M.I.C. Gadget

Sticking Fake Eyelashes Onto Your Porsche is Totally Ridiculous

Star Chang — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:29:51 PDT

Car owners get car accessories. They make cars more convenient for the user, or personalize them to some extent that reflects the owner's personality. However, some accessories are seriously outrageous. Getting fake eyelashes to stick onto your Porsche Cayenne's headlights really turns your car into a "she". Too bad it doesn't make some red "lips". Or else that will really be girlish. Never knew a man's dream car can be THAT feminine ... The car was found in Hong Kong and pictures have been already uploaded to social network. These fun 'eye lashes' are designed to fit on most cars and use double sided 3M tape to secure them. They are designed to be resilient to most normal weather conditions and be secure enough to stay on your car. Most Chinese women pay lots of money to get the best eyelashes. Well now they have another outlet for their need for the best lashes to run on the streets. One more pic after the jump.

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Japan Mobile Messaging LINE Ready to Cooperate with China Censor

Randy Cheung — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:52:03 PDT

Japan's mobile messaging platform LINE may be preparing to censor politically sensitive phrases in China. This was spotted by Twitter user from Taiwan who posted a tweet indicating his or her research found LINE had a mechanism which will detect and restrict the use of certain phrases on its China service. While the censorship feature has yet to be switched on, the Twitter user had proved the feature exists by hacking his or her iPhone to get packets from LINE, which generated a notification in Mandarin which reads "Your message contains sensitive words, please adjust and send again" (translated in English). So what are those "sensitive words" ? Phrases include Tiananmen Square massacre, Tank Man, the recently ousted Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and his family wealth expose in The New York Times, government criminality, Jasmine Revolution and other terms which are routinely deleted when posted in Chinese social network ...

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Chinese Government Wants 4G TD-LTE To Become the National Standard Requirement

Star Chang — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:14:26 PDT

The Chinese government will begin issuing 4G licenses by the end of this year, a move that has been welcomed by the country's three major telecom carriers, as well as mobile device makers hoping to grab a slice of China's lucrative 4G market. The authorities are keen on making TDD-LTE network the future standard for 4G in China to combat the FDD-LTE standards. The United States, Japan and South Korea have mainly focused on the deployment of FDD-LTE networks. But the Chinese government's stance to offer a duplex network that supports both systems has given the upper hand to China Mobile and prompted it to expand its deployment of TDD-LTE. China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator based on subscriber numbers, had purchased a total of 1.24 million 4G terminal devices for TDD-LTE ...

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Foxconn is Trial Manufacturing Apple Upcoming iWatch

Star Chang — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:12:45 PDT

With Apple's "iWatch" likely to release this year, we're starting to hear rumors about components being cobbled together just before the company starts ramping up production of the device. The latest news came in from Taiwan media Economic Times, Foxconn has received 1000 trial products of the iWatch from Apple. The Curpertino company is looking into using 1.5-inch display panels for its upcoming smartwatch. Early rumors claimed that iWatch would have a 1.8-inch display, so it seems that Apple may be thinking of reducing the device's size to make it look good on your wrist. The displays are being manufactured by the organic EL panel maker RiTdisplay of Taiwan with touch sensors integrated right into the display, rather than there being a separate multitouch layer. The new iWatch is using bluetooth connection, so we believe it's able to scyn data and info from iPhone and iPad. The news also pointed out that Apple will be released the iPhone 6 first (not iPhone 5s ? ), no release schedule for the iWatch yet.

It Looks Silly to Use an Umbrella on Aircraft

Star Chang — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:53:14 PDT

An unlucky flight passenger was using an umbrella to prevent water dripping from air-conditional. The issue was found recently in Cathay Pacific's flight. The well-known Hong Kong's flagship carrier currently holds the title of the world's third largest airline. All commercial airplanes that carry passengers will experience moisture-related problems in service. Usually, a environmental control system will be provided to control the thermal. It's really annoying to see water starting to drip from the ceiling after the take-off and stewardess just couldn't solve your problem. It is hilarious to use an umbrella onboard, it will make other flight passengers uncomfortable and you will also be committed an offense against the Aviation Security regulation. The convicted will be liable to a fine of HKD$10,000 (USD$1,288) and six months' imprisonment.

Meet the Chinese Robot Who Protects Hong Kong in the Latest “Pacific Rim” Movie

Star Chang — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:39:05 PDT

Summer movie season is just getting started. "Pacific Rim" is the latest sci-fi film where again, China elements have added to the plot. The adventure set 15 years after gigantic Kaiju monsters emerged and attacked Earth. This event forced nations to develop and engage giant robots, called Jaegers, to defend against the enemy. The China's Crimson Typhoon, is the big red machine who defends its land from the monsters' attack. Ironically, the 25-storey-tall robot will be defending Hong Kong, not mainland China. Why ? Because you cannot create a trail of destruction in Beijing or Shanghai, the China's state censor will take this as 'sensitive scenes'. The US$150 million blockbuster might get banned in China. Hong Kong is a former British colony. Although the city is part of China now, it's a Special Administrative Regions which has a different political system, there is no restriction on film-making and creativeness ...

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China May Focus on Developing Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Randy Cheung — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:34:26 PDT

Electric cars continue to face cooling global sales, while many in China debate which way the country should go forward with its own energy development. There are currently three types of new energy vehicles in development: electric cars, which uses electrical energy stored in batteries; plug-in hybrids, which combines an internal combustion engine with rechargeable batteries; and conventional hybrids, which has an internal combustion engine and can save energy, but cannot be recharged. Plug-in hybrid cars have been the main focus and priority for research and development. Industry insiders say that China should abandoned electric cars in favor of hybrid cars. The government also plans to subsidize both electric and hybrid cars according to their oil-saving ratio ...

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Hong Kong Science Enthusiast Designs Robots to Discover Ancient Burial Chambers (Video)

Star Chang — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:16:51 PDT

A small robot has discovered three possible burial chambers under a temple in Mexico's pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan, a find that may reveal secrets about funeral rituals in the ancient site. The robot, dubbed Tlaloc II-TC, was made to navigate rough terrain and is equipped with an infrared camera and a scanner that generates detailed maps. It has located the chambers in the last section of a 2,000-year-old tunnel tucked under the temple, surprising archeologists who had expected to find just one room. The robot was one of two involved in the project put together by a team that included Hong Kong dentist and science enthusiast Dr Ng Tze-chuen. Ng has previously helped design robots used to explore a secret chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza, as well as tools to gather soil and rock samples on missions to Mars and the moon ...

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Watch: Everything You Want to Know About China’s WeChat

Randy Cheung — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:39:24 PDT

If you haven't heard of WeChat, think of it as a better WhatsApp, crossed with the social features of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, mixed with Skype and a walkie-talkie. The mobile messenger app has taken China by storm. As of January, it had 300 million users. The app is available in English, Russian, Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai and Vietnamese. It's Apple's number-one social-networking app in several Southeast Asian countries, with a view toward expansion: Tencent announced plans to open an office in the US to 'study American users' habits. WeChat (know as Weixin in Chinese) is also one of the marketing channels businesses in reaching Chinese consumers. The app has become a popular way for urban Chinese communicate, and even has China's state-run mobile operators lobbying to enforce charges for WeChat as it is cannibalizing so much of their revenue. WSJ has provided us this short video to tell us everything about WeChat in video-graphic style.

Chinese Motorcyclists Love Harley Davidson

Star Chang — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:42:20 PDT

Harley-Davidson may be a quintessentially American brand, but that doesn't mean it's not beloved around the world. Early this week, about 1,000 motorcycle enthusiasts from all over China traveled to Qian Dao Lake, in Zhejiang Province. They took part in the 5th Annual Harley-Davidson National Rally, part of the celebration of the brand's 100th birthday. Harley Davidson only began official sales in China in 2005, and its bikes are considered to be luxury items because of the extremely high Chinese tax. A 2013 motorcycle might sell for 200,000 yuan (US$32,500), approximately four times the average annual salary in Beijing. Transportation authorities have also placed Harleys in the same category as electric bikes, horses and bicycles, so they cannot be ridden on highways and major avenues ...

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Selling Clothing Buttons Online Can Really Make Some Good Money

Randy Cheung — Tue, 07 May 2013 03:12:25 PDT

A Hong Kong-based e-commerce site selling buttons has turned a profit in its first year, selling over 15,000 China-made buttons to US clients. "Lots of Buttons" was established by a US-born Hong Kong resident, after he found that the niche selling buttons to the US could quickly lead to profits as high as 70 percent a year, which is significantly more than establishing a clothing company. The site went online in June last year, the operation focuses on handicraft stores and small US garment factories, which are unlikely to visit China for their small volume of button purchases, and therefore cannot establish long-term deals with Chinese button factories. Polo Ralph Lauren recently became a new client of Lots of Buttons after it placed orders for its new designs ...

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There Are Too Much Light Pollution Over at Hong Kong Apple Stores

Star Chang — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:12:12 PDT

Green activists are pushing for tougher control on light pollution, as alarms are raised over the Apple Store in Hong Kong. One of the main flagship store located at Causeway Bay, Apple still has about 500 lamps and spotlights burning across all three floors during midnight, through the signature glass walls, despite the near-empty streets outside. The activists organization said the absence of regulations governing light pollution in Hong Kong has opened the door to abuse. They has complained that glare from the shop can be seen 700 meters away, placing the Apple store at the center of the light pollution storm. Apple has yet to comment on the criticism of the lighting in its stores ...

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Amazon is the First Foreign Tech Company to Offer Paid Android apps in China

Star Chang — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:40:28 PDT

Amazon quietly launched its Appstore in China. The growing Chinese market is just too large to ignore. The e-commerce giant also debuted its Chinese-language Web site for developers, promising that they will soon have access to customers in 200 countries. The new Appstore might be an attractive alternative to Google Play for Chinese developers. Google Play isn't widely available in China and most developers sell through third-party app stores. Google's own app store only provides free apps to China, not paid apps. The open environment of Amazon Appstore can provide a worldwide customer base for Chinese developers, of course the most important is revenue sharing. The online retailer launched its e-book store and e-reader apps in China last December. Local regulator had investigated the company for the right to sell e-books in the country. Distributing mobile apps in China is the latest move in Amazon's worldwide expansion. Amazon need to compete with hundreds of local rivals offering paid and free apps, some of them pirate. In the meantime, the Kindle hardware are still not available in China.

You Can Buy Fresh Crocodile Meat in China Supermarket

Star Chang — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:52:30 PDT

A supermarket in Guangzhou sells fresh crocodile meat became headlines across China's major online news website. The supermarket marks different part of the crocodile with different price. The most expensive is the crocodile tail at the price of 230 yuan per kilogram (US$40 per kilo), the body meat is 164 yuan (US$26.5) per kg and the head is the cheapest, priced only at 70 yuan (US$11.30) per kg. In Guangdong province, the people there are famous for “eating everything,”but with more and more Chinese being aware of the importance of protecting wildlife animal, Chinese netizens are divided on whether crocodile should be banned from dining plate. It is understood that the crocodile is not an endangered species that is under state protection. In the west, you won't find slaughter crocodile meat in supermarket placing side by side with other seafood. Crocodile meat is not only a gourmet dish in China, but practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine also believe it can cure asthma and similar respiratory illnesses.

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Lenovo First MediaTek-based Smartphone Teased by Kobe Bryant (Video)

Randy Cheung — Sat, 04 May 2013 19:30:30 PDT

Kobe Bryant is injured at the moment, but he is actively for the smartphone world. Lenovo has recruited the basketball legend to plug an upcoming new handset device. A new behind-the-scenes spot featuring Bryant hit the web this week. The ad sees Kobe playing basketball around with formal suit before plugging the Lenovo P780. It is very low on appearances from the Lenovo P780 itself, with the phone only featuring in the last few seconds of the video. Before that, the Lenovo K900 is the first Lenovo smartphone that promoted by Kobe Bryant ...

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Chinese Employees Ordered to Crawl Like Dog in Public to Cope with Stress (Video)

Star Chang — Sat, 04 May 2013 10:01:19 PDT

A cosmetic company in Chongqing city has required its employees to creep on kneels publicly in commercial district as a training program aiming to enhance the capability to cope with working pressure. The staff were kneeling down and crawling, shouting cheers slogans, and drawing large crowd of curious passers-by to stop to watch. Local police persuaded the company to leave and criticized the organizer for conducting such kind of training program, as humiliating the employees. The report has also sparked sharp criticism from Chinese netizens toward the company as employee abuse. It just went so far for this kind of stupid pressure-releasing method, and it is even more laughable that the employees were following the order. Early this year, waitresses in a Chinese restaurant have also conducted the same kind of military training. Hey come on Chinese people, Chairman Mao is dead !

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Chinese Scientist Only Interested in Porn and Pirated Movies, Not NASA Secrets

Randy Cheung — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:05:33 PDT

A Chinese research scientist suspected of spying on the NASA is set to plead to a misdemeanor charge of violating agency computer rules. According to the court filing, the researcher was charged downloaded copyrighted movies and sexually explicit films onto his NASA laptop. Along with the misdemeanor, the government said it had resolved the false statements case. At the time, American authorities accused the man of sharing sensitive information with the Chinese government, he was pulled from a plane as he was about to depart for China. Now it appears that the fears were unfounded. After all, sending a Chinese James Bond to steal space technology from the U.S. is rather exaggerating. Most Chinese are only interested to download Hollywood movies that are free of charged, and we have also realized you will be getting bored if you spend too much time doing research on space technology, you need some sexy entertainment.

WTF: Chinese Woman Poops in Glass Elevator in Shenzhen Subway (Video)

Star Chang — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:02:28 PDT

A video clip titled "Woman poops in elevator in Shenzhen subway" has gone viral on Chinese social media. The 42-second long video recorded showed people were walking about outside the glass elevator when the Chinese woman in her forties pulled off her pants, squatted down, and pooped in seconds. While a man, likely her husband, was on guard. The couple left the elevator later, leaving a pile of shit behind. Shenzhen subway administration confirmed the incident and criticized such uncivilized behavior of passengers. The video has drawn tens of thousands of comments. Although many of the comments are criticizing the couple, there are also pointing finger at the shabby subway design for not providing any toilet for the passengers in millions per day. Previously, we have also seen kids poops in Guangzhou subway carriage. Looks like taking a shit in public is an important part of Chinese culture ...

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A China-made Giant Motorbike Looks Real Cool (Video)

Randy Cheung — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:51:24 PDT

A Uighur youth from Manas County, Xinjiang China has made an impressive giant motor motorbike. The materials and parts used to build the bike were all bought from scrap yards. The DIY transport is measured at 4.4 meters long, 2.4 meters high. The maximum speed can only reach up to 40 km/h (24.85 miles/h), pretty slow. It's able to go easy on the slopes and can carry up to 5 to 6 passengers. Check out the video after the break.

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Watch: Chinese Martial Arts in Crazy Slo-Mo

Cyril Chang — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:50:14 PDT

BBC Earth Productions has captured some amazing high-speed footage on Shaolin Kung Fu. According to legend, Chinese Kungfu martial arts originated from the Shaolin Monastery. It has produced countless Kungfu masters and patriotic heroes, and generated many mysteries. Today, the Shaolin Monastery and Martial Arts are synonymous in China and around the world, and humble students from all over the globe make their way to the Shaolin Temple to learn the legendary skills of martial arts from the real masters. The Shaolin Warriors traveling shows is much more than a Kungfu demonstration. It presents the magnificent and rarely-seen temple life of the Shaolin monks: their Buddhist meditation and martial arts training. The act of Shaolin Kung Fu can be lightning fast, thanks to the advance high-speed camrea which now let us to view the action in super slow motion.