COMPANIES

Intel finally decided to enter the smartphone market through their newest smartphone product called the Xolo X900. The Xolo X900 is the product of the collaboration between Intel and Lava International Ltd., a mobile device maker. The Xolo X900 will be available in India this week.

Apple and Samsung could soon end their ongoing legal tussles in a settlement as a San Franciso Federal Court ordered the tech rivals to possibly come up with a solution that would dissolve their differences, reports said.

The Australian government has commenced on Tuesday the defence of its cigarette plain-packaging law, which experts said could be adopted by other nations as an effective model for their anti-smoking campaigns.

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has justified adding permeate in its blue-topped milk, saying it is meant to standardise protein levels and not to cut costs to maintain a competitive price as recent news reports have hinted.

Miner Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is the official medals provider of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The firm announced on Tuesday that the 4,700 medals it will supply the games would be crafted from metals sourced from Rio's Kennecott Utah Copper Mines and Oyu Tolgoi Mine.

There have been numerous reports before stating that Apple has plans of launching a "mini iPad" in the market. These rumors are resurfacing again as NetEase; a Chinese web portal revealed that Apple is indeed working on a new iPad.

Samsung, the Korean-based phone manufacturer recently revealed the company's plan to launch a Windows Phone 8 in October, 2012.

Tesla, the electric vehicle maker behind the Tesla Roadster, Model S and Model X, is doing all it can to achieve its current business plan of reaching profitability in 2013.

Holden inked on Monday a deal with a General Motors affiliate under which Holden will develop at its Port Melbourne facility vehicles for China. However, it excludes manufacturing.

Westpac's strategies to boost revenue will be put to a test during the first quarter as the bank seeks a larger market share, particularly deposits, small-to-medium business loans and wealth management. The results of said strategies will be disclosed by CEO Gail Kelly in May as she reports the company's first-half profit amidst a weaker banking environment.

The Chinese-built Ford Focus will join three new SUVs at Ford's stand at the upcoming Beijing motor show exhibiting the brand's aggressive strategy to crack the largest car market in the world.

uVent.com.au founder Anthony Mittelmark recently launched a Web site that would serve as a meeting ground for Australian consumers with complaints and local companies. Within one week, the portal received about 11,000 complaints which indicate how angry and frustrated Aussie consumers are.

Two Australian banks cut their interest rates on Monday, ahead of a possible overnight cash rate reduction by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in May and amid ANZ Bank's unpopular decision to hike fixed mortgage and small business loan rates by 0.06 per cent on Friday.

Asus, the Taiwanese-based company announced that the company's Asus Transformer Pad 300 will be released in the market on April 22, 2012. Pre-order for this tablet has already started and this release date would also mean that it will be directly competing against the official debut of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2.

Samsung has finally ended months of speculation about the Samsung Galaxy S III. The Korean-based firm finally sent out invitations stating "come and meet the next Galaxy". The invitation is for the May 3 event called "Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012" that will take place in London.

To address the high cost of aviation fuel, flag carrier Qantas is experimenting with the use of refined cooking oil to power its jets.

Number one social networking site Facebook and Ten Network are talking about an alliance that would involve sharing of content, audiences and advertising income, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Three teaser shots of the new Fiat Viaggio have been leaked ahead of the car's official debut at this month's Beijing motor show.

New data from R.L. Polk reveals that only 35% of hybrid owners bought another hybrid last year.

New rumors about Apple's next MacBook Pro are circling the web as there are reports stating that the present 15-inch models are running low on stock. This seems to be an indication that a new line is being prepared with upgraded features and specifications.

Tablets have evolved from being an optional device to being a must-have device in a person's life either in business or personal dealings. Many companies have noticed this sudden shift as various tablet models are being manufactured and marketed in the market.

Finance Minister Penny Wong said on Friday that the Wednesday announcement by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) that it would close its Norwich Park coking coal mine in Queensland is not an indicator of the state of the mining industry in Australia.

The two large Australian mining firms, BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: Rio) are expected to report next week 4 per cent lower of total estimated iron ore output for the March quarter.

Nokia, the Finland-based phone manufacturer recently launched their newest Windows Phone in the market which is Nokia Lumia 900. Barely reaching a week after it was launched last Easter Sunday; users are now facing issues with their new Windows Phone.

Choice, a consumer watchdog, took the cudgels for plus-size women on Thursday by asking retailers to widen the range of clothes available to large females. The group said because of limited choices, these kinds of women have to buy online or at chain stores.

The supposed news and rumors regarding Apple's new iPhone is taking the world by storm as more and more "leaked" specifications have been appearing in different news sources. The latest one came from the website, 9to5Mac which states that the new iPhone prototypes will be having 1GB of RAM and "A5X" chip which was utilized in the new iPad for the Retina Display features.

Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX:CQR) (the 'REIT') has announced that it is in the tail-end of acquiring Wanneroo Central Shopping Centre in Perth, Western Australia for $70 million.

Sony Corp. announced that the company's plan of cutting down a total of 10,000 jobs which is equivalent to 6% of the global workforce. This strategy is said to be part of a new "restructuring plan" under the new president of the company.

The tech world's patent wars continue and Microsoft is bent on building up its armoury by securing hundreds of patent rights from former internet titan, AOL Inc.