Tech Roundup: Nokia Drops Japan, Gold to Rise, Secret iPhone API, Laptops for Life, More

Nokia gives up Japan -- Nokia had a tiny share of Japanese handsets, so it finally decided that discretion is the cheaper part of value and has pulled out of that market. [Source: Reuters]

Gartner guesses at dropping cell sales -- Analyst firm Garnter expects that global phone sales will not just slow, but contract by low single digits. [Source: Wall Street Journal]

Gold to rise? -- High precious metal prices makes for bad high tech manufacturing news. According to Citigroup, you ain't see nothing yet, as the financial institution is predicting that gold could soar past $2000 an ounce by the end of next year. [Source: BNET Industry Technology Blog, Daily Telegraph]

Secret iPhone API -- Google has admitted that it used undocumented, though not unknown, iPhone API calls when writing its Google Mobile application. Could it be that Apple wants a leg up on anyone else when it comes to writing iPhone apps? Not that others, like Microsoft, are innocent of keeping everything transparent for developers. [Source: Ars Technica, Blink.nu]

Fujitsu Siemens offers laptops for life -- Fujitsu Siemens is offering a special plan for its customers: keep an extended three-year warranty and you can keep trading in your old laptop every three years for a new one. But fail to register within 21 days, or lose the original sales receipt, and you're out of luck -- and a new laptop. [Source: PC Pro]