Sweden

The end is near for incandescent bulbs in Europe.  The year 2010 to be exact. 

Nokia, the world's leading mobile phone maker, said Thursday that it had added EMI and smaller record labels to its "free" music package to challenge Apple's dominance in the digital music market.

Nokia said Carphone Warehouse, the exclusive retailer in Britain for the first mobile phone to include the "Comes with Music" package, will sell it for pound(s)129.99, or $230, starting Oct. 16.

After nearly a century of existence, Matsushita Electric Industrial is ditching its founder's name to trade under one name globally -- Panasonic, its best-known brand -- hoping this and an $11 billion reserve of cash will increase its growth outside Japan and help the company compete with rivals like Samsung and Sony.

Expansion overseas is an urgent task for Matsushita, which earns half its revenue from its home base of Japan, where the population is aging. Sony earns more than three quarters of its sales outside Japan, helped in part by its strong brand name.

Sweden plans to have future homes come equipped with smart meters. But some folks want to know what’s up with their energy consumption now, and without having to look online all the time. Enter the concept Spark Lamp.

Matthew Syed in the Times of London: