Xiaomi cleared of data-privacy breach charges by Taiwanese regulators

Xiaomi cleared of data-privacy breach charges by Taiwanese regulators

Taiwanese regulators cleared on China’s Xiaomi and other smartphone brands of breaching local data protection laws after national security concerns triggered the government to launch a probe in September.

The National Communications Commission, in a report concluding the investigation, said all the 12 brands it had tested, which include handsets sold by Apple, Samsung, LG and Sony, did not violate the laws.

James Lou, an NCC official who was involved in the testing, said the commission, however, would request mobile phone makers make information transmission more secure.

The probe, which also involved Chinese handset makers Huawei and ZTE, was a reminder of the scrutiny Chinese technology firms are subject to abroad as governments become increasingly wary of potential cyber security threats from the world’s second-biggest economy.

It also highlights Taiwan’s sensitivity to security issues involving China, its largest trading partner but one which has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a renegade province.

Privately owned Xiaomi, whose budget smartphones are popular throughout Asia, was previously accused of breaching data privacy. In August, the company apologized and said it would change a default feature after a Finnish security company said Xiaomi collected address book data without users’ permission.

In September, Taiwan’s government began performing independent tests on Xiaomi phones after media reports said that some models automatically send user data back to the firm’s servers in mainland China.

The probe was then widened to include local and foreign handsets. The NCC report said handsets made by local firms HTC, Asustek, Far EasTone Telecommunications, Taiwan Mobile and U.S.-based InFocus, whose handsets are made by Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision, were also cleared of breaching the data protection laws.

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Unknown 06:10  No comment

Out of stock: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G sold 40,000 handsets in 6 seconds

Out of stock: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G sold 40,000 handsets in 6 seconds

It is expected that any Xiaomi product which goes on a flash sale gets sold out within a matter of seconds. The exact same thing has happened, yet again. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G which went on sale today at 2PM on Flipkart was sold within seconds of being available online.

The smartphone, priced at 9,999 was sold within 6 seconds of commencing the sale. Xiaomi’s Manu Kumar Jain made the announcement on Twitter on how quickly the smartphones went out of stock.

Xiaomi India Head Manu Kumar Jain shared with NDTV that 40,000 units had gone out of stock today. The company also announced that they would have their next sale on 6 January and registrations would begin today itself at 6PM.  

Priced at Rs 9,999, the Redmi Note 4 sports a 5.5-inch HD IPS display and comes powered by 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928 processor. Other specs include 8GB onboard storage, microSD card slot up to 32GB, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front shooter for selfies and 3100mAh battery. It runs Xiaomi’s MIUI OS.

The Redmi Note, if you recall, is something of a record breaker in terms of sales, with Xiaomi having sold 10,000 units in just a second in Taiwan.

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Datsun Go+ to Renault Lodgy

Datsun Go+ to Renault Lodgy

A segment apart from the SUVs which has seen tremendous growth in the recent times is MPVs. The people carriers are now being widely accepted as family vehicles akin to station wagons in North America. The Ertiga was the first one in 2012 to bring about a huge change in the way people viewed compact MPVs, the Innova holding the candle for bigger iterations that is. Honda followed Maruti with the Mobilio in 2014. With these MPVs ruling the roost in the market as of now, more and more automakers are tempted to enter this segment. Here is a list of all the seven-seater personal passenger vehicles coming your way in the New Year.

Datsun Go+

This will be the first MPV to be launched in 2015. It is a Datsun Go with a bigger boot. The last row of seats, even the company says so, is good for only children or if you don't have one, extra luggage. There is one petrol engine on offer as of now, the same 68PS 1.2-litre motor with a five-speed manual transmission. Expect this MPV to be priced very competitively.

Maruti Ertiga facelift

The Ertiga has been in the market from nearly without a facelift and 2015 will be the time when the refreshed version will go on sale. There are spy shots on the Internet which suggest that the launch is imminent. The new Ertiga is expected to cost a tad more than the outgoing version and will continue with the same set of engines. There will be though an AMT on offer on the transmissions side.

Renault Lodgy

Renault's bread and butter model in the country is the Duster. The company has realised the potential of this car and is now introducing a MPV on the same platform. The Lodgy should be out in the market by February and will be the roomiest of the current crop of compact MPVs. Renault is said to have achieved more than 90 per cent localisation so expect the prices to similar to the Ertiga.

Toyota Innova facelift

Toyota has tasted great success with the Innova MPV however the Japanese company is not resting on its laurels. An all-new Innova on a new platform is being readied and TKM has already started testing the MPV in India. The new Innova is expected to be even more roomier and feature rich. Toyota will also be making airbags standard across all the variants. Expect the engine to be also more fuel efficient and powerful.

Maruti Wagon R-based MPV

We are kidding you not. There is a Wagon R-based seven seater in the works and from the look of it, it could be a success story for Maruti again. The interiors have been spruced up from the current Wagon R and the third row of seats have a tumble function. Expect the 1.0-litre K-Next engine to be under the hood and with a CNG/LPG alternative as well. There could also be Maruti's own diesel engine as well.

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