ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, FRANCE — Withings has formed a strategic partnership with wearable body monitor supplier BodyMedia to allow the Body- Media FIT Armband System to access weight data directly from the Withings Wi-Fi body weight scale.

Under the partnership, weight data can be automatically imported into the BodyMedia FIT system by stepping on the Withings Wi-Fi scale, eliminating the need to enter the information into the FIT Activity Manager manually.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. – iHealth Lab announced a partnership to incorporate Tactio Software’s TargetWeight suite of health and wellness apps into iHealth’s mobile iOS health care devices, such as its blood pressure dock and wireless scale.

By integrating iHealth devices with Target- Weight, iHealth Lab product owners can now instantly deliver vital health data, including BMI, weight, heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, directly to Tactio’s TargetWeight Pro using an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad.

NEW YORK – Panasonic, Sony and Pioneer Electronics all reported their fiscal year financials in the past two weeks, with Pioneer the only Japanese vendor of the three to post a profit.

All three companies cited foreign exchange rates, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011, flooding in Thailand, generally weak economic conditions in major markets, and heavy price competition as the cause for either lower sales, losses or both.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. – Voxx International reported higher sales but lower net income for its fiscal fourth quarter, ended Feb. 28.

Fourth-quarter sales rose 27.1 percent to $176.6 million, with operating income rising 182 percent to $13.8 million. Fourth-quarter net income fell 37.4 percent to $10.9 million from the year-ago $17.4 million.

However in its fiscal 2012 Voxx said sales rose 25.9 percent to $701.1 million, operating income rose 387 percent to $43.9 million, and net income rose 11.4 percent to $25.6 million.

Washington - The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that multiple Motorola smartphones infringe on a Microsoft patent and will be barred from importation to the United States, Reuters reported.

President Obama has 60 days to decide whether to overturn the band.

New York - Google and Motorola overcame the final regulatory hurdle in its planned $12.5 billion acquisition of smartphone maker Motorola when the Chinese government gave its approval to the deal.

 Following February approvals by the U.S. and European Union, the maker of the Android OS is clear to finalize its purchase of Motorola and put itself in  competition with the handset makers that license Android. To assuage handset vendors concerned about competing with the company that supplies Android, Google has said it would let Motorola operate independently.

 Boston - Electronic program guide (EPG) developer Rovi and voice-activiated software creator Nuance Communications are using the Cable Show here this week to announce a collaboration on voice-activated discovery and guidance applications for cable service providers and CE manufacturers.

NEW YORK – For a year that saw TV pricing stumble, Sears and Best Buy fumble, and top 40 A/V chain Sixth Avenue Electronics crumble, CE sell-through was surprisingly solid in 2011.

Cumulative sales for the industry’s 100 largest retailers rose 5.2 percent last year to $133.2 billion, off slightly from 2010’s 5.8 percent increase.

Minneapolis - Best Buy's board has chosen global executive search firm Spencer Stuart to conduct the hunt for Brian Dunn's successor.

The selection was based on the firm's global expertise and experience recruiting for retailers and digital companies, the board said.

 The retailer said Spencer Stuart's search will be thorough, and will consider both internal and external candidates. The process is expected to last six to nine months.

Dennis van Schie has been named corporate VP, head of sales and marketing worldwide, at Sony Mobile Communications, reporting to president/CEO Kunimasa Suzuki. Van Schie is a 10-year Sony Mobile veteran, having served most recently as corporate VP, head of the product business unit, and will be based in London ... Ryan Conway was promoted to western regional sales manager of custom install sales at Panamax/Furman.