Now that the frenzied craziness that is Computex Taipei is done and dusted for another year, we can all take a step back and take a look at some of this year’s winners and losers.
Citing "long-term competitiveness," Nokia Corp. said today it would close a handset factory in Bochum, Germany, and sell automotive and research-and-development sites in the same locale. Nokia will move its handset production from Bochum to more "cost-competitive" sites in Europe, according to the company....
Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. announced it is in negotiations to sell its cellphone business to fellow Japanese electronics maker Kyocera Wireless Corp. If the deal is completed, it would further consolidate the world's hotly contested mobile phone business, as well as bolster Kyocera's market...
The good news: The new Nokia Siemens Networks is intent on creating a "winning company" despite difficult market conditions. But 9,000 workers have to go. In a carefully worded press release, Nokia Siemens referred back to a statement made a year ago when the...
"Consolidation" is a well-worn phrase in business circles because it politely masks the fact that someone probably is going to get it in the neck.Typically, that means workers get hurt, though the game of executive heave-ho remains popular, particularly after a difficult quarter or...
Three of the top six handset vendors in the world lost market share last year, as did the "other" category that captures the multitude of second-tier vendors determined to swim upstream against a strong current. That current is generated by the momentum that scale...
BenQ Mobile, the Munich, Germany-based company formed by BenQ Corp. of Taiwan when it scored Siemens AG's handset business in 2005, has no buyers and its assets will be liquidated, according to media reports. Martin Prager, an insolvency administrator in charge of the matter,...
German chip maker Infineon Technologies AG crowed yesterday that it will supply Nokia Corp. with baseband and RF chips for the handset vendor's entry-level phones in GSM markets.Details of the deal were not disclosed, so the relative impact of the move to Texas Instruments...
BenQ Corp.'s mobile communications business, apparently now limited to its home turf in Taiwan and other Asian markets, has selected Kineto Wireless Inc.'s UMA technology for a pair of upcoming dual-mode handsets. The Taiwanese handset maker intends to launch an open OS smartphone and...
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has become the latest handset vendor to snuggle up with Internet search company Google Inc. with plans to provide Google search, mapping and e-mail applications on its handsets. Samsung made the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.Beginning...
LONDON—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications announced plans to purchase UIQ Technology AB, a subsidiary of Symbian Ltd. UIQ, based in Sweden, licenses its user interface and application development platform to mobile phone vendors worldwide, including Sony Ericsson. The two companies have worked together on UIQ...
Trying to form a sense of the sprawling chip market for mobile phones is akin to getting a tape measure around an elephant's waist. With dozens of players and product types, the chip industry that enables the fantastic functions of today's mobile phones is...
MUNICH, Germany—The insolvency of BenQ-Siemens’ German handset business has begun to reverberate throughout the industry, as German chip-maker Infineon Technologies—Europe’s second-largest chip maker—announced it will take a charge of about $101 million against earnings for 2006 due to the firm’s problems. BenQ’s business accounted...
FRANKFURT, Germany—The official in charge of a 90-day effort to save aspects of the Munich-based BenQ-Siemens handset business has announced that 1,900 of the firm’s 3,000 workers must be laid off. Insolvency Administrator Martin Prager is hoping the remaining workers could thrive as a...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—On the heels of closing its German-based handset business, BenQ has also decided to shutter operations in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, according to El Cronista, an Argentinian newspaper. The closures may also extend to the company’s operations in Brazil, according to El Cronista....
ALAMEDA, Calif.-UTStarcom Inc. said it is exploring "strategic alternatives" and has retained Merrill Lynch & Co. as its financial adviser. The announcement could mean that UTStarcom is openly seeking to sell itself or merge with another company. "Our board of directors and management team...
ALAMEDA, Calif.—UTStarcom Inc. said it is exploring "strategic alternatives" and has retained Merill Lynch & Co. as its financial adviser. The announcement could mean that UTStarcom is openly seeking to sell itself or merge with another company. "Our board of directors and management team...
Sprint Nextel announced that it will sell the Motorola Slvr, Krzr and Razr sometime in "early November." We're trying to figure out exactly why Sprint Nextel issued this press release. Why didn't Sprint Nextel just wait until the phones were actually available before they...
It may have been a blip on the radar screen of the global handset industry, but the screams were heard around the world. When BenQ Corp. announced recently that it would no longer inject money into its BenQ-Siemens handset business, headquartered in Munich, Germany—a...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
TAIPEI, Taiwan-Enough already-that's the decision handed down from BenQ Corp. amid heavy losses at its mobile venture, BenQ Mobile. The company announced that it won't pour any more money into its German-based mobile-phone subsidiary. As a result, BenQ said its handset subsidiary may file...
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Enough already—that’s the decision handed down from BenQ Corp. amid heavy losses at its mobile venture, BenQ Mobile. The company announced that it won’t pour any more money into its German-based mobile-phone subsidiary. As a result, BenQ said its handset subsidiary may file...
BenQ Corp. announced it will spend an additional $400 million on its handset business-BenQ Mobile, which ranks just below the world's top five handset vendors-while spinning off non-mobile businesses to strengthen the handset brand. The electronics firm has been making LCD monitors for Dell...
TAPEI, Taiwan—BenQ Corp. announced it will spend an additional $400 million on its handset business BenQ Mobile—which ranks just below the world’s top five handset vendors—while spinning off other non-mobile businesses to strengthen the handset brand. The electronics firm has been making LCD monitors...
