Technology

Another suicide at Foxconn? Employee jumps off 9th floor after slitting wrists

Posted: 09/17/2012 3:59 pm

The Foxconn factory in Guanlan

Foxconn, the manufacturer of iDevices, Kindles, Samsung phones, tablets, e-readers and more, is coming under the gun once again after another of its young employees was found dead last Wednesday in Guanlan, very close to Shenzhen.

Reports say the man worked at one of Foxconn’s factories in Shenzhen. He jumped off the 9th floor of an apartment complex - a private building unrelated to Foxconn - after slitting his wrists, according to IDG News which cited local media. Other reports confirmed the man died and worked at Foxconn, but it’s not clear that he committed suicide as a result of his work.

Foxconn, which employees hundreds of thousands of people in Shenzhen, has come under fire in recent years after several of its employees committed suicide at its factories. PC World says the company is trying to improve, however:

Earlier this year, Apple announced the Fair Labor Association (FLA) would conduct audits of Foxconn factories, including one at Guanlan, which employs more than 70,000 workers.

In the FLA’s latest audit of Foxconn, the group said the company was steadily making improvements in conditions at its factory. Foxconn has also said the company is committed to worker safety, and has been making changes including raising wages and limiting workers’ overtime.

The company has however recently come under scrutiny for allegedly forcing vocational students to work at its factories, as part of its internship program. Foxconn denies the allegation, and has stated the workers are free to leave the program at anytime.

You can learn more about life in factories in the PRD in the latest edition of Nanfang TV.

Tagged: FactoryFoxconnguanlanhon hai precisioniPhonesamsung galaxyShenzhenSuicideTechnology

New, unreleased iPhone floating around Shenzhen if you have a spare RMB50k

Posted: 08/22/2012 10:29 am

The suspense is building for the release of Apple’s next iPhone, but leaked photos indicate the phone — or a version of it — is already all over Shenzhen, where the device is expected to be manufactured.

Several tech websites are reporting that the case of the new iPhone has been circulating in the city for quite sometime, which helps manufacturers prepare new cases and bumpers in time for launch. It’s believed Apple will unveil the newest iPhone, which some people are calling the iPhone 5, on September 12.

The leaked case shows a much longer device, but the width appears the same, which will continue to allow one-handed typing.

While parts of the new phone may be circulating around Huaqiangbei, the cost of borrowing (that’s right, they’re not for sale as far as we know) the components for 24 hours equals the price of more than three new Retina Macbook Pros: RMB50,000. Worth it?

One wonders what the deposit will be, if the borrowing cost is RMB50k.

Photos below.

Tagged: AppleHuaqiangbeiiPhoneiPhone 5Technology

Wi-fi coming soon to the Guangzhou Metro?

Posted: 08/18/2012 11:47 am

Good news for all you people with smartphones, tablets, phablets, and laptops: you may soon be able to connect them to Wi-fi networks on the Guangzhou Metro.

GZ Metro has been dealing with a flood of complaints over slow 3G internet access on trains, so it is working with mobile operators to fix the issue. Like in other cities, like Hong Kong, 3G operators line metro tunnels with cables providing better wireless access.

But even that might not be enough, so the metro is looking at also installing free Wi-fi. It has conducted a test already on several lines this year, but hasn’t rolled it out yet for large-scale testing. There are some concerns that it may interfere with the operation of the train. It says more testing needs to be done before a final decision can be made.

Wi-fi is already available on one train in Guangzhou: the Kowloon-Canton Through Train to Hong Kong, although it’s a paid service.

Additional Information:

Tagged: Guangzhou MetroTechnologyWi-Fi

Startup Weekend Guangzhou starts tonight!

Posted: 06/1/2012 11:36 am

Mike Michelini is passionate about startups, and founded Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend Guangzhou is kicking off tonight, bringing together many of the city’s entrepreneurs for 54 hours of networking, learning, and inspiration. Michael Michelini, Nikhil Bhaskaran, and Kawai Or began organizing startup events with the first in Shenzhen last year, and are now taking their show on the road.

Michelini, who started his first e-commerce business in his New York City apartment back in 2004, took questions from The Nanfang team about Startup Weekend, the PRD, and entrepreneurship.

What is Startup Weekend?
Startupweekend is a 54 hour event where we INSPIRE entrepreneurs, starting from Friday night team-building through Sunday night where you pitch to the audience and a panel of business experts / VCs. You can bring your own idea to pitch, or join another idea/team. Startup Weekend is a platform, but does not invest in any teams - the judges or other VCs in the audience may make offers but SW itself doesn’t.

How long have you been doing them?
I attended my first in early 2011 in Hong Kong, and organized my first in Shenzhen, China in September 2011. I have now been part of 6 weekends - participating in one in Hong Kong, organizing 3 in Shenzhen, facilitator of 1 in Seattle 2 weeks ago, and now an organizer of this weekends first in Guangzhou.

What was your inspiration behind starting Startup Weekend?
I wish these existed when I started my first business in 2004! I think entrepreneurs need it, they need to experience accelerated FAILURE and face it. And after I participated in my first in Hong Kong, I was reminded how much I love being an entrepreneur. It really inspires us, and also helps build a startup community. A network of do-ers.

Startup Shenzhen has earned lots of community support

How would you characterize the startup community in the PRD?
I would have to say still very fragmented, both in the local Chinese community as well as in the expat community. There are tons of entrepreneurs and I see PRD as a melting pot of entrepreneurship, but everyone startsup ALONE in a home office after quitting their job - or flying out from their home country to make a business in the PRD.

The startups are also super paranoid and secretive, this is because there isn’t a community. We hope to use startup weekend to change that, and from the few we have already done in Shenzhen, we are noticing a much more established trust network and more openness and creativity thus coming from that.

Sure, there are many networking nights, but those are just happy hours at bars with some random name card trading. Startup Weekends are hardcore weekends where you meet DO-ers, and entrepreneurs and VCs, - as the motto goes, NO TALK, ALL ACTION.

What kind of reaction has there been to Startup Weekend?
People have loved it! Shenzhen’s last startup weekend was in Tencent HQ with over 100 participants, and seven high level judges and almost 20 mentors on site. Everyone was extremely satisfied and are so pumped to attend the next one. We have had many participate in more than one, or even two weekends!

How does the PRD’s startup community compare to those in other places?
I mean, no one can compare to San Francisco. But I cannot really answer it, as most of my entrepreneur career has been in Shenzhen (since end of 2007) - but I can say, many entrepreneurs from all over China and the world come here to setup their business….seeing China as the new “gold rush”.

You can read all about Startup Weekend Guangzhou and how to attend here.

Tagged: ChinaGuangzhouInnovationMike MicheliniStartup WeekendTechnologyVC

Shenzhen first city in China to receive LTE (4G) wireless service

Posted: 05/15/2012 3:50 pm

(Image from CultofMac.com)

Living in the PRD is often like standing outside of a wild house party but having no way in… at least when it comes to technology. We often look forlornly at the technology available on the other side of the Luohu boundary in Hong Kong, where iPhones and iPads are sold at market prices, technology is available early, and LTE is fully deployed across the territory by a number of carriers.

Fortunately for those with dreams of LTE in Shenzhen, it looks like it might not be *too* long before it shows up on this side of the boundary.

Tech-in-Asia is reporting that testing of China Mobile’s homegrown TD-LTE network will begin on Thursday this week (May 17) in Shenzhen, the first city in China to be chosen for testing. Unfortunately, it will be a closed test, meaning it will only be available to a small selection of China Mobile’s customers. The other issue is finding a handset that is compatible with the TD-LTE model, which is different from that used overseas.

China Mobile has apparently set up more than 3,000 service stations in Shenzhen, so service there should be pretty strong. There are currently closed test programs in nine cities, but Hangzhou is reportedly the company’s other main testing location, so it’s possible Hangzhou customers could be the next to get their hands on 4G-LTE service. But it’s likely to be quite a while before China sees a 4G network that everyone can use; the Chinese government is intentionally delaying implementation of the technology to bolster growth in the domestic 3G market.

Yes, that’s right, while Europe, North America, and nearby Hong Kong are smothered in LTE coverage (for the most part), China is still pushing a 3G standard. So while it’s good news that LTE is being tested, don’t toss your 3G phone just yet.

Tagged: CellularChinaChina MobileLTEmobileShenzhenTD-LTETechnologyTesting

Is this the iPad 2, spotted in Shenzhen?

Posted: 02/18/2011 2:00 am

We know that Apple has a huge factory in Shenzhen run by Foxconn, so those much-anticipated iPad 2s must be floating around the city somewhere. Rumour is Apple will launch the device anytime from now until early April.

If you spot any out in the wild, or have any tips on the specs of the new device, let us know. Until then, here are a few pics that we’ve come across while trying to dig up some info. The home screen is definitely different, and includes the Camera app.