SpringSoft has announced immediate availability of the Laker Blitz chip-level layout editor, a new software product targeting chip finishing applications and the latest addition to its popular family of Laker custom IC design and layout automation solutions.

Huawei has confirmed that Microsoft is demanding royalty payments from it over products using Android software.

Prolific develops leading-edge IC design optimization software tools that significantly reduce development time and improve the performance of cell-based designs.

The Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 mark the begin of Nokia's fightback against Apple's iPhone and rivals using Google's Android software.

While Amazon prepares to ship out the Kindle Fire, it has quietly released a significant software update to the Kindle Keyboard, which expands cloud storage support for personal documents.

SMSC has announced that Samsung Electronics has licensed its patented Inter-Chip Connectivity (ICC) technology.

Consumers who picked up a Panasonic Viera TV last year can now upgrade their IPTV software to match 2011 models.

Nokia, having abandoned its ambition to develop a high-end operating system, is shifting its programming efforts toward creating software for its low-end phones, according to people familiar with the matter. The project is a Linux-based operating system code-named Meltemi.

Applied Materials announced that Toshiba has purchased its SmartSched predictive scheduling software to improve the capacity and efficiency of its photolithography operations. Installation of the first phase of this breakthrough software solution began in August at Toshiba's Fab 4 facility in Yokkaichi, Japan.

Samsung Electronics, maker of the Galaxy mobile phone, may have surpassed Nokia and Apple in smartphone sales for the first time on demand for devices that run on Android software, a research company said.

Nokia has completed a deal to outsource Symbian software development to Accenture, including the transfer of 2,800 workers to the global management-consulting firm.

Broadcom announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SC Square, security software developer based in Israel.

Google has closed availability of the source code to Android 3.0 Honeycomb, explaining that the tablet-oriented software was not ready for use on smartphones and that the company didn't want outside developers or enthusiasts experimenting with it in unauthorized ways.

"We have identified a technical issue with the Windows Phone update process that impacts a small number of phones," a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in a Feb. 23 email to eWEEK. "In response to this emerging issue, we have temporarily taken down the latest software update for Samsung phones in order to correct the issue."

RIM should be able to draw new customers as wireless operators shift their promotions and marketing support away from Nokia while it develops phones that use Microsoft's software, Jim Suva, a Citigroup analyst, wrote.

"I don't envision us using Microsoft. I would never say never but it's not something we're entertaining now," said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services product management for Motorola.

The Certitude software enables engineers to raise the quality of verification environments and IP design components required to develop microcontroller unit solutions for automotive electronics applications.

Intellectual Ventures has filed patent lawsuits against nine tech companies. The first lawsuit targets software security vendors Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro and Check Point. The second lawsuit targets DRAM and flash memory vendors Hynix and Elpida. The third names FPGA vendors Altera, Lattice and Microsemi, which recently acquired Actel and its FPGA business.

RIM announced it is buying The Astonishing Tribea Swedish mobile software design house, which is known for making shiny, slick interfaces for a variety of phone makers, especially for Android-phones

SAP AG must pay US$1.3 billion to rival Oracle Corp. for copyright infringement, a federal jury ruled Tuesday, following a high-profile court battle between the business software makers.

"initial supplies are tight", says Microsoft. Is demand really that strong or is the software holding back shipments artificially?

One iPhone owner filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming the company deliberately released a software upgrade that would turn earlier models of the iPhone into "virtually useless iBricks."

Bank of America and Citigroup are considering to let employees use the iPhone as an alternative to BlackBerry for corporate e-mail, said three sources. The banks are testing software for the iPhone that's designed to make it secure enough for company messages.

The nine-page complaint lists three Apple patents it says Motorola is violating with its phones and the software applications controlling those devices. The devices targeted in the complaint include Droid, Devour i1, Charm, Backflip and Cliq.

Applied Materials announced that Hareon Solar has selected its SmartFactory manufacturing automation software to improve productivity across Hareon's solar photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturing operations in China.

China-based BOE Technology has adopted SpringSoft's Laker Custom Layout Automation System as its standard custom chip design platform. SpringSoft said the long-time panel customer is expanding deployment of the Laker software from early 4.5G, 5G and 6G FPD product applications to its latest 8.5G offerings and institutes for advanced technology development.

Motorola chief has been counting on smartphones running Android to help turn around the Illinois-based company's flagging fortunes but didn't consider the latest generation of the mobile software ready for use in tablets.

Intuit and Mophie (maker of the JuicePack battery for iPhone) will introduce the Complete Credit Card Solution, which fits over the iPhone 3G and 3GS like the JuicePack and has a credit-card reader that uses Intuit's 18-month-old GoPayment mobile payment software. It will be available as an iPhone accessory in Apple Stores.

Intel has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire security specialist McAfee, through the purchase of all of the company's common stock at US$48 per share in cash, for approximately US$7.68 billion.