Last February, China became the fastest growing market in the world for iOS and Android device activations. By the end of this month, though, Apple will actually surpass America as the world’s largest market for devices running iOS or Android.

HTC is famous for quickly rolling out one smartphone after the other, and the Taiwanese company often unveils a handful of flagship devices each and every year. But high-end handsets made by HTC could soon become a rarity. The company is reportedly set to switch its focus to cheaper smartphones for emerging markets as it loses more ground to Apple and Samsung.

Almost four months after LG launched its flagship Optimus G, the company has sold more than 1 million units. The device first launched in Korea back in September, and it’s been slowly but surely rolling out in additional markets since. In the United States and Canada, the Optimus G has been available since November, while those in China and Europe are still waiting for it.

Verizon Wireless has helped a critical infrastructure company based in the United States catch one of its developers paying Chinese workers to do his job so that he could browse the Internet all day. “Bob” outsourced all of his work to China and paid the workers just a fraction of his six-figure salary so that he could spend his time on sites like Reddit, Facebook, LinkedIn, and eBay.

Verizon has revealed the fascinating story in a new case study.

If you’ve been itching to get your hands on an Android “phablet” with a large display, but you don’t like the look of the hefty price tags demanded by handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note II, then ZTE may have something special up its sleeve for you. The U887 is a new smartphone that’s been leaked by China’s TENAA, and according to reports, it’s hoping to give budget-minded Android users the chance to own a larger smartphone without paying larger prices.