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Although Han Chinese constitute as much as 92% of the total population, cultural exchanges between different ethnic groups are common through out the history, within today's political borders or otherwise. Linguistic influences in both directions are also widespread. Even some Han Chinese don't know that the modern word for "brother" (哥) is borrowed in the Tang Dynasty from the Xianbei language, which is of Mongolic. There is a Chinese idiom that roughly translates to "With great diversity comes greatness" (有容乃大).

Below you will find public signs that are written in many different languages, starting from the Northeast region, then counter-clockwise

Korean in Yanji City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province

延吉市實驗中學 = 연길시 실험 중학 = Yanji Experimental Middle School

東北亞喜宴 = 동북아 희연 = Northeast Asian Wedding Banquet

Russian in Fuyuan County, Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province (where Russia is just across the river)

五金家電商場 = Амур бытовая техника --> Home appliances of Amur River

With some English

Russian in Aihui District, Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province (where Russia is just across the river)

РЕСТОРАН "ПУТИН" --> RESTAURANT "PUTIN"

Mongolian in Mongolian script and Russian in Manzhouli City, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (where Russia is 5 km away in minimum distance)

電器維修 = ремонт магнитафонов --> Tape recorde repair

(магнитафонов is a typo, should be магнитофонов)

Manchu, Han Chinese, Tibetan, and Mongolian in Mongolian script at the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses, Yonghe Temple, Dongcheng District, Beijing Municipality

Introduction in Japanese, Korean, and Russian at Juyongguan, Changping District, Beijing Municipality

居庸関長城のご紹介 = 거용관 장성 소개 = Краткие сведения о Стене Цзюйюнгуань = Introduction of Juyongguan

With some English

Mongolian in Mongolian script, Mongolian in Cyrillic alphabet, and British English in Erenhot City, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

華聯商城 = ХУА ЛИАНЬ ХУДАЛДААНЫ ТӨВ = HUA LIAN COMMERCIAL CENTRE

Mongolian in Mongolian script in Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

With some English

Kazakh and Uyghur in Tacheng City, Tacheng Prefecture, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Autonomous Region

I cannot tell if the text above "中國農民銀行" (Agricultural Bank of China) is Kazakh in Arabic script or Uyghur. With some English.

Uyghur at the Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar City, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Autonomous Region (not far from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan)

With some English

Uyghur and Sarikoli in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Autonomous Region (where Tajikistan is 19 km away in minimum distance)

With some British English

Tibetan in Chengguan District, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region

有一些英語

Arabic, Tibetan, and Han Chinese in Chengguan District, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Tai Nüa, Tai Lü, and Jingpho in Jiegao Townships, Ruili City, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province (where Myanmar is just across the street)

I cannot tell if the text is Tai Nüa or Burmese

Tai Lü in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

With some English

Tai Lü and Lao in Mohan, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

With some English

Vietnamese in Dongxing City, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

異國特產批發 = Bán buôn đặc sản nước ngoài

Russian and Korean in Tianya Town, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Portuguese, Japanese, and English in Macau Special Administrative Region

British English in Kowloon City District, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

土瓜灣體育館 = To Kwa Wan Sports Centre

British English in Nanzih District, Kaohsiung City, Republic of China

高雄市楠梓國民小學 = Nan-Tzu Primary School, Kaohsiung

American English and French in Minxiong Township, Chiayi County, Republic of China

嘉義縣表演藝術中心 = Chiayi Performing Arts Center
法國春天藝術節 = Printemps, Français de Chiayi --> Spring, French of Chiayi

American English in Lugu Township, Nantou County

遊客中心 = Visitor Center

Romanization and Katakana at Din Tai Fung, Hsinchu City, Republic of China

鼎泰豐 = DIN TAI FUNG = ディンタイフォン

With some English. The Katakana "ディンタイフォン" merely denotes the pronunciations. In regular Japanese text, the name is still written as Chinese characters "鼎泰豊".

In addition to multilingualism in the Greater China Region, the language of Han Chinese is also widely accepted and used throughout the world.

Russian and Chinese in Zabaykalsk, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia (where the border is 2 km away in minimum distance)

Mongolian in Cyrillic script, English, and simplified Chinese in Zamyn-Üüd, Dornogovi Province, Mongolia (where the border is 4 km away in minimum distance)

British English and Chinese in the City of Westminster, Greater London, England, the United Kingdom

Simplified Chinese and Burmese in Kokang (First Special Region), Shan State, Myanmar (where the border is 6 km away in minimum distance)

Chinese is the primary language at this place, which is politically and militarily unstable.

Thai, English, traditional Chinese, and Burmese in Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand (where Myanmar is just across the river the Chinese border is 119 km away in minimum distance)

Malay, traditional Chinese, English, and Tamil on Penang Island, Penang State, Malaysia

Malay, traditional Chinese, English, and Japanese on Penang Island, Penang State, Malaysia

English, simplified Chinese, Malay, and Tamil in Singapore

Note that it is common in Singapore to mix traditional and simplified Chinese for everyday use. This example contains only traditional Chinese.

Lao and simplified Chinese in Boten, Luang Namtha Province, Laos (where the border is 1 km away in minimum distance)

Indonesian, two Englishes??, simplified Chinese, and French in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

Vietnamese, simplified Chinese, and English in Lao Cai City, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam (where China is just across the river)

Vietnamese, traditional and simplified Chinese in Móng Cái, Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam (where China is just across the river)

Note that traditional and simplified Chinese coexist on the same object

American English, Chinese, Japanese, Korea, Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese in Bell, California, the United States of America

Traditional Chinese and American English in possibly Richmond, Virginia, the United States of America

Canadian English and traditional Chinese in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

With the sheer number of Chinese, some mistakes are inevitable.

Possibly in Tainan City, Republic of China

台南海鮮 (Tainan Seafood) = Platform South Sea Fresh

Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

餐廳 (Restaurant) = Translate server error

This chronicle is *NOT* to document important technological break throughs that matters to the consumers in 2010, but to record the dog-fight between these tech companies from the eyes of someone who follows tech news.

This article is U.S.-centric, and the dates are in a U.S. time zone unless specified otherwise. Even with my best effort, the dates may still be off by a day or two.

1/5 – The Nexus One is released, along with Android 2.1 (Eclair). Multi-touch was not available and it is believed to be a gentlemen's agreement between Google and Apple.

2/2 – Android 2.1 gets an update with multi-touch.

2/16 – Google CEO Eric Schmidt says 60,000 Android devices are activated per day.

3/2 – Apple sues HTC, the manufacturer that makes the Nexus One and many other Android devices for 20 patents. It is speculated to be a retaliation against Android's update with multi-touch.

3/10 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25.1% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Jan. 2010, while Google has 7.1%, and RIM has 43.0%.

4/5 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25.4% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Feb. 2010, while Google has 9.0%, and RIM has 42.1%.

4/8 – iOS 4 announced.

4/8 – Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber points out that article 3.3.1 of the iOS4 SDK license agreement basically rejects Flash or Adobe Air on iOS 4.

4/12 – Microsoft unveils KIN.

4/15 – Apple App Store rejects Pulitzer-Winning Satirist Mark Fiore's app.

4/16 – Millennial Media, a Mobile ad network, reveals that iOS has 70% share of impressions, while Android has 6%, and RIM has 14% in the previous month.

4/17 – Engadget reported an iPhone 4 prototype.

4/19 – Gizmodo reported the lost iPhone 4 prototype. For some reason, media direct their attention at Gizmodo and not Engadget.

4/19 – Gizmodo reported how they obtained the iPhone 4 prototype that originated from Gray Powell, an Apple employee.

4/19 – Apple formally acknowledges the lost iPhone 4 prototype is their property and demands it back from Gizmodo. Gizmodo complies.

4/19 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs allegedly says in an email, "Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone."

4/23 – Law enforcement raided Jason Chen's house. Chen is the Gizmodo editor who reported the iPhone 4 prototype.

4/26 – Motorola plans to use Skyhook's XPS (a location software) instead of Google's.

5/7 – Nokia sues Apple over iPad and iPhone-related patents.

5/10 – NPD survey shows that in Q1 2010 in the U.S., Android has 28% U.S. market share, Apple has 21%, and RIM has 36%.

5/12 – HTC counter sues Apple.

5/20 – Google Vice-President of Engineering Vic Gundotra quotes Andy Rubin, "if Google did not act, we faced a Draconian future, a future where one man, one company, one device, one carrier would be our only choice."

5/20 – Android 2.2 (Froyo) and Google TV announced. Google says 100,000 Android devices are activated per day.

5/20 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 62% share of impressions, while Android has 10%, and RIM has 17% in the previous month.

6/7 – Steve Jobs announces iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010.

6/18 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 48% share of impressions, while Android has 15%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

6/15 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Apr. 2010, while Google has 12.0%, and RIM has over 40%.

6/23 – Andy Rubin says 160,000 Android devices are activated per day.

6/23 – Apple sues HTC again.

6/24 – iPhone 4 released.

6/24 – iPhone 4 reception problem reported. Steve Jobs allegedly tells a complaining user "Just avoid holding it in that way."

6/24 – Brian Maupin (tinywatchproductions) uploads an "iPhone4 vs HTC Evo" (NSFW) video on YouTube, featuring 2 cartoon characters with synthesized voice. Maupin also uploads an opposite video "HTC EVO vs iPhone4." Both videos become viral shortly. The former that bashes iPhone outpaces the latter that bashes EVO at a 5:1 ratio in terms of click rate.

6/30 – Microsoft discontinues KIN.

7/1 – Reports suggest that the end of KIN is a result of ugly workplace politics at Microsoft.

7/1 – Best Buy, the employer of Brian Maupin, puts Maupin on suspension, which further contributes the viralness of the videos.

7/6 – Best Buy decides not to fire Brian Maupin. But he decides not to take the job back.

7/8 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.4% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending May 2010, while Google has 13.0%, and RIM has 41.7%.

7/12 – Consumer Reports can't recommend the iPhone 4.

7/14 – Paramount Pictures shows interest in hiring Brian Maupin.

7/14 – Microsoft COO Kevin Turner says "It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista."

7/15 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 56% share of impressions, while Android has 11%, and RIM has 17% in the previous month.

7/16 – At a emergency press conference, Steve Jobs says 1.7% of iPhone 4 were returned, compared to 6% of iPhone 3GS, the perceived signal drop is a result from a miscalculating formula, and Apple will be giving away free Bumpers. Apple also makes a web page that shows the signal drop problem also occurs on BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid X, Nokia N97 mini, Samsung Omnia II, and its own iPhone 3GS.

7/16 – RIM's co-CEO's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie states "Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. … During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls."

7/17 – Nokia says "Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design."

7/17 – HTC's spokesman Eric Lin says the support rate of Droid Eris is approximately .016% of customers.

7/19 – Samsung defends their Omnia 2 phone "Reception problems have not happened so far, and there is no room for such problems to happen in the future."

8/4 – Eric Schmidt says 200,000 Android devices are activated per day.

8/5 – NPD survey shows that in Q2 2010 in the U.S., Android has 33% U.S. market share, Apple has 22%, and RIM has 28%.

8/6 – HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns for inappropriate business conduct found in an investigation into a claim of sexual harassment. (I know this isn't mobile-related.)

8/9 – Oracle CEO Larry Ellison comments on Hurd's resignation, "The H.P. board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago."

8/12 – Oracle sues Google over Java patent infringement in Android.

8/18 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 55% share of impressions, while Android has 19%, and RIM has 16% in the previous month.

8/27 – Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Apple, Google, Facebook, AOL, eBay, Netflix, Yahoo!, Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and YouTube over patents

9/1 – Steve Jobs announces the 2nd generation of Apple TV

9/2 – Samsung Galaxy Tab announced in Berlin. Galaxy Tab runs on Android 2.2 and a 7" display.

9/6 – Oracle hires Mark Hurd.

9/6 – HP sues Oracle over hiring Mark Hurd.

9/9 – Apple relaxes its restrictions on iOS app code.

9/15 – ComScore reports that Apple has 23.8% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Jul. 2010, while Google has 17.0%, and RIM has 39.3%.

9/16 – Skyhook sues Google for strong-arming of Motorola.

9/28 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 48% share of impressions, while Android has 26%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

10/1 – Microsoft sues Motorola because of Android.

10/3 – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says Android isn't really free.

10/6 – Motorola sues Apple.

10/6 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.2% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Aug. 2010, while Google has 19.6%, and RIM has 37.6%.

10/11 – Windows Phone 7 announced.

10/18 – Apple announced financial results for its fiscal Q4 2010 (ended 9/25). Steve Jobs says iPhone sale surpasses RIM 14.1 to 12.1 millions, Android's openness is disingenuous, 7" tablet is an awkward size, and 275,000 iOS devices are activated per day. Jobs also quotes TweetDeck's statistics to show the alleged fragmentation problem of Android.

10/18 – Andy Rubin tweets, "the definition of open: "mkdir android ; cd android ; repo init -u git://android.git.kernel.org/platform/manifest.git ; repo sync ; make""

10/18 – RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie says, "For those of us who live outside of Apple’s distortion field, we know that 7″ tablets will actually be a big portion of the market and we know that Adobe Flash support actually matters to customers who want a real web experience. ... We think many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple."

10/19 – Iain Dodsworth, one of the two developers of TweetDeck, tweets "Did we at any point say it was a nightmare developing on Android? Errr nope, no we didn't. It wasn't."

10/19 – Joe Hewitt, developer of Firefox and FireBug, says that even Android is not "open" by Firefox's or Linux's standard.

10/19 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 46% share of impressions, while Android has 29%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

10/20 – At "Back to the Mac" event, the next generation of MacBook Air was announced. Shortly, people discovered that the new MacBook Air does not have Adobe Flash pre-installed.

10/21 – Android and Me reports a rumor that Samsung will have a Google-experience phone in 2010.

10/22 – Giant Gingerbread (Android 2.3) man arrives at Google HQ.

10/28 – Gizmodo claims that Samsung "Nexus Two" is real.

10/30 – Apple counter sues Motorola.

11/1 – Samsung says the Nexus Two rumor "simply not true."

11/1 – NPD survey shows that in Q3 2010 in the U.S., Android has 44% U.S. market share, Apple has 23%, and RIM has 22%.

11/2 – T-Mobile U.S.A. launches their 4G campaign, mocking A&T and iPhone 4 at the same time. Despite not meeting ITU's specification, most carriers in the U.S.A. still call their new service "4G".

11/2 – Sprint responded T-Mobile's 4G campaign, "Halloween is over–it’s time for T-Mobile to stop dressing up like their favorite super hero–Sprint 4G."

11/3 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.3% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Sep. 2010, while Google has 21.4%, and RIM has 37.3%.

11/3 – AT&T responds to T-Mobile's commercial, "T-Mobile's claims about 4G are based on the same HSPA+ technology we have deployed to 180 million people today, more than T-Mobile’s reported 140 million, and we’ll have it rolled out to 250 million people by the end of this month, substantially more than the 200 million T-Mobile says it will have by year-end."

11/4 – T-Mobile continues the offensive on Facebook, "Hey AT&T – It is easy for us to be proud when we have the 4G network to back it up. We challenge you to show us any data speeds on an AT&T iPhone that can top the speed on T-Mobile’s myTouch 4G. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out these amazing speed test screenshots from our T-Mobile fans: http://goo.gl/P0wk3"

11/4 – At&T replies to T-Mobile on Facebook with the same statement said on the day before.

11/9 – Microsoft sues Motorola.

11/11 – Motorola sues Microsoft.

11/11 – Numerous rumors about the alleged Nexus S explode this day.
- BestBuy website leak suggests Samsung Nexus S on T-Mobile.
- Pictures of a physical Nexus S leak.
- BestBuy internal document leak suggests Samsung Nexus S on T-Mobile.
- Samsung "flagship device" (not Nexus S) coming in Feb 2011. Gingerbread.
- Pictures shot with Samsung GT-i9020 (according to EXIF) found on Flickr.
- First Nexus S was scrapped in favor of a new dual-core version.

11/15 – Eric Schmidt shows the Nexus S.

11/18 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 37% share of impressions, while Android has 37%, and RIM has 20% in the previous month.

11/18 – Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak is reported to say that Android will dominate the smartphone market.

11/18 – Steve Wozniak says his pervious statement was quoted out of context.

11/18 – Microsoft Kin ONEm and TWOm are back with lower prices.

11/27 – Apple bans a Danish Android magazine app from the App Store.

12/1 – Verizon announces their "4G" (LTE) network. On the same day, T-Mobile reiterates that T-Mobile has "America’s Largest 4G Network".

12/3 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.6% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Oct. 2010, while Google has 23.5%, and RIM has 35.8%.

12/6 – Nexus S is officially announced.

12/14 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 38% share of impressions, while Android has 38%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

12/16 – Nexus S is available from Best Buy in the U.S.

1/6/2011 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25.0% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Oct. 2010, while Google has 26.0%, and RIM has 33.5%.