Hitachi admits to LCD pricing conspiracy

A Hitachi subsidiary has agreed to a $31 million fine for its role in an industry-wide conspiracy to fix the prices of monitors sold to computer and handset manufacturers, reports The Register.

Tuesday's guilty plea by Hitachi Displays came the same day the US Justice Department filed a one-count indictment that claimed the Japanese monitor maker actively sought to drive up the price of thin film transistor liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors sold to Dell. The company admitted its officials attended "bilateral meetings" to discuss and agree upon prices of LCD monitors sold to Dell.

Hitachi becomes the fourth maker of LCD monitors to cop to price fixing charges. LG Display in December agreed to pay $400 million to settle similar charges, while Sharp has coughed up $120 million after also pleading guilty. Chunghwa Picture Tubes, meanwhile, has been ordered to pay $65 million.

The semiconductor industry is facing a particularly tough 2009, according to the latest predictions from analyst firm Gartner, says Computing.co.uk.

The industry has already suffered under the global economic squeeze, which has caused a dramatic downturn in capital equipment spending, and Gartner said the situation will not improve any time soon.

Gartner's Forecast: Semiconductor Capital Equipment Recovery Possible in 2010 report predicts that worldwide capital equipment spending will hit $16.9 billion in 2009, down 45.2% from the 2008 figure of $30.8 billion.

A new manufacturing method for lithium-ion batteries could lead to smaller, lighter batteries that can be charged in just seconds, says the BBC.

Batteries that discharge just as quickly would be useful for electric and hybrid cars, where a quick jolt of charge is needed for acceleration.

The approach only requires simple changes to the production process of a well-known material.

During a flight from New Haven to Cincinnati, an Xbox belonging to student Jesse Maiman disappeared from his luggage, reports CNet.

Maiman is now suing US Airways, for $1 million as, according to him, this was no ordinary Xbox. It had a specialised hard drive and components which he believes are worth $1 000. He also claimed once he reported its loss, he was given an “unconscionable runaround”.

A US Airways spokesperson put a large personal spoke into Maiman's claim. "There are federal loss limits applicable to all airlines on their liability for lost luggage and belongings, which are currently set at $3 300 per bag. He added: "Our publicly available baggage policies specifically exclude liability for electronics checked in luggage.”