InternetSony Ericsson Sees 97% Drop In Q2 Profits (TechWeb)

TechWeb - InformationWeek - The handset manufacturer sees weak sales in the mid and high-end markets and plans to cut 2,000 jobs.

Sony Ericsson saw its second-quarter earnings drop dramatically from last year, and the company struggled with sales in mature markets. Net profit dropped to $9.5 million from about $348 million during the same period last year. Sales also slipped to $4.46 billion from about $4.9 billion last year. Overall, the company posted an operating loss of $3.1million for the quarter, and it shipped 24.4 million units. By comparison, Nokia announced Thursday it had shipped 122 million handsets during the same period. Sony Ericsson faced increased competition for high-end phones in the United States and Western Europe. Unlike rival Nokia, Sony Ericsson does not have a large line of entry-level phones to offer in emerging markets like China and India. Because of this, Sony Ericsson finds itself more susceptible to slipping demand for sophisticated handsets in mature markets. In June, the company warned that slower sales in Western Europe would hurt... [ Read more on www.yahoo.com ]

InternetBusinesses Fail To Harness Full Potential Of Online Communities (TechWeb)

TechWeb - InformationWeek - The Deloitte survey found that businesses use online communities to generate ideas, discover products, and discuss brands, but many fail to draw a critical mass.

InternetDell Upgrades Linux PCs To Ubuntu's Hardy Heron (TechWeb)

TechWeb - InformationWeek - The computer maker has launched two notebooks and a desktop with Hardy Heron, the version of Ubuntu Linux that was released in April.