Display specialist, HannsG, has today unveiled its first Touch Screen monitor. With an affordable price tag of only £199.99 the 23" HT231HPB is set to turn the futuristic touch screen computing experience into reality for everyone. The new monitor which boasts advanced 10-Point touch control is certified to work with Windows 8 and is launched to coincide nicely with the release of Windows 8.1.

Most notably, the HT231HPB offers the ultimate touch experience with highly responsive 10 point touch control technology to navigate the Windows 8 operating system with ease. This enables users to fully appreciate finger tip screen control at its best promising no lag, better accuracy and zoom capabilities.

One of the biggest suppliers of LCD panels to notebook and PC monitor manufacturers, AUOptronics, has been convicted by a US court on Tuesday, of price-fixing, a serious anti-competitive practice that cripples innovation and is bad for consumers and progress of the industry. The company faces fines as high as US $1 billion, which could amount to a big blow to the company that already finds itself facing losses.

AUOptronics' conviction follows the December 2011 mega-settlement of LCD makers including Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi, HannStar, and Chimei Innolux. At the time, AUOptronics and LG Electronics were the only fence-sitters. LG Electronics agreed to pay a US $400 million fine, in 2008. AUOptronics' current position is that it finds the evidence presented against it, which led to the conviction as being "distorted and incomplete," and that it will appeal against the verdict. The quantum of fine levied against AUOptronics will surface in the months ahead.

Five major LCD panel makers, including Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi, HannStar, and Chimei Innolux; agreed to pay over US $553 million in settlement to regulators for a price-fixing case. The case by regulators alleged that these companies colluded to fix prices of LCD panels 1999 and 2006, affecting billions of dollars of commerce. The scam unearthed in 2006, by regulators of Japan, Korea, United States, and the European Union. Many companies and executives have since pleaded guilty to criminal antitrust violations and paid more than US $890 million in fines so far.

The latest payout of $553 million is aimed to resolve claims by "indirect" purchasers that bought televisions and computers with thin film transistor LCDs, as well as claims by eight USA states: Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It also includes payments of $14.7 million by the companies to settle civil fine and penalty law claims by the states, the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. He stated "This price-fixing scheme manipulated the playing field for businesses that abide by the rules, and left consumers to pay artificially higher costs for televisions, computers and other electronics."

HannStar Display today announced that the company's board of directors has approved an alliance with Korea-based LG.Philips LCD (LPL) by issuing 180 million preferred shares to be sold to LPL. The transaction will be completed before the end of February 2008. The total amount of the investment will be NT$3.17 billion (US$429 million). HannStar said the broad of directors it has approved the issue of 800 million preferred shares to repay bank loans and enrol a strategic alliance partner.