Electronics, Gadgets | featured news

Samsung Electronics is set to take the wraps off a sequel to its popular Galaxy Note smartphone at an event on August 29, about two weeks before the possible debut of Apple's new iPhone. The two arch rivals are bracing for a full-blown battle with the expected rollouts of the two key models coming as they lock horns in a high-stakes patent trial in the United States.

Samsung Electronics Co. defeated a bid for judicial sanctions against it by Apple (AAPL) (AAPL) Inc. related to evidence in the iPhone patent dispute now on trial in San Jose federal court in California.

Research In Motion chose its home country to launch a PlayBook tablet with built-in support for cellular networks, a crucial feature that its initial models lacked.

If you happened to peruse the annual report Microsoft filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week, you may notice that a rather obvious little bit of news was confirmed in the documents: That the Redmond-based company's Surface tablets will hit shelves on Oct. 26, along with Windows 8.

Apple is said to be ready to introduce a new iPhone with an event on Sept. 12, according to a person with knowledge of Apple's plans.

Two tech titans will square off in federal court Monday in a closely watched trial over control of the U.S. smartphone and computer tablet markets. Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. last year alleging the world's largest technology company's smartphones and computer tablets are illegal knockoffs of its popular iPhone and iPad products. The Cupertino-based company is demanding $2.5 billion in damages, an award that would dwarf the largest patent-related verdict to date.

If Apple Inc's weaker-than-expected quarterly result is anything to go by, the global smartphone industry is a lot more vulnerable to economic shocks these days than during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

RadioShack Corp. said today that it’s eliminating its dividend to shareholders as it reported a second quarter loss. The Fort Worth-based consumer electronics retailer reported a net loss of $21 million, or 21 cents a share, compared with a profit of $24.9 million, or 24 cents a share a year ago. Total sales increased 1.2 percent from a year ago and same-store sales were flat.

This is Apple’s second earnings miss under Tim Cook. After the second miss, the scrutiny of Tim Cook’s leadership inevitably comes into play. The big question is, “Are Steve Jobs’ shoes too big to fill?” Steve Jobs was a master at managing expectations. He mastered the art of under promising and over delivering. Steve Jobs perfected the art of managing expectations by not giving good guidance regarding earnings.

AT&T Inc pulled back its outlook for business services this year, sending its shares down 3 percent despite its better than expected quarterly profit as it reduced costs from customer upgrades to smartphones such as the Apple Inc iPhone.