It looks like it’s the end of the road for Android devices running Android 2.3.7 and older. Android 2.3.7, better known as Gingerbread, was one of the more significant updates to Android as the operating system began to become more mainstream. However, it looks like it will also serve a new significance as the cutoff point for Google Services.
The announcement comes to light after a post on the Android Support Forums by community manager, Zak Pollack. In the post, the move is explained to be part of the “ongoing efforts to keep [our] users safe”. Of course, from a security perspective, the move will make things easier as security updates to Android can now focus on updating newer devices. That said, the distribution of active devices that fall into this category is negligible which isn’t surprising considering Gingerbread came out in 2010. Google’s last update in April 2020 showed that Android 9.0 (Pie) is currently the most common version of the OS in the market.
While it may seem a little harsh, the ending of support is nothing new. We’ve seen companies drop support for devices and software before. So, if you’re still running Android 2.3.7 on your devices, it would be advisable to update to Android 3.0 Honeycomb – if available.
Come September 27, 2021, any device running Gingerbread will face errors logging into Google apps like Google, Gmail, YouTube and Maps. That said, the OS itself will still be usable. However, accessing YouTube, Gmail and other Google apps will require the use of the browser. Keep in mind, that Google Play Service will also be affected. So, accessing the Google Play Store may be an issue for these devices.
Google’s move to drop support isn’t a controversial one considering how far Android has come since then. This and the fact that an increasing number of manufacturers are committing to updates for their devices. Most recently, Samsung committed to three year support for updates for their current device line up. Other manufacturers have also followed suit.
HUAWEI’s flagship smartphone for the year 2021 has just launched last week Friday. Oddly enough, it was not a global affair. To our surprise too, the news did not create the hype a flagship usually does. There is a good reason for that though. The HUAWEI P50 series is currently only launched for the Chinese market.
The device still appears in HUAWEI’s global site though. While that could mean that HUAWEI might plan a global release of the device later in the year, maybe closer to its availability date, the device launches in a rather quiet fashion. Well, quieter than the usual fanfare of a high-profiled smartphone launch. Does this mean HUAWEI is now not a high-profile smartphone maker?
We think it is contrary to that. We think they are in the midst of a restructure, a sort of regrouping. Before that though, we do have to talk about the HUAWEI P50 series, it is what we are here for after all.
As usual, the flagship brand from HUAWEI is now a series instead of a single device. There are two devices in the HUAWEI P50 series, a regular vanilla P50, and an extreme version P50 Pro. Of course, the bigger one must be the HUAWEI P50 Pro.
HUAWEI P50 Pro
Source: HUAWEI
We start with the most powerful HUAWEI P series to date, the HUAWEI P50 Pro. It is the bigger one among the two devices introduced in the series. Its display measures 6.6-inch and pushes a tiny bit more resolution out of the display. It is an odd display though, because it is not exactly 1440p QHD, but it is not Full HD either at 2,700 x 1,228 pixels. You still get 450 ppi (pixels per inch) with 10-bit colour space though (1.07 billion colours).
It is an OLED panel too, which also means that you are getting highly vivid colours and brilliant contrasts. It also refreshes at 120Hz and features 300Hz in touch sampling rate, which also means you might get a kick out of it for gaming. While it is not exactly a 1440p display, it is still a brilliant one, by the looks of it.
Of course, a large and brilliant display needs powerful internals. Here is the strange part though, you can actually opt for a HUAWEI P50 Pro that does not come with HUAWEI’s own Kirin chipset. It can either come with HUAWEI’s Kirin 9000 System on a Chip (SoC), or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 4G SoC (global site only outlines Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G SoC). HUAWEI’s adaptation to Qualcomm’s chips could have a larger implication for HUAWEI’s future. That is just speculations though, back to the device.
Alongside the powerful chips that you can choose from is either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB in storage (global site only outlines up to 8GB + 256GB). Apparently, there will be no expansion option on the latest HUAWEI P series flagships though. With a larger body too, it has a large 4,360 mAh that should last you a whole day and even more running HUAWEI’s proprietary HarmonyOS 2.0 introduced with the HUAWEI MatePad Pro earlier this year.
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Instead of a single camera bulge, the HUAWEI P50 Pro comes with two camera domes now. One houses three lenses (40-Megapixel MonoChrome, 13-Megapixel Ultra-Wide, 64-Megapixel Telephoto) and the other houses a single 50-Megapixel main shooter alongside an LED flash module. Out the front is a high-resolution 13-Megapixel shooter. Funnily enough, while Leica’s brand still graces the device, there are no mentions of the sensor size on the HUAWEI P50 Pro.
HUAWEI P50
Source: HUAWEI
Then there is the regular HUAWEI P50. In size it is smaller, but not by that much. Instead of the 6.6-inch display, the HUAWEI P50 settles in at 6.5-inch. It is still an OLED display that boasts 2,700 x 1,224 pixels at up to 90Hz refresh rate.
While you get a choice of going for a HUAWEI Kirin 9000 chip, the HUAWEI P50 only gets a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G treatment, which is odd. Supporting the chipset though is still up to 8GB in RAM and up to 256GB in storage, which are not too bad considering.
The HUAWEI P50 also loses a 64-Megapixel telephoto lens and 40-Megapixel monochrome lens. Instead, you get 12-Megapixel in telephoto lens and a 13-Megapixel ultra-wide camera alongside the 50-Megapixel shooter. You still get two camera bulges though.
Because it is a smaller body, the HUAWEI P50 only packs a 4,100mAh battery. While the SuperCharge 66W fast charging capability remains, the HUAWEI P50 will not be getting wireless charging capabilities. You should still be able to last a whole day and more from the smaller battery though.
Pricing and Availability
The HUAWEI P50 Pro and P50 comes in Golden Black, Cocoa Gold, or Pearl White colour options. The HUAWEI P50 Pro gets an additional colour option in the Charm Pink though. There are no mentions of its availability the global market at this time. At this point too, you can expect the HUAWEI P50 with Harmony OS 2.0 to be shipping out without Google’s Play Store or Google’s basic mobile ecosystem installed.
The HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro is already on pre-order in China and will start shipping and appearing in stores 8th August 2021 onward. The HUAWEI P50 starts at CN¥ 4,488 (MYR 2,935*) and tops out at CN¥ 4,988 (MYR 3,262*). The HUAWEI P50 Pro starts at CN¥ 5,988 (MYR 3,917*) for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 variant with 8GB RAM and 129GB on-board storage. It tops out at CN¥ 7,988 (MYR 5,225*) for the Kirin 9000 variant with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of on-board storage.
* Approximately based on exchange rate of CN¥ 10 = MYR 6.54 on xe.com as of 02/08/2021
BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2021 — Hello Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MOMO) (the "Company"), a leading mobile social and entertainment platform in China, today announced that it has changed its name from "Momo Inc." to "Hello Group Inc.," effective August 2, 2021. The American depositary shares of the Company, each representing two Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, will begin trading under the new corporate name on August 2, 2021.
About Hello Group Inc.
We are a leading player in China’s online social and entertainment space. Through Momo, Tantan and other properties within our product portfolio, we enable users to discover new relationships, expand their social connections and build meaningful interactions. Momo is a mobile application that connects people and facilitates social interactions based on location, interests and a variety of online recreational activities. Tantan, which was added into our family of applications through acquisition in May 2018, is a leading social and dating application. It is designed to help its users find and establish romantic connections as well as meet interesting people. We also operate a number of other applications to serve different social and entertainment demands from our users.
GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 2, 2021 — On July 9, 2021, GAC Group officially announced an exciting joint project with tech giant Huawei: the two firms will work together to develop a "smart SUV", aiming to hit the market in mass production by the end of 2023.
Chinese Giants GAC and Huawei Will Work Together to Develop a Smart SUV
The SUV will be the first joint product of the two enterprises. A medium- to large-size, pure electric SUV, the vision behind the car is one of futuristic, powerful and efficient technology, that will bring exciting new energy capabilities and Level 4 autonomous driving to buyers.
GAC Group embraces and encourages extensive technological innovation in its vehicles, and Huawei is a global leader in many types of technology. This strategic cooperation will allow them to build a new generation of intelligent vehicles and digital platforms. This SUV and multiple other future models will utilize GAC’s GEP.30 chassis platform and Huawei’s CCA (Computing and Communication Architecture), as well as carrying Huawei’s full stack of intelligent vehicle solutions.
Since signing a strategic cooperation agreement in 2017, GAC and Huawei have worked together in the fields of intelligent connected electric vehicle technology.
In September 2020 in Guangzhou, the two firms signed an agreement to further deepen cooperation, with a focus on computing and communication architecture in accordance of the development trend towards software-heavy vehicles.
In the last few years, GAC has seen significant success in realizing vehicle electrification and in various areas of new energy technology. GAC Group is highly committed to research and development, demonstrated by the billions of yuan funneled into the GAC R&D Centers across the world.
The global market for electric vehicles is only growing. Data predicts that the EV global market will expand almost fivefold between 2016 and 2027; an annual increase of 20%. GAC Group is positioned to fully embrace this trend towards creating cleaner, greener, better cars, with GAC MOTOR aiming to produce an entirely electrified lineup of vehicles by 2025.
This rapid growth demonstrates a new demand in the automobile market for intelligent cars, and for Chinese craftsmanship.
With new technologies, new processes and new materials, as well as the use of intelligent manufacturing and comprehensively improved production capacity, GAC and Huawei aim to produce eight models and multiple series of cutting edge electric vehicles, that provide a new driving experience at ever lower costs.
NINGBO, China, Aug. 1, 2021 — MissFresh Limited ("MissFresh" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: MF), an innovator and leader in China’s neighborhood retail industry, has launched its Distributed Mini Warehouse-supported fast home delivery operations in Ningbo, offering a range of more than 4,300 products to be delivered in 39 minutes on average. With this latest expansion, MissFresh strengthens its Distributed Mini Warehouse (DMW) network – which integrates warehousing, sorting and distribution to streamline the retail distribution chain – in East China and now operates in 17 first- and second-tier cities.
According to the City Ranking for Business Attractiveness 2021 by the Yicai Big Data Project, Ningbo and 14 other cities were included on the "New First-tier Cities List". With a population of more than 9.4 million, there is high demand in Ningbo for convenient online shopping and fast home delivery of high-quality fresh produce and fast-moving consumer goods. MissFresh’s launch in Ningbo is in line with its strategy to continuously expand its DMW network in first- and second-tier cities. The launch will also bolster MissFresh’s East China regional supply chain and operations.
To start, MissFresh plans to open 10 DMWs in Ningbo – covering Yinzhou, Haishu and other core urban areas of the city – and provide customers with fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, live seafood, rice, noodles, grains, oil, convenience foods, and other high-quality products. These will be delivered swiftly to customers’ homes within the DMWs’ one- to three-kilometer radius. Over the next six months, MissFresh plans to open a total of about 25 DMWs in Ningbo, covering most of the city’s core areas.
Since its establishment, MissFresh has prioritized the development of its supply chains. Currently, more than 80% of the company’s products are directly sourced from the place of origin, and 100% of its fresh products are subject to strict quality inspection – this helps MissFresh to ensure that its products are the best value for its customers. At the same time, the company closely controls food safety and product quality. Factoring in Ningbo citizens’ love of seafood, MissFresh also provides a selection of fresh and chilled products as well as foods from local brands.
In addition to Ningbo, MissFresh plans to expand its DMW-supported fast home delivery retail business to more second-tier cities, and will also increase its efforts to digitalize and upgrade traditional fresh markets into Intelligent Fresh Markets.
