ELECTRONICS

Microsoft Corp put its new Zune HD digital music and video player on sale on Thursday, pricing it below comparable Apple Inc iPod devices, in an attempt to claw some market share away from the dominant leader.

Microsoft's next generation mp3 player, Zune HD, which set to start shipping on September 15, is now available for pre-order today for $299.

Microsoft Corp put its new Zune HD digital music and video player on sale on Thursday, pricing it below comparable Apple Inc iPod devices, in an attempt to claw some market share away from the dominant leader.

China Unicom, the potential exclusive distributor of iPhones in China, has poured 10 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) to buy 5 million units from Apple, ready to sell the first batch in September, local media reported on Wednesday.

The prepaid market has gone from a telecom darling to a precarious prospect in mere months as intensifying competition and signs of slowing growth at Leap Wireless suggest that the euphoria may have been premature.

Applied Materials Inc , the world's largest producer of chip-making gear, said it would at least break even this quarter, thanks to new orders and deep cost cuts, sending its shares up almost 4 percent.

The world's largest chip equipment maker, Applied Materials Inc , sharply narrowed its quarterly loss on better-than-expected revenue on Tuesday, thanks to a strong jump in new orders and deep cost cuts, sending its shares up 1.6 percent.

China notebook of light weight and mobility took a major attraction in the market due to demand in low pricing pressure, according to market research firm DRAMeXchange on Tuesday.

Apple might be close to announcing a partnership with Verizon Wireless so that the data-centric iPhone will be offered through a new wireless provider, giving the public the an option of a choice of wireless providers besides AT&T, according to UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um.

Intel on Tuesday said its X25-M and X-18-M SATA SSD, which was pulled back in shipments recently is now ready to ship on bugs free by updating its firmware.

The world's top cellphone maker Nokia said on Tuesday more than 1 million of its Ovi email accounts had been opened since the service started in December last year.

Facebook Inc. said it has acquired FriendFeed, a start-up that allow users to share links and status updates online, folding in a potential rival that struggled to take off.

Dell will launch a mobile phone in China in the next day or two, according to TechCrunch, which cites “a source with knowledge of the situation.”

It's Ending but When?; Shaky Wall St; Phone Giant Winds Down

Nortel Networks said on Monday its chief executive will step down immediately and its board will shrink from nine directors to three as the bankrupt telecom equipment maker sheds major assets. Nortel, once North America's biggest maker of telephone gear, also posted a bigger quarterly loss due to big reorganization costs and plunging sales, which it blamed on the weak economy.

Recession is Ending, Rio's Toll, Nortel Dismantling

Partner Communications, Israel's second largest mobile operator, posted a 2.1 percent rise in quarterly profit but said the launch of Apple's latest iPhone would hurt cash generation in the second half.

Dish Network Corp , the second largest U.S. satellite TV operator, on Monday posted a fall in quarterly profit, hurt in part by expenses tied to a litigation with TiVo Inc .

Japan's Toshiba Corp said on Monday that it will join the Blu-ray Disc Association -- its former enemy in a bitter format war -- to make blu-ray players by year-end to tap demand for high-definition home movies.

Telecommunications providers will not have to give the government sensitive revenue and Internet speed data for a program to map broadband use in U.S. homes and bring high-speed Internet service to more people.

A prominent technology analyst predicted that Apple Inc. would release a tablet or mini-computer for sale early next year, and that it could boost the consumer electronics company's revenue by 3 percent in 2010. Gene Munster, a Piper Jaffray analyst said the tablet from Apple will look like an iPod Touch, but a bit larger.