Japanese camera and copier maker Canon will delay the introduction of its much-awaited flat-panel TVs. It has now been postponed to later this year, following cost cutbacks and a patent dispute the company is facing in the U.S. The electronic giant was charged by a U.S. court for breach of contract for a patent for surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) technology. The company took full control over SED, Inc., in January, a partnership set up with Toshiba Corp. to develop SED technology.
SED panels are reputed to produce clear images because of their light-beaming technology. Canon had plans to venture into the TV sector in the last quarter of the year with products equipped with this new technology.
AXT hires new director of Technology
AXT, Inc., manufacturers of compound semiconductor substrates and raw materials, has appointed Chia-Li Wei as senior director of Technology. At his new position, Wei would be responsible for directing all aspects of the company's technology developments. Wei has three decades of engineering experience in compound semiconductor manufacturing with leading semiconductor manufacturing companies. Before joining AXT, he spent over 25 years in various engineering positions with HP-OED, which has now become Philips Lumileds. He has also spent three years in process engineering development in LEC growth with Varian Associates.
Fremont, CA-based AXT develops, manufactures, and distributes high-performance compound and single element semiconductor substrates. The company's products are mainly used in lighting display applications, wireless communications, and high-end fiber optic communication systems.
Microsoft-Linux deal goes public
Novell, Inc., made public the details of its milestone partnership contract with Microsoft Corp. The company revealed versions of the three agreements it signed with Microsoft in November in its annual 10K filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The public was provided with their first in-depth look into a deal that might prove decisive for the future of Linux. Bound by the agreement terms, Microsoft's expenditures will include hundreds of millions of dollars payable for licensing fees and other marketing costs. Microsoft acts as Linux's main source of business for Novell. The software giant has also been Novell's number one channel partner in the first quarter of 2007.
I-STEM receives grant of $3.4 million
The Indiana Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (I-STEM) Resource Network has received $3.4 million as operating support grant from Lilly Endowment. The I-STEM Resource Network is a statewide group of higher education institutions dedicated exclusively in improving K-12 student achievement in the STEM disciplines.
The I-STEM Resource Network is the product of a task force created in 2004 by BioCrossroads. The task force will implement best practice in STEM education to become the supporting system of Indiana's workforce needs. Indiana is expected to have more than 40,000 new jobs in the field of life sciences by 2012.
Xtime upgrades its ServiceCRM software
Xtime, Inc., has upgraded its ServiceCRM software to version 4.2. This will be the company's fourth release. The software provides service departments with exceptional functions to arrange more appointments and, as a result, increase revenue. The ServiceCRM software unites consumer web scheduling, advanced shop control, and sophisticated marketing campaign tools into a single solution for automotive service departments and other business development centers. Xtime makes available its software to customers through the Internet, lowering training costs with user-friendly web interfaces. Xtime is the chief provider of CRM solutions for automotive service operations. The company has over 700 dealerships and has booked over 1,000,000 appointments. Some of America's biggest automobile companies use Xtime's ServiceCRM solution.
