Staff picks: 6 top news stories this week on Tech in Asia

WeChat, Xiaomi, tuk-tuks, Android, goverment clapdowns on the web – we’re throwing all those at you in this week’s list of news selections from our bloggers.

Willis’ pick: China now has 270 million active Android users

The Android boom is just starting and the number will only get bigger in China.

Saiyai’s and Enricko’s pick: Vietnam introduces new fines in internet clampdown

Saiyai: Vietnam’s government has cracked down on social media before, so this is not unexpected.

Enricko: These are troubling days in Vietnam’s internet world. These new regulations – as well as the new ones imposed on the gaming industry this week – have the potential to be more harmful than beneficial to the country’s fledgling internet and tech scene. It’s getting harder to speak out.

Terence’s pick: WeChat to launch banking platform by mid-December

Terence: It’s great to see China’s mobile chat apps move in a bold, new direction. While games and stickers have proven to be profitable, money-making moves, mobile finance could see WeChat become a truly essential apart of users’ lives.

Minh’s pick: China’s Kingsoft gets $50 million funding to help push its Microsoft Office-like apps in the US

What can I say, I’m a sucker for software companies. Kingsoft, a major gaming and app company out of China, is now looking very seriously into competing globally on the productivity front. We’re going to see ever more competition between Chinese and US companies. And $50 million is no joke. It’s a threat to MS Office in the US, which is a vital Microsoft cash cow.

Paul’s, Phoebe’s, and Vanessa’s pick: Xiaomi sells 150,000 smartphones in less than 10 minutes on WeChat

Paul: This proves two things: first, messaging apps can effectively function as e-commerce tools, and secondly, Xiaomi should really consider making a few more phones. Xiaomi is so hot in China right now it could probably even sell out on eBay (BURN!).

Phoebe: Is it about Xiaomi? Or about WeChat? I say this news tells us that these two are just the hottest tech stuff in China today. And Xiaomi selling its smartphones on WeChat seems like a perfect match.