Yes, I realize that the iPhone was initially released in the United States over two years ago and we are already well engulfed in the generation of the iPhone 3GS, but this has been a very long time coming for China. Yes, I also realize that they could have retrieved a unit through the grey market, but this will be the first time that China Unicom has the ability to sell the phone officially.

That’s the good news, so go ahead and mark October 1st on your calendar if you happen to want an iPhone in China. The bad news, however, is that the iPhone is going to chime in at quite the premium compared to most other markets around the world.

It’s a little ironic, really, seeing how many of the components and manufacturing are done in and around China. In any case, China Unicom is set to offer the Apple iPhone for 5,000 yuan. That works out to over $700! You’ll also get to choose from eight different monthly plans, ranging from 126 yuan to 886 yuan ($18 to $130).

Source: GadgetReview

The appropriately named xpPhone comes from In Technology Group (ITG) of China and it really does run a complete version of Windows XP. This phone was on display at Computex a few months ago, but it seems that ITG is now ready to take preorders on the potentially groundbreaking device.

As you may or may not recall, the ITG xpPhone comes with a 4.8-inch touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard (strangely complete with a numeric keypad), integrated GPS, an AMD Super Mobile processor, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 3G connectivity, 1.3MP camera, and VGA output. Looking at the pre-order page, you can take your choice of 3G, including a version that is happy with AT&T’s HSDPA/HSUPA.

Given the massive display and the bulky slide-out keyboard, the ITG xpPhone is anything but small. You can probably expect it to be about the same size as something like the Nokia Internet tablets, so I’m not sure how much “phone” use you’ll be getting out of it.

ITG hasn’t come forward with an official release date or pricing yet, but you can place a pre-order and hope for the best. I guess they’re taking a “wait and see” approach.

Source: Gizmodo

As you may have heard, China Unicom has already inked a deal with Apple to be an iPhone partner in China. Note that I said that they are an iPhone partner and not the iPhone partner. That’s because the guys in Cupertino want to tap into China Mobile as well, seeing how that carrier has a customer base of 500 million subscribers.

Well, there’s a problem with that. China Mobile already has the OPhone smartphone platform and it has its own mobile applications store. These are in direct competition with the iPhone and the App Store, so negotiations haven’t been going all that well.

To circumvent this conundrum, Apple is reportedly in talks with Di Xing Tong. This is a third-party cell phone retailer and the idea is that Di Xing Tong could sell unlocked Apple iPhones that can then be used by China Mobile subscribers. This helps with Apple’s penetration and brand presence in one of the world’s largest markets.

Source: Intomobile

Yinlips is a manufacturer based out of Shenzhen in China and the company is working on a new media player that is, appropriately enough, called the Projector MP5. On the surface, you may think that this just another handheld that’ll do music, pictures, and videos. But that’s just one side of the equation.

Along one edge of the device is an integrated projector that can output its video content into an image as large as 80-inches. That’s much bigger than the TVs that most people have in their living rooms. I’m thinking the resolution may be a little lacking, but that’s still impressive nonetheless.

Other notable features on this PMP include the built-in 3.5″ display, 10Mbps streaming video, support for 64-bit games (N64 emulator?), infrared remote, and a 2cm profile.

For now, the Yinlips Projector MP5 PMP is just a concept, but they’re hoping to have a retail version ready for launch shortly. Since they’re a no-name China brand, I’m thinking the price won’t be outrageous either.

Source: ClonedInChina

Before you get your hopes up, I should probably say one thing. The rumor, as it stands, is that this new Dell phone will not be launching in North America, at least initially. Instead, the testing ground for Dell’s foray into Android land will be China. Or so the rumor goes.

They’re saying that Dell is working to the Chinese cell phone market through either China Mobile or China Unicom. Both of these are rather large carriers in China, so it will be good in terms of exposure and availability for Dell. And to make use of something like Google Android just makes the report even more exciting.

That said, competing reports are saying that Dell is working on an all-new proprietary operating system for the smartphone using Red Office, a software maker based out of China. This would akin to what Palm did with webOS for the Pre. Either way, it seems like Dell would be leaning toward the iPhone-esque end of the market, lacking a keyboard and opting for a big touchscreen.

Is this leaked image legit?

Source: TechCrunch

Part of this has to do with its supposed “efforts to fight terrorism,” but I think this has more to do with the “lobbying by Nokia” and other handset makers who are tired of seeing the fake Chinese knockoffs bite into the sales of legitimate phones. We don’t want to see another Mokia, BlueBerry, or uPhone, right?

This is not only to protect the sales of the “real” phones, but the Indian Cellular Association (ICA) is saying that some of the phones coming from China come with faulty batteries and these can blow up on users. That’s a major safety hazard.

Further still, the phones may not come with a IMEI number, so they become much more difficult to track. That’s where the “fight terrorism” part of the equation comes into play. It is estimated that between one million and 1.5 million Chinese knockoff handsets are imported into India each month.

Talk about Clone Wars, eh?

Source: Intomobile