, based on the HTTP user-agent string “NOKIAN95/WEB” found in various targeted attacks across the region in …
Phil Muncaster, 14 Jun 2013