World Review

Tech updates from around the globe

UK
Rockstar Games has launched a new video game called “Red Dead Redemption”, an Old West epic, to great acclaim. Much is expected from the game which comes from the same stable as the Grand Theft Auto series.

USA
Apple reported in early June that its 9.7-inch touchscreen iPad reached the 2 million sales mark in only 2 months. In May, Apple overtook Microsoft to become the biggest technology company in the world by market capitalisation.

FRANCE
Renault and Nissan Motor announced that they aim to market electric vehicles without government incentives within four years as global sales reach 500,000 to 1 million vehicles a year.

TAIWAN
D-Link is the first company to launch hardware for the lauded Boxee home media management software. It streams internet video and connects wirelessly to your PC, so it can play music, photos and video on your TV.

GERMANY
Germany’s SAP made a significant statement in its battle with American software rival Oracle in the wireless internet software industry, with a $5.8 billion acquisition of Sybase.

CHINA
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported that the number of phone users showed a net increase of 8.497 million in April alone, reaching a total number of 1.094 billion.

JAPAN
The 3D product plans for the coming year represent the initial salvos of a 3D revolution; Panasonic’s 3D demonstrations were deemed among the most convincing at CES 2010 (a consumer electronics show held each year).

KOREA
Samsung Electronics gave a very positive outlook for the global microchip sector in late May, claiming that earnings from its chip division were higher in quarter two than in quarter one.