Nov. 10, 2010 at 2:41 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Internet,
Investigations,
Wireless
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
The Federal Communications Commission is investigating whether Google Inc. broke federal laws when its street-mapping service collected consumers’ personal information, joining a lengthy list of regulators probing what Google says was inadvertent harvesting of private data sent over wireless networks.
The FCC opened its investigation this year, an FCC official confirmed Wednesday. An FCC spokeswoman didn’t immediately have comment on the agency’s investigation. The FCC generally doesn’t publicly disclose details of its investigations. Get the full story »
By Julie Wernau
A suit filed Tuesday in federal court alleges that a Naperville marketing firm has been spamming cell phone users with text messages in an attempt to sell magazine subscriptions for the publishers of US Weekly, Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal.
The suit claims that the unsolicited text messages not only represent “an especially pernicious form of marketing” but also are in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which bars companies from making unsolicited calls to cell phones. Get the full story »
By Dow Jones Newswires
Proposed changes for cigarette packaging under new FDA rules.
Graphic images depicting dead bodies and diseased lungs were unveiled by federal health officials Wednesday as part of a move to require bolder health warnings on cigarettes and advertising.
A 2009 law requires larger and more graphic health warnings on cigarettes as part of an effort to discourage people from starting to smoke and to lower current smoking rates. Currently, 20.6 percent adults and 19.5 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, according to government figures. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:57 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Banking,
IPOs
By Associated Press
Swiss bank UBS is no longer working on General Motors’ initial public stock offering because a bank employee leaked information about the sale in an unauthorized e-mail, a person briefed on the matter said Wednesday.
GM disclosed the e-mail in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. UBS had been listed as a proposed underwriter in GM’s IPO until Nov. 3, when it was dropped without explanation. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:37 p.m.
Filed under:
Computers,
Telecommunications,
Wireless
By Reuters
RIM plans to price the PlayBook tablet at less than $500. (AP)
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, a late entrant in the tablet computer market, will take on Apple’s iPad with competitive pricing of its PlayBook.
RIM, which said it will sell the PlayBook for less than $500, is confident the 7-inch tablet would help sustain “fast sales growth,” said RIM Co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie.
RIM’s Nasdaq-listed shares jumped more than 6 percent on Wednesday to as high as $58.72, their highest since June.
Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:26 p.m.
Filed under:
Bankruptcy,
Media,
Newspapers,
Updated
By Michael Oneal
The judge in Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy case approved more than $40 million in 2010 incentive bonuses for 635 operating managers and executives Wednesday.
But based on the company’s projected performance through the end of the year, the payout will likely be closer to $30 million, according to court documents. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:24 p.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food,
Regulations
Seattle Times | Washington state’s Liquor Control Board on Wednesday banned of caffeinated alcohol drinks, the type of beverage that sickened nine Central Washington University students last month during an off-campus party.
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:15 p.m.
Filed under:
Exchanges,
Markets
By Dow Jones Newswires
Tighter margin requirements for silver futures triggered a sharp selloff Wednesday that spread to gold.
Silver for December delivery declined $1.84, or 6.3 percent, to $27.15 an ounce on the Comex. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:04 p.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Government
By Reuters
The United States posted a $140 billion budget deficit last month, the third largest shortfall for any October, Treasury Department data showed Wednesday. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 1:01 p.m.
Filed under:
Media,
TV
By Dow Jones Newswires
News Corp.’s Fox Business Network has signed a multi-year contract with former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, who will host a daily show on the network beginning in the first quarter.
Dobbs also will appear on a variety of Fox Business programs to provide analysis and commentary. He will continue to host his radio talk shows and financial reports, Fox Business said. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 12:44 p.m.
Filed under:
Housing,
Mortgages,
Real estate
By Associated Press
Applications for mortgages rose last week for the third straight week.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday overall applications increased 5.8 percent from a week earlier, driven by gains in purchase and refinance applications. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 12:38 p.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Government,
Taxes
By Associated Press
Leaders of President Barack Obama’s bipartisan deficit commission on Wednesday proposed reducing the annual cost-of-living increases in Social Security, part of a bold plan to control $1 trillion-plus budget deficits.
The proposal also would set a tough target for curbing the growth of Medicare and recommends looking at eliminating popular tax breaks, such as mortgage interest deduction. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 11:55 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports
By Tribune newspapers
United Airlines said this morning that it is offering customers 1,000 bonus frequent flier miles through the end of the year when checking in for domestic flights (or those to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) on a mobile device. United offers mobile boarding passes at almost 40 airports.
Nov. 10, 2010 at 11:49 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
Technology
By Associated Press
Global smart phone sales nearly doubled in the third quarter, and Apple is now one of the top five bestselling manufacturers.
Research firm Gartner says cell phone manufacturers sold 80.5 million smart phones in the third quarter. It says nearly 1 in 5 of all phones sold is a smart phone. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 11:15 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Technology,
Updated
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
Moving to staunch the defection of staff to competitors, Google Inc. is giving a 10 percent raise to all of its 23,000 employees, according to people familiar with the matter. The raise, which will be given to executives and staff across the globe, is effective in January. Get the full story »
