China Weekly IT News Roundup for the First Week of September


- KT, NTT, and China Mobile Establish Strategic 5G Cooperation
On the 5th and 6th, KT held the 'SCFA (Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement) 5G Technology Strategy Meeting' with telecommunications operators from Korea, China, and Japan at the KT R&D Center and agreed to strengthen cooperation on 5G technology development and commercialization services. The meeting was attended by officials from the 5G technology development sectors of the three companies—KT, China Mobile, and NTT Docomo—who discussed 5G commercialization strategies, specialized 5G technologies, the identification and sharing of V2X and IoT use cases, and 5G service strategies. Lee Su-gil, Senior Vice President and Head of KT Network Research & Technology Support Group, stated, “We will take the lead in 5G commercialization by establishing interoperability standards for commercial services such as VR, IoT, V2X, and medical services through cooperation among the three companies, based on 5G specifications designated as international standards.”


- Chinese companies rank 2nd in AI adoption in the Asia-Pacific region, 1st Indonesia
On the 5th, Appier released a survey report commissioned from Forrester Consulting to examine the current status and trends of AI adoption among companies in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the report, Indonesia ranked first in AI adoption (65%), followed by China (63%) and India (62%). These three countries ranked higher than economically advanced nations such as South Korea (57%), Singapore (50%), Japan (47%), and Taiwan (44%). Respondents from Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia prioritize leading product innovation through AI, whereas those from Japan, Singapore, and Australia appear to desire improving existing solutions using AI.


Honor Unveils 'Magic 2' Featuring Both AI Camera and FullView Display
Huawei Honor unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the Honor Magic 2, at the Honor Play launch event held in Germany on August 31. Building on the success of the Honor Magic 1 released in 2016, the Magic 2 features a Magic Slide mechanism that reveals the front camera when the back is slid upward, enabling a FullView display. The Magic 2 is the first smartphone to be equipped with the Kirin 980 processor and is characterized by enhanced AI computing capabilities. Additionally, it achieves faster and safer charging through the addition of 40W Magic Charge and 15-layer protection.


- Dolby Launches Yoga C930 with Enhanced Video and Audio in Partnership with Lenovo
On August 31, at IFA 2018 held in Berlin, Germany, Dolby unveiled a laptop equipped with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos speaker systems developed in collaboration with Lenovo. The Lenovo Yoga C930 is equipped with theater-inspired HDR video technology and custom-designed surround sound speakers by Dolby. Featuring a rotating soundbar and flexible hinges, the Yoga C930 allows users to experience the Dolby Atmos speaker system in both laptop and tablet modes.


- TCL Aims to Become a Global TV Market Powerhouse with 8K TVs
TCL unveiled a new AI TV product at IFA 2018 in Berlin, Germany, on August 30. The 'TCL 8K QLED TV,' TCL's first 8K TV, features Dolby Vision HDR imaging technology, Onkyo hardware, and Dolby Atmos audio technology. It also supports an integrated AI soundbar that allows users to easily find content using voice commands. Meanwhile, TCL recorded a total of 13,173,307 LCD TV units sold in the first quarter of 2018, a 37.2% increase compared to the same period last year. Sales in overseas markets reached 8,284,671 units, a 44.4% increase from the same period last year.