6 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

The news cycle in China was in low gear last week due to the National Day holiday, but there were still more than a few interesting stories from the tech space. From Weibo trash-talking to grey market iPhone upgrades, here’s a quick rundown of some of the notable technology news from the past week in China.

1. China Mobile Says in an Emergency, It Can Text Everyone in Beijing in 10 Seconds

Given the poor government communication we saw this past summer during the Beijing’s floods, it’s encouraging to see that China Mobile now boasts it can quickly send out notifications in mere seconds. But in reality, such messages still need government approval, so it might be unrealistic to expect that process to move quickly.

2. Railway Ministry Mobile App Fails to Materialize; Kaifu Lee Recommends Ikamobile App Instead

The Chinese Railway Ministry still hasn’t produced the mobile apps that it previously promised to help customers more easily buy train tickets. But Innovation Works founder Kaifu Lee noted on Sina Weibo that one of his portfolio startups has already made an app like this called Train Finder.

3. Chinese World of Warcraft Players Protest CCTV Misrepresentation

While Chinese gamers finally got the latest World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria title this past week, many of them were pretty upset over what they feel is a misrepresenting and disrespectful report about WoW players by state broadcaster CCTV.

4. Chinese iPhone 4S Owners Trading in Year-Old Phones to Buy iPhone 5

While the iPhone 5 is not yet selling in China, the inevitable grey market sales are enticing Apple fans to sell their iPhone 4S and upgrade to an iPhone 5. The iPhone 4S is still just a year old, but it looks like more than a few Chinese think the upgrade is worth it.

5. Chinese Video Sites Turning off their Japan Channels

In what was most likely marching orders coming down from the central government, a number of Chinese video sites quietly removed the ‘Japan’ category from country listings on their sites. The Senkaku island dispute is an ugly one, and it’s a shame to see this pettiness seeping into our interwebs.

6. BingDian Hotels App Checks-In Some Series A Funding

In what was reported to be a multi-million dollar round, the makers of the BingDian Hotels app closed series A funding this past week. The investment was led by Bluerun Ventures.