■ Cellphones
Nokia in deal with Warner
Nokia Oyj, the world's largest mobile-phone maker, plans to start supplying mobile-phone operators with ring tones, graphics, games and video provided by Warner Music Group and NBC Universal's Universal Studios unit. Nokia agreed to co-operate with Starcut, a mobile media publisher, to provide mobile-phone operators such as Vodafone Group Plc a catalogue of media content. Operators can integrate the Nokia content into their own download services, or have Nokia provide the entire content service. "We have seen throughout the early stages of the mobile media industry that major brands are a key driver for consumer uptake," Nokia said in a release.
■ Automobiles
Chinese car sales to slow
China's car sales may grow at a slower pace next year as the prices of fuel and vehicle insurance surge, according to a forecast by JP Morgan Chase & Co. China may sell 2.34 million passenger cars this year, 10 percent fewer than JP Morgan previously forecast, the broker said in a report. It also cut by 23 percent its forecast for sales next year to almost 2.4 million cars, an increase of less than 2 percent from this year. "We predict further price reductions in China's auto market, which, together with the stagnant demand growth, will cut deep into the bottom lines of China's auto sector," the report said. China's car sales surged 76 percent last year, after expanding by 50 percent in 2002. There will be a glut of cars in China next year, with supply including imports reaching 2.91 million units this year and 3.38 million units next year, JPMorgan said.
■ PC security
US users confused
The US' Internet users are confused about computer security, 80 percent of their computers are infected with spyware and almost 20 percent of the machines have viruses, according to a study to be issued yesterday by America Online and the National Cyber Security alliance. The survey of 329 adults using either dial-up or broadband Internet access was conducted through interviews and computer analysis in 22 cities, during this and last month. The researchers found that although 77 percent of those surveyed thought they were either "very safe" or "somewhat safe" from online threats, fully 67 percent did not have currently updated anti-virus software. The study also found that two-thirds of the users surveyed did not have firewall protection -- and more than half did not understand what a computer firewall is. A firewall, either software or hardware, protects a computer from unauthorized access over a network.
■ EU competition
Oracle approval expected
EU competition authorities are expected to clear unconditionally US firm Oracle's hostile takeover of business software rival PeopleSoft today, sources say. EU competition commissioner Mario Monti is judged to have overcome doubts about the deal, which would leave only two big players in the business software market -- Oracle and Germany's SAP. The European Commission will deliver its verdict on the deal -- which had been bitterly contested by PeopleSoft -- at a full meeting in Strasbourg today. Following approval given to the US$7.7 billion transaction by US anti-trust authorities, the commission is expected to deliver its own green light "without condition," an EU source said.
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