Ready for another mobile operating system ? Alibaba certainly is, having just unveiled its Aliyun OS. The hot entrant will apparently be “fully compatible” with apps from Android through a proprietary Waterloo-style emulation layer . We do not know exactly how that’ll work, but come September we’ll discover when the brand new OS ships on a rebranded Tian Hua K-Touch, the W700, for ¥2,680 (or around $416). We’re also all for the firm’s tightly-knit cloud services, with users receiving 100GB to store their “contact information, call logs, text messages, notes and photos” — accessible from both PCs and Aliyun-toting handsets. With future plans for tablets and “other devices” inside the works, coupled with incessant hinting from Baidu , those of you hellbent on fierce OS competition will need to consider relocating to China.
Alibaba Cloud Computing (“AliCloud”), developer of advanced data-centric cloud computing services and a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, has unveiled its internally developed cloud-based mobile device operating system, “Aliyun OS.” The K-Touch Cloud-Smart Phone W700, the primary cell phone powered by the cloud OS, was also unveiled here today and may be introduced to the Chinese market on the end of July. AliCloud also plans to integrate the OS with other devices including cellphones with larger screens and tablet computers inside the coming months.
“Mobile users need a more open and convenient mobile OS, one which permits them to truly enjoy all that the web has to present right within the palm in their hand, and the cloud OS, with its use of cloud-based applications, will provide that,” said Wang Jian, president of Alibaba Cloud Computing. “Introducing cloud apps to mobile devices not just brings a full new user experience, but additionally greater ease for third-party mobile software developers who may be ready to use Internet technology inclusive of HTML5 and JavaScript to scale back the complexity within the app development process.”
The cloud OS will feature cloud services including e-mail, Internet search, weather updates and mapping & GPS navigation tools. A distinguishing feature of the cloud OS is its support for web-based apps. These offer users a web-like experience and don’t require the user to download or install application software on their mobile devices. Cloud OS users can seamlessly synchronize, store and back-up data equivalent to contact information, call logs, text messages, notes and photos to AliCloud’s remote data center, and might also access and update this information across all their PC and mobile devices. AliCloud will provide each cloud OS user with a complete of 100 gigabytes of information storage initially, with plans to expand based on user needs.
Third-party developers can prefer to either develop cloud apps over their very own servers or decide to use AliCloud’s infrastructure and open platform services at a low in cost and quickly develop their businesses. The cloud OS is the results of three years of development and uses AliCloud’s self-developed distributed file system and virtual machine; the cloud OS can be fully compatible with Android-based applications.
In accordance with latest statistics from the Ministry of Industry and data Technology, the variety of 3G mobile users in China now exceeds 80 million, or 9.5 percent of all mobile users nationwide. Sales of smartphones reached 62 million in 2010 and 19.07 million handsets were sold in Q1 2011; sales of smartphones accounted for roughly 30 percent of all cellphone sales, up from 19.2 percent in Q1 2010 per research firm Analysys International.
About Alibaba Cloud Computing
Alibaba Cloud Computing was established in September 2009 with the mission of creating a complicated data-centric cloud computing service platform. The corporate is committed to supporting the expansion of Alibaba Group and the total e-commerce ecosystem by providing a comprehensive suite of Internet-based computing services, together with e-commerce data mining, high-speed massive e-commerce data processing, and knowledge customization. Alibaba Cloud Computing is wholly owned by Alibaba Group.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group is a world e-commerce leader and the most important e-commerce company in China. Because it was founded in 1999, Alibaba Group has grown to incorporate the next core businesses: Alibaba.com (HKSE:1688; 1688.HK), Alibaba Group’s flagship company and the world’s leading B2B e-commerce company; Taobao Marketplace, China’s primary C2C online shopping destination; Taobao Mall, China’s leading B2C online market for quality, brand name goods; eTao, China’s most comprehensive shopping search engine; Alibaba Cloud Computing, a developer of advanced data-centric cloud computing services; and China Yahoo!, one in every of China’s leading Internet portals. Alipay, China’s largest third-party online payment service, is an affiliate of Alibaba Group.
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