Fujitsu, NTT Docomo and NEC will dissolve by March a joint venture for developing core chips for smartphones. The venture, Access Network Technology, was formed in August 2012 to develop baseband chips.

GCT Semiconductor has licensed the Cadence Tensilica ConnX BBE16 digital signal processing (DSP) core for a next-generation chipset targeting mobile applications.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association has announced the publication of Release 6 of the DDR3 Serial Presence Detect (SPD) document. The updated standard describes new memory timing parameters and enables higher capacity memory modules.

The Gobi 9x30 is the world's first commercially announced cellular modem for automotive based on the 20nm technology node with support for global carrier aggregation deployments up to 40MHz in both LTE FDD and TDD modes.

Toshiba has developed what it claims is the world's fastest device controller for embedded NAND flash memory modules compliant with the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Ver.2.0 and UFS Unified Memory Extension (UME) Ver.1.0 standards defined by JEDEC Solid State Technology Association (JEDEC).

International Rectifier (IR) has commenced initial production at its new ultra-thin wafer processing facility in Singapore. Wafer thinning, metallization, testing and additional proprietary wafer level processing are undertaken at the new 60,000 square foot manufacturing site which receives processed wafers from IR's internal fabs and foundry partners.

RF Micro Devices and TriQuint Semiconductor have announced a definitive merger agreement under which the companies will combine in an all-stock transaction. To reflect the nature of this transaction as a merger of equals, the new company will have a new name and shared leadership team.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with integrated LTE. Additionally, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor is featured in the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, bringing LTE connectivity in mainstream smartphones.

Profits at Sina, owner of China's largest Twitter-like site Weibo, surged in the fourth quarter, boosted by a jump in advertising revenue.

InvenSense has announced a turnkey wearable platform solution intended to substantially shorten the time-to-market for any OEM or ODM.

Hillcrest Labs has announced that Oppo, a China-based CE manufacturer and smartphone OEM, is using Hillcrest's patented Freespace software to provide advanced motion-based functionality on their latest smartphones.

Qualcomm has leaped ahead of Apple in 64-bit mobile chip development with its first eight-core Snapdragon 615 chip for mobile devices, which has integrated LTE and 4K video rendering capabilities.

Renesas Electronics has developed what it claims is the industry's first 28-nanometer (nm) flash memory intellectual property (IP) for microcontrollers (MCUs) using a 28nm process technology.

Sony's flagships have struggled to find success, but that hasn't stopped the company from quickly iterating its smartphone line to keep up with its rivals.

Chinese mobile technology leader Huawei unveiled the latest additions to its stable Sunday in Barcelona, ahead of the 2014 World Mobile Congress, including its "hybrid" fitness band/smart watch.

LG Electronics said it will launch a computerized wristwatch later this year, entering a nascent market where Samsung Electronics, Sony and smaller companies such as Pebble are already jostling for dominance.

Samsung has released two updated versions of its Gear smartwatch featuring slimmer designs and heart rate sensors beating Apple to the release of a health-tracking smartwatch.

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth claims that Apple has acquired a large supply of sapphire displays, possibly alluding to displays with sapphire material that would be used on a future Apple iPhone.

WhatsApp's jaw-dropping US$19 billion price tag took the world by surprise. But Facebook might have actually gotten WhatsApp for cheap.

Hewlett-Packard reported fiscal first-quarter sales and profit that topped analysts' estimates as the personal-computer maker won new orders for corporate machines and servers to run data centers.

Google has unveiled a prototype smartphone with "customised hardware and software" that enables it to create 3D maps of a user's surroundings.

A smartwatch prototype based on Qualcomm's Toq device will be previewed to carriers at the Mobile World Congress trade show, with no plans to unveil the device publicly, the person said, asking not to be identified because the details haven't been released.

Nokia is considering buying Juniper Networks to merge into its telecommunications network gear business, German's Manager Magazin Online reported, citing unidentified sources.

Qualcomm is under investigation in China for allegedly overcharging and exploiting its market position, which will see the US chipmaker facing fines of over US$1 billion.

WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook's board of directors.

The upcoming Tesla Model X could inherit some iOS goodness courtesy of a partnership with Apple.

South Korean multinational conglomerates Samsung and LG are considering setting up units to manufacture electronic chips in India, following the government's clearance to build two such semiconductor units.

As if 3D TV and OLED vs. plasma vs. LED TVs and 120Hz and the Soap Opera Effect weren't confusing enough, in the last year we have seen the rise of a new HDTV technology called 4K. Or if you use its official name, Ultra High Definition (UHD).

A report citing inside sources says the upcoming smartphone will come equipped with fingerprint reading technology within the device's home button.

Samsung Electronics Co said a memory chip plant being built in China will start operations as planned in the first half of 2014 and the company will remain flexible about further investment in the factory.

AMD is rolling out its server CPU platform based on ARM's 64-bit technology - the first of such collaboration between the two firms. The Opteron A1100 series chip, codenamed Seattle, is fabricated using 28nm process technology, and the chip maker plans to sample it this quarter.

ARM has announced an enhanced suite of higher performance and more energy-efficient products specifically designed for the rapidly growing mid-range mobile and consumer electronics markets.

According to people familiar with Apple's plans, the company has made the decision to ramp down iPad 2 production given that customers are resoundingly shifting purchases towards its more modern and capable iPads, namely the iPad mini and iPad Air.

2014 will be the year that wearables become a key consumer technology, as the smart band segment is estimated to reach 8 million annual shipments. Canalys estimates that this number will grow to over 23 million units by 2015, and over 45 million by 2017.

Lenovo reported Thursday it had made progress in its plan to expand beyond PCs, even before a planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

Chipmaker Microchip Technology said it would buy Supertex for US$394 million in cash to bolster its business that supplies to the medical, LED lighting, industrial and telecommunication industries.

Samsung recently won an order for roughly 7,000 smartphones from the US Army and is close to an order for several thousand devices from the US National Security Agency, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The company's comments feel at once like a hedge against the possibility that Apple may release a watch in 2014, and also like an attempt to prove it can keep up with its Android rivals Samsung and LG.