CORP TALK: Looks like the heavily commoditized notebook market is becoming a hot consideration for the world’s largest cellphone maker. Of course, players like HP, Samsung and Sony have been in both businesses for years, so it’s no surprise that Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia might be considering a dig at it too.

According to reports from various sources, including Reuters and InformationWeek, the idea of a converging device marrying qualities of cellphones and notebooks is not too far-fetched today.

The Nokia Internet Tablet N810 is the first Nokia device to utilize its Internet Tablet OS 2008. Could it be the blueprint that would inspire Nokia's impending notebook plans? The jury's still out.

“We don’t have to look even for five years from now to see that what we know as a cellphone and what we know as a PC are in many ways converging. Today we have hundreds of millions of people who are having their first Internet experience on the phone. This is a good indication,” said Chief Executive Officer for Nokia, Mr. Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo in an interview with Finnish TV station YLE.

While it is definitely sensible for a notebook manufacturer to venture into the smartphone business (which is of course, already happening), it is a different matter when it’s the other way around, considering that the notebook market is highly saturated and extremely competitive.

David Chieng, Editor, HWM Singapore

David (HWM SG): Nokia might be trying to do something laptop-related, but not as we know it. Think about the Mobile Internet Device for a minute.

Intel has been pushing the MID platform for the past two years now, and it stands to reason that Nokia might want to expand their internet tablet product line into something a little bit bigger in size. (more…)

CORP TALK: DigiTimes.com reported on Taiwan-based motherboard manufacturer Micro-Star International (MSI) setting 2009 as the year it shifts its business focus from ODM/OEM to OBM (own-brand manufacturer).

According to the report, company chairman Joseph Hsu, expects own-brand sales to take up 65% of its combined revenue in 2009, versus 45% in 2008. The catalyst for this move is because MSI’s own-brand notebooks and mini ultraportable notebooks formed half of their total shipments last year.

The report further added that MSI will focus its marketing in Western Europe. MSI is also expected to showcase new all-in-one PCs and graphics card at CeBIT this year. (Editor opinions: 1)

HWM Indonesia

HWM Indonesia: The timing couldn’t be more perfect for MSI to start doing OBM. The brand ‘MSI’ has reached a more established level for its finished IT products that it is now considered a market leader in some countries for some of its products. (more…)

Kawasaki from the air

T&A: Nikkei’s Tech-On published a feature story on Japan’s Kawasaki city and how, through anti-pollution technologies, the city has managed to see Mt. Fuji through clearer skies from a once heavily polluted, dark sky industrial city in the 1960s and 1970s.

In the city’s recently ended International ECO-Tech Fair 2009 (17-18 February 2009), several anti-pollution measures and technologies were unveiled, including a bicycle that uses pedalling energy and a filter to convert muddy water into drinkable water, and an electric car that can go up to 370km per hour (2015 is the targeted go-commercial year).

It is quite apparent that many Asian cities, including those HWM is based in, are now looking at how Kawasaki did it and taking lessons learned from the fair to bring home and study.

We’ve polled our various regional editors based in the various industrialized cities in this region to find out if there are any new recycling and anti-pollution technologies introduced that could help keep our skies cleaner. (Editor opinions: 3)

Terence Ang, Supervising Editor, HWM

Terence (HWM SG): According to the National Environment Agency in Singapore, PM2.5, or fine particulate matter finer than 2.5 microns in size, is a growing concern when it comes to monitoring the ambient air quality in the city (it is also linked to higher incidences of respiratory and heart diseases). The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) set the PM2.5 standard at a level of 15 (ug/m3), of which Singapore was far behind at an average level of 19 (ug/m3) in 2003. (more…)

CORP TALK: Looks like SingTel has done it again, at least when it comes to making region firsts for introducing highly anticipated handsets touting newfangled OSes. Hot off the exclusive Apple iPhone launch last year, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and HTC Corporation will put on sale the HTC Dream tomorrow: the first Android-powered mobile phone to go on sale in Asia. Customers of SingTel and its wholly-owned subs in Australia, Optus, get to be the first in Asia to enjoy it.

Come tomorrow, several phone users will get to own a piece of Google's Android platform, courtesy of SingTel and HTC.

The HTC Dream itself touts full touch-screen functions and a QWERTY keyboard. It’s also suppose to come with a mobile Web experience that combines can’t-do-without Google apps and Google Search. Key to being an Android powered phone of course is access to Android Market, which hosts a bevy of apps from developers worldwide. For SingTel users, the HTC Dream will come with an app called SG SavvyShopper, where customers can scan a product barcode using their camera phone and get info like prices, product info and reviews.

To date, the Android-powered phone is available as the T-Mobile G1 in the US and the Era G1 in Poland.

For a video that compares some of the features between the HTC Dream (or G1) and the Apple iPhone, here’s a ZoneOut video episode done by the Singapore team. (Editor opinions: 2)

ZoneOut #7 - Dreaming the HTC Dream from videoman on Vimeo

Here’s a quick glance at SingTel’s price plans (2-year contracts) for the HTC Dream at launch tomorrow: 

* Applicable for all new and recontracting customers across compatible phone models

** Applies after unlimited data bundle is exhausted

*** After S$200 (US$130) trade-in

David Chieng, Editor, HWM Singapore

David (HWM SG): What worked for the iPhone may not necessarily work for Android phones because Android phones will only really appeal to the geek crowd. Unlike the Apple iPhone, the Android-powered phone doesn’t have the same ease-of-use philosophy behind the device, except that the software’s designed by Google. (more…)

T&A: DigiTimes.com reported that Taiwan’s economy will shrink by 2.97% in 2009, on the back of a 0.12% growth in 2008. This according to a report by the Taiwan’s Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

Last year’s fourth quarter decline was a staggering 8.36%, the largest ever for a quarter and investment firms are predicting major contractions in 2009 due to a drop in exports. (Editor opinions: 4)

Paolo Manzano, Managing Editor, HWM Philippines

Paolo (HWM PH): On an editorial perspective, it may mean delayed launches as manufacturers struggle to get rid of inventory. We should be able to see it best at this year’s Computex, which I am sure will be one of the more muted editions of the show yet. (more…)