HITACHI Data Systems (HDS) enjoyed a stellar first half in the Asean region this year despite the economic slowdown that affected most businesses during this period, according to the company's regional head.

FRENCH software powerhouse Dassault Systemes, which develops programs used to design Nokia phones, Boeing jets - and even China's Bird's Nest Beijing National Stadium - will expand its Singapore operations.

LISTING phone numbers and e-mail addresses on the Internet has become almost second nature to local businesses and individual Net users but a soon-to- be-launched domain name promises to take it one step further by dramatically simplifying the process of trawling for contact information online.

FOR a cool $20,000 or more, businesses and individuals can own .SG websites that feature single-character domain names, such as www.a.com.sg, www.b.com.sg and so on, based on the 26 letters in the alphabet. The Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC) will be releasing single-character domain names across all seven .SG categories, namely '.sg', '.com.sg', '.net.sg', '.org.sg', '.gov.sg', '.edu.sg' and '.per.sg'.

NEC has launched the Powermate P4000 and P6000 - two one-box PCs that marry the power of a full-fledged desktop with space-saving attributes of a laptop PC.

THE financial tsunami, which is now turning into a global recession, has led many businesses to seriously consider what they need to do to survive in an unforgiving business environment. Budgets need to be watched more closely.