■ Mobile Phones
Alcatel to sell unit
Alcatel SA, the world's biggest maker of broadband Internet equipment, said it is in talks to sell its handset business to Chinese companies. "We are progressing in that direction," Christian Reinaudo, Alcatel's president of Asia-Pacific, said at a briefing in Shanghai, without identifying the companies. Alcatel last year said it plans to sell 1 billion euros of non-phone equipment assets as part of its cost-cutting efforts. The company forecast its China sales will rise by 30 percent this year. The company aims to double Asia-Pacific revenue within the next three years, Christian Reinaudo, Alcatel's president of Asia-Pacific, said at a briefing in Shanghai.
■ Trump Casinos
Auditors raise debt worries
While Donald Trump basks in the popularity of his runaway hit reality TV show, The Apprentice, the auditors for his Atlantic City casino property are raising alarms over the financier's real-life debt load. In a letter to the company's board of directors, auditors for Ernst & Young LLP said that the debt-laden company, which runs three Atlantic City casinos, is struggling under stiff competition, recurring operating losses and had a working capital deficit as of Dec. 31, 2003, the auditors said. Trump Hotels, which carries US$1.8 billion in debt, has been unable to finance major capital improvements at its Atlantic City properties at a time when competitors -- including the new Borgata Hotel Spa & Casino -- have been luring away gamblers.
■ Patents
Intel moves to settle suit
Chip giant Intel Corp will pay software maker Intergraph Corp US$225 million to settle a patent dispute involving computer manufacturer Dell Inc under an agreement announced Tuesday. The settlement was the latest development in a long-running dispute over technology between the Huntsville-based Intergraph and Intel. Intergraph specializes in graphics software to make maps, build and operate factories and ships, dispatch emergency service and manage infrastructure. The company sued in 2002 claiming that Dell, Hewlett-Packard Co and Gateway Inc violated patents related to systems using Intel chips. Intel earlier had agreed to pay Intergraph US$300 million over similar claims, but the deal didn't protect Intel customers. Intel was brought into the patent case by Dell, which filed a claim against the chip manu-facturer after Intergraph sued.
■ Operating Systems
Governments explore Linux
Japan, China and South Korea will consider standardizing ways to use the free Linux operating system as a viable alternative to Microsoft Windows, a government official said yesterday. A meeting of senior officials from the three East Asian countries will be held in Beijing on Saturday on policies related to information technologies, said the official at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. "The agenda of the meeting will include establishment of standards for the use of Linux as our countries aim to share the results of research on open sources," he added. Representatives of major high-tech companies will join the government delegates in a parallel meeting in Beijing on the same day, said the ministry official in charge of information processing.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source