[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by myavu

User photos and text messages were being transferred to a private server that’s being hosted in China. The phone connects to an IP address automatically whenever it links to a WiFi network and transmits data. It still sends data over 3G, but just at a much lower rate.

Read more here: http://blog.gsmarena.com/xiaomi-secr...inese-servers/

GSM Arena later posted a denial of this story.

http://blog.gsmarena.com/regarding-x...rsy-editorial/

It is clear that the source of the whole thing is questionable at best – just one guy, a forum member, who merely posted a few screenshots without proper details or independent confirmation and from there on the story was picked up and blown out of proportion. One thing is clear, we shouldn’t be as quick to draw conclusions about Xiaomi here.

MIUI requests public data from Xiaomi servers from time to time. These include data such as preset greeting messages (thousands of jokes, holiday greetings and poems) in the Messaging app and MIUI OTA update notifications, i.e. all non-personal data that does not infringe on user privacy.

[linuxmanju]

Originally Posted by myavu

Read more here: http://blog.gsmarena.com/xiaomi-secr...inese-servers/

In the above URL, screenshot only says communication has been established to a server in China. I am not sure how the author deduce that its sending pictures and smses. I am sure if a company like Xiaomi wanted to do that it won't be transferring the data without a secure channel.

I am sure, had it not been a Chinese company nobody would have bothered about a connection to a server. Stock android also connects to Google server. Even iPhone does
http://m.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_s...a-news-364.php .

Why only blame Xiaomi ?.

P.S: I am neither a xiaomi user nor planning to buy it anytime soon. Just voicing my views in the context.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by linuxmanju

I am sure, had it not been a Chinese company nobody would have bothered about a connection to a server. Stock android also connects to Google server. Even iPhone does
http://m.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_s...a-news-364.php .

Why only blame Xiaomi ?.

Because china has domastic laws which prohibit cloud storage of user data outside geographic boundaries of the country. They do not even allow GCM service so why exactly others should accept their data to be stored in server on china ? Principal of reciprocity applies.
Data collection is a sensitive issue.

With Big data and analytics personal innocent messages actually can provide trends on rivals for example what is the political undercurrent should be easily prefictible by analysis of whatsapp data.

[linuxmanju]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Because china has domastic laws which prohibit cloud storage of user data outside geographic boundaries of the country. They do not even allow GCM service so why exactly others should accept their data to be stored in server on china ? Principal of reciprocity applies.
Data collection is a sensitive issue.

I am not sure I understand this. So what you are saying is, if one country allows you to steal their data its OK for them to steal yours ?. If any sovereign country protects its own interest there is nothing wrong in it.

But anyway, what I meant in my earlier post is that unless we know what is being uploaded, it remains inconclusive. Someone has to prove that some personal information is being uploaded. Making a connection to a server means nothing.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

No, that's nothing to do with it: Microsoft and Apple had been around for decades before they hyped people up to queue up to buy the latest OS/Phone/Whatever on release day.

It's just a stupid hype/marketing/publicity game to sell this way, and all the more stupid for the absurdly under-estimated demand.

Or was it under-estimated? Is it a knife-edge game to make desirability win over disappointment? Make the thing hard to buy so that people want it more.

I hate this bullshit. As far as I am concerned, they can stick it ...back in their bull!

Cant argue unless you read up on the business model first. Its not a factory model like other "mainstream" brands. They produce phones in batches and cant ramp up production in a jiffy. Its more like a JIT model. The pre-registration / what you call hype is what ensures there is no pile up of inventory and associated overheads / warehousing / logistics costs.

Xiaomi works on wafer thin margins, zero marketing costs and purely on word of mouth/social media based marketing. They dont even have a brick-and-mortar presence or a permanent online store for that matter! Effectively, their phones are already "sold" even before they're manufactured.

[arvind71181]

I have a strange problem off late with my Note 2. The phone simply does not go into sleep mode at all. It wakes up every minute or so for 10 seconds or so. Any one else faced this problem? There is no app which is polling for any information to wake the screen up. Any help would be appreciated as this is reducing the battery life of the phone

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by arvind71181

I have a strange problem off late with my Note 2. The phone simply does not go into sleep mode at all. It wakes up every minute or so for 10 seconds or so. Any one else faced this problem? There is no app which is polling for any information to wake the screen up. Any help would be appreciated as this is reducing the battery life of the phone

Check with Wakelock detector app for the culprit app which is keeping the screen awake. Uninstall that app and restart your phone. Sometimes a cache reset may also be required to fix this.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Because china has domastic laws which prohibit cloud storage of user data outside geographic boundaries of the country. They do not even allow GCM service so why exactly others should accept their data to be stored in server on china ? Principal of reciprocity applies.
Data collection is a sensitive issue.

As clarified by Xiaomi, this connection is for "downloading" data. This download is for app updates and to check newer firmware.

This is something every manufacturer has to do to provide update functionality.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by linuxmanju

I am not sure I understand this. So what you are saying is, if one country allows you to steal their data its OK for them to steal yours ?. If any sovereign country protects its own interest there is nothing wrong in it.

But anyway, what I meant in my earlier post is that unless we know what is being uploaded, it remains inconclusive. Someone has to prove that some personal information is being uploaded. Making a connection to a server means nothing.

No this is slightly different, when you use Google or an OEMs services they explicitly state that they are collecting data and you have an option not to sign in.

In case of government and other entrrprises mostly they choose not to
Allow these services and instead license enterprise grade services where data is onpremise or inshore and thus under control.

In case of Xiaomi they were collecting phonebook contacts for presence information with no explicit concent from user.

http://in.mobile.reuters.com/article...40811?irpc=932

Also there was no control provided to user to stop this . This is in violation of law in many countries such as Germany, Turkey and incidentally china also has such a domastic law.

In india we should have but as of now we don't have any explicit law. However DOT demands operators to keep data inshore.
Also government forced BB to locate servers in India at cost of some 700K $ and 3 years of delay.

So in nutshell indian case is more reactive then proactive.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

As clarified by Xiaomi, this connection is for "downloading" data. This download is for app updates and to check newer firmware.

This is something every manufacturer has to do to provide update functionality.

Now this is most troublesome part they have floated so many conflicting statements on what they were collecting that it is kind of hard to beleive now.

As per one report they were running a presence server and contacts data was pulled from device.
There was no EULA or explicit notice to explain this either. Their CEO apologized for the same in public statement.

http://in.mobile.reuters.com/article...40811?irpc=932

The whole point is any data collection exercise has to be optional and with explicit concent.

[TheQuarterMile]

Any cheap and reliable micro usb 1amp car charger out there? Previously had a Samsung one but the pin got loose so would prefer one with a detachable cable.
Had also tried a cheap Chinese one but it got you hot.

[5hadow]

Hello People.

I need your help with my wife's 8 month old Gionee E3. It has a 2GB SD card (came from her old Nokia) and 16GB inbuilt memory. The problem is that every app, be it camera or WhatsApp or any other tries to save any download to the SD card and it gets full very fast (for obvious reasons).

I have tried to check settings of the phone as well as individual apps but am not able to make the first preference to save as the phone memory. Any help is appreciated.

OT: @TheQuarterMile - Loved you sig.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by 5hadow

Hello People.

I need your help with my wife's 8 month old Gionee E3. It has a 2GB SD card (came from her old Nokia) and 16GB inbuilt memory. The problem is that every app, be it camera or WhatsApp or any other tries to save any download to the SD card and it gets full very fast (for obvious reasons).

Changing settings won't help, just remove that otherwise useless memory card and phone will start storing contents in the phone memory, if that is what you are looking as a solution.

[TheQuarterMile]

Originally Posted by 5hadow

Hello People.

I need your help with my wife's 8 month old Gionee E3. It has a 2GB SD card (came from her old Nokia) and 16GB inbuilt memory. The problem is that every app, be it camera or WhatsApp or any other tries to save any download to the SD card and it gets full very fast (for obvious reasons).

I have tried to check settings of the phone as well as individual apps but am not able to make the first preference to save as the phone memory. Any help is appreciated.

OT: @TheQuarterMile - Loved you sig.

Try apps like app2sd and see if you can get it to store it on internal memory... And thanks

[5hadow]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Changing settings won't help, just remove that otherwise useless memory card and phone will start storing contents in the phone memory, if that is what you are looking as a solution.

Yes, that is my goal. Anyway that lets me keep the card as well?

Originally Posted by TheQuarterMile

Try apps like app2sd and see if you can get it to store it on internal memory... And thanks

Tried that, not really what i am loooking for.