Tech in Asia: Our Picks for News of the Week [Sept. 29, 2012]

This week was a fun one for tech news, with just the right mix of serious topics and for-crying-out-loud sensational developments. Here are our bloggers’ choice cuts of the action:

Charlie’s pick: China now Asia’s worst net freedom offender

Thanks to liberalization in Burma, China now ranks dead last on Freedom House’s index of repressive Asian regimes when it comes to internet controls. North Korea isn’t on the list at all, so in actuality there’s probably at least one country with an even less free web than China’s. But still, this is rough.

Enricko’s pick: Google Dev Fest 2012 shows the future of Augmented Reality

Last time I checked, hackathons and public APIs are getting hotter and hotter – particularly in Indonesia. And Augmented Reality (AR) platforms could well be at the forefront. Plus, they’re really cool. As we saw at this fun event at Google Indonesia, Qualcomm is going all out to show off the future of AR, first at this Google Dev Fest, and next one at Appmazinc in November. And boy, the future does look very fun with AR apps in your phone.

Rick’s pick: Japan’s Recruit to acquire leading jobs site Indeed.com

This news sort of flew under the radar of many people this week, as I’m not sure how many people realize how big Indeed.com is. This is a big acquisition for Recruit, and personally, I was almost as surprised to see this as I was when Rakuten picked up Pinterest. Ok, maybe not that surprised…

Andrew’s pick: Confirmed: China’s Redbaby cheats death, gets acquired for only $66 million

Suning’s acquisition of Chinese infant supplies e-commerce site Redbaby is indeed a good bargain. Considering that over $100 million was invested in Redbaby over the years, the sale price of $66 million is a little too low, isn’t it? But nevertheless, this acquisition should be a relief for Redbaby. They have been facing cash flow issues, increasing operation costs, and unbelievably strong competition in the market. I would say that this deal is either now or never for the Chinese infant e-tailer. And I’m glad they made the right choice.

Steven’s pick: Apple botches China and Japan maps in iOS 6

My colleagues have shown admirable restraint in not picking the most inflated story of the week – that of the disastrous debut of Apple Maps app in iOS 6. But I’ll pick it anyway! It’s worth remembering that it could take Apple a year or more to catch up with its competitors, and that’s a great opportunity for Google with Android, and for both Nokia and Microsoft with Windows Phone. At least Chinese iOS 6 users don’t have it so bad with mainland China maps thanks to Apple’s local partner, Autonavi – but that’s so long as they don’t try to view the rest of the world, which Autonavi renders as a blank.

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