Pyongyang Touch, this is the story of Android in North Korea

North Korea is all the best Korea. Its citizens are happy and living in a happy which endure regime while invincible village constant attacks by the US and its capitalist allies. Do not worry, we have a guest firm Cao de Benos in the blog but we want to talk today about the technology used in this country, more specifically than it has to do with Android and the mobile platform Google knows no borders, although it runs into censorship.

As you know, Korea is not shining for freedom of expression nor because the products of other countries arrive without problems for consumers. Even with that, Android manages to make a dent in this dictatorship and makes it his way. Phones and tablets manufactured home with a modified operating system for the occasion

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A brief history of Android and censored

They say Kim Jong-un loves mobile phones. Her education lived outside the borders of Korea a few years later come back and take the reins of the country. At that time it happened was outside contact technology and became infatuated with her. That’s probably why he made an effort in recent years to promote this industry and the nation that rules were capable of producing electronic devices such as a smartphone.

Hace a couple of years came to light an Android phone manufactured in North Korea and aimed at this market. It has produced locally was a triumph for the regime. They had capacity to do so, albeit a very modest terminal. Enough to meet the needs of the population but mostly to remove chest against everyone.

Which model would you? ¿16 or 32GB of storage?

Everything seemed under control: an Android smartphone with Ice Cream Sandwich, a modest design but while considerable alarm: the phone could not have been manufactured in Korea. Apparently, the photos that appeared in your day where you saw the dear leader in a factory was just a place to package and distribute. The manufacturing was produced in China to then send them discreetly to your destination. Tardamos one year know it was so.

It appeared that the phone allegedly made in China was actually a modification of the Uniscope U1201 developed by Jiangsu. A smartphone which ironically had American components (although produced in Asia) from manufacturers such as Qualcomm. As device was not bad and wearing a Snapdragon S4. It is true that two years ago we had 800 and even normal S4 S4 Pro but remained a competitive option if you wanted a very demanding terminal.

Spend the time and at a fair technology aparece an unknown tablet in North Korea. Nobody knows where it came from this device but due to the poor media coverage is in as controlled as this country unnoticed and lost like many stories drowned by the political system they have.

Few certainties and smoke, the regime of Kim Jong-un, even though they have sold the image that are able to develop the technology to make a phone, the reality is different. Now we know that there is a device with Android and certainly more than the hardware you produce something more concern: software

What does the ROM dear leader. ?

So far this leaves us some clues about what we can expect in a phone software intended for North Korea. What to see at a glance is the limited customization on the interface. Ice Cream Sandwich with few modifications but with a few tricks up its sleeve. The most obvious sure that what you imagine: yes, no Google services

This can be explained in forms.. The most obvious: Korea is very jealous with censorship and do not want their citizens to seek and access information that they can not control, so it makes sense that both Google Play as Chrome and Co. Another reason are not present: no sense pay licensing services that already are castrated in the country.

Just do not have access to the app store does not mean that there are no apps. By default There are a few installed and as lentils, or take them or leave. The selection of games there, dictionaries and several are the only tools we can use. Interestingly some of which are included are not authorized by their original creators copies. censor hack itself but also.

It is noteworthy that among the many applications available there is to learn English. Do not expect something as sophisticated as Duolingo but more than enough to learn the basics. As you see, it’s like a textbook adapted for touch screens. Now, on to a critical aspect: the WiFi

This modification of Uniscope U1201 provides the ability to connect to the Internet like any other device.. The piece is there in the hardware, but unfortunately is disabled by software so we can not connect in any way to the Internet. In fact, it is not compatible with intranet and other operating is available for citizens of the country.

A copy phone that is not even made in the country, an Android with many restrictions to the extent that can not connect to the Internet. At this point the question is: what paints a smartphone in a country like this? It makes little sense to have a device with a few applications and to which he can gain little advantage. It is true that than nothing but apparently seen, it seems that the presence of Android is for the convenience of users.

Probably, as with the intranet, just is a form Advertisement to the gallery with the rest of the world. Behold, we have mobile phones as you, but with a number of important limitations. Yes, we can say that a platform like Android is able to reach all parts of the world, even if it’s compelling to do very bad things

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News Pyongyang Touch, this is the story of Android in North Korea was originally published in Engadget Android by Juan Carlos González.

Engadget Android