SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp recently talked with Nokia about buying the Finnish phone maker's devices unit, but the discussions faltered and are not likely to be revived, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday in its online edition. The Journal reported that "advanced discussions" on a deal happened as recently as this month, according to unnamed sources it said were familiar with the matter. Microsoft rejected a deal because of price and Nokia's loss of market share to rising Asian competitors, the report said.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Wednesday vowed to catch up with its more popular rivals Apple and Samsung after unveiling its newest phone for the first time in Asia. Huawei unveiled its Ascend P6 at the CommunicAsia telecom and broadcast event in Singapore just hours after its global launch in London, billing it as world's thinnest smartphone. "I generally do not comment on competitors but it is a class of its own," said Tang Siew Wai, a regional marketing director for Huawei, when asked how it will compete with Apple and Samsung.

TORONTO - A stronger vote of confidence for BlackBerry's future from analysts at RBC Capital Markets helped the smartphone company's stock rise nearly four per cent on Tuesday. The bank raised expectations for shipments of new BlackBerry 10 devices and said the Waterloo, Ont.-based firm should be profitable this fiscal year, after recent quarterly losses. Shares of BlackBerry (TSX:BB) gained 53 cents to close at $15.13 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday that sales of its Optimus G Pro smartphone have exceeded the 1-million mark nationwide. The latest version of the 5.5-inch Optimus G smartphone line-up hit the shelves in the country in February this year. Sales of the Optimus G Pro broke the 500,000-mark in the first 40 days following its launch, becoming LG Electronics' fastest-selling smartphone.