BARCELONA (AFP) ― Computer security expert Eugene Kaspersky predicted on Tuesday that Google’s Android smartphone operating system will come to dominate the market, reducing Apple and BlackBerry to niche players.Kaspersky, who founded the leading anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab, said there is only “one company, one operating system which follows Microsoft’s strategy of the 1990s” when its Windows co

Industry Feb. 16, 2011

SEATTLE (AP) ― Personal computer maker Dell Inc. said Tuesday its net income more than doubled in the most recent quarter to handily beat expectations, as businesses spent more on computers, servers and other technology.Dell also issued annual revenue guidance for the current fiscal year that beat Wall Street’s forecast. The results sent Dell’s shares soaring in extended trading after the report w

Industry Feb. 16, 2011

Multitasking, speedy IE9 coming to windows phoneBARCELONA (AFP) ― Microsoft announced Monday an Internet-friendly revamp of its Windows Phone operating system to help capture new territory in the smartphone wars.Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer unveiled a series of improvements this year to Windows Phone, which got a major boost last week when it was adopted by leading handphone maker Nokia.The softw

Industry Feb. 15, 2011

Eurozone to put up $674b for post-2013 bailout fund, disagreement over debt crisisBRUSSELS (AP) ― European finance ministers decided Monday to provide 500 billion euros ($674 billion) for a new crisis fund that will come into force in 2013, but continued to fight over the best way to combat the current debt crisis that has crippled the eurozone over the past year.The ministers “agreed on the provi

Industry Feb. 15, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Apple is developing new lines of smaller and cheaper iPhones and overhauling its software to facilitate users’ access to entertainment, photos and video, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.The new device ― code-named “N97” ― will be about half the size of the iPhone 4 and cost about half as much as Apple’s main line of iPhones, the Journal said, citing a person who saw a pr

Industry Feb. 14, 2011

China, the world’s biggest electricity consumer, is figuring out how to capture a larger share of the solar-energy market without losing money. The government will spend at least a year studying Europe’s system of paying above-market prices for solar power before deciding if there’s a better way to spur clean-energy plants across China, said Wu Dacheng, an adviser to national power regulators. The

Industry Feb. 14, 2011

Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest automaker, plans to cut its board to at least 17 members from the current 27 to improve decision-making after a series of product recalls in its biggest management reorganization in 8 years, two people familiar with the company’s plan said. Toyota currently has 27 directors, including the chairman, president, six executive vice presidents and 15 senior manag

Industry Feb. 13, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The IMF ignored warnings about the financial crisis from its own top economist and acted like cheerleader for the U.S. economy rather than monitoring it, according to a scathing watchdog report published on Wednesday.The International Monetary Fund “failed to highlight the relevant vulnerabilities” in the U.S. financial system in the run up to the 2008 crisis, according to a 51-

Industry Feb. 10, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Google’s Android surged past Apple’s iPhone last quarter and is closing in on the Blackberry as the most popular smartphone platform in the United States, market tracking firm comScore said Monday.According to comScore, 63.2 million Americans owned smartphones at the end of December, up 60 percent from a year earlier. An Apple Inc. iPhone 4 (front) and a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Industry Feb. 8, 2011

MS CEO reportedly planning management reshuffle for tech expertiseMicrosoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer plans to extend a management reshuffling aimed at adding senior product executives with an engineering background, two people with knowledge of the decision said.Changes may be announced this month, said one of the people, who declined to be named because the plans are private. L

Industry Feb. 8, 2011

Facebook Inc. may never overtake Mixi Inc. in Japan as the lure of connecting with friends overseas isn’t enough for users to switch services, according to the U.S. social-networking site’s biggest games developer.Japan “is one place where Facebook may not end up being dominant,” Robert Goldberg, head of Zynga Game Network Inc.’s operations in the country, said in an interview in Tokyo last week.

Industry Feb. 7, 2011

Humbled and attacked on all sides, Wal-Mart seeks comeback from missteps that hurt salesSADDLE BROOK, New Jersey (AP) ― The battle for shoppers is playing out in this New York suburb: Wal-Mart versus everyone else.Dollar stores beckon, their small size ideal for quick shopping. Target offers 5 percent off if you pay with its store-branded card. Costco tempts with high-end, brand-name food and desi

Industry Feb. 6, 2011