Screenshot by Jonathan Skillings/CNET In recent years Thailand hasn’t shied away from banning websites that slander its leaders or display explicit pornography, but its Internet hasn’t been systemically censored like China’s. That all may be set to change though, as the country’s military government is reportedly laying the political groundwork to dramatically restructure Thailand’s Internet, …

Xiaomi Xiaomi has been on a veritable roll since entering the smartphone market in 2010. After just five years of operation, it’s been valued at over $45 billion and is the fourth biggest smartphone maker in the world. Now, the innovative Chinese company hopes to recapture that same success in the laptop game, the Taipei Times reports. On Wednesday Richard …

Enlarge Image James Martin/CNET Applemania has been sweeping through China over the past year, with the larger displays on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus increasing the brand’s popularity in the People’s Republic. Now hospitals in the country are taking advantage, offering money for the just-unveiled iPhone 6S in exchange for regular sperm donations. Several facilities in Shanghai are using …

Asus Asus hopes to control 5 percent of India’s smartphone market by 2016, and is using new viral marketing techniques to make it happen. On Tuesday the Taiwanese electronics giant rewarded fans by releasing its Zenfone 2 Laser model ahead of schedule in India — making it available 11 days ahead of its original September 19 release date. The move …

Enlarge ImageSamsung’s latest premium phone, the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Sarah Tew/CNET Samsung’s chief financial officer, Lee Sang-hoon, has denied reports that the company is cutting 10 percent of its head office staff, saying they will be relocated rather than let go. He spoke in reference to the Korea Economic Daily’s Wednesday report that the company, which has endured seven consecutive …

In the past few years standard messaging has gone out of style, with billions of people around the word migrating to alternate instant messenger apps. Facebook rules the roost in western countries, with the two most widely used apps both owned by the social media giant: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in June that the site’s …

Josh Miller/CNET Last year Microsoft bought Finnish company Nokia’s devices division for $7.2 billion, and now the US-based tech giant is trying to get the most out of its investment by establishing a foothold in the growing Indian smartphone market. Microsoft is preparing a new set of Windows 10-based, Nokia-branded smartphones to be released in India by the end of …

Enlarge ImageSony’s Xperia Z5 smartphones. César Salza Sony’s high-end Xperia Z5 range has been catching plenty of attention at the big IFA tech show in Berlin, but it looks like the company won’t be entirely about premium smartphones for long. According to the Economic Times, the Japanese electronics giant hopes to start manufacturing handsets in India, the country that’s pegged …

LG In its quest to smarten up every appliance imaginable, LG will soon be introducing its Styler wardrobe to China and the US. The Styler is an alternative to traditional washers: a closet that steam-cleans clothing that’s hung inside without the use of water or detergents. According to the Korea Herald, it’ll be rolled out to China this week and …

Alibaba Netflix has voiced its desire to expand into China, but this week that tough task became even tougher as homegrown e-commerce giant Alibaba launched its Tmall Box Office video-streaming service. According to Tech In Asia, TBO was rolled out Tuesday in an update to Alibaba’s Smart TV operating system, with subscription models of 39 yuan ($6.10) per month or …