Enterprise

Huawei in talks with Swiss-based ProtonMail for Gmail substitute

The Swiss firm also offers a VPN service

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Huawei and Google have finally split ways. After months of uncertainty, Huawei has finally confirmed the first Google-less smartphone. Unlike its predecessors, the Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will ship without Google’s officially licensed products. That said, a pressing question remains: what will replace Google in Huawei’s devices?

The Chinese company has already discussed several alternatives including an open-source version of Android. Huawei’s most compelling alternative is its in-house software, Harmony OS. Currently, Harmony OS is in development in preparation for an eventual application for mobile devices. However, despite the seemingly positive developments, Huawei has lacked something critical: a new ally.

So far, Huawei’s potential solutions are either developed in-house or still clinging on to the Android ecosystem. Fortunately, Huawei’s lone battles are coming to an end.

The company is now discussing a potential partnership with an unlikely ally: the Switzerland-based ProtonMail. Notably, Switzerland is a neutral territory, allowing Swiss companies like ProtonMail to do business with Huawei.

In an official blog post, the Swiss company has extended support for Huawei’s official app store, AppGallery. According to a Bloomberg interview with the company’s founder, “what [Huawei sees] from [ProtonMail] is having an alternative to Google in case they can’t offer Google anymore.”

“As Huawei devices are especially popular in developing countries where Proton has many users, publishing on the Huawei AppGallery could become essential to continue supporting these user communities,” according to the blog post.

Additionally, ProtonMail has commented on Google’s shadier practices. “Google doesn’t respect users’ privacy,” the post further said. The company has notoriously gone off against Google in the past.

In contrast, ProtonMail offers an email service with end-to-end encryption and open-source cryptography. The company also offers an accessible VPN service called ProtonVPN. The company’s founder, Dr. Andy Yen, has continuously advocated for stricter privacy in digital communication. His team aims to add ProtonCalendar and ProtonDrive to their products in the future.

UPDATE [09/10/19]: ProtonMail has posted a follow-up blog post explaining the situation. Despite the emailing service’s support for Huawei’s AppGallery, both companies are not currently pursuing an official partnership with each other.

SEE ALSO: Huawei announces flagship Kirin 990 processor

Enterprise

New US-China ban might affect 75% of phones, laptops

Companies can no longer use Chinese labs to test their products.

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The United States is continuing its crusade against Chinese technology today. However, the target now isn’t a company from China but a method important to a lot of non-Chinese brands.

Today, via Reuters, the Federal Communications Commission (or FCC) has unanimously voted to prohibit companies from using Chinese labs to test their electronic devices if they are to be sold for use in the United States. Naturally, this includes smartphones and computers.

Notably, the prohibition doesn’t directly target Chinese brands. However, it will still affect a huge swath of the industry. The FCC estimates that around 75 percent of the entire market are devices tested in labs based in China.

This means that companies who wish to sell future products in the country must move their testing to labs in the United States or other countries that it deems secure. At its current iteration, the prohibition will not affect devices that already earned their certification prior. However, it might prevent them from getting recertified once their current one expires.

Now, the prohibition isn’t an absolute lock just yet. The FCC will allow the industry to submit comments about the proposal. But, with a unanimous vote from the FCC, companies might have to start looking for alternative testing sites if they want to stay operation in the United States.

SEE ALSO: TikTok finally gets a buyer in the United States

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OnePlus has reportedly merged with realme

Both brands were previously rumored for restructuring early this year.

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OnePlus 13

OnePlus has a problem. For a while now, rumors have swirled about the company’s dissolution. For their part, the company has continued to deny the reports, citing business as usual. Likely to their dismay, the reports just keep coming. Today, sources have hinted that OnePlus has merged with realme.

Back in January, it was rumored that OnePlus would be closing up shop this year. Since the company very quickly denied the rumors, the report hardly made waves. However, a suspected merger with realme is more difficult to debunk.

For one, realme is itself in a very interesting position. Also back in January, realme was reportedly moving back into being a sub-brand of OPPO. Coupled together with the OnePlus debacle, all this internal restructuring seems par for the course.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, OnePlus and realme have already concluded the merger. The two brands have reportedly united their Chinese and international operations under one roof. Likewise, their marketing will be the same. Pete Lau will still be the main head for this new division.

As with anything of this nature, take this with a grain of salt. OPPO, OnePlus, and realme have not issued any official statements concerning a merger or a shutdown for any brand.

SEE ALSO: realme is reportedly going back to being an OPPO sub-brand

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Enterprise

AGIBOT is turning robots into companions for our everyday routines

The era of robots performing cool tricks is over!

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The era of robots performing “cool tricks” is over.

At its 2026 Partner Conference, AGIBOT moved embodied AI out of the lab and into the real world.

y using a “One Robotic Body, Three Intelligences” architecture, the company launched five new robot platforms and eight AI models to make physical AI a normal part of how we live and work.

Engineering for human environments

AGIBOT believes that for a robot to be a good partner, it first needs a body you can actually rely on.

Take the AGIBOT A3, for example. This 173 cm tall humanoid weighs 55 kg, about the same as a teenager. It uses a magnesium and titanium build to stay strong yet light.

It moves smoothly for 10 hours straight, and if the battery runs low, you can swap it out in just 10 seconds to keep the momentum of your day going.

In the workplace, the AGIBOT G2 Air acts as a single-arm helper that works right alongside people. It navigates narrow doorways and tight office spaces with ease.

This robot actually learns while it works; it records its environment and actions in real-time to help its AI get smarter every single day.

Then there is the D2 Max, the world’s first Level 3 autonomous four-legged robot. It isn’t a toy you control with a remote; it is a partner that explores tough terrain and handles security patrols entirely on its own.

Finally, the OmniHand 3 series brings a human-like touch to these machines. The flagship Ultra-T model mimics almost any hand movement, while the OmniPicker 3 and OmniHand 3 Lite handle the heavy-duty, high-impact jobs that require extra muscle.

8 models driving autonomy

The “brain” of these machines is a closed-loop system that helps them move, think, and talk.

To master movement, the Behavioral Foundation Model (BFM) allows a robot to copy human actions just by watching a short video.

Another model, the GCFM, lets the robot react to your voice or actions in real-time, which makes its movements feel natural instead of stiff.

To tackle complex tasks, AGIBOT uses a massive dataset called AGIBOT WORLD 2026, a library of real-life situations from homes and factories.

This library helps robots plan out long lists of chores without getting confused. They even use a “digital twin” system called Genie Sim 3.0, where robots practice new skills in a virtual world before trying them in the real one.

On top of that, the WITA Omni model helps the robot understand your feelings, allowing it to talk and move like it’s having a true conversation

Scalable deployment

The robots are becoming a part of our daily lives. By using the MEgo system to collect data easily, AGIBOT is making it simpler for these machines to learn how to help us in shops, warehouses, and our own homes.

As these robots start showing up in our lives, the technology feels less like a complicated machine and more like a companion that helps us grow.

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