Former solar billionaire and Australian citizen Shi Zhengrong is being investigated by China authorities over financial dealings that may have contributed to the insolvency of the company he founded, Suntech Power.

Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins said at the Australian BlackBerry Z10 launch this week. "How can we really add value?" Okay, cool. But did he tell the rest of his company? I'm asking, because Thorsten's director of product management just told a very different story.

Thailand plans to distribute about 1.7 million tablet computers to students and teachers this year in the world's largest handout of the devices for education, officials said Thursday.

Samsung will launch 100 new televisions this year; more than half will be smart TV-enabled. Still, in a nod to consumers' continuing desire for bigger TVs, Samsung increased the number of TVs that are 60 inches and wider by 50%.

Manufactured sapphire-a material that's used as transparent armor on military vehicles-could become cheap enough to replace the glass display covers on mobile phones.

Manufacturing activity in China picked up speed in March, an initial HSBC survey has indicated, adding to hopes of a sustained recovery in its economy.

Computer networks running three major South Korean banks and the country's two largest broadcasters were paralyzed Wednesday in attacks that some experts suspected originated in North Korea, which has consistently threatened to cripple its far richer neighbor.

Microsoft has announced the general availability of two flavors of Windows 8 for embedded systems; the Standard and Pro editions.

Suntech Power Holdings has appointed Weiping Zhou, former chairman of Guolian Futures and finance department manager of government-owned investment company Wuxi Guolian Development, executive director and company president.

The main subsidiary of Suntech Power, one of the world's largest makers of solar panels, collapsed into bankruptcy in a remarkable reversal for what had been part of a huge China government effort to dominate renewable energy industries.

Fears that Cyprus's two biggest banks may collapse if a bailout is not agreed have seen investors ditch the euro and turn to relatively safer assets.

Samsung's disclosure comes after people familiar with Apple's plans said last month the company has about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device that may perform similar functions to the iPhone and iPad.

The deal aims at building a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between Renesas and J-Devices as strategic partners in the semiconductor production business. The two companies intend to complete the transfer on June 1, 2013.

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Solar Ventures have acquired a solar project portfolio in Italy worth 42MW.

ARM has announced that CEO Warren East has decided to retire from the company, effective 1 July 2013. Simon Segars, currently president of ARM, will become the company's new CEO.

China-based solar-panel makers are set to follow the lead of Suntech as the industry enters a difficult period of consolidation and "adjustment", according to a senior industry executive.

The use of tablet computers among Australian businesses is set to increase by at least 50% in the next 12 months, according to a new survey from market research group Roy Morgan. However, some industries continue to drag their feet.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 tablet for US$126.99 shipped, plus sales tax where applicable.

There is no question that Microsoft's computing empire is in trouble. In 2008 Microsoft's Windows OS ran on 95% of all computing devices. According to Forrester estimates, Microsoft Windows software now runs on about 30%.

Admitting it was a mistake to launch the first BlackBerry tablet without native email or sufficient apps, chief Thorsten Heins told the Australian Financial Review he wouldn't want to repeat those errors, but will be aiming for profits.

China, forecast to become the largest solar-power market this year, may abolish subsidy programs for some of its largest projects and target the money instead to smaller ones, an industry official said.

STMicroelectronics and Ericsson have agreed to split up their unprofitable ST-Ericsson chip venture after failing to find a buyer for the business, cutting about 1,600 jobs as they divide the assets.

According to the security company Sophos, techie types are carrying more devices with them at all times. Looking at 2,226 users worldwide, they found that Germans carried the most devices with 3.1 per person. The next was the US, with a round 3.0 devices per person and last was Australia at 2.6 per person. This equates a (very roughly) global average of 2.9 devices, though the highest they found was a whopping 12 devices.

A Gartner analyst believes the opportunities for companies in phablets category might not be huge, as they might be thinking.

If ever there was a piece of technology that promised so much, yet failed so miserably, it is the universal remote. Year after year we were introduced to newer, more advanced remotes, each touted as the device that would end the angst we had endured for ages. Instead, these devices inevitably presented a new set of problems, along with further confirmation that it wasn't the equipment, but the approach that was flawed.

Each time in recent years that the Federal Reserve has paused in its efforts to stimulate the economy, it has come to regret the decision as premature.

"We are proud to say that the newest Snapdragon 600 processor is at the heart of the GALAXY S 4 in select regions," Qualcomm said in a blog post.

Seven O-S-D product categories and device groups reached record-high sales in 2012 compared to 14 new records being set in 2011.