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Chinese Telecom Company Launches 'RedBerry'
Ubergrendle writes "The Globe&Mail is reporting that Chinese telecom company China Unicom Ltd. is launching a new wireless device unapologetically named 'Redberry'. This comes in the wake of an almost 2 year regulatory delay blocking the introduction of RIM's Blackberries to mainland China. Certainly this delay was convenient to China Unicom, if not deliberately staged to allow for domestic competition."
No picture in article (-1, Uninformative)
$sig$
Raspberry would have been better!
I guess the rise in wealth in China and India due to outsourcing is now going to bite us in the ass if this product is alot cheaper than the blackberry because its %100 made in China.
http://saveie6.com/
I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at the name "RedBerry." Does the "awakening dragon" suddenly have a sense of humor??
It sounds like something a college kid would make up as a prank and try to sell.
There's gotta be some marketing exec in Beijing reading the paper and going "ROFL" over this...
That leaves just the mini-keyboard interface as the big deal in the space. Personally, I'm not all that impressed by that as an input mechanism. But, if people like it, why isn't it copied all over the place? Is the concept of a little QWERTY keyboard seriously patented? Also, what about all those other ideas like having two letters assigned to each keyboard button and then having the phone sort it out based on what it thinks you're probably trying to type? Or something like a chording keyboard (though that would require learning)?
So anyway, what's the big deal with Blackberry in particular. Why is this stuff so hard/interesting/compelling?
Free Conference Call -- No Spam, High Quality
In communist China devices should be red, not blue.
Hm. Is there a reason why the United States is just letting the Chinese practice their blatantly economic-nationalist trade policy, all the while sitting under the pretenses of free trade? How that particular "regulatory tangle" not constituting a barrier to free trade? Where are the retaliatory sanctions?
I know that China is the "new world" and all but for every company to fall all over themselves to deal with them is a bit rediculous. A country that prides itself in constraining all markets, destroying their populace and basically giving the middle finger to rest of the planet is put on a pedestal by the countries that should be invading them to free their people? As all the "free" countries fall all over themselves to sell and buy from a country that is as close to slave labour as we have presently. Maybe we should just forget about them for a while and they may go away, just like Soviet Russia. Before you mod me to hell, think about when you purchase your Walmart crap that is produced by children that don't make enough to feed themselves.
Stay tuned for new sig...
For the life of me, I cannot fathom why a Chinese company would name their device after an American folk & blues musician that was popular in the early part of the 20th century. Pencils down.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
"On the eve of its long-delayed China launch, BlackBerry is facing a sudden challenge from a cheaper Chinese rival called, unapologetically, RedBerry.
Oh, that's not nice... China Unicom left no doubt that it is brazenly attempting to capitalize on BlackBerry's global fame.
So they admit it!
You know, maybe they're counting on Blackberry being too worn out with the courts to persue anything, and IANAL, but isn't this a pretty blatant rip-off? I wonder how long till we see Blackberry sues Redberry - Blueberry feels left out in the cold.
Go ahead and call me unreliable; reliable is just a synonym for predictable.
In other news, RIM has secured a contract for the Irish city of Dingle. The headline?
DingleBerry is the new RIM job.
Sony ha
That doesn't quite make sense. If anything, the debt should make China more dependent on the US than the other way around, since they traded a whole lot of hard currency for some pieces of paper that are only worth anything because the US Treasury says so. If the US defaulted (not bloody likely, but speaking theoretically), they would be the ones left holding the bag. At that point it would become a question of what they'd do to make the US pay up -- they can't exactly send someone over to break our kneecaps.
However, the GP's question is still valid: there are a lot of countries that pull the free-trade card when it comes to having access to US markets, but are still staunchly protectionist when it comes to their domestic markets and industries. China, even Japan is like this to a certain extent; even some of the Western European countries (I'm looking at you, France) have "non tariff barriers" to trade that are really protectionism clothed in various regulatory outfits.
I suppose the US plays along because it's good for business to do so, at least in the short run. Whether building up the sort of trade and current-accounts deficit that we have is a good idea in the long run, I'm not so sure.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
RedBerry, wow what a suprise. I love this communist scum, they keep blackberry out so their state controlled telecom company can introduce "MaoBerry" which is probably full of snooping tools. I bet the every email coming from a "MaoBerry" is processed by the government for improper use of the "MaoBerry" or RedBerry. But the guy earlier was right, where is the picture. I wonder if the battery door has a hammer and sickle?
Now imagine either of two scenarios:
1) China ceases production for the US market. (They could easily turn to produce for their own domestic market, and at not too dissimilar revenue levels.)
2) China calls in our tab.
Sleep tight.
The problem with your idea is that it makes sense.
ElderBerry BlueBerry CommieBerry
A Chinese company named RedTN has sued Redberry for violating one of its red patents.
OK, so the Chinese, unwilling to develop a worthy competitor to RIM, simply rip it off in a state-controlled game play. Apparently also, they do not care how this reflects on them as a people, and figure there will be no negative long-term consequences in the business world.
China probably waited for the BlackBerry/RTP patent lawsuit to settle. So BlackBerry (RIM) would have the least cash, and maybe the case would reduce the risk China's corporation would be blocked by patents. While BlackBerry and the problems of a single supplier make all the headlines. The last couple of weeks since the settlement is just enough time to unleash the hounds, but too short for the timing to be merely coincidental.
--
make install -not war
Paris Hilton had a Blackberry. Her data was stolen "off of it" because the data is stored on telecom servers.
Wouldn't the Redberry be a nice way to spy on people?
Silence is golden... and duct tape is silver.
What's in it for them? We can't open a business in China. We have to have a partnership. That means our Chinese partners get our technology. They then open a business to compete with us. We have a factory in China that builds our product on the day shift. On the night shift they build our product with their label and undercut our price.
They have cheap labor. They won't let us compete fairly in their market. On the other hand, we have the resources. Our economy was strong without the Chinese market. I think we should make it a strategic priority to take our manufacturing back from China by developing much more advanced automation. The alternative isn't pretty.
They should have waited a few weeks, then they could have called it the MayBerry. They could have launched the product as an homage to the town's peacekeeper.
(I would have linked to his official site but the site blurb still mentions "upcoming performances". Whoops.)
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
We export countless manufacturing jobs and import enough to make Chine one of the top five largest and richest economies, and this is how they treat the United States? I'm not even mentioning the devaluing of their currency and impact that has on our economy (actually I guess I just did). I think our administration (US) needs to take a hard look at China's obvious anti-competitive, and one sided global trade policies.
You may find my appearance and demeanor foolish, but it is you who plays the fool.
Why isn't Bush slapping China with a WTO "unfree trade" suit? They've got our oil, and compete with us with artificially lowered Commie wages!
Besides, we opened our trade with Chinese corporations to open their markets for our advanced technology, manufactured there with their artifically lowered Commie wages for their Commie consumers to spend on our products. That's not fair!
--
make install -not war
Is is just me or was the last original idea out of China over 500 years ago?
lick the cancle button (at least thats what our Chinese QA says)
Just to set the records straight, Blackberry/RIM is based out of Ontario, Canada NOT USA.
...I'd be totally pissed off about the Ameri-centric slant this discussion is getting.
GM said it sold 308,722 vehicles in china in the first six months of 2005, up 18.9% on the previous year.
This comes in the wake of an almost 2 year regulatory delay blocking the introduction of RIM's Blackberries to mainland China. Certainly this delay was convenient to China Unicom, if not deliberately staged to allow for domestic competition.
You mispelled 'surveillance'.
news at 11
The branding copycatting charge is a bit thin. Most people should be easily able to tell the difference between the two. It's certainly less confusing than Lindows.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Redberry = Raspberry?
You know, the "I fart in your general direction" sound?
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If you write anything on your device that says anything about Taiwan independence or
Falun Gong, your phone tries to kill you.
The truth is an offense, but not a sin.------R. N. Marley
I can hardly even bring myself to question things like this. Why do we still consider them a Most Favored Nation in trade status? All they do is steal our ideas and produce them with cheap, exploited labor. But the U.S. gov't refuses to do anything about it.
Anymore you can pretty much take what *should* be done, then know that the U.S. gov't will not do it. Same with illegal immigration. What the heck is going on here? Why can't we just take a stand, cut off some Chinese products? Sure, everyone argues that we depend on their cheap products, but you know what? Maybe we should suck it up for a few years and get our OWN production back up. Everything is so short-term anymore. What about 10 years from now? What happens when the Chinese decouple their currency from the U.S. Dollar?
--- witty signature
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06095/679599-185.st m
GM's Chinese partner is now competing against them. QED
RIM's Canadian. Go ask Stephen Harper.
The remarks in the teaser that points to the article have a certain zenophobic tone to them. It has been a long standing tradition of nations to protect certain markets from competition. For examples, America, Inc. has been protecting the auto industry (tarrifs on trucks), farmers and ranchers, and other politically connected businesses from foreign competition. Why should we care if China protects some little segment?
And the worry about being dominated by China or India is unfounded. China has some extremely serious problems facing them. And they know it, and they're taking steps to prepare. And India? Please. I wish them the best, but their culture handicaps them in a competitive market. We'll recover from the outsourcing, including the middle class, and we'll find them a congenial partner in the world economy.
We have more problems dealing with Mexico than with China or India.
Best regards.
they actually use different technologies. the original article doesn't say there is any voliation on technology's side.
...Buckaroo Banzai:
Wasn't every alien named "John berry?"
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
I thought Redberrys were raspberrys or... don't want to research red colored berries in the time to post this article, but there are others.
in china, red means happy.
that's also the color the west use in X'mas
RED
on popular consumer electronics:
iPod -> iMao
XBox -> XBoxerRebellion
Sony PlayStation Portable -> Lenovo CulturalRevolution Portable
Canon PowerShot -> Canon GreatLeapForward
etc.
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Serously, I'm sure you'll really have to watch what you say on these.
Does anyone know if these will be controlled directly by the central government. I wonder if the Blackberry would provide any more or less privacy than these.
wonder how long till we see Blackberry sues Redberry
Chinese authorities ALWAYS side with the Chinese company in any dispute. This is nationalism in overdrive.
RB definitely has the price advantage, being only about $100, whereas BB will a be around $5,000 after taxes. However RB will still have trouble competing since
1) It doesn't actually recieve the emails via r/f, rather to get your emails, you have to wait in line every morning, and then you're rationed to one email per day, and
2) Their tech support stinks, in that shortly after you call them, you are taken to a rice farm where you are re-educated over the course of a year to love your RB unconditionally.
Oh well, at least they're trying.
BlackBerry is available where I live (SE Asia), but the handset costs more than US$600 since phones aren't subsidized by the operators here, and push mail is an additional cost added towards the cellular bill. Not to mention the handsets don't support Asian languages. BlackBerry isn't likely go get anywhere, even if available, a local solution is much more useful...
In light of the understandable comments incited by the RedBerry, with the tune of "Commie bastards, ripping off our ideas and mass producing them," let's take a different look at our trade relations with China.
A wise man once told me, "When a business deal is being made, the buyer is in control. The buyer brings $$$$ to the table. Nothing happens in a business deal unless $$$$ changes hands. Therefore, nothing will happen unless the buyer allows it to happen."
To relate that to the China situation, the reason we have a trade deficit is because Americans, on an individual basis, want to buy cheap mass-produced goods. This is in stark contrast with Americans as a whole, who want our economy to be strong and trade deficits to lessen. (Both of these assertions are made on a generalized basis and may not hold true in all specific instances. But let it be sufficient to make my point.)
To loosely paraphrase V in "V for Vendetta" - "to find the origin of your problems, you only need to look in the mirror." Remember this when buying Chinese imports at Walmart, or purchasing Lenovo laptops.
Before modding me all to hell, realize that this is a classic problem of Nash game theory. We have a trade deficit with China because individual Americans have trouble simulaneously 1) buying what they want, and 2) doing what is best for the nation.
This line of reasoning is tangential to the introduction of the "RedBerry", but necessary (I felt) in light of all of the economic nationalist posts that Slashdotters are furiously typing. 8)
Cool, now NTP has one more income source
nuts. You need some more homework here on trade and imbalances. Most foreign places charge a much higher tariff on US cars and parts coming into their country than we do. In japan for a long time there it worked out to almost 100%, they almost completely disassembled the cars before allowing them in. China is right now in front of the WTO from complaints from the US and the EU over the near 30% tariff they charge on autoparts, much higher than what we charge for their parts to come in here.
Those folks aren't stupid, they enforce protectionism for their stuff and cry crocodile tears over what the US does, which is usually much lower. If we even had *parity* I would be a lot more mollified over it.
trade with china......because they do not open there markets to competeters until thier companies get the upper hand......while I'm sure every country does this to one degree or another........I've seen ripped offf honda suvs that were exact in every way. If they don't want to play fair we shouldn't let them play.
In other news, a competing company based in Lake of the Woods, Ontario has released the RedGreenBerry. It's a cordless phone handset with a standard Windows keyboard duct taped to the back.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. Keep your stick on the ice.
Find environmentally and socially responsible products on http://buy-right.net
does it run Linux?
... reborn!
Hm. Is there a reason why the United States is just letting the Chinese practice their blatantly economic-nationalist trade policy, all the while sitting under the pretenses of free trade?
Because they make shit cheap and spend their profits on our treasury notes. Your home mortgage rate is 3% less than it might otherwise be. (Thanks fellas!). Having said that running a $200 billion trade deficit simply cannot be tolerated. The reds are gonna need to seriously revalue their currency or the US will slap a hefty tariff on them. Currency manipulation is a no no. If they revalue their currency a billion people will suddenly have a lot more money to spend. Not an easy situation if you are a commie control freak who wants to keep peasants from rioting.
an ill wind that blows no good
Red color means loyal and patriotic, so black color do not meet the market and also CHina worry about the hack/backdoor inside the blackberry.. More news on: http://www.chinatechnews.com/index.php?action=show &type=news&id=3776
I think that australia got screwed just as much as canada with its free trade agreement to the USA. Going to be 25 years before we can sell some of our goods on the USA market.
Recently announced, a small telecom company in the town of Dingle in the Republic of Ireland has released their own version of the the BlackBerry. Their product, called the DingleBerry is expected to hang in while the products of thier international competitors are wiped away.
Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
America has had a special trade relationship with China since the beginning of the Republic.
We are almost single-handedly responsible for China's place in the world today, as China's constant angel. We've bailed China out of European colonialism, Japanese imperialism, Soviet domination and inevitable communist stagnation.
Why? Because America, since the late 1700s, has hung its hat on being the #1 partner to the world's largest market.
Want some good reading on the subject? Dig up a book from the 80s called the Soong Dynasty. It is about the various decendants of Charlie Soong, a Chinese-American businessman, whose family had a finger in every pie in China during the Nationalist period (Soong's daughter, Mayling, married Chiang Kaishek, and his son was Chiang's finance minister).
When you're done, you'll understand the length to which America will go to guarantee a permanent relationship with China.
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
This seems to be the one case for which trademarks were invented: not allowing one company to profit from the reputation of another (as opposed to the various abuses of the system, which is what usually makes the news here).
So, is there no Berne-like treaty for trademarks? Are they country/region specific? Or is China Unicom just looking to stir up trouble?
sic transit gloria mundi
Why is this being treated with any surprise? The government of china is communist, and by definition that means a single group of party leaders control essentially every aspect of a citizen's life. It seems perfectly logical that they would conciously block the deployment of a foreign product until a domestic one is released to the market.
The question becomes: why did they choose to be deceptive in their practices? I think its part of comnunist philosophy, that leaders have to deceive the public to a certain extent, because full knowledge of what's really going on is not benificial to progress or economic success. And if this is really the case, why can't this be part of the political conversation instead of how best to use military force?
-dave
6th Street Radio @ddombrowsky
So blackberry is hurting because the Chinese protected their monopoly. So what. The US spends $420 Billion a year on military, the Canadians $13 billion a year.
If Canadians want to benefit from the global market place made possible by the stabalizing force of the US, then start supporting us in our efforts in the middle east. Otherwise, I don't really care about the minor problem of loss of revenue by protectionist trade practices. Ha ha.
Ed Barbar, President and General Manager, Furnit USA
Me, I'm a libertarian anarchist, which is to say about as utterly cold-blooded purist free-trader as it gets. And frankly, to me, the Chinese have the moral high ground.
"How dare you make a product competing with our government granted monopoly" - is not the sentiment of a free trader.
Of course now the EU will get in on the act, announce a product named "framboise", with the contract parceled out in a rigged open tender to a semi-nationalized French firm which just happens to have a bunch of EC bureaucrats owning shares...
Mod up.. finally some actual figures instead of guesses
In the article it clearly states they're using the original handsets and not using a proprietary one.
My BB will go 2 days max on a full charge, and I don't use it as a phone much. Also, the USB charger sucks compared to the wall charger. If I use the USB charger overnight the BB won't last more than a day.
I'm lukewarm on the BB. It was provided by work. My favorite features are the downloaded Texas Hold 'Em game and the web access from my toilet, airport gate or delayed aircraft parked on the taxiway for an hour or two.
I'm not a big email fan, so having every email buzz me is more of a (necessary for work given how they've taken our pagers away and replaced certain notifications with email) annoyance. And while the shape is usable for web surfing (and Hold 'Em) it's a pain as a phone...I drop it a lot.
On second thought, a somewhat earth-shattering feature is web access to my company's intranet from the BB. That saved my bacon once or twice and has been convenient a few times.
I know that Wal-Mart is the "new world" and all but for every company to fall all over themselves to deal with them is a bit ridiculous. A company that prides itself in constraining all markets, destroying their populace and basically giving the middle finger to rest of the planet is put on a pedestal by the countries that should be invading them to free their people? As all the "free" countries fall all over themselves to sell and buy from a company that is as close to slave labour as we have presently. Maybe we should just forget about them for a while and they may go away, just like K-Mart. Before you mod me to hell, think about when you purchase your Chinese crap that is produced by children that don't make enough to feed themselves.
The problem is, China has Most Favored Nation status with the United States, Canada, and other big players as a result of its membership in the WTO. Barriers to trade, like the one mentioned in this article, are what membership in the WTO is meant to stop. China should be required to let goods like the BlackBerry in if it wants to retain its MFN status. The question is, why isn't the United States or WTO doing something about this?
I wonder if Pratchett holds the rights rights for the Gooseberry :D
which is totally what she said
Anyone from China want to post and tell us your thoughts?
hah!
Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. Yes is the answer.
Is there any info on exactly how similar this product will be? Given that a number of parts of the Blackberry are probably made in China, it's not too much of a stretch to conceive of an exact replica, but only with a red case.
If it is indeed exactly the same, this would mark the second time that a Chinese company used industrial sabotage to literally copy a product. The other time was back in the 70's when Chinese atomic energy officials visited Canada to see our SLOWPOKE reactor for five years in a row. The sixth year, they revealed to the world that they came up with their own. It was copied right down to the typo on the front panel. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited was none too happy.
-
Aren't red berries usually poisonous?
Because then the WTO would call us on, say, the steel tariff, the sugar tariff, pressuring EU governments to drop the suit against Microsoft...