Sony Mobile Communications, previously known as Sony Ericsson, has announced that its first Sony-branded smartphone product Xperia S LT26i will soon be launched in mainland China, with the recommended retail price at CNY4,298.

Chinese search engine company Baidu Inc. and the German luxury car maker BMW have signed an agreement to jointly develop and operate technical products related to in-car information system search services.

Netherlands-based TomTom has signed a deal with China's AutoNavi Holdings Limited to form a joint venture in China.

Chinese telecom operator China Telecom has signed a strategic framework agreement with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing to cooperate in satellite communication and GPS sectors.

China Techfaith has announced the launch of nine new mobile phones designed specifically for China's 3G network.

China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited (CNTF) has announced the launch of two new CDMA mobile phones, aigo 600C and aigo 800C, for China Telecom's (CHA) new CDMA service brand called Tianyi.

The Taiwanese GPS and communications products developer and manufacturer Garmin Corporation has joined the Google-dominated (GOOG) Open Handset Alliance.

Chinese home appliances retail giant Gome plans to invest CNY1 billion to enter China's TV direct sales sector and the business is expected to start at the beginning of 2009.

According to the latest report on China's TV direct sales, in 2007 the scale of China's TV direct sales market reached CNY7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 55.6%.

Chinese TV shopping company Acorn International (ATV) says quarterly net revenues were USD47.2 million, a decrease of 25.4% compared to USD63.3 million in the second quarter of 2007, as it announced its second quarter financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2008.

HP (HPQ) has donated 500 HP iPAQ Travel Companions with GPS technology, valued at approximately USD300,000, to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention for public health surveillance in earthquake-affected Sichuan.

Geo-location and mobile social networking company GyPSii has partnered with Shanghai Rannuo and China Unicom to launch its GyPSii service during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.