Red Magic Watch Stainless Steel Edition launched in China for 599 Yuan ($94)

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May 27, 2021

Earlier this week, the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G was officially announced in China. Now, the company has just shared a new video on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, that showcases the device being put through a series of torture tests.

The video was shared by the brand’s product head, Wang Thomas, and had the newly launched device undergoing various stress tests. In the video, the device was put through a long sequence of torture tests and still managed to remain unharmed. The Chinese tech giant had the Note 10 Pro 5G go through a drop test on a hard surface. After this, it was also placed in a centrifuge machine and spun along with some small plastic materials as well.

Furthermore, the company also subjected the device to a series of shots with walnuts and even a machine drilling. One of the odd tests that Xiaomi had the device undergo is being put into a mashing machine along with some rocks. For those unaware, the device sports Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus that covers the display. The video also showcases the bend resistance and durability of the Note 10 Pro’s aluminosilicate glass, which even went through a scratch test as well.

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iQOO Z3 5G’s first teaser released in India

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May 27, 2021

iQOO is gearing up to launch its first Z-series smartphone in India. Today, it rolled out the first teaser of the phone. While the teaser does not explicitly mention the name of the device, reports suggest that the brand will announce the iQOO Z3 5G soon in the country.

Something POWERFUL is coming.
Can you guess?
Tell us in comments.

Hint: Increase your phone's brightness for a glimpse!#iQOO #ComingSoon #StayTuned pic.twitter.com/uA8miG0PcJ

— iQOO India (@IqooInd) May 27, 2021

By using an image editor, we were able to amplify the colors of the above image to get a better view of the Z-branding. This phone is likely to be sold through Amazon in India. Hence, its landing page is likely to soon surface on the retailer site.

Leaked information that surfaced yesterday revealed that the iQOO Z3 5G will be debuting in India between June 10 and June 15 and it will be costing around Rs 25,000 (~$229). Hence, the Z3 will be positioned lower than the iQOO 7 flagship models that start at Rs 31,990 (~$293) in the country.

iQOO Z3 5G specifications and features

The iQOO Z3 5G has a 6.58-inch IPS LCD FHD+ 120Hz display with a teardrop notch. For photography, it has a selfie camera of 16-megapixel and a triple camera system comprising of a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The device features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The iQOO Z3 5G is rumored to debut as India’s first phone powered by the Snapdragon 768G chipset. The device may arrive with up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. The Chinese variant of the phone has 55W fast charging support for its 4,400mAh battery. The Indian variant may ship with a slower charger. The smartphone runs on Android 11 OS, which is overlaid with iQOO UI.

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Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 to come with 120Hz refresh rate display and side-mounted fingerprint sensor

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May 27, 2021

Reports are making rounds about Xiaomi gearing up to launch its new tablet in the market, dubbed Xiaomi Mi Pad 5. While the exact launch date is not yet confirmed, the device will be launched in the second half of this year.

Now, a new report has surfaced online which reveals more details about the upcoming device. It is said that the Mi Pad 5 will come with a right-angled edge design for the screen design, similar to the Apple iPad Pro.

The device with a thin and light body is also said to come with a 120Hz refresh rate LCD screen and will come with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for added protection. The company is expected to launch a Pro variant of the Mi Pad 5 which will also come with the same design as the standard model.

Earlier reports have claimed that the Mi Pad 5 will come powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset while the Pro variant will pack Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. It is also said that the device could feature a display with 2K screen resolution. The device is also powered by a 4,260mAh dual-cell battery.

As noted, the launch date of the Mi Pad 5 series is not yet confirmed but reports indicate that the device could go official sometime in July this year. When launched, it will be one of the high-end tablets in the market and could be priced around 3,000 yuan (~$470).

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Huawei Watch 3 officially teased to come powered by HarmonyOS

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May 27, 2021

Huawei recently launched HarmonyOS, the company’s own operating system which is to be used in almost all the products from the brand. Huawei is now gearing up to launch the HarmonyOS for smartphones in a few days.

Now, ahead of the launch of HarmonyOS for smartphones next week, the company has teased the arrival of its next-generation smartwatch — Huawei Watch 3, which will also be running the HarmonyOS.

For those who are unaware, Huawei started selling smartwatches in the year 2015 and the first device was launched as Huawei Watch, powered by the Snapdragon Wear chipset and Android Wear. In 2018, the Huawei GT series debuted with HiSilicon Kirin SoC and running the Huawei LiteOS. Now, the company is re-launching the Huawei Watch lineup to address the shortcomings of previous versions.

The upcoming smartphone, which will be running the new HarmonyOS, will come with a newly improved user interface and also comes with support for mobile payments and support for more third-party applications.

Huawei is also expected to release a cellular variant that will have support for eSIM compatibility. But it remains to be seen how the device performs in terms of battery life with this new operating system and additional features.

As far as the June 2 launch event is concerned, Huawei is speculated to announce a couple of other devices, including the Huawei MatePad Pro 2. The Chinese giant expects that by the end of 2021, the number of devices equipped with the Hongmeng operating system will reach 300 million, of which Huawei’s equipment will exceed 200 million, and the number of various terminal devices for third-party partners will exceed 100 million.

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Apple iPad Pro with M1 chips have an irreparable security flaw

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May 27, 2021

The propriety M1 Chip from Apple has already made its way to a number of the company’s products. This includes MacBooks, iMacs, iMac mini, and even the iPad Pro. Now, a new report has found that the iPad Pro with the company’s silicon has an irreparable security flaw.

According to developer Hector Martin (Via PhoneArena), the M1 based iPad Pro suffers from a vulnerability that exists on a hardware level of the M1. In other words, this is an issue that cannot be fixed through a simple software update. The Cupertino based giant has apparently violated an Arm architecture specification requirement as well. This means that there is no simple method of fixing the issue.

The developer further explained that the flaw basically allows two applications to covertly exchange data without using normal operating system features. While this is a vulnerability, it, fortunately, does not pose any serious security risks. Even in a worst case scenario this security risk would only enable advertisers for cross app tracking and can not be used by hackers to take control of one’s device or even steal sensitive information. Although, the flaw still violates the OS security model.

Furthermore, this issue affects every M1 device, which means it could even affect the iPhone 12 series as well since the A14 Bionic is based on the same CPU microarchitecture. The developer said that the only way of fixing this is to run the entire operating system as a virtual machine (VM). But that is not exactly a feasible repair to the issue. Hector believes that the flaw could even affect the next generation M1X chipset as well, but will be fixed in the following generation in the future.

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RedMagic 6R with 144Hz display, SD888, 55W charging, and 7.8mm chassis launched for 2,699 Yuan (~$423)

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May 27, 2021

Nubia announced the RedMagic 6 and RedMagic 6 Pro gaming smartphones in March in China. The brand is back with another gaming phone called the RedMagic 6R. With a starting price of 2,699 Yuan (~$423), the RedMagic 6R offers top-notch specs like a 144Hz display, Snapdragon 888, up to 12 GB of RAM, and a decent battery with 55W fast charging, The handset is positioned lower than the RedMagic 6 smartphone.

RedMagic 6R specifications and features

The RedMagic 6R has a 6.67-inch AMOLED punch-hole panel that produces a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 20: 9 aspect ratio, a 144Hz refresh rate, a 360H touch sampling, peak brightness of 770nits, DCI-P3 color gamut, 10-bit colors, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

The Snapdragon 888 mobile platform drives the RedMagic 6R with 6 GB / 8 GB / 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. For storage, the handset offers UFS 3.1 storage choices such as 128 GB and 256 GB. The RedMagic OS 4.0 based on Android 11 comes pre-installed on the RedMagic 6R.

It is backed by a 4,200mAh battery that supports 55W charging. In comparison, the RedMagic 6 has a 4,500mAh battery with 66W charging, whereas the 6 Pro (global) has a 5,050mAh battery with 120W charging support. The RedMagic 6R has a 3D cooling system for heat dissipation, which includes a graphene layer, a VC liquid cooling, a thermal gel, superconducting copper foil, and a metallic mid-frame.

For gamers, the RedMagic 6R features gaming trigger shoulder buttons that offer a response rate of as low as 8.3mms and a 400Hz touch sampling rate. Buyers who purchase the RedMagic 6R can take advantage of Tencent’s exclusive custom gaming package such as “Call of Duty”, “The End of the World, and Moon Knife”. and “Glory of the King.”

The RedMagic 6R has a front camera of 16-megapixel that supports portrait selfie mode and Full HD video recording. The rear camera system of the 6R comprises a Sony IMX682 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth helper. It supports features NeoVision camera engine, like super night scene mode, portrait mode, timelapse slow-motion video recording, and 4K video recording.

The RedMagic 6R offers other features such as dual SIM support with 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, DTS:X Ultra sound support, single smart PA, and USB-C. The handset measures 163.04 x 75.34 x 7.8mm and weighs 186 grams. Hence, it is one of the thinnest and lightweight gaming smartphones available in the market.

Apart from announcing the standard RedMagic 6R, Nubia also unveiled the RedMagic 6R Buddha IP Limited Edition inspired by the Monkey King game. This one comes in a single version featuring 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of built-in storage. The other specs of the phone are the same as the standard 6R model.

RedMagic 6R pricing and availability

Here is the pricing of the different variants of the Red Magic 6R:

6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 2,699 Yuan (~$423)
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – 2,999 Yuan (~$470)
12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage – 3,299 Yuan (~$517)
12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage – 3,599 Yuan (~$565)
12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage (limited edition) – 3,999 Yuan

The Nubia RedMagic 6R comes in three colors such as Phantom Black, Stream Silver, and White. Its first sale will be carried out on June 1 in China.

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Design of Vivo’s upcoming first tablet leaks online

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May 27, 2021

Vivo, the Chinese smartphone brand, is reportedly working on the company’s first tablet device which could soon get launched in the market. While Vivo has not yet confirmed this, an image of the device’s design has surfaced online.

The image shows that the device will come with a full-screen display without any notches on top for the front-facing camera. However, there’s no front-facing camera visible on the device, which is highly unlikely. So, it remains to be seen where the camera will be placed.

As for the rear camera, it appears that there will be a dual-camera setup with an LED flash, all placed inside a rectangle-shaped camera module. There are volume rocket keys on the left and a power button on the right.

As noted above, when launched, this will be the first tablet from Vivo. It will become of the few Chinese smartphone makers to enter the tablet market, making it to the list of companies that include Huawei and Xioami.

It seems that Vivo is now focusing on more categories for new products and not just focus on the smartphone market, which has become highly competitive. It recently launched the Vivo TWS 2 earphones in China and now the company is gearing up to launch tablet.

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Ninebot launches the KickScooter F Series for the global market on Indiegogo

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Jed John Ikoba

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May 27, 2021

Xiaomi partner Segway-Ninebot has unveiled two new electric scooters under the KickScooter F- series. The Ninebot KickScooter F Series is a feature-rich yet cost-effective mobility tool and has an extended range of 25 miles, a top speed of 18.6 mph max, a foldable design, and a Bluetooth anti-theft security lock. The series is made up of the KickScooter F30 and KickScooter F40.

The F30 has a powerful battery of up to 10,200 mAh that offers a decent mileage on a full charge (17 miles for the F30 and 25 miles for the F40). The F30 can attain a top speed of15.5 mph, while the F40 can attain 18.6 mph. With up to 350W of power available the scooter can overcome some steep gradients easily.

The 10-inch pneumatic tires, with superior shock absorption, combine with the excellent design of the scooter to give you a smoother and more stable ride even on bumpy terrain. The polymer lining and wear-resistant thread on the F Series offer a comfortable and safe riding experience. The pneumatic tires are durable and solid all-round.

There are three riding modes that can be activated with two clicks on the LED dashboard. The three modes are Eco Mode, Standard Mode, and Sport Mode.

The F Series has a regenerative braking system that turns the scooter into a vehicle powered by electricity and recycled energy from riding. Energy will be collected from regenerative braking and distributed when the energy levels have been depleted.

You can also connect the Ninebot KickScooter F Series with the Segway-Ninebot app via Bluetooth to check your riding speed, energy usage, and battery usage. A cruise control option is also available at 5 mph.

You can also upgrade the scooter firmware over-the-air and monitor riding data, which enhances your overall riding experience.

The Ninebot KickScooter F30 is priced at $529 while the F40 will be sold for $629. The F-series scooters are presently up for backing on Indiegogo with shipping expected to commence in July 2021.

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Global Smartwatch shipments surge by 35% in Q1 2021: Report

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May 27, 2021

A new report has revealed that the global smartwatch market has seen notable growth of 35 percent year on year in the first quarter of this year. Apple led the market and even saw a whopping 50 percent growth year on year as well.

According to a Counterpoint Research report, the Cupertino based giant led the market thanks to the robust demand for its latest Series 6 models. The iPhone maker’s overall market share also rose by 3 percent. Meanwhile, Samsung shipments also rose by 27 percent year on year, with its Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active series being in demand. However, the South Korean smartphone maker’s growth was below the overall market average and it even saw a slight decline in its market share.

Similarly, Huawei also saw a fall in its market share in this category, despite having a strong performance in the same period a year ago. The smartwatch shipments include basic smartwatches with low level proprietary OS, wearables for children, and even high end smartwatches as well. Senior Analyst Sujeong Lim said that “Apple was able to further solidify its leadership position in the market by widening the portfolio from Watch SE to Series 6 at the right time. This may drive Samsung to launch a mid-price-tier model to boost growth.”

Lim further added that “Huawei continued to face headwinds because of the declining smartwatch sales and how well Huawei watches are optimized for its smartphones. Will be interesting to see when Huawei launches its first watch based on HarmonyOS, as it hinted at the Huawei Analyst Summit last month. This should kickstart a new ecosystem for developers to build experiences for the wrist. But it will warrant a HarmonyOS phone as well for the complete experience. HONOR, spun off from Huawei, should open up new opportunities for players such as Google and Qualcomm.”

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OPPO F17, A73 Android 11-based ColorOS 11 Beta registrations go live

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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May 27, 2021

OPPO launched the OPPO F17 in India in September. This very same phone made its debut as OPPO A73 in some markets. The smartphone released with ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10. Eight months after its initial launch, interested OPPO F17 / A73 users can finally taste ColorOS 11 (Android 11) on their handset.

The OPPO F17 Pro was one of the first smartphones to get the Android 11-based ColorOS 11 update. However, OPPO has opened beta registrations for its affordable sibling OPPO F17 aka OPPO A73 only now.

According to the official announcement posts on ColorOS Community, the beta update is currently only available in India, Thailand, and Malaysia. In order to enroll in the beta program, users need to be on firmware version A.37 or A.39.

If the phones of the interested users are running either of the two above-mentioned firmware versions, they can head over to Settings > Sofware Update > Gear Icon > Apply for Beta Version > Update Beta Version and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the registration.

The registrations are said to run until May 31 for OPPO F17. However, the last date for OPPO A73 is May 28.

Users who get selected will receive ColorOS 11 (Android 11) beta build as an OTA update. If their application gets rejected, they can try their luck for the next batch. Anyway, all users should get the stable update in the coming weeks.

Xiaomi profits and revenue reach record high in Q1 2021

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May 27, 2021

Xiaomi recently announced its unaudited consolidated results for the first quarter of this year. This financial report had the company register record high profits and revenue in the period ending on March 31.

As per an official blog post, the Chinese tech giant announced that its expectations regarding adjusted net profit and its overall revenue had far exceeded market projections. The company’s total revenue for this period was 76.9 billion Yuan (roughly 12 billion US Dollars), which marked a rise of a sizeable 54.7 percent year on year. On the other hand, the brand also recorded an adjusted net profit of 6.1 billion Yuan (roughly 965 million US Dollars), with profits seeing a whopping 163.8 percent growth year on year.

The smartphone maker added that “The strong growth of smartphone shipments drove a continued expansion of our global user base. Our AIoT platform has continued to scale in tandem across the world. Besides the solid growth in our existing business lines, we are also continuing to explore new opportunities and broadening our business horizon. In March 2021, we unveiled our new branding identity and also announced our official foray into the smart electric vehicle business, setting the course for an exciting journey that will ensure a bright future for the company in the coming decade.”

During Q1 2021, the company shipped a total of 49.4 million units and the gross profit for its smartphone business was around 12.9 percent. Xiaomi even maintained the third position in the global smartphone market, in terms of shipments, achieving a market share of 14.1 percent. Meanwhile, in China, the brand came fourth and had a market share of 14.6 percent.

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OPPO Reno 6 series smartphones to reportedly launch in India in July

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May 27, 2021

Earlier this year, OPPO launched the Reno 5 Pro flagship smartphone with a focus on design and camera features. Now, the company is gearing up to launch its successor under the OPPO Reno 6 series.

The new flagship lineup from the brand — OPPO Reno 6 series has is ready to make its global debut in China today, i.e. on 27th May. Now, the lineup will be launched in the Indian market in the month of July, reports TechRadar India.

The report adds that the launch timeline is confirmed but there’s a possibility of last-minute change due to the lockdown and supply chain constraints. It’s likely that OPPO will launch three phones in the series — OPPO Reno 6, Reno 6 Pro, and Reno 6 Plus Pro.

It remains to be seen which of these phones will be made official in the Indian market. OPPO has not launched a high-end premium smartphone in recent times, the last such device being the OPPO Find X2.

The OPPO Reno6 Pro+ 5G is expected to come with a 6.55-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display with support for the in-display fingerprint sensor. It will feature a quad-camera setup on the back with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 13-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

On the front side, the device is expected to feature a 32-megapixel snapper and will be powered by a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. The Reno 6 is expected to pack Dimensity 900 SoC while the Pro variant will be powered by the Dimensity 1200 chipset.

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Meizu Watch to offer all-day performance by charging for few minutes

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May 27, 2021

Meizu will be announcing the Meizu Watch will be launching on May 31 in China. Ahead of the launch, the Chinese manufacturer has confirmed some of its key specs and features. Today, the company confirmed that the battery and charging capabilities of the smartwatch.

According to Meizu, the Meizu Watch will deliver all-day performance by charging it for only 15 minutes. This indicates that a fully charged Meizu Watch would be able to last for several days. The Chinese manufacturer is yet to confirm the battery size of the smartwatch.

Usually, the charging base of most smartwatches comes with a wire attached, which makes it harder to carry. Meizu confirmed that the charging base of the Meizu Watch is separated from its charging wire. This means that users simply need to carry the charging cradle and connect any USB-C charge to it and charge the watch.

Meizu recently confirmed that the Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset, the latest wearable chip from Qualcomm, will power the Meizu Watch. With support for e-SIM, it can work as a standalone device for making voice calls. The inclusion of e-SIM also means that it will carry support for LTE connectivity.

The appearance of the Meizu Watch seems to be inspired by the Apple Watch. It has a square-shaped display with curved edges and round corners. A recent rumor claimed that it will be running on Meizu’s Flyme OS for smartwatches, which will allow users to install third-party apps.

The Meizu Watch is expected to offer users health and fitness-focused features. It is unclear whether the wearable device is equipped with an NFC chip for making contactless payments. The Meizu Watch is now up for reservations through Meizu Mall and JD.com in China. At present, there is no word on the pricing of the device.

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Nokia C20 Plus spotted with more RAM at Geekbench

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May 27, 2021

HMD Global is reportedly working on a new smartphone called the Nokia C20 Plus. This handset has paid a visit to the Geekbench benchmarking platform (via. My Smart Price) to reveal some of its key specs.

Last month, the Finnish firm had announced a slew of Nokia phones such as Nokia G10, Nokia G20, Nokia C10, and Nokia C20. The Nokia C20 Plus moniker suggests that it will be a better version of the C20. Coming to the Geekbench 5 listing of the Nokia C20 Plus reveals that the phone has 3 GB of RAM and runs on Android 11 OS.

The exact name of the chipset is not mentioned in the Geekbench listing. It just states that it has a Unisoc processor with four cores clocking at 1.20GHz and the other four cores running at 1.60GHz. The handset scored 126 and 476 in the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, respectively. It seems that the phone could be equipped with the Unisoc SC9863A chipset, which fuels the Nokia C20 handset.

Apart from featuring more RAM, the Nokia C20 Plus is also expected to come with a larger battery than the C20. A recent leak claimed that the C20 Plus will house a 5,000mAh battery, whereas the C20 has a 3,000Ah battery. It is also speculated that the Plus edition will have dual rear cameras. In comparison, the C20 has a single 5-megapixel rear camera.

Rumors have it that the Finnish brand is also working on a smartphone called the Nokia C30. So far, the rumor mill has revealed that it will come with a 6,000mAh battery, a dual-camera system, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. It is expected to be priced under €100.

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JD.com, Meituan, and Neolix receive permit to test autonomous vehicle deliveries in Beijing

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Jed John Ikoba

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May 27, 2021

Beijing Metropolitan authority has granted JD.com, Meituan, and Neolix to test their autonomous vehicle delivery system on some designated public roads within the Beijing suburbs. Specifically, the driverless delivery vans will run a pilot scheme within the Yizhuang Development Area. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the local authorities.

According to reports, the requisite 5G infrastructure needed for the rollout of driverless delivery service in the Yizhuang neighborhood is already in place. The three companies granted the permit have differing goals. While JD.com and Meituan seek these self-driving delivery vans to meet up demand from its core business concerns, Neolix is a young startup focused on retail, surveillance, and other city services. Neolix is backed by Li Auto, a budding electric vehicle manufacturer.

The new driverless delivery scheme is bound to impact positively on the operations of JD.com, as it may scale down the number of delivery staff needed for its activities in the target area. Meituan draws from a pool of riders to carry out restaurant deliveries, enhanced with the new driverless delivery system.

About 150 self-driving delivery vans would be deployed by Neolix by June, according to the company. It is still unclear the scale of deployment of the delivery robots by JD.com and Meituan, as both companies were yet to provide public information on their plans.

There are strict safety rules that must be met by each of the companies, including on-the-spot or remote safety drivers, to react to the fluid dynamics of these robots interfacing with pedestrians. Each company has developed the self-driving technology to an appreciable level for its deployment and hopes this pilot run will be highly successful. Each of the delivery vans is customized to interact with customers excellently.

Japan wants TSMC and Sony to build 20-nanometre chip production plant

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