Asian tech companies chip in relief to Japan quake victims

Technology companies across Asia have found ways to help people in Japan left devastated by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake last Friday, the 7-meter tsunami it spawned, and displacement caused by troubles at a nuclear power plant there. China’s Alibaba.com, for example, has thrown in its e-commerce expertise to let hundreds of millions of users buy tents, sleeping bags, raincoats, flashlights and other gear for quake victims at cost. The company will cover the cost of shipping the goods to Japan. Prices for the products, likely sourced from low-cost factories in China, range from $10.52 for a tent, to $7.69 for a sleeping bag and 31 cents for a pair of work gloves. There is a minimum order for lower priced goods, such as the gloves: 30 pairs for $9.30. Many such items are needed for the massive number of people displaced by the temblor, estimated at around 500,000. A total of 3,771 people are confirmed dead after the disaster, with 7,843 still missing, according to the National Police Agency of Japan. The tsunami swept away entire towns, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, while an emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station caused officials to order people to evacuate a wide area around the site. Electronics companies including Japanese giants such as Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC, Panasonic and Sony, all pledged cash donations, and some of them will distribute electronics that might be helpful. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Japan | Company: Alibaba.com, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC, Panasonic, Sony, Advantest, Kyocera, Omron, NEC, Samsung Electronics, Baidu, Yahoo! | Source: Computer World