Ultra mobile PC gets mixed reviews ... Nokia and Siemens to merge telecom units

Today's Audio Update
Nokia and Siemens merge net equipment units ... US software pirate pleads guilty ... Drug regulator to require RFID tags


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Initial feedback mixed on ultra mobile PC, says Samsung
News: Nokia and Siemens to merge telecom units
News: Lexar shareholders approve merger with Micron
News: Hackers use Google Pages to host Trojan horse
Opinion: The Blog Hype is Over: Robert Scoble & Om Malik Moving to New Frontiers
Research: Which Mobile Services Do We Really Want?
ITwhirled: The wireless, preemptive repo man

NEWS UPDATES
Initial feedback mixed on ultra mobile PC, says Samsung
Feedback from customers who have bought Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s Q1 device suggests that a pre-launch teaser campaign by Microsoft Corp. might have backfired, a Samsung executive said Monday.

Nokia and Siemens to merge telecom units
Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG announced on Monday that they will merge their telecommunications infrastructure units to form Nokia Siemens Networks, the third such combination formed recently and an indication of the growing competitive pressures in the telecom supplier market.

Lexar shareholders approve merger with Micron
Despite opposition from billionaire investor Carl Icahn, shareholders of Lexar Media Inc. agreed to a deal to be bought out by Micron Technology Inc., turning the giant memory chip maker into a stronger competitor in the NAND flash memory business.

Nokia to run managed services business from India
Responding to increased demand in the country, Nokia Corp. has decided to run its worldwide managed services business from India, it announced on Monday.

RFID providers get boost from FDA ruling
Tired of waiting for pharmaceutical companies to improve counterfeit-drug screening, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last week it will require them to use electronic tags to track products from factory to pharmacy.


OPINION

The Blog Hype is Over: Robert Scoble & Om Malik Moving to New Frontiers
By James Lewin

Two stories have been the buzz of tech meme-trackers over the last few days: "geek blogger" Robert Scoble leaving Microsoft to join a podcasting startup and writer/blogger Om Malik leaving Business 2.0 to develop a multimedia tech news site.


RESEARCH

Which Mobile Services Do We Really Want?
By Dan Blacharski

Mobile carriers are eager to increase ARPU and offer more value-added services to boost their profits, especially in the face of decreasing rates for basic service. But the market for these value-adds is limited.