European Commission probes May 30, 2011 EU regulators opened in-depth probes yesterday into two takeover bids in the computer hardware sector involving two Asian companies and two US peers, saying it was concerned the deals would reduce the number of rivals. US-based Seagate Technology has said it wants to buy Samsung’s loss-making hard disk drive unit for $1.4bn (£849m). Western Digital [...]
Sony expects to post $3.2bn net loss in 2010 May 23, 2011 Consumer electronics giant Sony has said it expected to post a $3.2bn (£2bn) net loss for the year that ended on March 31 due to a write off on tax credits. The net loss would be Sony’s biggest since 1995 and its second-largest ever. The news caused its shares to fall 2.8 per cent in [...]
Coe pleads with protesters not to spoil Olympic Torch’s relay route May 18, 2011 THE OLYMPIC Torch will undertake an 8,000 mile journey in the relay preceding the London Games with organisers calling on protest groups not to disrupt its passage after announcing the route yesterday. The Olympic Flame will arrive from Greece on 18 May next year and the relay will commence in Land’s End and continue for [...]
After the May drought expect a gadget monsoon May 16, 2011 @steve_dinneen Gadget junkies in need of a fix may have to accept a few more weeks of gut-wrenching, palpitation inducing cold turkey. May has not been a good month for so-called “hero” product releases. The single most exciting thing to hit the shelves has been Motorola’s Atrix handset, which is a bit like saying magnolia [...]
CSR says new chips will help in smartphone race May 10, 2011 CHIPMAKER CSR, whose planned takeover of Zoran was thrown into doubt yesterday, has said support for its new wifi-bluetooth chip and contracts for its GPS products from Samsung and Huawei will help it recover in the smartphone market. The positive news on its product pipeline yesterday outweighed a weaker-than-expected forecast for the current quarter and [...]
ARM rides smartphone wave April 27, 2011 Chip designer ARM Holdings rode the crest of the smartphone boom to smash analyst forecasts with a 35 per cent rise in first quarter profits. The Cambridge-based company, whose designs are in Apple’s iPad and iPhone, also said it will meet its full-year targets in spite of the Japanese earthquake’s impact on the supply-chain. Its [...]
Sony starts fightback against Apple with launch of tablets April 26, 2011 SONY yesterday launched its first tablet computers, with the Japanese firm desperate to recapture the initiative from Apple’s all conquering iPad. The devices have a wider significance for Sony, which has slipped from its pedestal as the world’s most popular electronics manufacturer to be widely seen as an also-ran, chasing the tail of rivals such [...]
Sony Ericsson stuns market with a profit April 19, 2011 SONY ERICSSON shocked the market yesterday by announcing a small profit despite hemorrhaging market share and having its supply chain rocked by the Japanese tsunami. The firm was buoyed by surging demand for smartphones but missed analysts’ revenue forecasts by only shifting 8.1m units, giving it a lowly market share of just two per cent. [...]
Seagate buys Samsung division April 19, 2011 US firm Seagate has bought Samsung’s hard disk unit for $1.4bn (£860m). The acquisition of the loss-making hard disk drive (HDD) business pits it head-to-head with Western Digital Corp in an industry that has been dogged by price wars. The sector is battling persistent sales growth declines and faces a longer-term threat from wireless tablet [...]
Apple sues Samsung over “slavishly” copying iPhone April 19, 2011 Apple Inc has sued Samsung Electronics claiming the South Korean firm’s Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets “slavishly” copies the iPhone and iPad, according to court papers, a move analysts say is aimed at keeping its close rivals at bay. Apple is one participant in a web of litigation among phone makers and software [...]