Tencent to Launch QQService Mobile Platform, Yet Another Android Fork

A Tianyu brand smartphone. One contender for carrying the new Tencent QQService mobile platform.

Another day, another Chinese mobile platform. Well, that’s how it’s beginning to feel. After Alibaba’s AliYun phone, Xiaomi’s M1 superphone, and last week’s Baidu Yi OS, we now have a new contender – Tencent’s QQService.

As with the efforts from Baidu and Xiaomi, it’s based on Android. This first QQService phone comes with locally-made hardware, though it’s likely there’ll be other partners down the road. Today’s revealed device (not yet revealed in a photo) is the Tian Yu QQService phone. That’s because it’s made by the Beijing Tianyu tech company – the same firm that’s making the first of many AliYun devices.

QQService looks like an unconvincing minor mod of Android. 3D app drawer suggests Android 2.3. And... ugh... look at that fugly toolbar. (Image source: Techweb)

Tencent’s QQService platform (pictured right) is actually just a fork – a slightly modified version – of Android, with a thin ‘skin’ and a whole bunch of QQ apps – Tencent Weibo, QQZone, QQBrowser – stuffed into it. While I’ve been enthusiastic about the three other Chinese mobile OSes/platforms in recent months – AliYun is innovative, and built from the ground up; while Baidu’s Yi and Xiaomi’s MIUI look fantastic – forgive me if I dismiss this one with a meh; it sounds more like a gimmick than a “platform.”

Chinese site Techweb has the exclusive on this today, revealing also that a Tianyu-brand QQService phone will likely launch in October, costing 2980 RMB (US$468) for a 4.3-inch screen model. This would make Tencent’s efforts a lot more high-end than their previous attempt with budget HiQQ phones that cost around 100 dollars.

China will soon have more online mobile users than wired PC netizens, so Tencent has to be more conspicuous in the mobile web. It’ll need, however, a braver effort than this.

[Source: Techweb – article in Chinese]