Shipments of Japanese solar cells amounted to 258,900kw of generation capacity for the three months ended June 30, an increase of 36% from a year earlier, according to data released Wednesday by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association. Exports soared 45%, while domestic shipments rose 6% – the first uptick in two years. Shipments to Europe remained strong, registering a 43% spike. Several European countries have adopted programs in which solar-generated electricity is sold at high prices so that producers can offset their investments.

Hillcrest Laboratories seeks to block imports of the Wii and Wii remotes, according to a complaint filed today with the US International Trade Commission in Washington. Hillcrest also filed a civil suit in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This is the third quarter in a row that has shown a year-over-year decline in cell phone sales, and this quarter claimed the lowest total sales since NPD Group began tracking this data in 2005. The 28 million cell phones sold in the second quarter represent a 13% decline from last year. However, total revenue only declined by 2%, meaning the average cost per cell phone is up 14%. Motorola’s most iconic and successful phone, the Razr, was popular largely because of its simplicity and usability.

China's ZTE Corp said it has sealed an exclusive deal with Emcali to build Colombia's first WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) 16e network. Shenzhen-based ZTE will provide Emcali with core network and wireless access equipment as well as terminals and base stations for the 3.5G WiMAX project. The Colombian government awarded WiMAX licences to Emcali two years ago, and the company is required to make the network commercially available by the end of 2008, ZTE said in a statement.

South Korea's DC Chemical said on Thursday it had won a 290.9 billion won (US$280.2 million) order to supply polysilicon to Taiwan's Wafer Works Corporation. The contract covers the period between January 2010 and December 2016, the company said in a filing with the Korea Exchange ($1=1038.0 Won).

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) provided the model numbers of the products in question August 19, 2008. The model numbers that METI announced are MA004J/A (sold 708,000 units), MA005J/A (sold 393,000 units), MA099J/A (sold 424,000 units) and MA107J/A (sold 287,000 units). METI called on consumers to be aware of these models in particular, as it has heard of multiple cases where they have caused an accident while charging their secondary batteries.

Rigid PCB shipments are up 2.9% and bookings are down 4.5% in June 2008 from June 2007. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments are up 5.8% and bookings are up 6.6%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 11.8% and rigid bookings increased 21.1%. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in June 2008 slipped to 0.94.

T-Mobile (owned by Deutsche Telekom) said the software was available for users to download to their iPhones on Tuesday, but that it was not yet clear if the upgrade would fix all the connection problems. AT&T, the only U.S. network operator carrying the iPhone, confirmed that Apple had provided a software update but declined to give details about what it was aimed at fixing.

That's why earlier this year Google kicked off a competition that awards cash prizes to companies creating innovative applications for its Android mobile platform. The search giant has earmarked US$10 million for the Android Developer Challenge, for which it says it has received more than 1,700 submissions from around the world.

..."Inventory days for our supply chain basket of approximately 130 companies declined for the most recent quarter to 44.1 days, from 45 days last quarter and 45.2 days following 2Q. On a trailing 12-month basis, inventory days declined to 43.8 days, which compares to 44 days exiting 1Q and 45.4 days following 2Q 2007," Harrison said..

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) issued Tuesday morning a sea warning for Typhoon Nuri, which was upgraded from a tropical storm the same morning, weathermen said. The bureau is likely to issue a land warning today as Nuri is approaching waters south of Taiwan.

...the challenge involves three products introduced after 1996, namely cable boxes that can access the Internet, flat-panel computer monitors, and certain computer printers that can also scan, fax, and/or copy. In short, the EU is claiming that these products are not information technology products because of the advancements made to their original designs. The EU’s opinion is that flat-panel monitors that show videos are TVs, not PC components, and therefore should see 14% duties...