Archive for March, 2008
Clutched in the hands of this Asian Orlando Bloom-a-like is Samsung’s VLUU NV24HD, an 10-megapixel HD camera with 2.5-inch AMOLED display. As well as automatic smile detection and Red-Eye Fix, what else does the NV24HD have to offer?
24mm ultra optical wide 3.6x zoom lens
1280×720p supported at 30fps
Samsung’s DRIM Engine II for image speed and clarity
HD-level stereo video recording
Full HD images via upgraded HDMI
Face Detection function for portrait shots
Automatic shooting function for smiling face recognition
Red-eye fix
Microsoft will release Windows XP Service Pack 3 during the second half of April, according to a report from a Web site that has correctly predicted recent Windows ship dates
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Motorola INC (MOT.N) said on Wednesday it would split into two publicly traded entities to separate its loss-making handset division from its other businesses, sending its shares up about 5 percent.
The move, which comes amid an intensifying proxy battle against activist investor Carl Icahn ahead of a May 5 annual meeting, could be a prelude for a joint venture for the cell phone business, analysts said.
They said separating the cell phone business, which has been losing market share to rivals like NOKIA (NOK1V.HE) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), could help Motorola find a strategic investor, such as among Asian handset makers that are keen to win a bigger share of the U.S. market.
Under pressure from its second-largest investor Icahn to boost shareholder returns, Motorola announced a strategic review in late January but no potential buyers have emerged.
“I suspect it’s a prelude for a joint venture for the mobile devices business,” said Avian Securities analyst Tero Kuittinen, who sees Chinese and Japanese companies as the top candidates for a venture.
“It might be easier to negotiate with a standalone unit,” Kuittinen said. “It’s positive news because it shows the company is moving toward a serious restructuring.”
Motorola, now ranked third in the global handset market, said the split would take the form of a tax-free distribution to its shareholders and expected it to be completed in 2009. The company has already started to look for a new head for its mobile devices business.
“We expect this action to enhance recovery in mobile devices and accelerate efforts to attract a new leader,” Chief Executive Greg Brown said on a conference call with analysts.
He did not give details on the new capital structures or how shares would be allocated to existing shareholders, saying these details would be worked out in the coming months.
Motorola plans to separate its Mobile phone Devices unit from its Broadband & Mobility Solutions business. The latter consists of its network equipment, enterprise and public safety businesses. Brown did not give details on the branding strategy for each business, beyond saying the Motorola brand is important for the mobile devices business.
WiFi features are as standard on today’s portable computers as built-in modems used to be. Laptop users have become accustomed to the ability to connect to the Internet from practically anywhere to reach e-mail, Web sites and music download portals. Consumers even use wireless routers to connect to the Internet from anywhere in their homes. The problem, however, is that many portable computer users are completely clueless about the dangers of unprotected WiFi connections. They think that they can surf the Net with the same impunity as having a wired connection.
This time, it wants to open up the unlicensed parts of the TV broadcast spectrum, the so-called white space, for wireless broadband Internet access.“The data speeds are comparable with the 700 MHz spectrum, so you could have alternative ISPs and wireless cell carriers and data access which could be provided at lower cost than cable Internet or from current wireless carriers, and if you have nationwide service with comparable quality, they would be competitive with wireless carriers and existing ISPs,” Greg Sterling, founding principal of Sterling Market Research, told TechNewsWorld. Read the rest of this entry »