Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony has announced that it would freeze the salaries of its employees, as the company is trying to recover from record loss from the company because of the weakening US economy and the growing strength of the Japanese Yen.
Topic: Japan
Japanese “detergent suicide” technique finds way into US
A suicide technique called “Detergent Suicide” from Japan has become so popular that it is slowly seeping into the United States via the internet; with emergency workers alarmed over the potential for innocent bystanders to be affected by the technique, according to Wired.
A wink is no longer for flirting
A blink and a smile can tell your gadgets everything, and we don’t mean lying. According to Physorg, a Japanese inventor has invented a headphone-like gadget, called the “Mimi Switch”, which has tiny sensors that can read the movements from your facial expressions and use them to turn on your iPod or start the washing machine.
Sony reshuffle executive team, CEO & Chairman to add “President” to his title
Sony’s Chief Executive and Chairman Howard Stringer will be adding the title of president as he takes more control of the Japanese electronics company as it battles with lower demand and lack of hit products. After four years of being the first non-Japanese executive in Sony’s history, he has taken control of the electronics division from his two highest-ranking subordinates and gave their duties to younger executives.
Panasonic’s new idea – force your employees to buy your products
Here’s a way to stimulate your business – get your employees to buy your products. Panasonic has announced that it will force its middle-ranking employees to buy its products, as it already faces a turbulent year with the financial crisis hitting its profits.
Sony axes 8,000 jobs worldwide, $1.1 billion in savings a year
Sony has axed 8,000 jobs, or 4 percent, of its entire work force around the world in order to make savings worth US$1.1 billion a year because of the global economic crisis and a stronger yen that batters profits for the PlayStation 3 maker. Employing 185,000 people, the layoffs will be completed by the end of March of 2010.
Japan telco to roll out 1Gbps fibre optic service
KDDI Corp in Japan will launch a fibre-optic communications service, allowing users to download and upload with speeds up to one gigabit per second (1Gbps) starting October 1.
The new service is expected to target people living in single-family homes and low-rise apartment buildings, and be one of the fastest speeds in eastern Japan, up from the current 100 megabits per second (100Mbps). This comes as KDDI is aiming to catch up with Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp., which has over 70 percent of the broadband service in single-family homes.
Xbox 360 sold out in Japan – next shipment is next month
It’s official, the Xbox 360 has sold out in Japan; and managed to outsell the PS3 – with the Microsoft console selling 28,116 at the start of August where Sony sold only 10,705 PS3s; with the Wii beating both of them with 41,000 being sold.
Japan demands probe into Nano combustion
After two recent incidents in Japan where the first-generation iPod overheated and caused minor fires; the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has issued a warning to the music player. In total, there have been 14 incidents relating to the iPod Nano’s exploding battery, according to news sources in Japan, and the ministry has ordered Apple to investigate.
Facebook & MySpace lagging in Japan – still
According to comScore’s data which was released today; both MySpace and Facebook – the two most popular social networking sites in the US – are lagging in Japan by another social network, Mixi.jp.
iPhone carrier in Japan announced
Softbank, the third-biggest mobile operator in Japan, has announced that it will be selling the iPhone, after agreeing with Apple to sell them by the end of the year.
Spokesperson Fumihiro Ito has said that they do not have any other information, but it is also unknown if it is an exclusive contract or not.