The ink wasn't even close to drying on my last blog when executives at {complink 2294|Google} cried out about the barrage of lawsuits they've received for allegedly violating patents held by Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and a group of companies seeking to clip the wings of its Android operating system. (See: Brawling OEMs & a Broken…
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You would think that an industry as numbers-oriented as high-tech would have conquered supply chain management. Clearly, {complink 7426|Gartner Inc.} thinks so. Nine of the companies in its 2011 Supply Chain “Top 25” are high-tech firms. But, in fact, many high-tech supply chain executives privately concede they have major challenges with inventory performance. High-tech businesses…
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A furious scramble for patents is unfolding in the wireless communication sector. OEMs and components vendors are jostling for any differentiating advantage in what is beginning to look and feel like an out-of-control Worldwide Wrestling Federation all-comer smackdown event. Here's how it's going: {complink 379|Apple Inc.} is suing {complink 4751|Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.}, which is…
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As the recent bickering in Washington D.C. over the US debt ceiling brings to light the thorny issue of how government spends money, recent charges that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hasn't been spending enough to expand broadband communications in rural areas further demonstrate the controversial role government often plays in many areas of the…
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{complink 12816|Mouser Electronics Inc.} has had a China presence for a number of years with offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai, as well as Taipei, Taiwan. But according to Glenn Smith, CEO and president of the broad-line catalogue distributor, Mouser has big plans for expanding operations in 2011 and 2012. Indeed, there are plenty of…
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When you've created a Website, you're instantly in the publishing business. This is dawning on tech marketers, and they're creating more information-valuable content to refresh their sites constantly for use in a range of marketing channels. The truth is that no new information equals no new or returning visitors. But there's an even more important…
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The worldwide phone market grew again in the second quarter, but the dividing line between what's universally considered practical (low-end feature phones) and what's hot (higher-end smartphones) is becoming more obvious. {complink 7014|IDC} recently reported the worldwide mobile phone market grew 11.3 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2011. Sure, that's down from IDC's…
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More than a decade ago, electronics distributor Marshall Industries — which was acquired by {complink 577|Avnet Inc.} in 1999 — ran a marketing campaign using the slogan, “It's about time.” Distributors were then, and are now, all about helping customers better manage their schedules. If you think time management has gotten any better in a…
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{complink 520|Atmel Corp.} recently struck a deal to provide touch screens for Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, placing the company in a positive position to move into other consumer electronics sectors also adopting the technology, such as cameras, cars, printers, and netbooks, according to analysts. Increased success means added attention, but for Atmel, it translates immediately…
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PHOENIX — Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT) announced today that it has acquired J.C. Tally Trading Co., Ltd (J.C. Tally) and its affiliate Shanghai FR International Trading, an interconnect, passive and electromechanical components (IP&E) distributor in Asia with operations in Taiwan and China. J.C. Tally generated revenue of approximately US$90 million in calendar 2010. With this acquisition,…
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