E-book sellers face probe August 2, 2010 Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal is investigating deals struck by Amazon.com and Apple to offer low prices on electronic books, saying the agreements may block rivals from providing attractive pricing. Earlier this year, Amazon and Apple worked out a “most favoured nations” deal with major publishers, ensuring rival booksellers would not be able to work [...]
Gulf ban hits 1m Blackberries August 1, 2010 OVER a million BlackBerry users face being cut off from key services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE after authorities stepped up demands on maker Research In Motion for access to encrypted messages sent on the smartphone. BlackBerry’s Messenger application has spread rapidly in the Gulf Arab region but because the data is encrypted and [...]
RIM hopes to kill iPhone July 28, 2010 Blackberry maker Research In Motion (Rim) is expected to announce the release of its new “iPhone killer” handset next week. It is understood the firm will unveil its 9800 model touchscreen smartphone at a press conference in New York on Tuesday. The launch has special significance for the firm which has seen its share price [...]
Infineon raises full-year outlook July 28, 2010 German chipmaker Infineon raised its full-year outlook for the second time in three months yesterday after crashing past profit forecasts. Infineon, whose chips can be found in mobile handsets including Nokia and Apple, now expects revenue for the year to rise by at least 45 per cent, with an operating margin in the low teens. [...]
Carphone Warehouse in boost from smartphones July 28, 2010 CARPHONE Warehouse said demand for smartphones would help it cope in a muted consumer environment, as it beat quarterly revenue forecasts and hailed a strong debut for its new megastores with US partner Best Buy. The company, which also owns a 47.5 per cent stake in Virgin Mobile France, is benefiting from surging demand for [...]
DSGi tips iPad as the Xmas gift to fly off the shelves fastest July 28, 2010 APPLE’S iPad has been tipped to be this Christmas’s best-selling gadget, according to Currys and PC World owner DSGi. The company, which owns 670 stores in the UK, said Apple’s tablet computer will top the list of desirable gifts during the festive season. DSGi predicts that hi-tech gadgets will be the must have items. Jeremy [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 27, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES SOROS SET TO BUY STAKE IN BOMBAY EXCHANGE George Soros, the billionaire investor, is in final talks to buy Dubai Holding’s 4 per cent stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange, as foreign investor interest in India’s fast-growing financial markets rises, people close to the matter said. Soros Fund Management is planning to pay [...]
ARM sees 167pc profit spike after surge in demand for smartphones July 27, 2010 Rising demand for smartphones, netbooks and tablet computers saw chip designer ARM Holdings deliver a remarkable 167 per cent year-on-year spike in profit. The British company, whose designs are in more than 95 per cent of the world’s mobile phones, posted record pre-tax profit of £43.5m on revenue of £100m, both ahead of expectations. The [...]
iPhone users can alter software July 27, 2010 The US copyright office has given legal protection for people who unlock smartphones like Apple’s iPhone. Changing operators’ fixed phone settings – known as “jailbreaking” – has become widely popular around the world since the 2007 introduction of the iPhone. The move by the copyright office to give exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act [...]
SAP disappoints with upgrade July 27, 2010 SAP, the world’s biggest maker of business software, raised its 2010 sales forecast by less than the market had hoped yesterday given a rebound in global technology spending. The German company raised its 2010 growth forecast for non-IFRS key software and software-related service revenue (SSRS) to a range of 9-11 per cent from the previous [...]