Many consumers could see their water bills double or even triple, as the country attempts to overhaul its aging water system over the next 25 years.
From Business and financial news – CNNMoney.com: $100K factory jobs
What’s uncool about a $100,000 factory job? These days not much. In fact, factory jobs — once considered back-breaking and low-paying — have become high-tech and high-salaried.
From Engadget: Elpida files for bankruptcy protection as debts of $5.5 billion are revealed
DRAM Maker Elpidahas petitioned for a corporate reorganization (the equivalent of Chapter 11 or Administration) as the company has revealed it is close to collapse. President Yukio Sakamoto is expected to resign as the scapegoat for the calamity as it files for protection at the Tokyo District Court. The company, founded in 1999 as NEC Hitachi Memory Inc. has produced DRAM Products since 2000. It founded three wholly-owned subsidiaries: Tera Probe, which conducted wafer probe testing, Akita Elpida Memory Inc. which handled the back-end processes of DRAM production and Rexchip Electronics Corp, which handled the front-end.
After a blockbuster period of invention, a fall in prices and the global recession in 2006 forced the company to enter restructuring with a 30 billion Yen ($372.54 million) Government-backed loan. That swathe of cash was used to pump more money into investment and R&D, but the combination of strong Yen and the Thailand flooding has once again forced the company to come clean about its finances. It revealed today that it had debts of 448,033 million Yen, or $5.5 billion and without the protection of the court wouldn’t last too much longer. Times of Japan points to the strength of Samsung’s memory offerings as being a big contributor to Elpida’s collapse, with president Sakamoto saying that DRAM is now as cheap as a “rice ball.”
from Engadget
From Ars Technica: Apple, labor group comment on Chinese factories ahead of shareholder meeting
The Fair Labor Association (FLA), which has partnered with Apple in order to perform independent audits of its suppliers in China, says it has so far found “tons of issues” at a Foxconn plant in Shenzen. The comments came during the same week as an ABC News television report on Foxconn, which has prompted Foxconn, Apple, and the FLA to each issue their own response to parts of the report. Meanwhile, it seems likely that Apple CEO Tim Cook will be asked by labor groups to address working conditions at Apple’s suppliers during the company’s shareholder meeting scheduled to take place today.
from Ars Technica
From Engadget: Samsung may cough up millions over kaput TVs
A class action lawsuit filed by owners of faulty Sammy TVs has finally reached a settlement. The manufacturer has promised to foot the bill for new repairs, reimburse for previous repairs and hand out up to $300 to customers who no longer possess their broken TVs but can prove they once did. The fault can affects any of the models listed above — possibly up to seven million sets in total — and centers on an errant capacitor in the power circuit that stops the TV turning on, makes it slow to turn on, produces a “clicking sound” or makes it cycle on and off. If you think you’re affected then check the source link for details on what to do next. Curious to know how much the lawyers got? A cool half-million for their troubles, which means they’ll be upgrading to OLED.
from Engadget
From Engadget: Aakash lurches toward another crisis as India loses patience with DataWind
The conflicts and behind-the-scenes drama surrounding India’s Aakash project once again threaten its existence. Despite a record-breaking 1.4 million pre-orders gained in under a fortnight, maker DataWind has only shipped 10,000 units to nearly universal derision. Early adopters have found the processor too slow, battery life too short and the resistive touchscreen difficult to use. Kapil Sibal’s Human Resource Development ministry now plans to re-open tendering for a replacement contractor and withdraw DataWind’s deal for a further 90,000 units. An anonymous ministry official has said that they’ve seen “sufficient interest […] to get better specifications at the same or lower price.”
In response, DataWind has claimed that its development-partner, the Indian Institute of Technology, pulled a bait-and-switch, demanding at the eleventh hour that the tablet meet US military criteria for durability — including being able to withstand four inches per hour of “sustained rain.” Work has been on hold since then but neither party can afford another delay. DataWind promised it would sell the commercial version of the slate this month, while Kapil Sibal has promised that a second edition of the Aakash would be announced in April.
from Engadget
From Engadget: Tesla Roadster EVs accused of ‘bricking,’ Tesla responds
Last night we were sent an interesting report about Tesla Roadsters falling into an unfortunate state — a very terminal, very expensive state. According to theunderstatement a Tesla Roadster that is left to discharge completely, a process that could take many weeks, will need to have its entire battery pack replaced (pictured above) — at a cost of approximately $40,000. There are said to be no countermeasures that can prevent this short of keeping your car topped up, and while that may sound simple enough, it becomes tricky if you need to put the thing in storage for a few months.
While we haven’t been able to confirm all the “several” supposed cases of this happening, we did hear back from Tesla issuing a statement (after the break) that more or less affirms this could happen. Tesla uses a number of so-called “countermeasures” to prevent this, up to and including a representative from the company calling the owner should a battery pack trail dangerously low. Worryingly, though, this situation is said to be possible in both the upcoming Model S sedan and Model X SUV. Here’s to hoping for a little more clarity on this issue — and maybe a solution — before those two come to market.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Continue reading Tesla Roadster EVs accused of ‘bricking,’ Tesla responds
from Engadget