The Tech Dynasty Posts
Posts written at CNET Asia’s The Tech Dynasty
Electrolux Personal Mini Kitchen a tasty concept
Having just celebrated my second wedding anniversary, my single days are (touch wood) behind me. As such, the Electrolux Personal Mini Kitchen isn’t the most practical gadget for me, but it sure is damn cool–in a high-tech lunchbox sorta way.
The concept all-in-one mini kitchen, designed by Kai Yu for the “young Chinese generation who live alone”, features everything you’d expect to find in such a device: A heater, a cooler and a tablet PC with Webcam.
China as world’s next green tech leader?
I’m not much for predictions or speculation. I partake, but don’t put much effort or faith in it. However, when I wrote in 2005 about my high hopes that China would take on green energy, I hadn’t expected that I’d actually see the day it might come true.
But a recent NYTs article, entitled “China vies to be world’s leader in electric cars“, suggests just that. Chinese officials and auto industry executives have issued a plan to raise the Mainland’s annual production capacity of hybrid or all-electric cars and buses to 500,000 by the end of 2011. This is up from 2,100 last year.
Will China turn off their lights tonight?
For an hour tonight, 2,100 cities in 82 countries around the planet will shut off their lights (and other non-essential electromagic gadgets) in an effort to draw awareness and show commitment to stopping climate change.
Earth Hour is an initiative created by the World Wildlife Fund, and has grown in popularity since its 2007 inception in Sydney, Australia.And while China officially signed on as a participant this year, the coincidental overlapping of the country’s new Serfs Emancipation Day holiday has caused Earth Hour to go largely unpublicized here.
italki.com brings language teaching to market
When I was visiting Shanghai-based italki.com‘s offices this past November (see post) it was mentioned that some exciting news was in the pipes for the massive language learning site.Today, after completely forgetting that such newsbait had ever chummed this blogger’s waters, I was given the lowdown: italki has just launched a Language Marketplace.
iFakes Part II: Fake Apple netbooks?
I’m not looking to stir up the heat that took over the comments of my last post on the topic, but the crafty Chinese shanzai crew are at it again. Loathed to wait for an official release of an Apple-branded Netbook, a manufacturer in Shenzhen has come up with its own solution–the WF188.
WordCamp China 2009 coming soon to Shanghai
As an avid WordPress user and developer, I’m not entirely sure how the fact that WordCamp China 2009 is only a couple weeks away escaped my notice.
Thankfully, fellow CNET Asia blogger Victor Cheung is more on the ball and tipped me off to this once-a-year event which will feature WordPress founder (and CNET alumni) Matt Mullenweg.
iFakes–China loves Apple products but doesn’t really want to pay for them
Like Apple products? Hate Apple prices? In China? Well, my friend, today is your lucky day. That is assuming you have a criminal or at least a mildly unethical nature.
The future according to Microsoft
I’ve a confession to make: I’ve always been a bit of a sci-fi realist. I was the kid who would sit around debating with his friends why ships always met on the same horizontal plane in Star Trek: TNG.I think this is why Microsoft Office Labs’ new “2019″ video does well to impress me. Though imagining a decade on is not quite the feat of envisioning the 24th Century, MS clearly has a pretty slick future view of the world.
SXSW Shanghai lit me on fire!
I am a pretty gregarious person. I love meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and especially talking tech. So when events like last Saturday’s SXSW Shanghai @ M1NT event come around, I was on it like an Apple fanboi on a new feline-monikered OS X.
Organized by The China Business Network and The Symbio Group, the SXSW Shanghai event featured three of the four panelists for the upcoming “International Business in China for Fun and Profit” panel at SXSW Interactive 2009:
