asia

Galaxy S4 to hit Asia at same time as rest of the world

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will hit Asian markets the same time it arrives in the U.S. and Europe, a Samsung executive told CNET today.

Gregory Lee, CEO of Samsung's operations in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Taiwan, told CNET today that the company plans to roll out the device globally "almost simultaneously."

"We have, over the years, become very good at operations," Lee said. "In the past, we staggered [launches]. These days, we've become very good at rolling out new products around the world."

Samsung today launched the Galaxy S4, the company'… Read more

Can Asia's tech-loving areas spell widespread iPhone woes?

If Singapore and Hong Kong are to be our guides, Apple might be having some trouble in Asia, according to a new report.

Reuters yesterday made some waves in a report outlining Apple's perceived troubles in Asia. The news outlet argued that in the most "trend-setting" areas in Asia, the popularity of Apple's iPhone seems to be dropping off.

To make its point, Reuters pointed to data from StatCounter, an analytics provider that delivers market share data based on page views collected from sites running its platform. At last count, that meant a global sample of … Read more

Microsoft 'testing' its own smartphone with suppliers -- WSJ

Microsoft and component suppliers in Asia are in the initial stages of testing a smartphone design, according to a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.

A source cited in the report says the phone has a screen size of between four and five inches.

Top smartphones from Samsung, Apple, HTC, and Motorola all have screen sizes in that range.

But officials at component suppliers added that they're not sure if the Microsoft phone would go into mass production, according to the report. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.

If Microsoft does follow through and pushes … Read more

Facebook's 'life saving' organ donor tool spreads to Asia

Facebook's recently launched organ donor "life-saving" tool is now expanding to Asia. South Korea and Japan are the newest countries whose residents will be able to register as organ donors and announce their status to the world via the social network.

According to The Next Web, South Korea and Japan have more than 22 million Facebook users combined, which is sure to help with the social network's goal of increasing organ donation. Although Facebook didn't make a formal announcement about the launch of the feature, a company spokesperson confirmed with CNET that it was indeed … Read more

Apple takes iTunes to Asia

Nine years after the first iTunes launched in the U.S., Apple has taken the service to Asia.

In a low-key launch last week, Apple opened the door to a version of iTunes aimed at 12 new markets in Asia, including Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.

While Japan has had its own version of iTunes since 2005, iTunes has been largely unavailable in the rest of the region until now.

Apple's Asian iTunes comes with several limitations unique to the region, likely due to content producers' fears over piracy. According to the MarketWatch, a restricted selection of movies and … Read more

Apple's iTunes Store arrives in a dozen new Asian countries

Apple's extended its iTunes Store to 12 new countries today as part of a push that takes it into more Asian territories.

Included on that list is: Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

In a release, Apple says those countries get "music from all the major labels and thousands of independent labels" to the tune of 20 million tracks, as well as movies, TV shows, and apps from the App Store.

News of the expansion came first in a report by Asia technology blog e27 last week (h/t Macrumors). … Read more

Google building data center in Taiwan to meet greater demand

Google's upcoming data center in Taiwan will join those already being built in Hong Kong and Singapore as a sign of increased demand in Asia for the company's online services.

Costing a total of $700 million, the three data centers are being geared to provide users "with the fastest and most reliable access possible to all of Google's services," according to the company.

"More new Internet users are coming online everyday here in Asia than anywhere else in the world," Google said on its Web page for the new data center. "They … Read more

GM opens engine plant in Uzbekistan

General Motors today announced the opening of an assembly plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. GM opened the power-train plant with local venture partner UzAvtosanoat.

According to the automaker, facility is GM's first engine plant in the Central Asian country. The plant is tasked with producing more than 225,000 new fuel-efficient Ecotec 1.2L and 1.5L engines for use in GM small passenger cars.

The new plant will produce finished machined components such as cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, and crankshafts. The plant has been equipped with the latest technology and has the flexibility to switch between production of engine … Read more

GM opens new state-of-the-art diesel engine plant in Rayong, Thailand

General Motors just opened a new $200 million, diesel engine plant in Rayong, Thailand.

The new engine plant, which is adjacent to the GM's vehicle manufacturing plant, will employ 500 workers and have the capability to manufacture about 120,000 engines per year.

GM expects to source $94 million worth of Thai-built components for the production of engines at its Rayong facility by 2012, the company said in a press release.

The first engines to be manufactured at the facility are for the new Chevy Colorado pickup. GM revealed the Colorado Show pickup at the Bangkok International Motor Show … Read more