COMPANIES

Foxconn, assembler of Apple's iPad and iPhone, has unveiled plans to upgrade its production capacity in mainland China, expanding the company's existing plant in the country's Henan province, reports said.

Australian mining company Arc Exploration (ASX: ARX) temporarily suspended the operation of its gold project at Bima in the Indonesia island of Sumbawa after violence broke out on the site on Christmas Eve.

A lawsuit filed by a mobile phone company against one of its former employees could make clearer the blurry lines on the use of social networking sites by employees for work.

Italy's Antitrust Authority fined three Apple companies $1.18 million (900,000 euros) for misleading local consumers on warranty terms and customer assistance.

The release of Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, paves the way for the mobile platform's further ascension in the tightening battle for mobile market supremacy, reports said.

Mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) announced on Thursday that it has extended its offer to purchase Hathor Exploration shares to 5 p.m. of Jan 6, 2012. The offer, made through an indirect wholly-owned Rio subsidiary in Canada, is for C$4.70 in cash per common share.

Sony and Samsung announced on Monday a deal that would transfer whole ownership of S-LCD Corp, an entity jointly-owned by the two consumer electronic firms, to the South Korean tech giant.

Service provider Adam Internet announced on Friday the roll-out in 2012 of its Business Cloud computing service in South Australia.

Australian supermarkets are passing off foreign products as Made in Australia by using loopholes.

A survey by consumer watchdog Choice found that 52 per cent of shoppers are unaware of their rights regarding the purchase and return of products.

Gone are the days where the use of smartphones was limited to “geeks”. Nowadays, shoppers are now utilizing the potential of smartphones as a tool to help them get through their shopping needs.

Sony Corp. has denied news reports that the company has apologized for the glitches with its newest console the PlayStation Vita. According to Sony, there was no evidence of widespread bugs on the Vita and that the reports about Sony apologizing were not true.

Motorola recently experienced victory as the company won against Apple regarding a patent case filed in Germany.

Engineers from the University of Illinois are developing circuits that will automatically fix themselves when its wires are broken. The self-healing system restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in mere microseconds.

Research in Motion has denied rumors that it had delayed the launch of its newest operating system because of software problems.

Proving the old adage "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em", Gerry Harvey has decided to launch a new website that will sell import European copies of video games at discounted prices.

No more Steve Ballmer talks and antics on future CES gatherings as Microsoft has decided to pull out from the yearly showcase of new electronic products, making the Las Vegas show on January 2012 the last for the software giant.

The Perth Magistrates Court fined Barrick Gold on Thursday $140,000 for the death of miner Daniel Williams in August 2009. Mr Williams fell into an ore chute at the underground mine of Barrick's Kanowna Belle gold mine near Kalgoorlie.

A survey released on Friday by the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) found that 20 per cent of Aussies plan to give gift vouchers for the Yuletide.

In another display of generation gap and digital divide, a survey released Friday by research firm Roy Morgan found that older women comprise the main market of greeting cards and wrapping paper manufacturers.

Samsung has won the favor of courts in Australia and the United States for its Galaxy devices to hit the market and soon enough, according to reports, the South Korean firm may win the nod of the German court.

Australia's Lynas Mining Corp. is seen getting its rare earths facility up and running by the first quarter of 2011, according to Malaysian authorities.

Australians who want to buy computer games could purchase these items at a lesser cost at retailer Harvey Norman. The lower cost is made possible by removing the general sales tax (GST).

Mobile devices are set to surpass the traditional desktop PC as the most common way to access the Internet. With more users turning to their phones to send email, downloading applications and watching videos why are U.S carriers still feeling the pinch?

The Regional Rail Link Authority of Victoria announced on Thursday the award of $1.6-billion rail contracts to three bidders. The Leighton Group, Lend Lease and UGL won the bid to build a part of the $5.3-billion Regional Rail Link project.

The International Trade Commission issued a preliminary ruling that found Motorola Mobility Holdings of infringing on one of the seven patents held by Microsoft Corp.

Australia will purchase from the United States 10 military planes and other equipment worth $950 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency informed the U.S. Congress on Wednesday on the sales of C-27J aircraft, missile warning systems and radar.

The Western Australian government rejected on Wednesday the application of LD Operations to run a coal mine at Osmington hear Margaret River.

Australians drank less beer in 2011 causing a 6 per cent decline in domestic beer consumption. Despite this development, brewer Coopers expanded its market share by 1.5 per cent and produced a record 62.9 million litres of beer.