Latest news with #Shenzhen-headquartered
CNBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Tencent bets on 1.4 billion user WeChat empire to get ahead in China's AI race
Tencent's WeChat app is indispensable for people in China. It has 1.4 billion monthly users and is the main messaging service in the country. But it is more than just a way to chat with friends and family. WeChat is often dubbed a super-app because, within the program, you can access many different features like mobile payments and services, such as gaming, booking flights and even paying utlity bills. Tencent executives think this will give it an edge in China's intensely competitive field of artificial intelligence, where tech giants are spending billions of dollars to get ahead. During a Wednesday earnings call, the Shenzhen-headquartered firm was asked about "agentic AI" — the current obsession of companies around the world. While various companies have differing takes on the phrase, it is broadly understood to refer to AI designed to carry out tasks on behalf of a user. For example, you can prompt the AI on a smartphone to book you a restaurant, and it will work to complete the task across various apps, such as your browser and maps. It's something akin to what Google is working on with Gemini on Android devices or other chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Tencent has its own chatbot called Yuanbao, which is based on the company's foundational model and that of DeepSeek, the startup that caused shockwaves across the world at the start of this year with its high-performing AI. Tencent said this will eventually be advanced enough to become a "general agentic AI." But it is competing with products from rival giants, including Alibaba's Quark chatbot and Baidu's Ernie. And Martin Lau, president of Tencent, admitted during an earnings call on Wednesday that this would be "not much different" to other agentic AI provided by its competitors. The executive nevertheless said there is a second product that will set it apart from its rivals — AI that sits within WeChat, or Weixin, as it's known in China. "Within the Weixin ecosystem there is the opportunity for us to create a pretty unique agentic AI that connects with the unique components of the Weixin ecosystem," Lau said. He mentioned various features of WeChat including content creation, messaging and Mini Programs — all apps that sit within WeChat. "[This] actually gets into all kinds of information as well as transactional and operative capabiltiies across many different verticals of applications. That will be extremely unique compared to other more general agentic AIs and that's sort of a very differentiated product for us," Lau said. Tencent has already started to launch AI tools in WeChat, including search and content generation. But Lau's comments speak to Tencent's longer term vision in China, where competition in AI continues to ramp up.
Forbes
04-05-2025
- Forbes
Hands-On: Zeiss Zoom Lens For The Vivo X200 Ultra
Vivo X200 Ultra with the 200mm lens add-on Vivo's newest Ultra smartphone, the X200 Ultra, has a very impressive camera system on its own: a triple 50-megapixel lens array with (relative in the mobile space) large sensors and fast aperture. By itself, the phone has a high chance of claiming 'the best smartphone camera' throne of 2025. But Vivo didn't stop there. The Shenzhen-headquartered company and long-time collaborator Zeiss worked together to build a zoom lens that attaches to the phone to extend the latter's 85mm optical zoom to 200mm. I've been testing the whole kit for the past week, and I am very impressed. The lens, officially named ZEISS 2.35x Telephoto Converter, is well-built, constructed out of mostly metal and featuring 13 glass elements inside. It attaches to the phone via a special case mount which is included with the lens as one kit. The ZEISS 2.35x Telephoto Converter The case looks great on its own to my eyes, with a two tone finish consisting of faux-leather and plastic frame that snaps onto the Vivo X200 Ultra. There's a kickstand at the bottom of the case, along with a circular ring that wraps around the camera module with a 67mm filter thread. The case needed to use the lens. The lens snaps onto the mount the same way a real camera lens does, requiring lining up the lens to the mount's marker, followed by a twist and a snap. As someone who's tested his fair share of add-on lenses for smartphones, this one feels much more premium. The Zeiss lens has a metallic mount. There's a camera grip that also attaches to the bottom of the case to turn the whole setup into something resembling a camera. The grip adds a dedicated shutter button for photos and videos, as well as two dials to adjust camera settings. The grip also packs a 2,300 mAh battery inside to give the phone extra juice. The camera grip. Vivo X200 Ultra with the Photography Kit But how does the lens perform? Well, first of all, temper your expectations. This is still ultimately a smartphone that fits into your pocket, so its telephoto sensor size (1/1.3-inch), while large for a phone, is still small compared to a dedicated camera. So photos snapped by the lens still has a digital look to it, likely because Vivo also likes to use sharpening for zoom photos. But with the right lighting and a steady hand, you can definitely get some jawdropping long zoom photos for a phone. For example, I was able to snap a 800mm portrait of my friend, who was standing over 20 feet away. Where friend stood relative to me (left); the camera viewfinder; the finished photo The finished photo (right image in above collage) features very strong natural bokeh and background compression, and while the image slightly digitally sharpened his face, the portrait came out far better than what any previous smartphone is capable of. This is also an 800mm shot, meaning it's a four times digital zoom of the phone's default 200mm focal length. For those not familiar with camera terminology, 800mm is roughly about a 34X zoom from an iPhone (theoretically, anyway, because an iPhone cannot zoom that far). A 200mm shot with the Zeiss add-on lens Notice the shallow depth-of-field and natural bokeh of the 200mm lens. You do need good lighting to get the above shots, which look like they were snapped with a real camera. In low light conditions, the image quality takes a hit. But still, considering the relative affordability (compared to the cost of typical camera lenses), this is an excellent accessory for mobile photography enthusiasts. I can see myself bringing this lens when I go to concerts or vacation. The Photography Kit, which includes the 200mm lens, case, camera grip, a lanyard, is retailing in China for 1599 yuan, which converts to around $219. This does not include the cost of the Vivo X200 Ultra, which starts at about $900. But the total price of about $1,120 is considered affordable in the camera space. PR image of the kit Vivo X200 Ultra in red As for the Vivo X200 Ultra by itself: it's a top notch flagship phone with the best processor, camera hardware, and screen around. Even just the phone by itself will capture some excellent images, just not as far as 200mm.
Business Mayor
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
Tesla car crash as both sales and profits tumble amid fears Trump's tariff war will hit demand
By JESSICA CLARK Updated: 22:02 BST, 22 April 2025 Tesla last night warned that tariff wars and political upheaval could take its toll on demand – as it reported a slump in both sales and profits. The electric car maker last night revealed it missed analyst expectations as earnings tumbled by 71 per cent to £307million and car sales fell 20 per cent to £10.5billion in the first quarter. It comes after demand for Tesla's vehicles tanked amid the controversy surrounding Tesla chief exec Musk, a close ally of the US president. Investors are also concerned about growing competition from cheaper rivals and that Musk's position in the Trump administration has pulled his attention away from Tesla. Ahead of the earnings report, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives warned Musk was facing a 'code red situation' if he continues his government role. And the manufacturer stands to take a huge hit from Trump's proposed tariffs on the components and materials it imports from countries such as Mexico and China. Unveiling the crucial update, the company said: 'Uncertainty in the automotive and energy markets continues to increase as rapidly evolving trade policy adversely impacts the global supply chain and cost structure of Tesla and our peers. 'This dynamic, along with changing political sentiment, could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term.' It comes after the company this month revealed that deliveries tanked 13 per cent in the first three months of this year – its worst quarterly result since 2022. The figure was much worse than feared by analysts and laid bare the impact of the controversy surrounding Musk. The dismal result left the Texas-based manufacturer lagging behind Chinese rival BYD which has been dubbed the 'Tesla killer'. Shenzhen-headquartered BYD – which stands for Build Your Dreams – has overtaken Musk's firm as the world's biggest producer of electric vehicles. Easy investing and ready-made portfolios Free fund dealing and investment ideas Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month Get £200 back in trading fees Free dealing and no account fee Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence. Compare the best investing account for you Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Tesla car crash as both sales and profits tumble amid fears Trump's tariff war will hit demand
Tesla last night warned that tariff wars and political upheaval could take its toll on demand – as it reported a slump in both sales and profits. The electric car maker last night revealed it missed analyst expectations as earnings tumbled by 71 per cent to £307million and car sales fell 20 per cent to £10.5billion in the first quarter. It comes after demand for Tesla's vehicles tanked amid the controversy surrounding Tesla chief exec Musk, a close ally of the US president. Investors are also concerned about growing competition from cheaper rivals and that Musk's position in the Trump administration has pulled his attention away from Tesla. Ahead of the earnings report, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives warned Musk was facing a 'code red situation' if he continues his government role. And the manufacturer stands to take a huge hit from Trump's proposed tariffs on the components and materials it imports from countries such as Mexico and China. Unveiling the crucial update, the company said: 'Uncertainty in the automotive and energy markets continues to increase as rapidly evolving trade policy adversely impacts the global supply chain and cost structure of Tesla and our peers. 'This dynamic, along with changing political sentiment, could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term.' It comes after the company this month revealed that deliveries tanked 13 per cent in the first three months of this year – its worst quarterly result since 2022. The figure was much worse than feared by analysts and laid bare the impact of the controversy surrounding Musk. The dismal result left the Texas-based manufacturer lagging behind Chinese rival BYD which has been dubbed the 'Tesla killer'. Shenzhen-headquartered BYD – which stands for Build Your Dreams – has overtaken Musk's firm as the world's biggest producer of electric vehicles.
South China Morning Post
30-03-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
EV makers help to supercharge Hong Kong
Sparks of optimism about Hong Kong's electric vehicle (EV) market have been flying amid developments that have less to do with the cars than the systems for charging them. Advertisement The city must plug into ways to develop charger and battery technology if it hopes to realise its plans for a strong green transport sector and build a reputation as an EV testing hub. The biggest jolt was supplied by mainland Chinese carmaker BYD, the world's largest producer of hybrid and pure EVs. On March 18, the Shenzhen-headquartered company unveiled a system that only needs about five minutes to charge cars with their new batteries enough to give such vehicles a range of 400km. The BYD Super e-Platform runs at 1 megawatt peak power, about twice as fast as US carmaker Tesla's superchargers. The platform aims to eliminate 'charging anxiety' that has kept many internal-combustion car owners from swapping out for EVs. Advertisement BYD's shares in Hong Kong jumped more than 6 per cent following the announcement.
