The title says it all. This is the single most positive thing i’ve read all month. :bravo:
Engadget’s summary:
engadget.com/2010/01/12/goog … review-th/
Google blog official post:
googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/ … china.html
Now all they have to do is get the PRC to do the same…
Google capitulation in 5.4.3.2.1…
Google is China’s bitch. Anyone who thinks that Google will really pull out of China is seriously uninformed about Google. They will act all pouty then be back in China’s lap before the month is out.
I don’t think leaving China is that impossible…RIM still hasn’t made it to China because of routing and traffic handling. Google can’t compete with Baidu or something like that. Now that they have their consumer-friendly Nexus Ones now the experience is going to be seriously hampered with censored internet access.
With that said, how’s the new Nexus One jashsu?
To me it’s just another Android device, albeit a very well polished one (compared to my G1). Not much to say on the hardware side; it’s just using whatever cutting edge components HTC could source. On the software side, there are a few interesting improvements in 2.1 from 2.0 and 1.x versions. Unfortunately anecdotal evidence is strongly suggesting that G1/Dream users will not be able to get official 2.x updates. I guess that’s the nature of tech.
Oh, the Nexus One device has an unlockable bootloader, which essentially means sanctioned (although technically warranty-voiding) hacking. Unlocking the bootloader places an unlocked lock icon at the bottom of the bootup screen, so it’s all done very officially and cleanly. I like that. This makes it one of the few carrier-subsidized devices that have officially unlocked bootloaders.
[quote=“Okami”]Google capitulation in 5.4.3.2.1…
Google is China’s bitch. Anyone who thinks that Google will really pull out of China is seriously uninformed about Google. They will act all pouty then be back in China’s lap before the month is out.[/quote]
IMO just the fact they’re talking smack now is pretty monumental. No large internet corporation has had the balls to do such a thing, potentially eviscerating their Chinese marketshare and sales (although I kinda wonder if this speaks on what the actual profitability of Chinese operations is).
Whether or not they actually carry through and stick to it is another thing, but I think they deserve kudos for finally dragging the skeleton out of the closet. I hope this sets a precedent that other companies based in the U.S. will follow (even if they have to be shamed into doing it).
I hope it’s just the start. Enough is enough. No more IP theft. No more unfair competition. No more cheating.
To me it’s just another Android device, albeit a very well polished one (compared to my G1). Not much to say on the hardware side; it’s just using whatever cutting edge components HTC could source. On the software side, there are a few interesting improvements in 2.1 from 2.0 and 1.x versions. Unfortunately anecdotal evidence is strongly suggesting that G1/Dream users will not be able to get official 2.x updates. I guess that’s the nature of tech.
Oh, the Nexus One device has an unlockable bootloader, which essentially means sanctioned (although technically warranty-voiding) hacking. Unlocking the bootloader places an unlocked lock icon at the bottom of the bootup screen, so it’s all done very officially and cleanly. I like that. This makes it one of the few carrier-subsidized devices that have officially unlocked bootloaders.[/quote]
Do you know if the Nexus one is multilingual? I want to write German, English, Japanese and Chinese. Is this possible?
(in short, like you can do on an ordinary computer under Win, Mac or Linux)
Google Uncensors China Search Engine
I’ve been following this story for a while, Google has chosen to redirect its users from the .cn domain to the HK server, which provides uncensored search results. Will the Chinese ban the .cn domain, my guess is probably.
One issue that this brings to mind, and its often said that due to the trade deficit with the US that China is holding, that China is holding all the cards. Yet, if only 3 companies, Google, Microsoft and Apple made the decision that products with their software must be produced outside China, due to piracy and theft considerations. That would effect a huge manufacturing base.
Not that anything like that will happen, but this is the first time anyone has turned around and said they would rather not do business at all with China than bend to its requirements. It’s also sending out a strong message that IP is not safe if you do business in China. Although they never directly implicated the Chinese government in the hacking attempts, it seems clear they think that they had means, the hacks seemed to come from institutions with ties to the military and the motivation to hack dissidents email accounts.
Actually, I heard that Foxconn moved the facilities for manufacturing iPad out of China for exactly that reason. I have no documentation to back that up, though. It was word-of-mouth.
Edit: Sorry, it was because if IP theft, not censorship.
Now that Google has taught the Chinese government all it needs to know about censorship, Google will be kicked out of China as it is now surplus to requirements.
If they do indeed move to Hong Kong that puts the Chinese into a very interesting position.
- They can Great Firewall the google.hk domain and admit that Google or anyone else can flout Chinese law there.
- They can allow the masses to access the .hk domain and admit they cannot censor Google.
- They can require google.hk to obey PRC law and prove (again) that Hong Kong’s ‘50-years no change’ promise was empty.
Well-played Google! :bravo:
Looks like the PRC went for option 1. In more news, After Google, Dell mulls shifting China operations The reason for the shift was given as.
More to come yet on this story, as Google co-founder Sergey Brin urges US to act over China web censorship
Sergey makes a very good point.
Hence the call from some to take China to task and bring the issue up with the WTO along with Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other sites which are banned, yet China promotes it own home grown varieties. Add to this the US is set to declare (or not) China a currency manipulator, it seems trade relations with China are set to become ever more acrimonious.
[quote=“redwagon”]If they do indeed move to Hong Kong that puts the Chinese into a very interesting position.
- They can Great Firewall the google.hk domain and admit that Google or anyone else can flout Chinese law there.
- They can allow the masses to access the .hk domain and admit they cannot censor Google.
- They can require google.hk to obey PRC law and prove (again) that Hong Kong’s ‘50-years no change’ promise was empty.
Well-played Google! :bravo:[/quote]
Agree. A lovely come back.
Apparently their R&D will stay in China, if allowed, but the websites shifted here to HK, and search functions operating for both simplified and long form characters.
HG
Not that it’s as significant as Google, but GoDaddy decides to bail on China. I hope it’s the beginning of the rest of the world deciding it just isn’t worth the crap to do business in China.
“Look, Daddy, up in the sky… what are all those horrible dark things flying overhead?”
“Those, my sweet little chicken, are all China’s ducks coming home to roost. And if you look over there, you can see a lot of cows coming home too.”