On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

As the 3rd iPad hits the market (3M already sold WW since March 16, Apple gloats), Dell chief commercial officer Steve Felice insists the tablet market is still "wide open" for non-iOS devices.

Speaking to Reuters, Felice says Dell plans to launch Windows 8 tablets sometime around H2 2012-- with a particular focus on office workers looking for an enterprise-class device.

"We have a roadmap for tablets that we haven't announced yet. You'll see some announcements.. for the back half of the year," Felice continues.

Dell had already stabbed at the tablet market with the unsuccessful Android-powered Streak. According to Felice the company still hasn't dismissed the Google OS, and may start making Android tablets again.

Dell is not the only company thinking about Windows 8 tablets-- Lenovo and HP also have tablet plans, while rumours insist Nokia is working an ARM-powered Windows 8 device.

Go Dell Sees Room to Challenge Apple in Tablets (Reuters)

According to the UK Press Association Game owes creditors, suppliers and banks something around £180M-- a sum the retailer has to raise in a week, unless it wants to face collapsing into administration.

The retailer also has to pay landlords over £21M in rent and £12M in wages by the end of the month. Game is already closing down 43 UK retail outlets.

Worsening the situation are leading companies (including EA, Nintendo, Microsoft, Tecmo Koei, Capcom and Activision) refusing to supply Game with awaited new titles such as Mass Effect 3, following concerns over creditworthiness.

A recent Game statement says a "third party"-- reportedly Comet-buyer OpCapita-- might provide the money needed... but "might" is key word, as the Press Association says an investor "would have to pay up to £100 million to Game's banks."

Either way, it is possible the days of Game as we currently know it might be over in weeks, if not days.

Go Game "Needs £180M to Stop Collapse" (UKPA)

Go Game Statement

Go Game for Sale?

Metro predicts a "difficult" economy, price cuts and investments in future expansion will result in flat growth for 2012, as 2011 group sales decrease by -0.8% Y-o-Y to total €66.7 billion.

A "difficult" Christmas season caused Q4 2011 profits to drop by -13%. Metro 2011 EBIT before special items totals €2.4BN, a -1.8% Y-o-Y decline.

Sales for the retailer are down in German (-1%) and W. European (-3.1%) territories, while growing in E. Europe (0.4%) and Asia/Africa (11.2%).

Metro says it will also concentrate more on Media-Saturn outlets-- even if 2011 sales are down by -0.9% Y-o-Y, reaching €20.6BN. German 2011 Media-Saturn sales are up by 2% Y-o-Y, partly due to the Q3 acquisition of online retailer Redcoon and the www.saturn.de launch.

“We’re positive for medium and long-term developments,” CEO Olaf Koch says. “We have to set priorities and focuses.”

Go Metro Group 2011 Earnings

Does Wall Street think of Sharp as a one trick pony? Among all Japanese equally loss-making TV makers, Sharp is the worst performer amongst investors-- due to its reliance on a single market.

Unlike other companies, Sharp is a focused beast-- making around 60% of revenues from LCDs and audio-visual (a division covering own-brand LCD TVs, mobile phones, Blu-ray recorders and fax machines). In comparison the likes of Sony and Panasonic have far more diverse, sprawling business lines making up for the losses within respective TV divisions.

The company's failing to reach Apple quality standards in order to supply iPad displays didn't help, either.

Go Sharp Stuck on TVs as Samsung, Sony Rally (Bloomberg)