Quanta

Microsoft inks Android, Chrome deal with Quanta

Microsoft has signed a patent deal with Quanta Computer, the latest in an ongoing effort to convince hardware makers that they need to license technology from the software giant if they intend to use Google's Android and Chrome operating systems for their devices.

The deal with Quanta, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer, covers both Google operating systems. The companies didn't disclose terms of the deal, except to say that Microsoft will receive royalties from Quanta under the agreement.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Quanta, and proud of the continued success of our Android licensing … Read more

HP facing pressure to keep PC unit inside--report

Hewlett-Packard is facing pressure to keep its PC business inside the company according to an Asia-based report.

Growing concern about the fate of HP's PC unit is pushing "channel operators" to switch their orders from HP to brands such as Dell, Acer, and Lenovo, according to a report in Digitimes, citing sources.

The report names Acer as a major beneficiary of the shift.

HP's Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) partners, including Quanta Computer, Inventec, Wistron, and Foxconn Electronics, will "regain...confidence" in HP if it decides not to spin off its PC business, the report … Read more

Amazon could sell 5 million tablets next quarter

At the right price, an Amazon tablet could hit unit sales as high as 5 million in the fourth quarter alone, says an analyst from Forrester Research.

Sharing her thoughts in a blog post yesterday, Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps said that if Amazon can launch a tablet below $300 and provide enough supply to meet demand, it could sell anywhere from 3 million to 5 million tablets in the next quarter.

Earlier this month, Taiwanese news outlet CENS cited information that claimed Amazon was already planning to order anywhere from 800,000 to 1 million tablets per month from … Read more

Amazon reportedly ramping up 7- and 10-inch tablets

Amazon is aiming to launch both a 7-inch and 10-inch tablet in the third quarter and is currently lining up the right suppliers, according to the latest from the folks at DigiTimes.

A number of chip design firms in Taiwan expect to see a healthy bump in sales in the third quarter as they ship parts for the new tablets, said Digitimes, citing industry sources. With Amazon shooting to ship 4 million tablets this year, the company's orders for integrated circuits have become the second largest in the industry, behind  only Apple's iPad, added the sources.

These … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1461: Sony, you're killing us. (Podcast)

Every company can be hacked, but we didn't expect Sony to tell us that an additional 24 millions users and over 12,000 credit cards were acquired. It's not looking good for you guys.Microsoft and RIM are new BFFs in the mobile space and they need each other, plus new iMacs! Just like we predicted.

Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (640x360) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS (640x360)… Read more

Amazon tablet to hit market later this year?

Could an Amazon tablet reach consumers later this year?

Sources quoted by tech site DigiTimes claim that Taiwan-based Quanta Computer has already gotten orders from Amazon to build the retail giant's first tablet PC. The new tablet will apparently use E Ink's Fringe Field Switching LCD technology, suggesting it will be a color LCD touch panel (a departure from the black-and-white E-ink Kindles we've seen to date)."

The tablet will start shipping as soon as the second half of the year with monthly orders expected to hit 700,000 to 800,000 units during the peak … Read more

Tilera's balancing act: 100 cores vs. market realities

While we're all familiar with the steady increase in the number of cores in mainstream PC and server processors, the corresponding progress in the embedded-processor market has been anything but steady.

With mainstream PC microprocessors standardizing on four-core designs such as Intel's Core i7 and leading-edge server chips ranging from 8 to 16 cores, single-core chips are no longer competitive. For embedded systems, however, one core may still be the right answer; if more are needed, the choices range up into the hundreds.

The latest announcement in the many-core embedded processor market is Tilera's Tile-Gx family, which … Read more

Quanta takes stake in gesture control maker

While Panasonic, Sony, and other heavy hitters in the consumer electronics world are working hard to bring 3D to TVs, a far less recognizable name is working to bring 3D to computer interfaces.

You might never have heard of Canesta--and that's OK--but the largest contract manufacturer of notebook PCs, Quanta Computer, has. On Wednesday, Canesta will announce that it's raised another $16 million in funding, from new investors Quanta, chipmaker SMSC, and returning backers Carlyle Growth Partners, Hotung Venture Group, and Venrock. The new round of capital brings Canesta's total raised since 2001 to $70 million.

Quanta … Read more

Supreme Court grants victory to Quanta in patent case

The U.S. Supreme Court handed a big victory to Quanta Computer on Monday when it held that the doctrine of patent exhaustion barred LG Electronics' claims against it.

In doing so, the Supreme Court reversed the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's previous decision that patent exhaustion did not apply to method claims and extended that doctrine to licenses for products that "substantially embod[y] a patent." This case is likely to substantially change the playing field for patentees seeking to monetize their patents in a vertical industry value chain.… Read more