Japan

John Landino's couch may be comfortable, but it was never easy for him to sit back, relax and type. The keys were never at the right angle and there was no flat surface for a mouse. So he built the Phantom keyboard with a twirling, tilting mechanism for positioning it just right.

"The lapboard allows you to have complete and full keyboard and mouse interaction from just about any type of position," he said. "You can use it as a lefty or righty."

Last week, Apple refreshed its one-piece iMac line, and now Dell plans a one-piece computer. Called the Studio One 19, the new desktop was announced Thursday and will be launched in Japan next week.

The computer maker said a U.S. rollout is expected later this spring. The Studio One 19 features an optional multi-touch screen, a hard drive of up to 750GB, and a starting price of $699.

Target: The Kitchen

Hitachi Displays Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices on the sale of LCD panels.

The Japan-based electronics firm agreed to pay a $31 million fine as part of its deal with the U.S. Justice Department.

Three other major producers of liquid crystal display panels have already admitted their involvement in price-fixing.

Hitachi admitted to fixing prices of the screens sold to Dell, Inc. for use in desktop monitors and notebook computers from 2001 to 2004.

Yesterday, the three finalists for the World Green Car of the Year were announced. The Honda FCX Clarity, the Mitsubishi iMiEV and the Toyota iQ were picked as the top contenders. The choices show that advancements have been made since last year when the winner was the BMW 118d - a 60 mpg diesel engine car. Here's a quick synopsis of the finalists.

Yesterday, the three finalists for the World Green Car of the Year were announced. The Honda FCX Clarity, the Mitsubishi iMiEV and the Toyota iQ were picked as the top contenders. The choices show that advancements have been made since last year when the winner was the BMW 118d - a 60 mpg diesel engine car. Here's a quick synopsis of the finalists.

Taiwan's government said it wants the island's ailing memory chip industry to choose between America's Micron Technology Inc. and Japan's Elpida Memory Inc. to help the chip makers consolidate and end a string of massive losses.

The island's six makers of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, chips have suffered from a glut of supply as the global economic slump saps demand for electronics and machinery run with semiconductors.

by Colin Marshall