Technology Report: World's biggest tech show searching for "wow"

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	01/6/2012
Good afternoon Samsung Electronics, the world's top maker of memory chips and smartphones, reported a record quarterly profit, aided by one-off gains and best-ever sales of high-end phones. The South Korean firm posted 5.2 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in quarterly operating profit, beating a consensus forecast of 4.7 trillion won by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Samsung, which surged past Apple as the world's top smartphone maker in the third quarter, only entered the smartphone market in earnest in 2010, but its handset division is now its biggest earnings generator. Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC recorded a worse-than-expected yearly profit decline in the fourth quarter, and the first decline in two years. The former investor darling shocked markets in November by slashing its fourth-quarter revenue guidance, sending its shares down 28 percent in two weeks and 15 percent to date. Investor concerns linger over whether HTC still has the innovative streak that catapulted it from an obscure contract maker to a top brand. Sony will promote its consumer business chief Kazuo Hirai to the role of president as early as April, taking the title away from Howard Stringer, who is expected to remain chairman and CEO, the Nikkei newspaper reported. Such a move would give Hirai, 51, who made his name in Sony's PlayStation video game division, more influence over the whole company and its wide range of technology and entertainment businesses, likely cementing expectations he would succeed the 69-year-old Stringer eventually. Two weeks after disclosing that its website had been hacked, private intelligence analysis firm Strategic Forecasting warned subscribers that hackers were now circulating false emails offering the company's services for free. Strategic Forecasting, also known as Stratfor, urged subscribers not to open attachments to the fraudulent emails, which offered subscribers the company's premium content for free as compensation while it tried to secure its website. Stratfor CEO George Friedman said he deeply regretted any inconvenience caused by the latest incident and said the company was still working to reestablish its data systems and Web presence. Israeli officials said they were concerned the country may be under cyber attack after a wave of credit card code thefts in the past week by a hacker who claims to be operating out of Saudi Arabia. Credit card company officials said 14,000 numbers had been posted on line Tuesday and another 11,000 Thursday. However, they said some of the codes had expired and that the active cards were all being cancelled. LATEST NEWS World's biggest tech show searching for "wow" January 06, 2012 01:37 PM ET LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The world's biggest technology trade show will feature razor-thin laptops, powerful new smartphones and fancy flat-screen TVs, but talk in the cavernous halls of the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off on Monday night, may focus on whether the show itself has a long-term future. | Full Article Sprint ousts 4 executives, merges consumer/business January 06, 2012 04:00 PM ET OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel , the No. 3 U.S. mobile service, is merging sales and marketing for its business and consumer operations as part of a streamlining that includes the departures of four top executives, according to Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. | Full Article Woodford to sue Olympus over firing, drops CEO bid January 06, 2012 10:16 AM ET TOKYO (Reuters) - The ousted British CEO of disgraced Olympus Corp, who blew the whistle on a $1.7 billion accounting fraud, dropped his bid to return to lead the medical device maker, blaming cozy ties between its management and big Japanese shareholders and saying the saga had taken its toll on his family. | Full Article LG to roll out Google TV January 06, 2012 09:56 AM ET SEOUL (Reuters) - LG Electronics Inc said on Friday it would unveil its first Google TV next week, joining Sony Corp and Samsung Electronics Co in partnering with the search giant to get a foothold in the emerging Internet TV market. | Full Article Nokia buys Norwegian startup Smarterphone for low-end push January 06, 2012 02:49 PM ET (Reuters) - Finnish cellphone maker Nokia has bought Norwegian technology startup Smarterphone AS to add more advanced features to its basic cellphone models. | Full Article BUSINESS NEWS Wall Street ends down but rises for week January 06, 2012 04:12 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose in the first week of 2012, even though news that the U.S. jobless rate neared a three-year low did not spark buying interest in equities on Friday. | Full Article Job growth quickens; unemployment near 3-year low January 06, 2012 02:27 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employment growth accelerated last month and the jobless rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent, the strongest evidence yet the economic recovery is gaining steam. | Full Article MF Global's aborted fruit salad solution to capital woes January 06, 2012 02:06 PM ET (Reuters) - A few months before MF Global collapsed in bankruptcy, some top executives at the futures firm were talking about a plan code-named "Project Honeydew" as a way of freeing-up badly needed capital and cash. | Full Article Investors brace for European hit on earnings January 06, 2012 03:12 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors are about to find out if the economic woes in Europe are going to deliver a deep wound to U.S. company earnings instead of the mere scratch that many expect. | Full Article Holiday hangover means slow 2012 start for stores January 06, 2012 03:56 PM ET (Reuters) - Take a trip down Chicago's Michigan Avenue - known as the "Miracle Mile" for its shopping attractions - and you won't find a lot of activity a few days into the new year. | Full Article U.S. TOP NEWS Exclusive: West readies oil plan in case of Iran crisis Obama, staying on attack, highlights consumer watchdog Iran plans more war games in strait as sanctions bite Soros says EU break-up would be catastrophic: report CME faces regulatory probe on MF Global: sources RELATED VIDEO Olympus whistleblower drops CEO fight Phones power Samsung to record profits 22-year old DC activist takes on Verizon A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. 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