Continuing its push to virtualize all aspects of the data center, VMware is acquiring software-defined networking firm Nicira for US$1.26 billion, the companies announced Monday.

Once again, it's not shaping up to be a great year for television makers, says market researcher NPD DisplaySearch, but not all is gloomy. While the overall television market will be cooling slightly for 2012, growth is still expected in key areas such as LED-backlit sets, 3D televisions, and displays larger than 50 inches.

It has been 26 years since the first experimental HD broadcast of the LA 1984 Olympic Games and, from July 27th, viewers will be able to watch the London's third hosted Olympics in 3D. Gymnastics, swimming, basketball and canoeing will be just a few of the games available in 3D which will commence with the Opening Ceremony this Friday.

Samsung Electronics extended its lead in the worldwide LCD TV market in the first quarter, while the overall market shrank, research firm IHS iSuppli reported Friday.

Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced plans to replace lighting in all public areas including subway stations, streets and city government offices with LED lighting by 2018.

OCI Solar Power signed a deal with CPS Energy today in San Antonio, Texas, to develop, own and operate the largest municipal utility solar project in the country.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has unveiled a solar plant it says can power 3,300 homes a year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) was the world's largest pure play foundry for MEMS devices in 2011, posting a phenomenal 201% increase in revenue as it gained share from rivals and capitalized on new income streams.

Trusted sources we've spoken to in the semiconductor industry have implied that TSMC is considering a partnership with Apple that would realign the manufacturer's technology roadmap and fundamentally alter the balance of power between the foundry and its other customers.

Cisco Systems plans to eliminate about 1,300 jobs, or 2% of the workforce, as Europe's debt crisis and sluggish corporate spending threaten sales.

Samsung Mobile Display says the leak of its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen technology was allegedly planned at the corporate level of LG Display, following the arrest of 11 people involved.

Universal Display Corporation /quotes/zigman/59127/quotes/nls/panl PANL -10.43% , the leading OLED patent licensor and supplier of materials and technologies for energy-efficient OLED displays and lighting, and Plextronics, Inc., a leader in the development and manufacture of printed electronics technologies, announced today they have entered into a strategic alliance to accelerate the development and commercialization of solution-based OLED material systems.

Samsung signed an agreement with Qualcomm not to sue the chip maker or its customers for using Samsung's 3G patents, but this agreement was called off when Apple took Samsung to court over the Galaxy Tab, Samsung admitted in the Australian Federal Court this morning.

Analysts said an OCZ acquisition would boost Seagate's margins and help it establish a firmer foothold in the lucrative enterprise segment, where SSDs are gaining popularity.

The next installment in the global patent infringement dispute between Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) and Apple Inc. (AAPL) got under way here Monday in a trial that's scheduled to last for three months.

China is investigating whether exporters from the US and South Korea sold solar-grade polysilicon below cost, a practice known as dumping, as part of a probe following complaints from four domestic companies.

Germany's environment ministry said on Friday it would back solar firms' efforts to bring anti-dumping proceedings against China amid a bitter price war in the industry that has left many German panel producers fighting for survival.

Semiconductor revenues worldwide will grow 4.6% in 2012 to US$315 billion, according to IDC. Revenues will grow at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2011-2016, reaching $380 billion in 2016.

More U.S. owners of "smart," Internet-connected, televisions are using them to access streaming video from the Web, a research firm says.

Qualcomm has lowered its forecast of global cellular device shipments for 2012 due to a gloomy economic outlook, though it expects device sales to surge in the fourth quarter because of upcoming products, a likely reference to Apple's iPhone and Microsoft's Windows 8 tablets.

Intel is the world's dominant chip maker, but its business model doesn't align well with the move in computing toward mobile, and that will make it difficult for the company to make significant inroads into smartphones, tablets and other devices, according to an official with ARM.

Samsung has bought the mobile-phone technology division of CSR - the British firm formerly known as Cambridge Silicon Radio. The US$310m deal includes patents to the firm's bluetooth, wi-fi and GPRS location innovations.

Google's tablet is off to a rousing debut. I doubt sales numbers will reach iPad standards, but Nexus 7 is nevertheless hotly pursued and reports from early adopters evoke pure delight. If you want one and haven't ordered, be prepared to wait. In the United States, delay is now nominal for the 8GB model -- 3 to 5 business days before shipping, according to Google Play. Prepare to wait three to four weeks for the 16GB tablet, however. That's from Google, which right now has best availablity following the first weekend rush.

Nokia has dropped the price of the Lumia 900 to its original price in the United States, just three months after its release.

I can't remember being as anxious to receive a new gadget as I am to get my Nexus 7 tablet. Word has started hitting the social networks that some are receiving their Nexus 7 already, while others are hearing nothing.

Mobile chip designer ST-Ericsson grew revenues but failed to shave net losses in its most recent financial quarter.

Chinese telecoms outfit ZTE has hit back at rumours suggesting it will respond to sliding market share and a scary balance sheet by shedding 12,000 staff. Instead, the company says, we can expect a graduate hiring spree.