10 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

This past week rolled out with what looked like some very bad news for Google in China, plenty of iPhone and iOS news and apps, a big privacy bug, some very dodgy Weibo marketing, and then – in contrast – some very nifty word-of-mouth marketing.

1. China Blocks Android’s Gmail, Market Apps? But, wait, it turns out that: Google Says Gmail, Market Suffered Outage, Not a Block

Monday morning started with some drama, as we wrote that the Gmail and Android Market apps in Google’s mobile OS looked to be blocked in China, after being inaccessible across China since sometime the previous weekend. But then two days later, with both services restored, Google admitted it experienced a RIM-like outage in the region.

2. How China Rocks iOS: Usage, Upgrading, and Updating [INFOGRAPHIC]

We love a good infographic around here, so we were pleased to get our hands on this. It reveals a whole bunch of interesting facts and stats about iPhone and iPad usage and adoption in China, and how iOS is taking off across the country.

3. Chinese High School Student Develops iOS Browser

Sticking with the iPhone, we looked at an impressive mobile browser which won the top award at Macworld Asia recently. Better yet, it’s made by a teenage Chinese kid.

4. Microblog Marketing Becoming a Dubious Business in China?

As microblogging has boomed in China, so have a great number of dodgy, so-called microblog marketing companies which can furnish you with Weibo followers and buzz – for a big price-tag.

5. Beijing Public Transit Cards Track Your Every Move

In privacy news, it was exposed that Beijing’s public transit cards can expose a complete list of your movements on its bus network. It would almost be a neat feature for cardholders, except there’s no security whatsoever, so anyone can check anyone else’s movements provided they have the card number.

6. NVC CEO Accuses Baidu of Faking News Stories for Fraudulent Ad Clients