ZTE Corp., a Huawei rival also based in Shenzhen, sells switching equipment, mobile phone base stations and handsets.

It was a neat party trick to control the camera's flash, 5x zoom and with the phone -- and to have the phone geotag those pictures -- but switching apps on the phone disconnected the two every time.

This can include switching over to a different cell phone or cable service provider or buying unbranded breakfast cereal.