I was not aware that Asustek and HTC were competitors. Thought Asustek was only big boxes. But apparently wrong. And with HTC having its problems in Germany (possibly eslewhere in Europe) with IPcom, Asustek can take HTC's market share. Seemed like the settlement in California came out of nowhere at the time. Perhaps this weighed on the settlement talks with us? Opty

<Asustek Computer plans to launch its first Android-based Google phone in the first half of 2009, according to company sources. Asustek may initially sell the Android-powered handsets under its own brand in the Taiwan market before also launching customized models for overseas clients, said market sources close to the company.>