ELECTRONICS

Now that Apple is allowing Australian customers to refund their iPads, other countries want to know if their customers should deserve refunds too. The UK, Sweden and Denmark are now all investigating the compatibility of the new iPad 3 with local 4G LTE networks.

Industry analysts are expecting 2012 to be a breakout year for LTE technology, as major wireless gadget manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and HTC are planning big launches of 4G LTE smartphones. Here is a list of the top, super-fast smartphones that are going to debut this year and sizzle the market.

Investors wonder if Research In Motion Ltd., which reports quarterly results Thursday, can rebound from recently anemic performance due to falling sales of its BlackBerry device. RIM's turnaround is being led by Thorsten Heins, who took over as CEO in January.

Sharp Corp. announced Tuesday plans to sell new shares in itself to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., part of Foxconn Technology Group, in an effort to raise 132.5 billion yen ($1.6 billion) after forecasting a record loss for the year.

Huawei, China's largest equipment manufacturer, has just lost a shot at billions of dollars worth of infrastructure sales to Australia. In light of China's reputation for cyber-espionage, the Australian government has decided to block Huawei from bidding on Australia's roughly AUS$36 billion National Broadband Network project. The decision was reported on March 26.

ZTE Corp, China's second-largest telecommunications equipment maker, said it will curtail its business in Iran following a report that it had sold Iran's largest telecom firm a powerful surveillance system capable of monitoring telephone and Internet communications.

When Samsung Electronics rushed its first smartphone to market in a panicky response to the smash-hit debut of the Apple iPhone, some customers burned the product on the streets or hammered it to bits in public displays of disaffection.

A Chinese telecommunications equipment company has sold Iran's largest telecom firm a powerful surveillance system capable of monitoring landline, mobile and internet communications, interviews and contract documents show.

Apple Inc's new iPad throws off a lot more heat than the previous version, lending weight to complaints on Internet forums that the hot-selling tablet computer could get uncomfortably warm after heavy use, an influential consumer watchdog found after running tests.

The market clearly liked the news – Apple shares jumped 2.65 percent on Monday to close above $600 per share for the first time.

When the late Steve Jobs had a will, he often got his way. That's why Apple hasn't paid a dividend since 2005.

Gone will be the days when the mainstream tablet market would be just confined to Android and iOS credibility or on the less thriving RIM's Playbooks.

The U.S. radio program This American Life has retracted an episode critical of working conditions at a Chinese factory that makes iPhones and iPads for Apple Inc, saying it had contained numerous fabrications.

Although fans are anticipating the new Apple iPad that hits stores tomorrow, the electronics company may have another surprise to unveil in the near future. An unnamed Samsung official said that Apple will be obtaining parts from the Korean company for various devices in 2012, according to The Korea Times.

Two new Chinese LCD screens in Beijing's imposing Great Hall of the People will replace screens made by a Japanese competitor, in a sign of resolve to supply the world with Chinese brands and not just Made in China products.

Shares of IBM set a new high of $201.57 after new CEO Virginia Rometty said the No. 2 computer services company was “uniquely positioned” to deliver benefits of “a gusher of data” flowing into the global economy.

Electronic parts suppliers Premier Farnell and Electrocomponents said huge demand for a British-designed credit card-sized computer, which aims to make programming easy for children, had helped them access new customers around the world.

Rumors about the iPad 3's specs continue to multiply, and the tech community's' newest information about Apple's new tablet suggests that it may be the first Apple iOS device to not feature a Home button.

GlobalFoundries, the chip maker based in Milpitas, Calif., celebrated its third year anniversary as a microchip foundry by purchasing all of the shares owned by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), effectively making the company an independent contract chip manufacturer.

The hype around the likely unveiling of the iPad 3 on Wednesday has caused a flurry in the market place with people buying, selling and trading their older iPads.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), Intel’s smaller rival, said it will sever corporate ties with Abu Dhabi’s GlobalFoundries in a bid to recover independent status as a top chip designer.