How to pass the torch to your hero July 26, 2011 EVER since the theft of fire from Zeus by Prometheus (well, that’s what the legend says), a torch has been kept alight throughout the Olympics. And in the run up to the coming Olympics, beginning on 19 May 2012, it will be carried across the country in relay by those nominated as community heroes. The [...]
RIM plunges after it axes 2,000 staff July 25, 2011 SMARTPHONE maker Research In Motion (RIM) plunged more that 4.4 per cent yesterday after it announced it would axe a tenth of its global workforce. The firm, best known for its BlackBerry range, has struggled in the face of soaring demand for Apple’s iPhone and handsets running Google’s Android, especially those made by Samsung. Its [...]
Apple loss bites into Wolfson forecasts July 25, 2011 EDINBURGH-BASED chipmaker Wolfson Microelectronics slashed its sales forecast again yesterday in the face of a tough market for electronics goods that lack an Apple logo. The downgrade, its second in a month, sent shares in the maker of audio processing chips down 10.7 per cent to a 15-month closing low. The company reported second-quarter revenue [...]
Torrid trading drags Nokia to £324m loss July 21, 2011 NOKIA yesterday crashed to an expected second quarter loss, compounding a miserable year for the former smartphone market-leader. Even factoring in a one-off payment of €430m from Apple over a long-running patent dispute, Nokia slumped to a loss of €368m (£324m). It was dragged down by a 20 per cent slide in revenues in its [...]
Samsung launches iPad 2 rival July 20, 2011 SAMSUNG yesterday launched a thinner, lighter version of its Galaxy tablet in a bid to claw back market share from a rampant Apple. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 inch is an upgraded version of the 7-inch tablet introduced in October. It has a bigger, brighter screen and weighs less than the iPad 2. However, it has [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS July 13, 2011 ESSAR ENERGY Goldman Sachs rates Essar a buy with a £5.75 target price after disappointing second-quarter results. Its earnings were hit by underperforming units – but Goldman thinks these will recover after an overhaul in September, and is focusing on its refinery upgrades, due for completion at the end of the year, which it believes [...]
Japanese quake hits Renault July 11, 2011 RENAULT pared its forecast for a rise in the global auto market this year after disruption from the Japanese earthquake and said Europe, a key market for the French carmaker, will lag the rest of the world. Renault, whose partner is Japan’s Nissan yesterday predicted a 3-4 per cent rise in worldwide sales volumes in [...]
Why I might ditch my iPhone for Windows. No, really. I’m serious. July 11, 2011 This could be the year I swap my iPhone for a Windows Phone. Really. No, really. Seriously. Wait, hear me out. Fine. What? Just get out. Go. Last week I got my hands on the latest version of WP7, codenamed Mango. And it’s good. It’s very good. Its predecessor was nice – it avoided the [...]
Profits fall at Samsung as TV sales drag July 7, 2011 PROFIT at Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of memory chips and televisions, fell by a quarter as weak earnings at its flat screen unit dragged, underlying the conglomerate’s struggle to return to last year’s record profit. A bleak outlook for computers and TVs and a wobbly global economy is overshadowing robust sales of Samsung’s [...]
Wolfson sees shares plunge after warning June 27, 2011 WOLFSON Microelectronics, the Scottish chipmaker, yesterday scaled back its forecast for 2011 after its customers delayed the launch of new gadgets and sold fewer-than-expected smartphones and tablets. The warning sent shares in the Edinburgh-based company plummeting. They closed down 26 per cent at 175p, making it the biggest faller in the FTSE indices. The downgrade [...]