ELECTRONICS

Demand for consumer electronics helped the global semiconductor market hit a new record in 2006, with sales topping a quarter of a trillion dollars.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc.'s remarkable performance in the lucrative memory market for DRAM surpassed all but one of its rivals, as it rose to take second place in market share growth and revenue in the fourth quarter, and all of 2006.

Cross-town chip rivals Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) and AMD (NYSE: AMD) sparred in the graphics chip market during the fourth quarter of 2006, with most recent data indicating that AMD gained ground in the latest quarter but it wasn't enough to keep Nvidia away from the top spot.

Consumer electronics maker Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and network equipment manufacturer Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) said they have agreed to extend Apple's time to respond to Cisco's lawsuit alleging that Apple's ‘iPhone' name is violating a trademark.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) gained ground in its ongoing battle with chip rival, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) in the most recent quarter, continuing to capture unit share, but slipped in terms of revenue.

Mobile phone maker Sony-Ericsson said Wednesday that it will begin manufacturing low-cost cell phones in India, capitalizing on manufacturing agreements made with Flextronics and Foxconn.

Robust demand for mobile phones helped Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, ship more phones than its two closest competitors combined in 2006. One report indicates that it will continue to pressure rivals in 2007.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), which dominates the market for digital music players, said it begins selling its entry level iPod in four additional colors today, touting the player as a fashion accessory.

Nokia Corp. expanded its leadership position in the mobile handset market in 2006, shipping more units than its next two closest competitors combined, according to new research released today.

Semiconductor firm Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) and technology solutions provider International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) announced separately this weekend that both companies have solved a puzzle that will allow the semiconductor industry to keep making ever smaller computer chips.

Growing signs of weaker demand for Sony's new Playstation 3 video game system may be impacting some of its design partners, a new report indicates, with graphics system provider Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), feeling Wall-Street heat today.

Shares of Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), maker of the Blackberry hand held device have plummeted since Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced its entry into the consumer phone segment early January. Some experts feel that the new phone isn't a threat to RIM, however, issuing a buy for RIMM shares.

'Google' was the brand with the greatest impact around the world in 2006 for the second consecutive year, according to the results of a new survey.

While the newly announced iPhone from Apple contains a variety of “very high end” features, and is “clever and capable,” it cannot be defined as a smartphone, one research firm says.

Shares of semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) fell more than 4 percent on Tuesday after the company said its margins shrunk in the fourth quarter as a result of its brutal pricing war with rival Intel Corp., (Nasdaq: INTC). With both firms increasing capacity and becoming more aggressive, some analysts believe prices on CPU's will continue to decline.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) introduced its highly anticipated mobile phone at this month;s Macworld Expo, receiving rave reviews for its innovation, ease of use, and 'wow' factor. Its bright prospects may even cloud the outlook for the market's current leader, Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) and its venerable Blackberry, one analyst contends.

The advent of consumer devices capable of playing both emerging high-definition disc formats may spell an end to the ongoing war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, one research company contends.

Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: SUNW) announced that it will begin using Intel Inc.'s (NASDAQ: INTC) processors in its servers today, however Intel rival AMD (NYSE: AMD) Corp. may not feel little pressure from the move.

Sony's Playstation 3 game console can be found in over one half of video game retailers, according to a new report, while Nintendo's Wii game machine can be found in a few stores, a sign that demand may be weakening.

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson moved closer towards being one of the top three phone providers in the industry, as its revenue edged ahead of rival Samsung.

A new report reveals that Sony Electronics outpaced its rivals in 2006, achieving the number one spot for total TV market share.