News
Taiwan suspends sale of three Huawei phones
Includes the P30 Pro

2019 has been a terrible year for Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei. The U.S Government has accused it of compromising user’s security and in turn, blocked the sale of all Huawei-made equipment including smartphones within the country.
Now, Taiwan has suspended the sale of three Huawei smartphone models that listed it as “Taiwan, China” for time zones and contacts. Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC) said the sale of Huawei’s P30, P30 Pro, and Nova 5T models will be banned until the brand tweaks its operating system.
China considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory awaiting reunification. This is despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for the past seven decades. These minor ambiguities are often seen as indirect Chinese aggression against the region of Taiwan.
Taking a step further, Taiwan has threatened to permanently ban these phones if the issue isn’t fixed soon. “The labeling in these phones does not reflect the facts and has even hurt the dignity of our country,” the NCC said, adding it had “taken strict measures to maintain national dignity”.
Interestingly, Huawei has come under fire on the other side of the border for similar reasons. The phones being sold in China have to mark the territories of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau as an integral part of the nation.
Hong Kong has been protesting rising Chinese influence within the autonomous region and the U.S. has added Huawei to a special blacklist.


Do you need an AI chatbot to hold a conversation? Instagram seems to think so. As the world rapidly experiments with developments in AI technology, the platform is reportedly working on a chatbot for its users.
According to Alessandro Paluzzi, a reverse engineer who usually digs up future plans for popular apps, Instagram is working on the AI chatbot feature for a future iteration of the app. Much like other chatbots out in the market today, Instagram’s unnamed bot will enable users to interact with it in casually flowing conversation.
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) June 5, 2023
The screenshots obtained by the engineer read that it “answers questions, gives advice.” Additionally, it helps users “find the best way to express [themselves] … [through] writing messages.” From a usability standpoint, the feature can help users craft replies to direct messages. They can also bring the bot into human-to-human conversations by mentioning the bot in the conversation.
To add to the quirkiness, Instagram will supposedly add 30 different personalities to the chatbot. Users can pick and choose which one they like the best. The sneak peek does not reveal any personalities included in the feature. (We’re hoping for a snarky one that judges and critiques posts.)
The feature has no timetable as to its release. However, since TikTok already released its own chatbot for testing, it should stand that Instagram’s feature will come out soon.

The ROG Ally has some hefty shoes to fill. Touting an impressive slate of specs, the upcoming handheld console is one of the first true competitors to the dominating Steam Deck. Unfortunately, early reviews revealed a flawed comparison against Valve’s juggernaut of a console. Now, days ahead of its official launch, ASUS is releasing new firmware which drastically improves the console’s performance.
Getting down to the nitty gritty of things, the ROG Ally, in its unpatched version, lacked performance in low-wattage scenarios. Early reviewers found that the console could not keep up with the Steam Deck under such circumstances.
A new update, which started rolling out to early units, started catching up. According to YouTuber Dave2D, the update easily improves the console by 15 to 20 percent better than its initial release. First of all, it brings the ROG Ally almost at par with the Steam Deck in low-wattage scenarios. While the results aren’t as good as the latter device yet, it’s a much better performer compared to the former on day one. ASUS acknowledges that Valve really did its homework in low-wattage scenarios.
More notably, the update dramatically boosts the ROG Ally’s performance in higher wattages. The console is now close behind the Ayaneo 2S, a beefier alternative to the Steam Deck. Before the update, the ROG Ally could barely touch the Steam Deck, let alone the Ayaneo 2S.
ASUS also notes that the update should include improvements for the battery life. The lackluster battery has been a point of contention among all early users.
The ROG Ally is officially launching on June 13 and will start at US$ 699.99.
SEE ALSO: How well do PlayStation games run on the ROG Ally?

In recent years, Motorola and Samsung have proved that the clamshell phone is more than just a resurrected fad. Both companies have developed solid lineups capable of becoming daily drivers. Now, others want to get into the market. Following the footsteps of its contemporaries, Xiaomi is reportedly developing a clamshell phone of its own.
Even before the unannounced clamshell phone, Xiaomi has some experience in the foldable market. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 was quite the impressive powerhouse when it launched last year. The foldable smartphone even bagged the title as the thinnest foldable at the time (before Huawei grabbed the title soon after).
Now, the Chinese company is seemingly tapping into the same lineup for a rumored clamshell phone. According to Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station, the brand is indeed looking at an extremely light version of the vertically folding form factor.
Unfortunately, not much else is known about the upcoming device yet. However, Xiaomi’s supposed entry into the market shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, the brand’s competitors — Huawei and vivo — are already deep inside the clamshell segment. The latter, for example, just released the vivo X Flip, its first device in the vertically folding market. Expect things to heat up in the Chinese foldable market soon.
SEE ALSO: The vivo X Flip is the company’s first vertical-folding smartphone
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