14 DAY TRIAL // Following the recent dispute with the Chinese government over censorship in the country, search engine-based company Google announced that it pushed back the launch on the Chinese market of two mobile phones running under its Android operating system. Interestingly enough, the dispute between the government and Google was expected to leave the Android operating system on the outside, but it seems that the Mountain View, California-based firm does not see things this way.
The two handsets in question come from Samsung and Motorola, and were expected to become available in China via wireless carrier China Unicom. “The launch we have been working on with China Unicom has been postponed,” is what a Google spokesperson stated, reports BBC. Both devices were set for launch on Wednesday, and it still remains to be seen when or whether they arrive on the market.
“Android is not related to R&D department in the country, so China’s launch of Google Android will not have much of impact,” said HTC’s Chinese CEO Mr. Chen Jinghong in a recent interview, reports WMPoweruser. The handset vendor has just released a Windows Mobile 6.5-based device in the country, and is expected to come to the market with some devices running under Google's Android platform too.
Those who might not know what started the conflict between Google and the Chinese government should know that the company was the target for a series of cyber attacks that were believed to originate from China, and which were thought to target e-mail accounts of human rights activists. Following these attacks, Google announced that it would no longer censor the search results delivered in the country.
“The hackers who targeted foreign journalists based in Beijing were probably trying to get contact details and information about the human rights activists who talk to the international press,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement, BBC notes. At the same time, it should also be noted that Microsoft announced shortly after that its Internet Explorer 6 browser came with a series of vulnerabilities that might have helped the attackers; yet, the company is actively involved in determining users to upgrade to newer versions of the browser for several months now.