The Huawei Global Analyst Conference was held earlier today (12th April 2021)  in Shenzhen, China. In the event, the company’s rotating chairman explained why the brand does not build cars.

During the event, Xu Zhijun, the rotating chairman of the Chinese tech giant was asked why the company did not build cars. The question even pointed at the rival brand Xiaomi as an example. Zhijun responded that the company will continue to increase its investment into smart car softwares for the growth of  intelligence, automation, and the shift of the automobile industry to electric vehicles. But, he emphasized that Huawei’s position in the industry is relatively small, as it is just a component supplier in the field of smart connected vehicles.

The senior official further added that the decision for Huawei to not build a car was made after many years of discussions. Apparently, the company has internally assessed entering the automobile industry since 2012. Furthermore, car related research also began around that time, with ‘Internet of Vehicles’ laboratory being established by the brand in the same year. This was back when the company was studying the concept of electric vehicles, smart cars, and autonomous driving systems.

Since then, Xu Zhijun said that Huawei found that its technology was becomingly increasingly more common in automobiles, along with its value in the self driving market growing as well. Thus, the company decided against building cars, rather, they would shift the focus to provide ICT capabilities to help make better smart cars, which is reflected by its partnership with various automobile makers. Apart from just the software, the company also seeks to include Huawei branded electronic products that can be found inside the car.

RELATED:

• Huawei and Arcfox launches luxury sedan as it eyes market for 5G-equipped smart electric cars
• Huawei not building cars but will help automakers, with 30 upcoming smart components
• Huawei Whole House Smart Host turns the entire house to a truly smart home

The post Huawei Exec explains why the company doesn’t build cars appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier today, Huawei announced its financial report for last year, where it revealed its modest growth of 3.2 percent of net profits in 2020. The company even addressed the recent rumors regarding it working on building its own car, which it said again is not the case.

As per the Chinese tech giant, the company is working on smart connected vehicles, but is not building its own car. Rather, it will be helping other automobile manufacturers in building smart connected vehicles. Furthermore, the company also announced that it would also be working on developing next gen computing and communication based technologies. These products will be used in smart connected vehicles, with the company planning on launching more than 30 of smart components.

These components will be launched soon and will arrive one after another. The company also announced that it has plans on working with more than 20 hardware makers and 280 application vendors. Notably, it has also announced that it will launch its proprietary HarmonyOS (also known as HongMengOS in China) for smartphones soon. At the moment, HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) is also the world’s third largest mobile application ecosystem.

For those unaware, the company is aiming to leverage its communications and mobile services expertise. We had previously also reported on the company working on diversifying to the automobile industry through its HiCar initiative. So, this news is also in line with its plans to make communication based components and other smart features for automobile manufacturers.

RELATED:

• Huawei sees 3.2 percent rise in profits in 2020, while revenue declines outside of China
• Huawei P50 could be delayed till June; HarmonyOS for smartphones to get released in April
• Huawei to release HarmonyOS Beta 3 later this month; stable version coming in April
• Poll of The Week: Are you still interested in Huawei flagships after the ban?

The post Huawei not building cars but will help automakers, with 30 upcoming smart components appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier this week, Huawei debuted its Smart Home project in the ongoing Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021 event. The new project follows the company’s core design concept of building smart homes.

During the MWC Shanghai 2021 event, the company showcased an area of 550 m2 in total, which included the installation of a living room, kitchen, study, home gym, entertainment room, and garage. These installations use wireless technologies made from products from the Chinese tech giant. This included smartphones, PCs, tablets, smartwatches, smart speakers, and the Vision TV range as well. The smart home project includes products integrated with the Huawei ecosystem partners.

The aim of the project is to offer customers a ‘comfortable, intelligent and immersive Smart Home experience.’ Furthermore, the Smart Home project represents an integral part of the brand’s Seamless AI Life Strategy, which also involves innovative technologies like the HiLink, HarmonyOS, and the new HiCar. In other words, the current prototype is basically what a smart home can be within the Internet of Things era.

The company demonstrated this by showcasing the living room, where just a few words can wake up the smart assistant and enable the Back Home mode. This mode will turn on the air conditioning and air purifier, while also turning on warm lights and closing the curtains. Similarly, the kitchen will also be wirelessly connected and have products that support HarmonyOS. One can simply control these products through their smartphone, once these appliances are connected to a shared network at home.

Huawei also showcased a mock study and living/entertainment room, where one can observe a MatePad Pro laptop and the 65 inch 4K Vision TV respectively. The company’s wearable lineup like the Watch GT 2 Pro also comes in for health related activities and tracking in the gym room. When entering the garage, the doors to the car can open directly through your phones, which can also be synced to other mobile applications and services like music and navigation as well.

According to Huawei, smart home isn’t simply about adding more IoT products, rather, it aims on how these devices connect and form a ‘virtual world.’ In other words, it aims to build an extension of human senses, while also improving how users interact with these devices by developing a ‘repertoire of intuitive voice and gesture commands.’ At the moment, the brand has more than 800 partners in its HiLink platform, which covers over 220 million IoT devices, and aims to bring more than 40 mainstream brands to provide 100 million HarmonyOS based products to households.

RELATED:

• Huawei turns to other businesses to make up for its loss of the smartphone market
• Huawei HMS for Car will feature on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
• Huawei saw ‘slight’ growth in 2020 despite various hurdles: Chairman

The post Huawei unveils its Smart Home project at MWC Shanghai 2021 appeared first on Gizmochina.

After the impacts of the US sanctions, Huawei faced a sharp decline in its smartphone business. However, that has yet to stop the company from expanding its horizons. Despite facing impacts of reinforced restrictions the company aimed at diversifying into the automobile industry, and now a report suggests that the company is collaborating with another brand to launch a new smart car.

According to a ChinaStarMarket report, the Chinese tech giant’s HiCar is partnering up with BAIC Blue Valley to launch a new smart car. The announcement was made earlier today (7th January 2021), during a conference. This collaboration had apparently begun early last year, on January 28, and will have both companies jointly launch a new smart car by the first half of this year.

Editor’s Pick: realme V15 5G launched in China with Dimensity 800U, AMOLED display, and 50W fast charging

At the moment, not a lot of finer details regarding this partnership or the smart car is known. But the report also stated that Huawei will be undertaking the research and development behind the upcoming smart car’s software systems and more. Furthermore, the company will also be responsible for the ICT technology and cloud computing systems behind the new smart car.

Previously, the company had similarly partnered with Chinese automobile maker BYD, to launch the world’s first car that features HarmonyOS, under its HiCar initiative, and had even reportedly planned to begin making parts and systems of automobiles as well. For those unaware, BAIC Blue Valley is a Beijing based electric vehicle manufacturer, which has collaborated with other major automobiles brand from across the globe. So, its partnership with a local company, which has experience in networking and software systems, would only help to boost its strength in the EV market.

UP NEXT: Samsung Galaxy M02s with Snapdragon 450, 5,000mAh battery, and 13MP triple cameras launched for Rs 8,999 (~$123)

The post Huawei HiCar partners with BAIC Blue Valley to launch a new smart car in H1 2021 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier this month, a Weibo blogger posted an image of a Huawei smart screen. This was the in vehicle smart screen for the company’s HiCar system, which is a part of its initiative to diversify into the automobile industry.

Looking at the image shared on the Chinese microblogging website, the upcoming HiCar smart screen sports a pop up selfie camera on the front, with a wide aspect ratio of 21:9 for its display. A notably aspect regarding this smart screen is that it arrives with support for the Chinese tech giant’s proprietary OS, Harmony OS 2.0. The tablet appears to be the size of a large tablet, and can be placed as per the users’ requirements. In other words, it isn’t simply a large central control panel, but rather an entertainment center for listening to music, watching videos, making calls, web browsing or even playing games.

Editor’s Pick: Nokia PureBook X14 launched in India with metal body, Intel Core i5, Dolby Vision, and more

The Huawei HiCar smart screen also sports a camera on the front, it is housed in a pop up mechanism and raises from the top of the device. Furthermore, the speaker can be found on the back of the product. Unfortunately, finer details regarding the smart screen is currently unknown like its build material or screen resolution. The post from @Ark咔嚓一下 is all we have to go on for now. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing more updates when additional information is available.

UP NEXT: Vivo study reveals that smartphone usage has risen immensely in 2020, raises concerns over mental health

The post Huawei HiCar smart screen live image leaked, arrives with HarmonyOS appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier today (28th October 2020), Huawei officially announced a new smart product for vehicles. In a video teaser, the company unveiled a smart screen that will be housed within automobiles.

At the moment, not a lot of details regarding the product are known, although, it has been officially confirmed to be launched on 30th October 2020. The smart screen is “Powered by HUAWEI HiCar,” which is a part of the company’s initiative to enter the automobile peripherals market. As per the video, the in vehicle smart screen will sport a front facing camera that appears to be housed in a pop up mechanism.

Editor’s Pick: LG Wing 5G dual display phone and LG Velvet launched for Rs 69,990 (~$948) and 36,990 (~$504) in India

We can also observe that the front will primarily be covered by the device’s display, which is flat, while the rear houses all the necessary components alongside the speaker grills. A short clip of the bottom also revealed that the company will offer a stand with the smart screen to properly secure it in the car. Furthermore, the new smart screen will be powered by HarmonyOS 2.0 (or HongMengOS in China) and will likely be capable of taking calls, listening to music, or even watching videos and movies.

Unfortunately, finer details are still unknown like the size of the display, but it is likely to be the size of a tablet and would also act as a control panel. Huawei is set to branch out towards the automobile industry and the new product might be the first of many for the company. So stay tuned for the launch event that is just around the corner and more updates as well.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi’s MIUI will soon get a horizontal Recent Apps screen reminiscent of other Android UIs

The post Huawei officially releases new video teaser for the HiCar Smart Screen appeared first on Gizmochina.

Huawei has today officially confirmed that the company will be launching its new Smart Screen on 30th October in China. The teaser poster shared by the company showcases a smart screen and a car, hinting at the product being an in-car smart display.

Earlier, it was reported that the Chinese giant could soon launch a new smart screen for cars, which will be powered by the company’s own HongMeng OS 2.0. It is also said to be a tablet-sized product that can be connected to Huawei’s smartphones for several additional features, including listening to music, watching videos, making phone calls, among others.

Huawei has been expanding its product offerings, especially in the smart screen category for the past few months. The company’s executive has revealed that the company has plans to create screens for four major areas — Home, Office, Car, and Sports.

EDITOR’S PICK: Redmi K30S for 2,299 Yuan (~$343) brings 144Hz display, SD865, 64MP triple cameras, and 5,000mAh battery

It seems that this upcoming in-car smart screen isn’t the only car-related product coming from the Chinese giant. Last month, the company had registered Huawei Electric Technology with a capital of 250 million yuan, which focuses on engineering research, development, testing, and selling of smart automotive products.

During this year’s Huawei Developer Conference 2020 (HDC), the company held HMS for Car Smart Mobility sub-forum and introduced its new smart car cloud service solution. It also revealed that the company is also working with Volvo and Hongqi.

As for this new upcoming product, it is likely the HiCar Center Screen which received a Bluetooth certificate last month. The device will be powered by HiCar, Huawei’s own take on Android Auto but will have HongMeng OS as a base.

UP NEXT: HongMeng OS high-end tablets coming this year? First phone arriving next year

The post Huawei to launch HiCar Center Screen powered by HongMeng OS 2.0 on October 30 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Huawei Technologies is a known brand in the consumer electronics industry. However, its expertise doesn’t end there as it is also a leading telecom equipment provider as well. So, it arrives as a surprise when information surfaces that the Chinese tech giant might soon be entering the automobile market.

In the current age, technology and interconnectivity between different areas have become the norm thanks to advances in machines and improved networking. Self driving cars are a reality and smart cars feature various intelligent and interactive aspects as well. In recent times, Huawei has shown an interest in the automobile industry, although, it never really went past providing 5G support to vehicles or certain other tech to add on to a vehicle.

Editor’s Pick: Motorola Tech3 TriX 3 in 1 Hybrid Earphones launched in India for 5,999 INR ($81) in Flipkart Sale

But now, it seems that the company seeks to expand on this new field by increasing the development, production, sales, and service of automobile parts and other intelligent systems. According to a NetEase report, a sudden message has surfaced that mentioned the company growing its investment in the automobile industry. In other words, a new venture/diversification that will have Huawei utilize its technology and communications expertise on vehicles.

Previously, the company has worked with other brands for certain car models and has even dabbled with self driving vehicles as well. So with all this experience, it might be just a matter of time before the company enters the automobile industry with its own new brand. Keep in mind, Huawei has not explicitly stated its intentions regarding manufacturing auto parts, so take this report with a pinch of salt for now and stay tuned for more updates.

UP NEXT: Samsung accounts for a massive 88% of 5G Smartphone shipments in Western Europe: H1 2020 report

The post Huawei might soon manufacture and sell automobile parts: Report appeared first on Gizmochina.

The latest and greatest feature out of the Huawei labs is the brand new Huawei HiCar. The name first appeared last August, where Huawei claimed they were developing a new feature that would essentially allow a user to control their car via smartphone. While at the time there were no specifics, the feature is now almost here and we’ve got more detail on just what exactly it does.

There are several features that Huawei HiCar makes available to the user. For starters, you can basically control most autonomous functions of your car from the app. This applies to things like air conditioning, windows, wipers and car locks. On top of that, it can also user the car’s cameras to take pictures or videos, which could be useful in a lot of ways. There’s also an option to share those pictures and videos, which isn’t as useful but still interesting.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei P30 Pro units are failing SafetyNet, Huawei confirms

When the smartphone and the car connect, the central control screen on the car will display the options available on special cards, such as those dedicated to planning reminders, navigating to a destination, playing music, answering calls and to the voice assistant functions. This central hub allows you to make changes easily and quickly. If you’re curious, the answer is no, you cannot drive your car with you smartphone.

This feature will be coming to the Mate 30 line of devices first, which is to be expected. According to Huawei however, only flagship devices from the company will be getting the feature from this point on, which essentially means just the Mate and P-series devices. It’s not very surprising, though we would’ve liked to see this feature on some of the cheaper devices as well.

UP NEXT: Huawei Mate 30 Pro update brings camera and video optimizations

(Source)

The post Huawei HiCar lets you control your car with your smartphone appeared first on Gizmochina.