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The first laptop with a RISC-V processor goes on sale (in limited quantities)

The ROMA Laptop is the first notebook computer powered by a RISC-V processor. First announced this summer, it’s now available for purchase from Alibaba for $1,499 and up. Sort of. At this point the manufacturer only plans to ship around 100 units by the end of the year and up to 1,000 more in the […]

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Lilbits: Raspberry Pi + LEGOS, Alibaba open sources its RISC-V chips, Mac Pro could have 40-core CPU and 128-core graphics

Raspberry Pi’s latest device is an add-on that lets you use a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi Zero, or Raspberry Pi 400 as the brains of a LEGO robot. Alibaba has unveiled a high-performance 128-core server chip based on ARM technology… but the company has also announced it’s open sourcing the technology behind its low-power […]

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Tmall Genie is Alibaba’s Amazon Echo clone (for China)

It’s taken a few years for Amazon’s Echo line of voice-controlled smart speakers to get any real competition. But these days there’s a growing number of alternatives, including Google Assistant and upcoming speakers from Apple, Harmon Kardon (and Microsoft), Essential, Samsung (maybe), and others. Now Chinese eCommerce company Alibaba wants in on the action. The company […]

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What’s left of Yahoo after Verizon acquisition will be rebranded as Altaba

Last summer Verizon announced plans to acquire Yahoo’s web business for nearly $5 billion. But while that means Verizon will take over some of the things Yahoo is best known for (including its web portal, email service, and apps), there are some parts of the company that Verizon is not buying. Now Yahoo has released […]

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More Meizu phones could run Yun OS after Alibaba investment

Chinese ecommerce service Alibaba has invested $590 million in phone maker Meizu, which means that more future Meizu phones could run Alibaba’s custom version of Android. The company launched Aliyun OS, also known as Yun OS a few years ago and launched a partnership with Meizu in 2014. A major investment in the rising star in the […]

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Alibaba G20 is like a Chinese Amazon Fire TV (with a Wiimote clone)

Chinese ecommerce company Alibaba is sort of like China’s answer to Amazon and eBay rolled into one… and that’s not just because the internet company provides one of the world’s largest marketplaces for retail and business-to-business sales. Alibaba also has its own operating system called Aliyun OS, and just like Amazon’s Fire OS, it’s a […]

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Google cracks down on “incompatible” versions of Android

This week Acer planned to launch a new smartphone in China running Aliyun OS. But Google appears to have put a stop to it — and now the California-based search giant is explaining why. Aliyun OS  is a mobile operating system developed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. It’s based on open source Android code, but […]

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Acer hedges bets with a smartphone for China with Aliyun OS

Acer offers a range of phones, tablets, and notebooks with Windows and Android software. But in China the company is hedging its bets by introducing a new smartphone that will run Aliyun OS. Update: Reuters reports that the launch of the phone was canceled, with Google putting pressure on Acer to only support “compatible” versions […]

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Teso K116 ultrabook features a tablet top, detachable keyboard

Chinese device maker Teso is now offering an ultrabook with an 11.6 inch display, an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, and a detachable keyboard. The Teso K116 showed up at business-to-business sales site Alibaba recently. The list price is between $400 and $600 per unit… but that’s the price for distributors looking to order 1000 or […]

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Alibaba to launch an Aliyun OS tablet

This summer Chinese retail service Alibaba introduced a new operating system called Aliyun OS, as well as the first smartphone designed to run the OS. Now the company is preparing to launch new devices including an updated phone and an Aliyun OS tablet. The new phone is called the W800 and it has a 4.3 […]