zte

LAS VEGAS -- ZTE's quest to launch a flagship smartphone in the U.S. has hit a temporary snag.

The ZTE Grand S, one of the more impressive smartphones shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, won't arrive here until next year, Lixin Cheng, head of the company's North American division, told CNET on Tuesday.

ZTE had grand plans for its Grand phone, and the company said in January that it was confident that the flagship device would make its way to U.S. shores soon. Cheng attributed the delay to the extra time needed … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- In conjunction with the news that AT&T will be launching its own prepaid network called Aio Wireless (which the company actually announced earlier this month), the ZTE Prelude made an appearance at this week's CTIA tech show.

Available for $49.99, the device is a compact, entry-level smartphone that surprisingly runs the more recent Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

Design Measuring in at 4.6 inches tall, 2.4 inches wide, and 0.43 inch thick, the Prelude is small and compact, and weighs 4.4 ounces.

Its design isn't anything to … Read more

The Indian government is launching a investigation over Huawei and ZTE equipment, following increased scrutiny on China's alleged involvement in cyberspying.

Sina Tech reported this on Thursday, citing an official from India's Department of Telecommunications. The official said the ministry knows about the concerns of Indian intelligence agencies and os expediting the developing of systems for testing the networking equipment of foreign manufacturers, which could also include the likes of Cisco Systems and Alcatel.

A lab reportedly will be set up in Bangalore, where the gear will be tested.

Read more of "Huawei, ZTE under probe by Indian government&… Read more

I have nothing against entry-level devices. As long as they work well and are priced reasonably, there's nothing wrong with these handsets for people who don't need to be on the bleeding edge of technology.

But while the ZTE Director is indeed priced inexpensively (without a contract, it's $99.99, but with one, the price drops to 1 cent), it's not a great performer. Its screen can be frustratingly unresponsive, its camera takes washed-out photos, and its processor is sluggish. Frankly put, the ZTE Director is more of a Tommy Wiseau than a Steven Spielberg.

Design … Read more

It seemed inevitable, and now it has happened: for the first time ever, feature phones have taken a backseat to smartphones in terms of quantities shipped.

In the first quarter of 2013, device makers shipped 216.2 million smartphones worldwide, a volume that accounted for 51.6 percent of total global shipments and that marked the first time smartphones have claimed more than half of all quarterly shipments, according to market researcher IDC.

The smartphone market grew 41.6 percent compared with the first quarter of 2012, but declined 5.1 percent from the shipment tally for the fourth quarter … Read more

In its continuing march toward locking up deals with every major Android and Chrome device maker, Microsoft announced on Tuesday a patent-licensing agreement with Chinese manufacturer ZTE.

The deal grants ZTE a license to Microsoft's worldwide patent portfolio for ZTE phones, tablets, computers, and other devices that run Android and Chrome OS. Microsoft did not disclose if ZTE would pay royalties, or the amount it would pay, under the agreement.

Last week, Microsoft announced a similar deal with Foxconn's parent company, Hon Hai.

"Much of the current litigation in the so-called 'smartphone patent wars' could be avoided … Read more

The European Commission would like to prepare a case against China-based companies Huawei and ZTE over the possibility of unfair business practices, but it needs help from technology companies that are unwilling to get involved, according to a new report.

Reuters, which claims to have spoken to people with knowledge of the issue, reported that the EC would like to investigate whether Huawei and ZTE have been unfairly using state subsidies to undercut prices offered by European companies. The EC is the executive arm of the European Union.

For the trade investigation to move forward, the EC needs to have … Read more

At the Intel Developers Forum in Beijing, China, today, ZTE debuted the ZTE Geek, a 5-inch handset featuring a 2GHz Intel 32nm Atom Z2580 processor.

The device also features an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and a front-facing, 1-megapixel camera. Inside, you'll find a 2,300mAh battery.

As for capacity, the Geek has 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and its HD touch screen has a 1,280x720-pixel resolution.

Despite its rather insipid name, I like what I'm seeing with the Geek -- on paper, at least. Just as … Read more

In response to national security concerns, Sprint Nextel and Softbank pledged not to incorporate gear from Huawei Technologies into Sprint's network core, the chairman of the House intelligence committee said today.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), chairman of the committee, said he had met with representatives from both companies and was assured that equipment from the Chinese telecommunications gear maker would not be used in the U.S. cellular infrastructure. As a condition for approving Softbank's $20 billion acquisition of Sprint, the U.S. government was reportedly seeking oversight of network equipment purchases to exclude equipment from Huawei and … Read more