When he was first elected in 2008, Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou, offered Taiwanese high hopes that the island's economy would open a new chapter. He promised ground-breaking agreements with China to help end Taiwan's growing economic marginalisation.

Smart TVs, LED technology, emerging markets will help boost the IC market for TVs.

On 14 November, people in Madrid and all across Europe participated in a demonstration against government austerity measures.

Amazon on Thursday began shipping a large-screen, high-definition version of its popular Kindle Fire tablet computers ahead of schedule in a holiday season challenge to Apple iPads.

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said that the largest seller of mobile-phone semiconductors can continue to grow earnings in double digits over the next five years.

Foundry chip manufacturer Globalfoundries is expected to be a profitable and self-sustaining business by 2015, one that does not require additional funding from its present parent Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC).

Sales growth at Wal-Mart has fallen short of market expectations, with the world's biggest retailer saying customers are feeling the pinch.

The Australian government said it will phase out a solar incentive program in January, six months earlier than scheduled, to cut electricity bills for homes and businesses next year by as much as AUD100 million (US$103 million).

Currently, a number of FPD makers are evaluating a thin-film solution that offers moisture and oxygen permeability approximately equal to a sheet of glass. It comprises alternating layers of polymer and ceramic films applied in vacuum.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is floating around extolling the virtues of Windows 8. Reviewers are giving more positive reviews than negative reviews. Smart people I know have actually changed their minds, agreeing that Windows 8 is great. Life is good at Microsoft.

Samsung Display is pushing forward with plans to develop flexible display units made out of plastic materials rather than glass. The company has been working on the new display option for some time now and has hinted at recent advances in the technology.

In a bid to differentiate itself from the rivals, Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest consumer electronics conglomerates, may start mass production of bendable smartphones next year.

Infineon Technologies plans to cut costs and reduce investments in anticipation of weaker demand from industrial customers.

Gold will probably rally to a record above US$2,000 an ounce in 2013 as central banks ramp up stimulus to sustain the recovery, according to Raymond Key, London-based global head of metals trading at Deutsche Bank.

To further extend its location services, Nokia is launching a maps application for iOS under the HERE brand.

Android smartphones have already taken the sales crown with 75% share and 57 million shipped by Samsung alone last quarter. It seems that the tablet market will soon follow suit.

Shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry rallied recently on the Taiwan Stock Exchange thanks to its success in launching 60-inch LED TV in North America and in securing higher contracting fees from Apple, according to local media reports.

Spansion has announced what it claims is the industry's first single-die 8Gb NOR flash memory product at 45nm. The 8Gb Spansion GL-T delivers high-quality, fast random access read performance to enable a better user experience with interactive graphics, animation and video in games and industrial applications.

The first LED bulbs that are about the same size and brightness as regular 100-watt bulbs are reaching stores.