Sharp sues Samsung over patent

Sharp Electronics on Monday said it filed a US lawsuit accusing Samsung Electronics of infringing its LCD patents, the latest in a series of legal tussles among Asian technology companies, reports CNET News.com.

The suit comes at a time when makers of liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs, such as Sharp, Samsung and Sony, battle fierce price competition and shrinking margins.

Sharp said it filed the suit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. It is seeking compensation, as well as the prohibition of sales of products that it alleges infringe five of its LCD patents, including one that relates to technology used to enhance display quality.

Dell said on Tuesday it has decided to expand sales of consumer personal computers loaded with the Linux operating system to the UK, France, Germany and China, says Reuters.

The world's number two PC maker started selling Ubuntu Linux PCs to consumers in May in a program that was limited to the US. Ubuntu is a free version of the software.

Linux software, the main rival to Microsoft's market-dominating Windows, has been one of the fastest-growing types of software on business computers over the past decade.

Apple made a large-scale update of its iMac desktops, revised its iLife applications and added a new spreadsheet programme to its iWork productivity suite, US media reported Wednesday.

In an event held at Apple's Cupertino, California headquarters, CEO Steve Jobs introduced three new iMacs, two with 20-inch LCD screens, and one with a 24-inch monitor, says China View.

The 20-inch screens offer 1680 by 1050 pixel resolutions; the 24-inch screen has a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels.

Nokia added two new phones to its stylish collection aimed at fashion lovers, both devices bearing distinctive marks that should propel them to celebrity, stated eFluxMedia.

Both headsets boast diamond-cut designs, sharp angled lines, geometric patterns and graphic light-refracting colours - a new approach the Finnish telecom giant used to differentiate the models from the soft curves and plush touch of Nokia 7280 or 7360.

The two phones will hit stores' shelves in the third quarter of 2007, at the estimated retail price of EUR400 (for the high-end model) and EUR200, for the entry-level device.