■ Electronics
BlackBerry to use Intel chips
Research in Motion Ltd said yesterday it will use Intel Corp's cellular microprocessors in upcoming BlackBerry devices as it tries to boost performance without sacrificing battery life. The widely expected move is expected to improve the BlackBerry's ability to handle multimedia and Internet applications. The gadget is best known for its thumb keyboard and wireless messaging and some models also have phone and handheld computer capabilities. Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM has chosen the Intel PXA9xx cellular processor, code named "Hermon." The first BlackBerry products with the new technology would be available later this year, RIM president Mike Lazaridis said. No pricing was announced.
■ Media
Album released on `Gruvi'
Virgin Records said it would release the Rolling Stones' latest album on a new encrypted flash memory card that will allow users to preview and buy locked tracks from four of the veteran rockers' previous albums. The memory card, dubbed Gruvi, is manufactured by SanDisk Corp, and will be available in November at select US stores for US$39.95, SanDisk and the label said in a statement. By comparison, the Stones' latest album, A Bigger Bang, costs about US$14 on CD. SanDisk spokesman Ken Castle said the value for consumers is in being able to use the thumbnail-sized memory card to move music and other media between compatible mobile phones, electronic organizers, computers and other devices. To keep that content from ending up on Internet file-swapping sites or otherwise distributed without permission, the card comes with copy-protection technology built in.
■ Management
Samsung in hot water
Samsung Group was in hot water yesterday after its patriarch was told to appear before parliament and the president attacked South Korea's top conglomerate for its controversial corporate governance record. In a rare move, the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Committee decided late Tuesday to summon Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-Hee on Wednesday next week and question him over debts left unpaid by the group's bankrupt Samsung Motors. The parliamentary move coincided with an attack from South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, who charged the group was seeking to sidestep a government drive for corporate governance reform. It is unknown whether the 64-year-old tycoon, currently in the US for a medical check-up, will respond to the summons.
■ Electronics
Sanyo expects bigger loss
Ailing Japanese electronics maker Sanyo said yesterday it expects to post a net loss of ¥140 billion (US$1.24 billion) in the financial year to March and will accelerate job cuts. Sanyo blamed a rapid decline in prices of its digital home appliances for the decision to raise its net loss forecast from ¥92 billion previously. The Osaka-based group said it would achieve two-thirds of its planned 14,000 job cuts by the end of January and exit from the loss-making traditional DVD player business and from video cassette recorders. Instead it will focus on making high-definition DVD players and rear-projection type and cathode-ray tube televisions. The Sanyo group posted a loss of ¥171.5 billion for the year to March as weak digital camera sales hit its bottom line.
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
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
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft