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Dell Inc.'s second-quarter profit was plunged 23 percent as the personal-computer industry's slump dragged on this summer.

As global PC brands fight it out in the market for cheap, mini-laptops, Acer's quarterly results show not all is good news even in a robust market.

NEW YORK - Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday ahead of data expected to show that the U.S. economy shrank further in the second quarter and the number of jobless claims improved slightly.

Acer , the world's No. 3 PC brand, barely matched market expectations for its second-quarter results, hit by fast-eroding profit margins in its low-cost netbook PC stronghold.

Stock index futures edged lower on Thursday ahead of data expected to show that the U.S. economy shrank in the second quarter while the number of jobless claims improved slightly.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open for U.S. shares on Thursday, ahead of data expected to show that the world's biggest economy shrank at an annualized rate of 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Taiwan's Asustek is pinning its recovery hopes on emerging markets such as China as the pioneer of netbooks struggles to compete with bigger rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Acer.

The world's top cellphone maker Nokia said on Monday it would start to make laptops, entering a fiercely competitive but fast-growing market with a netbook running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Dell Inc. has chosen Foxconn, a major Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for its first smartphone Mini3i, Apple Daily Taiwan reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed source.

Asustek Computer launched the dual-brand Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20 in the Taiwan market on Wednesday in cooperation with Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), targeting a modest 2010 shipment of 1 million units.

Netbook PC pioneer Asustek on Wednesday set a modest 2010 shipment target of 1 million units for its newly launched smartphone, underscoring its vulnerability as a new player in the sector.

Apple was the only one of the top-tier PC manufacturers whose customer satisfaction went down in the second quarter of 2009, yet still managed to secure the highest overall satisfaction among customers.

No. 1 home improvement chain Home Depot Inc is banking on a slow-but-steady growth strategy and cost cuts to fight lackluster demand for big-ticket remodeling projects.

Hewlett-Packard Co is considering selling or shutting parts of its outsourcing business to focus on the higher-margin areas of its technology services offering, people familiar with the matter said.

Dell has confirmed it's developing mobile devices for China Mobile, the world's biggest wireless operator by subscribers, igniting speculation that the computer maker is getting ready to make its debut into the already highly competitive smartphone market.

Dell Inc is developing mobile devices for China Mobile Ltd, according to spokesmen for the computer maker, which has long been rumored to have ambitions in the smartphone market.

Wall Street tumbles on global recovery concerns, Fed, Treasury extend TALF to mid-2010 for CMBS; CIT completes debt tender, buys time to restructure

Google promises that the new search tool - codename Caffeine - will improve the speed, accuracy, size, and comprehensiveness of Google search.

Dell Inc on Tuesday unveiled a line of Nickelodeon co-branded personal computer for children, the first in a series of branding deals intended to galvanize its consumer business.

China notebook of light weight and mobility took a major attraction in the market due to demand in low pricing pressure, according to market research firm DRAMeXchange on Tuesday.

Dell is set to release a mobile phone on the Chinese market soon in cooperation with China Mobile, China Mobile released in its developers community website.

Facebook Inc. said it has acquired FriendFeed, a start-up that allow users to share links and status updates online, folding in a potential rival that struggled to take off.

Dell will launch a mobile phone in China in the next day or two, according to TechCrunch, which cites “a source with knowledge of the situation.”

A European Union official will tell antitrust regulators they failed to consider potentially exculpatory evidence in a ruling against chip maker Intel Corp, according to a source who had seen a confidential report.

Jobs look up, Greenberg's fine, Blackstone's loss

Lenovo , the world's No. 4 PC brand, relied on Chinese government-backed demand boost to cut quarterly losses and was wary on its outlook, underlying the fragility of its recovery.

The world's No. 4 PC brand, Lenovo , reported a smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss on Thursday, thanks to China's massive stimulus package and further boosting hopes of a rebound.

On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. released poor fourth-quarter earnings blaming the global economic downturn and a slumping PC market.

The tech sector's road to recovery just got a lot bumpier.