Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 248 Orange 3 Mini Refrigerator

In late June, the internet was almost entirely dominated by topics related to college entrance examination scores and college application.

Chen Mo was browsing the news in his office, reflecting on how quickly time flies, when his phone suddenly rang.

When I answered the phone, I saw it was my mom calling.

"Mom, are you calling at this hour because you want me to come home for dinner?" Chen Mo answered the phone with a smile, even being a little mischievous!
"Son! You still want to eat!" Mom's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with helplessness: "Your uncle came to the house with two bottles of wine. He dawdled for a long time because of Xiao Wu's college application."

He told your father that you're well-informed and knowledgeable in Shenzhen, and he insisted that you give him some advice.

Chen Mo frowned slightly.

He had never liked his uncle, who always tried to take advantage of others and even wanted to exploit Xiaomin's family. But considering his father's predicament, he patiently asked.

"How many points did Xiao Wuzi get on the test?"

"546 points, science stream, 26 points above the first-tier university admission line!"

My mother's tone carried a hint of pity for his misfortune, after all, Xiao Wuzi's character was at least better than my uncle's.

“He did even better than you did back then. In our Chen family, apart from Xiaomin, he has the highest score.”

Chen Mo was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected that his uncle, who was usually so idle, would have a son who was actually quite studious.

"Let Xiao Wu answer the phone!" Chen Mo said.

A rustling sound came from the other end of the phone, followed by a shy and nervous voice: "Third Brother."

"Don't be nervous!" Chen Mo softened his tone: "Tell me, what major do you want to study?"

Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment: "I usually like to take apart mobile phones and I also like to tinker with computers. I want to study an electronics or machine-related major, but I don't know which one is better!"

Chen Mo understood. This kid had chosen the right direction. When he graduated in four years, these fields would all be in high demand.

“Your score is good. I have three suggestions for you!” Chen Mo said clearly: “First, give priority to Electronic Information Engineering and choose a first-tier university in the province with an advantage in engineering.”

This major covers circuit design and embedded development, making it a good fit for future careers, whether you're working in R&D at a mobile phone factory or doing equipment maintenance.

"Second, if your score isn't high enough for Electronic Information Engineering, then apply for Automation."

This major has a broad scope, covering programming and robot control. There's a current shortage of talent in factory automation and smart home technologies!

Third, don't blindly follow the trend of reporting computer-related topics.

This major is so popular right now that your score might not be enough to get you into a good school.

Instead, consider measurement and control technology and instruments. Specialize in equipment testing and precision control. I work in the mobile phone industry and know that factories rely heavily on this.

Xiao Wuzi repeatedly agreed on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Mo couldn't help but smile.

If Xiao Wuzi can truly master his studies, he might become a valuable asset to his company in the future.

Meanwhile, in a standalone student dormitory in Irvine, California, Lu Xiaoran had just woken up from a hangover at a party when she received a call from her mother.

"Xiao Ran, your acceptance letter has arrived! It's for Finance at UC Berkeley!"

On the other end of the phone, Ms. Zhang, a former senior executive of a state-owned enterprise, calmly told her daughter the good news.

Lu Xiaoran's academic achievements are indeed outstanding: her GPA has remained at 3.8 for many years, she has achieved top marks in all AP courses, scored 1520 on the SAT, and 118 on the TOEFL.

However, Xiao Ran was not surprised by the news. Ever since her mother remarried and had a younger brother, she had paid less and less attention to her.

Just then, another call came in.

It was his father, Lu Laowu.

"Daughter, do you have enough money?" Old Lu asked as dotingly as ever, then changed the subject: "The school enrollment season is coming soon, and Dad has arranged a path for you."

It turns out that Lu Laowu had already arranged for his daughter to be recognized as an overseas Chinese student.

According to the policy, Lu Xiaoran only needs to get 412 points in the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese Students to enter Qinghua University, which is far lower than the admission line of 680 points for ordinary candidates.

Not to mention, the three SCI papers she has published and the family business background of Nietzsche Mobile are also significant advantages.

Lu Xiaoran chose to return to China almost without hesitation.

She knew all too well that in her mother's new North American family, she was becoming more and more like an outsider.

At Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhao Tiezhu is saying goodbye to his three roommates from "HamiYou Studio".

He was going back to his hometown to take his second younger brother to study in North America, fulfilling his promise to Chen Mo that he would "at least bring back a master's degree."

However, when Zhao Tiezhu returned to his hometown, he found that his second brother, Zhao Jincheng, was not at home.

In the newly built three large brick houses, only the ailing father and younger sister lived.

"After submitting his college application, the second son went to work a summer job," the father said.

Zhao Tiezhu's heart sank, worried that his younger brother would do something reckless again and go on to learn some kind of art.

Through Chen Mo's connections, an investigation revealed an unexpected result: Zhao Jincheng had applied to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

"Northwestern Polytechnical University is one of the seven sons of the National Defense University, a very good school!"

Chen Mo gave it high praise over the phone.

Zhao Tiezhu breathed a sigh of relief, but he still felt uneasy.

On the first day of school, he deliberately waited for Zhao Jincheng at the school gate, who was on the last day to register.

The two brothers talked about something, and in the end, Zhao Tiezhu left a bank card and returned to Shanghai.

After briefly instructing his three roommates in the studio to "go to Chengbao Wang Teng if you have any problems," Zhao Tiezhu embarked on his journey to study in North America, arranged by Lu Qingyue.

Meanwhile, at the gate of Shancheng University, Chen Lan, along with Wang Xiaofang and Fan Xingping, personally drove a luxury car to send Xiaoying off to school.

“It’s good to stay and develop locally, so I can take care of things in the future!” Chen Lan said to Wang Xiaofang.

Given her current status as the president of VC Group, she spoke with great confidence. Fan Xingping had some thoughts, but he didn't dare to express them.

Money really is a person's source of confidence!
In Shenzhen, Shi Yutong and An Xiaoquan had just attended a funeral.

The deceased's mother, suppressing her grief, handed them two gifts, saying, "These are what Xiaowei left for you!"

The two silently accepted the gifts and then went their separate ways.

Shi Yutong had good grades and chose the Materials Science Department of Shenzhen University, simply because the uncle said that the boss of Orange Technology graduated from this college, and it would be easier for him to get into Orange Technology in the future.

An Xiaoquan kept his promise to Wang Kai from back then, and was admitted to the police academy so that he could "share Wang Kai's burdens" in the future.

The most surprising one was Jiang Long.

Although his mother acted like a tiger mom, strictly supervising his studies, his grades were never ideal, and he only managed to get into the second batch of vocational colleges.

However, this did not hinder his life trajectory. Chen Mo had promised Jiang Yu that through the school's cooperation project, Jiang Long would soon go to the University of England as an exchange student.

That year, of the approximately 4000 new students admitted to Tsinghua University, only 40% were admitted through the regular college entrance examination. The rest were admitted through competitions, special talents, or other special channels.

A student with a talent for aerobics, and a national second-level swimming champion who can't swim.
The college entrance examination is indeed an important opportunity for ordinary people to change their destiny, but obviously, not everyone needs to rely on the college entrance examination to change their destiny.

In this diverse era, there are far more paths to success than imagined; it's just that for ordinary people, the only path is relentlessly pursuing the college entrance examination. Three months after its release, the Orange 3 mobile phone, launched three months ago, has quickly gained a reputation among mobile game enthusiasts thanks to its excellent gaming performance and unique external liquid cooling system.

However, no one expected that this feature, designed for the ultimate gaming experience, would ignite a heated discussion online in an unexpected way.

The incident began when a user posted on a tech forum, claiming to have discovered a "hidden feature."

Quickly tapping three times on the "About phone" screen will access a hidden developer options menu, which includes a "Liquid cooling system extreme test" switch.

Once activated, the liquid cooling copper pipe on the back of the phone will work at full capacity continuously, and the temperature can be reduced to close to -60℃.

The poster also included a picture.
A can of Coke is stuck to the back of the Orange 3, with the caption "Three minutes, ice-cold happy water".

This post quickly went viral on major social media platforms.

Even more remarkably, the stallholders in Huaqiang, North China, seized this "business opportunity" with astonishing acumen.

Within just a few days, "chilled phone cases" designed specifically for the Orange 3 appeared on the market.

This phone case cleverly uses thermally conductive metal to fit an external liquid-cooled copper tube, which then extends outwards and is designed with a special slot to hold an aluminum can, increasing the contact area and making it easy to "ice drinks with your phone".

In no time, memes such as "Your next refrigerator doesn't have to be a refrigerator" and "Tired of playing games? Grab an ice-cold Coke!" went viral across the internet.

The Orange 3 unexpectedly broke out of the mobile phone industry and even attracted many non-mobile phone consumers to place orders for its "cool" features.

However, the hidden dangers soon became apparent.

First, a group of users reported that their phones were malfunctioning: the screen showed ghosting and touch malfunction at low temperatures.

Frequent and drastic temperature changes have caused condensation inside some models, leading to short circuits.

Battery performance degrades in low-temperature environments, resulting in reduced battery life.
Even more seriously, some users suffered frostbite from prolonged direct contact between their phones, which were kept at maximum cooling, and their photos were shared on social media.

The customer service hotline was immediately overwhelmed with calls, and related complaints and questions spread rapidly online.

The head of the customer service team realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately reported it to Gong Yun.

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the situation, Gong Yun immediately contacted Chen Mo.

Chen Mo immediately summoned Jiang Yu from the technical department to attend an emergency meeting.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy.

"Jiang Yu, what's this 'hidden feature' all about?" Chen Mo asked directly, his tone serious.

Jiang Yu pushed up his glasses, a hint of helplessness and guilt on his face: "President Chen, President Gong, this was my oversight."

That portal was originally intended for internal extreme environment testing and fault diagnosis, and should not normally be open to ordinary users.

It's possible that the operating method was leaked from a beta version of Android 4.0 on a geek forum and was discovered by netizens.

Furthermore, our blade cooling system version 3.0 has a hardware feature—topology protection—that maintains extreme low-temperature stability at -273.1499℃ when defects do not cause thermal disturbance!

Yeah! If the battery hadn't failed at -60℃, the Orange 3 could have frozen itself solid!

"Now is not the time to assign blame!" Gong Yun said calmly. "President Chen! The most urgent task is to control the impact and solve the problem. User safety and product reputation are our top priorities!"

Chen Mo nodded in agreement and looked at Jiang Yu: "From a technical standpoint, what is the fastest and most thorough solution?"

Jiang Yu had clearly already considered a solution and answered immediately.

"Option 1: Directly block the entry point for this developer option through an emergency system update."

This is the most thorough approach, but it might offend some users who find it 'fun'.

"What about Option Two?" Chen Mo didn't think that some users would give up this "mini-fridge." It's better to guide than to block!
"In our second option, we will not completely block this function, but rather impose strict restrictions and issue risk warnings."

For example, set a maximum continuous running time (e.g., 3 minutes), pop up a prominent safety warning when forced to start, informing users of the potential damage to the equipment and the risk of frostbite, and limit the minimum temperature to a relatively safe threshold, such as -8 to -10℃.

While this temperature slightly reduces the effectiveness of chilling drinks, it greatly reduces the risk of hardware damage and personal injury.

Chen Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and made a decision.

"Use Option Two!"
Completely banning users would seem domineering and would also stifle their enjoyment of exploration.

However, we have a responsibility to guide users to use it safely.

Jiang Yu, you personally lead the team, and the technical department must work with all its might to deliver the OTA update package within 24 hours.

"Understood!" Jiang Yu accepted the order.

"Zhou Yumeng!" Chen Mo turned to his secretary Zhou Yumeng, who was taking notes, and said, "Notify the Cheng family to get a small freezer made as soon as possible. This time, we don't need to add any extra functions; just make sure it's compatible with the freezer slots for aluminum cans!"

Zhou Yumeng said that she would contact Mr. Ye of Orange Family as soon as possible after the meeting!

"Sister Gong!" Chen Mo turned to Gong Yun: "The marketing and public relations departments need to follow up immediately."

First, the official Weibo account should issue a statement, frankly explain the situation, emphasize that user safety is our top priority, that an update will be released soon to optimize the system, and that free testing and repair will be provided for any issues that have occurred. We must be sincere!
Second, contact major platforms to buy the trending topic and try to downplay the spread of risky content such as "iced cola" that could easily lead to blind imitation.

Third, have Lin Junfeng in the Legal Department prepare to send lawyer's letters to those powerful North China merchants who are clearly using dangerous products and selling unauthorized accessories, demanding that they remove the relevant products from shelves, and requiring those with authorization to improve their safety protection designs!

It's important to know that only authorized distributors in North China who have sold more than 1000 Orange phones can obtain the design license for free!

But money can be a powerful motivator. Some big-name distributors in North China who have never stocked Orange phones dare to openly make Orange 3 phone cases. Are they looking down on my "Takigawa Invincible" brand?

Highly efficient execution is Orange Technology's consistent approach.

22 hours later, all Orange 3 users received a system update notification.

The update log explicitly states: "Optimized the control logic of the liquid cooling system to improve safety and stability."

After the update, users who attempt to enable "Extreme Test" will see a very prominent warning screen that details the potential risks. The system will automatically shut down the function after 3 minutes, and the temperature will be kept within a safe range.

Although the "cooling effect" was diminished, it effectively curbed the further expansion of risks.

The freezing time has been increased from 1 minute after adding a phone case to 3 minutes, which is still acceptable.

As for unprotected, bare-metal quick-freezing, sorry, the software does not support quick-freezing. The lowest temperature is 5℃. Can you wait 15 minutes to freeze a can?

At the same time, Orange Technology's official statement also gained the understanding and support of most users, who believed that the company responded quickly and handled the matter in a responsible yet flexible manner.

What Chen Mo and Gong Yun didn't expect was that after this incident, the meme that the Orange 3 was "so powerful that it can be used as a refrigerator" became even more popular, which inadvertently reinforced its label of "extreme heat dissipation".

For phones that primarily focus on gaming performance, this unexpected marketing campaign was even more effective than a well-planned advertisement.

A few days later, Chen Mo listened to Gong Yun's follow-up report in his office and couldn't help but smile.

"This incident has served as a reminder that users have discerning eyes and will discover ways to use products that we never imagined."

In the future, during the testing phase of new products, we need to consider not only normal usage scenarios, but also how users might "break" it.

Gong Yun nodded with a smile: "Yes, crisis, crisis, but there are also opportunities in danger."

This time we turned a crisis into an opportunity, but hopefully there will be fewer such opportunities next time.

A product crisis triggered by a user's "divine action" was ultimately resolved smoothly thanks to Orange Technology's swift and responsible handling.

It even turned out to be a blessing in disguise, further solidifying the Orange 3's status as the "king of phones under 1000 yuan".

(End of this chapter)