By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent

(Reuters) – Cellphone market growth slumped in the third quarter, with the grim economic climate prompting consumers to cut back or delay purchases, particularly in western Europe, research firm Gartner said.

Global sales of all mobile phones grew an annual 5.6 percent in the third quarter to 440.5 million phones, down sharply from 16.5 percent growth in the previous quarter.

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Sony Ericsson said on Tuesday a shortage of key components will limit the production of some of its feature phones in the key holiday sales period.

A spokesman for the world’s ninth-biggest handset maker did not specify which components were in short supply but said the problem was not related to the Thai floods which are hurting the electronics industry just when it has recovered from Japan’s eathquake and tsunami.

HELSINKI, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Sony Ericsson
(ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday a shortage of key components will
limit the production of some of its feature phones in the key
holiday sales period.

A spokesman for the world’s ninth-biggest handset maker did
not specify which components were in short supply but said the
problem was not related to the Thai floods which are hurting
the electronics industry just when it has recovered from Japan’s
eathquake and tsunami.

Nov 8 (Reuters) – Videoconference start-up Vidyo unveiled a
new technology on Tuesday, allowing its videoconferencing
service to run using virtual servers, raising pressure on
market leaders Cisco Systems and Polycom .

Chief Executive Ofer Shapiro said clients can expand their
Vidyo conferencing network without any capital investments
after buying Vidyo’s licence for the first site when they use
servers of VMWare or Amazon .

Nov 4 (Reuters) – Canadian telecom network equipment maker
DragonWave Inc will buy microwave technology
business of Nokia Siemens Networks in a deal
potentially worth up to 110 million euros.

The deal will boost sales and products and more than double
staff at DragonWave, which specialises in microwave technology
that moves data between cellular towers and telecom networks.

HELSINKI, Nov 2 (Reuters) – ST-Ericsson
won a deal to supply chipsets for future Nokia phones
based on Windows software, breaking Qualcomm’s monopoly
over Microsoft’s mobile platform.

ST-Ericsson said on Wednesday its technology would enable
Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone vendor, to offer cheaper
Windows Phones and in new regions.

TAIPEI/HELSINKI, Oct 31 (Reuters) – HTC Corp
warned its sales in the fourth quarter, traditionally a bumper
sales season for smartphones, would drop below the previous
quarter and analysts’ forecasts as the Taiwanese firm struggles
to compete against bigger rivals.

HTC, which in a few years has risen from obscure origins as
a manufacturer for other others to become No. 5 smartphone
maker, will lose market share to Apple and Samsung
in the race for holiday season sales, analysts said.

Oct 27 (Reuters) – Sony Corp is to buy full control
of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone venture from its Swedish
partner as it seeks to boost its consumer products offering and
to catch up on smartphone and tablet makers such as Apple
and Samsung

The 1.05 billion euro-deal ($1.45 billion) gives Sony
ownership of certain handset patents held by Ericsson
and will enable it to integrate the joint venture’s output with
its own range of products and online content.

LONDON (Reuters) – Nokia has U.S. carrier support for its new Microsoft Windows phones, its chief executive told Reuters — a key factor in its battle to win back the many U.S. consumers who have deserted the world’s biggest cellphone maker.

The Finnish company on Wednesday unveiled the first of its long-awaited Windows phones, the results of a big bet on a partnership with software giant Microsoft, to go on sale in Europe by Christmas.