Chinese giant Alibaba offers 'Cloudphone'

Chinese internet behemoth Alibaba is getting into software with the launch of a mobile operating system and handset. The company said the K-Touch Cloud-Smart Phone W700 would be the first of a family of devices including tablet computers and large screen phones. The phone is designed to run cloud services including email, web …

[dotdavid]

Hmm

I hope they are putting serious thought how it will work offline.

It's a common failing with mobile manufacturers, it seems - assuming always-on net just because it's a mobile. I always thought the thing that summed up Windows Mobile (6)'s problems the best was the error message "Connection lost for an unknown reason" that would pop up on the train to work now and again. Unknown? No it isn't - we're in a bloody tunnel!

[Anonymous Coward]

Reminds me of something...

...Oh yes, I think it was called Sidekick. Wonderful idea. What could possibly go wrong?

[Pandy06269]

100GB?

"Every cloud OS user will get an initial 100 gigabytes of storage, with the intention to increase this in future."

Seriously?! Every user gets 100GB? I don't even have that much data on my laptop, with 3 years worth of music, documents, photos, applications and a full fat OS.

[Chris 211]

Here we go again!

1. of course anything in the cloud, you wont own any more.

2. Off net / No Service / No Coverage.

I have just done a wireless survey which included checking mobile coverage, I can say huge parts of Devon and Cornwall have no mobile coverage and very poor roads, these counties really are backwaters! SO with no network connection, what you gona do now Mr Chinaman! Will the phone sync everything while in coverage allowing you to access all of your data email, PIM, music, video, podcasts, documents while not connected to the network?

[Ilgaz]

privacy vampire's dream

Google cloud is about your private info stored for commercial interests. Chinese cloud is more about political control and watch. Not less evil but of course sites will make Chinese one evil, it isn't China feeding them with ad monopoly.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, I want the Chinese Government running my apps for me

Yes, cloud apps in China. Brilliant.

[Ilgaz]

That is the idea

Well, your suspicion is probably correct but I can't stand to people who lives in dreamland thinking any fortune 500 company will fight for an individual's rights.

I mean, there are no "we aren't evil" guys out there.

When I see real cloud built on open standards to a real competitive and regulated environment, it will be interesting. Something which also does grid technology, e.g. super cool/high battery life ARM (or MIPS or Atom) laptop doing things which your i7 can't even dream about. E.g. faster than realtime h264 hd video transcoding, editing. That is the real cloud. Putting family photos and personal data to some remote hard disk isn't. People do it since S/360.

[Anonymous Coward]

Alibaba in Arab countries

means "thief"! As in Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves! So I see some branding issues...

[david 63]

Ali Baba stole from the thieves...

...but stole modestly, whereas his brother got greedy and was killed.

Ali Baba lived on and was the hero of the story.

Moral: stealing from thieves is fine, greed it the real sin.

Different cultures - different morals.

[t_lark]

Ali Baba

1st. Ali Baba was not a thief.

2nd. Alibaba operates smoothly already in the middle east.