BUSINESS

Rumors about a release date for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on Samsung’s Galaxy S3 have been circulating since the new Google operating system was announced in June. The most recent speculation suggests that the Android upgrade will roll out to the Galaxy S3 along with the alleged unveil of Samsung’s Galaxy Note on August 29.

Recent massacres where gunmen shot up public gatherings had Americans scrambling to buy more guns, so much so that Wall Street analysts are seeing little positive upside for gun manufacturers.

Nate Summerfield, the boyfriend of murdered Ashland, Ohio, resident Lynn Jackenheimer who is suspected of killing the 33-year-old, has been arrested by U.S. Marshals following a month-long search for the fugitive.

The "announcement" of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's official running mate in the 2012 presidential elections has officially shaken up race leading up to November. Suddenly, the conversation has shifted from tax returns and jobs to healthcare and the future of Medicaid. There is one man that could provide some perspective on Ryan, his proposals, and his history, and that man happens to be Ryan's congressional opponent in Wisconsin, democrat Rob Zerban.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.B) dumped its shares of Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) last quarter and cut its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) while boosting its exposure to oil refining and oil services.

Police said a burglar stole the wallet of the late Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) Chairman Steve Jobs July 17, when he broke into his empty residence in Palo Alto, Calif. The wallet had $1 inside along with Jobs’s California driver’s license.

Ikea, the Swedish store known for its affordable DIY home furnishing, is branching into a new arena: the hotel business.

Apple’s iPhone 5 is rumored for a Sept.21 release date, and the Internet has not stopped buzzing about potential features, alleged leaks and speculation. Although it is nearly certain that the upcoming iPhone 5 will support 4G LTE connectivity, there is now more evidence to back up this claim.

U.S. homebuilder confidence rose in August to the highest level since February 2007 as more buyers entered the market, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

Bill Gates, the man responsible for bringing software to the masses with Microsoft and Windows, has plans to reinvent another industry: Sanitation. Gates, whose philanthropic efforts have helped bring clean water and resources to developing countries via the foundation founded by he and his wife Melinda, said on Wednesday that he plans to build a toilet that's better suited to developing countries in an effort to cut down on disease and death in those regions.

U.S. industrial output expanded last month at the fastest pace since April and manufacturing notched another solid advance, hinting at underlying resilience in an economy that has struggled to establish momentum.

Wall Street powerhouse Standard & Poor’s lowered its opinion of Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), the No. 3 PC maker, because it’s becoming “more bearish of the PC industry in general,” the ratings agency said Wednesday. It trimmed its 12-month target price for Dell shares to $14 from $15.

Consumer prices were flat in July for a second straight month and the year-over-year increase was the smallest since November 2010, giving the Federal Reserve room for further monetary easing to tackle stubbornly high unemployment.

Betty Smithey has spent the last 49 years locked up in the Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville, Ariz. The almost 50 year stint makes Smithey the nation's longest serving female inmate. But on Tuesday, the 69-year-old who was convicted the 1963 New Year's Day murder of Sandy Gerberick, woke up a free woman.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc [WMT], Target Corp. [TGT], 7-Eleven Inc., and Sunoco Inc. [SUN] are poised to announce their rival to the Google Wallet payment system, which launched on Android powered phones last year, the Wall Street Journal revealed. When it does launch, MCX will join the multi-billion dollar race to develop mobile phone payment systems, which propose to do away with cash and card transactions.

India's leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki will restart production at its Manesar plant early next week, Reuters reported quoting the Nikkei business daily.

The Carlyle Group (Nasdaq: CG), a global asset manager, and Getty Images management said Wednesday they formed a partnership to acquire privately held Getty Images Inc. from Hellman & Friedman for $3.3 billion.

Leaders of a union that operates Colombia's main coal railway met Wednesday to decide how to respond to a unanimous court ruling declaring its three-week strike illegal.

Herbalife Ltd, Nokia Corporation, National-Oilwell Varco Inc, Knight Capital Group Inc, Ellington Financial LLC, ArcelorMittal and MCG Capital Corporation are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Wednesday.

The South Korean car manufacturer Kia has become an unexpected success with its Forte Koup and Optima cars on the Grand Am and Pirelli World Challenge racing circuits.

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), the No. 1 provider of Internet gear, is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results Wednesday that are expected to be much better than last year’s when CEO John Chambers said the company was overmanned and was in the midst of layoffs and retrenchment.

According to a recently released report by Forrester Research, mobile banking is growing both in the United States and in Europe. By 2017, there will be 108 million mobile banking users in the U.S., accounting for about 46 percent of all bank account holders in the country.

News of the probable launch of iPhone 5 September 12 and the $2.5-billion quarterly dividend payout August 16 have made Apple (AAPL) stocks a top pick among retail investors and hedge funds.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open Wednesday amid the fading expectations about an announcement of monetary easing measures by the Federal Reserve to support the economy.

Most of the European markets fell Wednesday as investors were losing optimism on policymakers announcing stimulus measures to rejuvenate the weakening euro zone.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Tuesday were Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation, Renewable Energy Group Inc, Synacor Inc, Arena Pharmaceuticals and Transcept Pharmaceuticals Inc. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Horizon Pharma Inc, KIT digital Inc, Myriad Genetics Inc, TICC Capital Corp and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

While Apple is yet to speak anything related to its upcoming iPhone iteration, unofficially dubbed the "iPhone 5," numerous sources have indeed quenched the thirst of many enthusiastic minds to some extent by providing information about the device, ranging from its design and features to a possible release date. However, one thing still remains a mystery - the name, by which Apple's sixth generation iPhone will finally be called.

Most of the Asian markets fell Wednesday as investor confidence was weighed down by the lack of stimulus measures from policymakers to support the global economy and regain the growth momentum.

Asian shares steadied Wednesday as strong U.S. retail sales and data showing Germany and France avoiding a contraction last quarter bolstered investors' risk appetite, with weak euro zone growth sustaining hopes for more stimulus.