China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) is said to be seeking a 50% cut of all sales from its upcoming mobile app store. The so called Mobile Market is currently being developed by China Mobile-controlled Aspire Technologies and China Mobile’s Guangdong branch, and will include apps and we guess various mobile content for all platforms except the iPhone. Both GSM and TD-SCDMA device owners will be able to access it and grab apps, games and other content for their phones.

Compared to other app stores, China Mobile asks the largest cut. However, it’s fair to add that prices in their store will be significantly lower than those found in app stores that serve Western countries. Moreover, they are the single largest mobile operator in terms of number of subscribers so they can dictate the terms.

As for the release date, the Mobile Market is set to go live in September…

[Via: TelecomAsia]

Could it be that the Ophone will beat the iPhone to China? Certainly looks that way. Latest word is the Android-Powered Ophone and it’s super sexy styling will be released in China this May… and of course, the device will launch on China Mobile (NYSE: CHL). Also worth noting is the fact that the Ophone will run a modified version of Android OS… Built and tweaked by China Mobile. To that end, a few more points as reported by DigiTimes:

China Mobile will outsource production of the Ophone to Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) and LG Electronics (LGE) initially, using chipset solutions most likely from Taiwan-based MediaTek, the paper said, adding that the Ophone will run on China Mobile’s in-house developed Android-based open mobile system (OMS).

So it will be… The Lenovo/LG Ophone. Mark your calendars, the Ophone is coming. Time to give a few of my Chinese friends a heads up…

[Via: AndroidCentral]

The US smartphone market might have been a little too much for rookie smartphone maker Dell, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t viable markets for Dell’s smartphone offerings. After being shunned by US wireless carriers for its lackluster smartphone lineup that failed to differentiate itself from the market, Dell is now reportedly in talks to bring their smartphones to China Mobile (NYSE: CHL).

Dell is said to be working to reach a deal with China’s single-largest wireless carrier, and hopes to have one or two of its smartphones distributed to China by year’s end. According to Zhang Jun, an analyst at Wedge MKI, a “flashy Dell addition” would help boost China Mobile’s otherwise staid offerings - and might help spur subscribers’ adoption of China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G services.

You know what they say, one country’s boring and un-differentiated smartphone is another’s “flashy” handset.

[NetworkWorld via: MocoNews]

BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) users in Hong Kong will be pleased to know that the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm will be coming to their area sometime during the second quarter. No pricing details or plan options have been made available yet, but those are definitely coming soon. The BlackBerry Storm will hit Hong Kong via multiple carriers, including 1O1O, 3 Hong Kong, China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), one2free and SmarTone-Vodafone (NYSE: VOD). The touchscreen goodness is spreading. I love it.

For more details on the BlackBerry Storm you can of course hit up BlackBerry.com.

[Via: SlashPhone]

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless announced that it plans to join the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) established by China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), SOFTBANK (OTCPK: SFTBF) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) to “help accelerate the uptake of innovative mobile technologies on a mass-market scale.”

Primararily, we’re talking about mobile widgets here, which seem to be the hot topic these days with Microsoft and Samsung announcing their platforms, recently. That said, the JIL will launch later this year a range of tools for developers — including a common mobile widgets specification; developer kits; and an online repository, distribution and payment mechanism.

Aside from allowing web-based widgets, the JIL will also enable developers to access both handset and network functionality such as the address book, camera, location information and billing in a secure environment…

We’ve been reporting new snaps and details on the Android-Powered Lenovo OPhone for some time now. Today, yet another image has emerged, which has some wondering if launch is imminent. The image above may very well be the best yet, as you can clearly see carrier branding on the device, in this case, China Mobile (NYSE: CHL). Rumor has it the OPhone could launch on China Mobile immediately following the Dopod G2 (HTC Magic)… So stay tuned for more on this one for sure. Head on over to PCOnline China for a few more snaps of the OPhone.

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) released some stats for the last year, which because of the carrier’s scale impress. Let’s briefly go through them:

• Last year, China Mobile subscribers sent 607.1 billion text messages, up more than 100 billion over the operator’s 2007 SMS totals.
• The total subscriber count is now closing in on the 464 million mark - meaning that CM holds a significant share of China’s 650 million+ mobile subscriber base.
• China Mobile customers purchased 76 million full-track music downloads in 2008.
• Another 41.5 million paid for mobile newspaper content, up a third over 2007 totals. At the moment, the China’s leading carrier is offering 110 different news periodicals.

Impressive, don’t you think?

[Via: textually.org]

It’s the same old song and dance between Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Chinese wireless carriers. In the latest round of we-said they-said negotiations surrounding the iPhone, China Mobile (NYSE: CHL)’s CEO Wang Jianzhou confirmed that Apple and China Mobile were still in talks to bring the iPhone to China, but no deal has yet been made.

Wang told reporters in Hong Kong that “We have been discussing with Apple, but until now no agreement has been reached,” adding that “The door of China Mobile’s network is always open.”

Apple has been trying to crack the Chinese market with the iPhone, but has been thus far unsuccessful. China Unicom recently confirmed talks with Apple over the iPhone, playing off China Mobile then-recent negotiation breakdowns with Apple.

[Via: AFP]

We thought Android will debut in China by the means of Lenovo’s Ophone. O(h) we were apparently wrong, as HTC is preparing to bring its Magic (aka G2) to the world’s (still) fastest growing economy. Along the way, the Taiwan-based smartphone maker will dump 3G and WiFi connectivity in an effort to make the device more affordable, or at least we think so. Additionally, they [HTC] will extensively customize the device for China Mobile (NYSE: CHL)’s “unique needs” and use Dopod’s branding instead of its own. We’re hearing it’s the May when this we’ll be happening, although exact release date is unknown at this stage. The same goes for the price…

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Here we go again. Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has been trying to crack the China market with its iPhone for almost as long as the iPhone 3G has been around. With multiple rounds of reported negotiations between Apple and Chinese wireless carriers having fruited little more than speculation, the folks in Cupertino have yet to lay claim to China’s mobile market. Today, China Unicom (China’s runner-up wireless carrier) CEO Chang Xiaobing confirmed that his company has indeed been talking things over with Apple - presumably regarding an iPhone on China Unicom’s network.

“We are in talks with many handset suppliers, including Apple,” Chang said at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. The confirmation of a Chinese carrier’s on-going talks with Apple has again sparked speculation that Apple is ready to bring its iPhone to China. China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), China’s government-backed wireless market-leader, has reportedly shunned Apple on several occasions over revenue control issues, leaving room for China Unicom to enter as a potential iPhone carrier. China Unicom is also working to roll out a nationwide 3G network based on the same WCDMA technology that the iPhone 3G uses, which bodes well for the No. 2 Chinese wireless carrier taking on the iPhone 3G.

China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA network would require Apple to either allow its iPhone 3G to run on a slower 2G network or develop and manufacture a completely new iPhone that is fully compatible with China Mobile’s network. In either case, an iPhone on China Mobile’s network seems more like a compromise than a tactical advantage. Although, China Mobile does boast the world’s largest network with a 415 million-strong subscriber-base. Such a monstrous market may prove too tempting for Apple to resist a stab at capturing a significant chunk of the world’s single-largest mobile market. China Unicom’s network has only 168 million users (which still eclipses any US wireless carrier by an order of magnitude), in comparison.

All eyes are on China Unicom to deliver an iPhone 3G to China. Perhaps China Unicom is the reason for Apple’s recent iPhone production ramp-up?

[Via: CNNMoney]