Chinese technology business Huawei has released financial results for 2012. Sales revenue was up almost 8% to 220.19 billion Chinese yen (£23.2 billion), while net profit was up 32% to 15.38 billion yen (£1.6 billion).

The company’s Carrier Network business group saw sales up 6.7% year-on-year, while the Enterprise business group had a 25.8% sales increase and the Consumer business group’s sales revenue was up 8.4%.

Mark Bridge writes:

Let’s start with a slightly belated birthday wish to the hand-held mobile phone, which made its first public appearance on 3rd April 1973. At that point we’d had carphones for a while… but this was the first time anyone had heard the phrase “Sorry, I’ve got to go, the battery’s running out” spoken in public. Or something like that.

Samsung Electronics has published interim financial figures for the first quarter of 2013. This guidance is usually issued a few weeks ahead of the formal results.

Consolidated operating profit was approximately 8.7 trillion Korean won (£5 billion).

HP (Hewlett-Packard) says its executive chairman, Raymond Lane, has decided to step down. He’ll remain as a director but will be replaced on an interim basis by investor Ralph Whitworth.

Directors John Hammergren and Ken Thompson are also leaving after the May board meeting.

Today Facebook has announced ‘Home’, a new Android-based application that offers a Facebook-centred experience on compatible mobile phones.

The first handset that’ll be preloaded with Facebook Home is the HTC First. It’ll be available on AT&T in the United States from Friday 12th April and will then have an exclusive UK launch on EE in the summer.