Germany's move comes as Italy plans a 30% cut in its FIT for next year. That could force Italian developers to build as fast as possible in the 2H10, much like German developers did in 1H. The lower drop in FIT gives manufacturers time to make a transition to markets such as the United States and Canada, which have the possibility of being larger than Europe, based on combined electricity demand and land available for development.

Windows Phone 7 architect Belfiore talks about the Microsoft vision for mobile phones, how some Kin leftovers might or might not make their way into the platform, and what Microsoft has learned from Apple's iPhone 4 and Android's rapid growth. He also addressed how Microsoft might help grow the Zune Marketplace app library so it can compete with the Apple App Store.

Sony Ericsson posted its second consecutive quarterly profit Friday as strong sales of newly launched mobile phones in the second quarter helped reverse heavy year-earlier losses.

Switching platforms is not as simple as just picking a new smartphone. Companies have entire infrastructures built around BlackBerry, and managing BlackBerry devices through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). The IT staff understands how to configure, troubleshoot, and support the BlackBerry environment. The users are comfortable with the BlackBerry culture. They are familiar with BlackBerry conventions and BlackBerry apps, and they understand how to navigate the BlackBerry interface to maximize efficiency and productivity.

The most important announcement from SEMICON West was a subtle statement from Globalfoundries about tools. Putting some bits together, it is pretty clear that the company is going to use EUV lithography at the 15nm node.

Apple engineers were aware of the risks associated with the new antenna design as early as a year ago, but Chief Executive Steve Jobs liked the design so much that Apple went ahead with its development, said another person familiar with the matter.

Hitachi's delay in supplying electronic controls to Nissan was caused by STMicroelectronics' failure to meet a microchip order.

An interesting observation by the guys at MobileTechWorld has suggested that computing giant HP will no longer be a Windows Phone 7 launch partner, if slides presented by Steve Ballmer at the Microsoft's WPC 2010 are to be believed.

General Motors said on Wednesday that it would guarantee the battery on its forthcoming Chevy Volt for eight years or 100,000 miles - better than the typical five-year or 100,000-mile warranty it typically offers for the powertrain on its conventional cars.

To its credit, Microsoft recognized that its smartphone platform was headed down the wrong path, and it reversed course to deliver a different platform rather than continuing to build incrementally on the foundation laid by Windows Mobile.

ChangeWave conducted a survey between June 14-24 and found that 16.4% of those surveyed were planning to buy a smartphone within the next 90 days,the largest percentage increase since 14.4% planned to buy an smartphone in June 2009. And 52% of prospective buyers said they would purchase an iPhone.

First-half gross domestic product rose 11.1%, implying that second-quarter growth slowed from the first quarter's 11.9% pace.

Sprint's CEO, Dan Hesse, got the rumor mill churning yesterday when he spoke to the Financial Times about another possible merger between his company and T-Mobile.

The state of California is suing federal mortgage lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for blocking implementation of a program that helps property owners to install solar energy systems, it was announced today at a San Diego news conference

"...it is not China bailing out Spain but without doubt, the Chinese involvement was helpful," according to a banker.

Toshiba has started construction of Fab 5 at Yokkaichi Operations, its memory production facility in Mie Prefecture, according to the company. The chip vendor also announced it has signed primary agreements with SanDisk for a new joint venture to operate the new facility.

Applied Materials said demand for semiconductor and solar-panel manufacturing equipment in Europe is growing rapidly, a sign the region's debt crisis isn't crimping spending.

KLA-Tencor has increased its regular quarterly dividend to US$0.25 a share from US$0.15. "KLA-Tencor's strong cash flows and solid balance sheet provide us the financial flexibility to return significant cash to our shareholders while also providing the capacity to fuel our growth initiatives," said CEO Rick Wallace.

Typically, device makers prep their latest and greatest smartphone weapons looking forward to a summer smartphone showdown. This summer, however, is shaping up to be more the summer of smartphone scarcity.

South Korea, Asia's fourth-biggest crude oil importer, is considering expanding the list of alternative-energy equipment eligible for a tax benefit to cut reliance on fossil fuels.

At an analyst briefing at the Semicon West trade show, Applied Materials indicated that it now expects 140% on-year revenue growth for its semiconductor equipment business for the October 2010 fiscal year, an increase from the company's previous forecast of 120% growth.