Samsung open to link-up with troubled Olympus January 12, 2012 SOUTH Korea’s Samsung Electronics is open to forging an alliance with Japan’s troubled Olympus, potentially joining other electronics firms in circling one of the world’s biggest names in medical equipment, sources said. Samsung’s major Japanese rivals, Sony and Panasonic, have already shown interest in Olympus, now in need of capital after being swamped by a [...]
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW ROUND-UP January 11, 2012 DELL LINES UP FIRST TABLET Dell has announced it intends to launch its first tablet in late 2012, marking its entry into a hotly contested and increasingly crowded arena that has already claimed arch-foe Hewlett Packard. The once-dominant firm has seen a growing crop of tablets and smartphones entice consumers away from PCs. Dell says [...]
Chinese dragons fly into the UK’s mobile warzone January 8, 2012 ASK someone to name the first smartphone that comes into their head and most people will say “iPhone”. Some might name a Samsung or even an HTC. Not many will mention Huawei or ZTE. But 2012 could be the year of the dragon, with the Chinese giants preparing to blitz the UK with a massive [...]
Charting on the move is the smart way to trade January 8, 2012 THE cyberspace race of mobile trading technology continues apace, with GFT announcing the release of an iPad version of its DealBook trading platform. GFT’s iPad offering includes full-screen charting, real-time quotes and real-time news via CNBC. The many and varied ways a spread betting provider can help trading on the move has become a key [...]
Samsung set for record profits January 5, 2012 Samsung this morning said its profits for the last quarter of 2011 would jump 73 per cent to a life-time high, aided by record-breaking sales of its smartphones. The South Korean firm, which surged past Apple as the world’s top smartphone maker in the third quarter, said its quarterly operating profit would come in at [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS January 5, 2012 ORASCOM After the company announced a demerger of its fertiliser and construction businesses, Morgan Stanley rates the Egyptian construction group as “overweight” with a target price of $49. The demerger will see OCI hold the fertiliser business, while the demerged company will hold the construction segment. Each shareholder will receive one share in the demerged [...]
Change at top can’t come too soon January 4, 2012 THERE will be few tears shed in the telecoms world if RIM’s Mike Lazaridis and James Balsillie are ousted from their roles as co-chairmen. The pair, who are also co-chief executives, have enjoyed a stranglehold over the company for too long, thanks to a bizarre boardroom structure that flies in the face of corporate governance [...]
Techno couture January 4, 2012 Gadgets and fashion are uneasy bed-fellows. Top designers tend to shun technology in favour of tradition: natural fibres are still the go-to materials – despite the progress of nano fibres – and an expert eye is favoured over the laser precision of a computer. Tom Ford went as far as locking out bloggers and banning [...]
Samsung edges Apple to top spot January 3, 2012 Samsung’s Galaxy S II handset fought off competition from Apple’s iPhone 4S to maintain its top spot in the mobile phone war over Christmas. The phone has now led tables for eight consecutive months, according to uSwitch.com’s tracker, which is based on internet searches as well as sales. The race appears to have been close-run, [...]
South Korean firms warn of difficult 2012 January 2, 2012 TECHNOLOGY giant Samsung and car manufacturer Hyundai, South Korea’s largest companies, rallied staff yesterday to brace themselves for a year of intense competition due to the weak global economy this year. The South Korean government also warned of tough times ahead in a new year statement as global demand for the country’s exports languishes. Finance [...]