Tech that will change your life in 2016
Chinese Phones Hit the U.S.
Chinese smartphones are big globally, but little-known to U.S. shoppers obsessed with Apple and Samsung. In 2016, expect Chinese brands that don’t just undercut on price, but bring features from China’s thriving mobile culture. Huawei, the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, made the $449 Nexus 6P and has declared its intention for a U.S. launch of its flagship Mate 8, which also has a metal body, fingerprint scanner and large battery. Letv, a brand created by known as the “ Steve Jobs of China,” is also poised for a big U.S. splash. Then the ball’s in the court of the enormously valued startup Xiaomi, which has downplayed U.S. launch plans.
How to get ready: If you’re on the fence about buying a new Android phone right now, hold off. At the very least, don’t sign a service contract that ties you to a handset.
Chinese smartphones are big globally, but little-known to U.S. shoppers obsessed with Apple and Samsung. In 2016, expect Chinese brands that don’t just undercut on price, but bring features from China’s thriving mobile culture. Huawei, the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, made the $449 Nexus 6P and has declared its intention for a U.S. launch of its flagship Mate 8, which also has a metal body, fingerprint scanner and large battery. Letv, a brand created by known as the “ Steve Jobs of China,” is also poised for a big U.S. splash. Then the ball’s in the court of the enormously valued startup Xiaomi, which has downplayed U.S. launch plans.
How to get ready: If you’re on the fence about buying a new Android phone right now, hold off. At the very least, don’t sign a service contract that ties you to a handset.
from a different wsj article...
Phones are TVs -- (Why we're jealous of Chinese Smartphones)
In China, phones aren’t second-class citizens when it comes to watching shows and movies.
The best stuff is mostly available to stream online. China’s historic challenges with protecting intellectual property have helped the market invent new business models for media. Services like Youku Tudou, iQiyi and Tencent Video convinced many piracy-stricken content owners to join, rather than fight, the demand for online video by making it legitimate and getting paid for it through video advertisements. If you pay, you watch without ads.
Chinese can legally watch recent episodes of “Game of Thrones” free on a video site owned by Tencent, though censors make it considerably less exciting than what Americans see on HBO.
Now China’s online video services are even producing 360-degree virtual reality shows designed for the mobile world. We’re not holding our breath for U.S. TV producers to invest in a VR version of “The Big Bang Theory” anytime soon.
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