COMPANIES

Mobile World Congress 2012 went into its second day without the Samsung Galaxy S3 or iPhone 5, but there were many other hot new gadgets you won't want to miss. Much of the focus is on smartphones, and rightly so as consumers continue to dump their feature phones en masse, but there were just as many tablets released as company brace for the iPad 3 drop March 7. Sony showed off its Tablet P and let it be known the unique dual-screen folding tablet is coming to AT&T March 4 for $400 on contrac...

Apple will reportedly unveil its next-generation iPad -- presumably called iPad 3 -- next week in New York City. The lastest report comes from CNBC's Jon Fortt, who said on Tuesday that Apple will release a new iPad with a quad-core processor and 4G LTE capabilities.

Spain's Banco Santander, the biggest lender in the euro zone by market capitalization, said Tuesday that it will take over Poland’s Kredyt Bank from Belgium’s KBC Group in an all-share deal that values the combined entity at $6.69 billion.

Apple will reportedly release a new Apple TV device alongside its next-generation iPad, presumably called the iPad 3. With Bluetooth Smart, the devices will be interconnected to create one tightly integrated and enjoyable HD experience.

Micron (Nasdaq: MU), the sole U.S. maker of memory chips, and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the No. I chipmaker, upgraded their six-year-old partnership for advanced products.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ:GMCR), the maker of Keurig single-serve brewers and capsules, claimed the No. 45 spot on the IBTimes 1000 list by catering to consumers' needs while operating on a high-margin business model.

Android Jelly Bean is the latest Google OS. Check out the most-anticipated features of the latest Android OS.

In the HTC One series, HTC One X, coming to AT&T, is the big one and is considered in a head-to-head competition with other domineering Android smartphones already in the game. One of those Android heavyweights is the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Note, the phablet with a stylus.

Texas Instruments is working with makers of medical devices and sports accessories to develop new types of energy-efficient products, according to an executive at the company.

For Steven Sinofsky, the stern but creative engineering manager who runs Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) flagship Windows division, February 29 is showtime. Sinofsky will preside over the public test release of the Windows 8 operating system, his biggest test.

Internet giant Yahoo could throw a wrench into Facebook’s planned $5 billion IPO by demanding that the social-networking company enter into patent licensing agreements.

Carving a 10-mile-wide snake a mile deep in the earth, the Grand Canyon churns your adrenaline; the Painted Desert proves that barren doesn’t always mean bleak; the Navajo Nation shows that America is no “New World;” and the road to Zion confirms that the Wild West is as wild as ever.

When Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1993, the original intention was to increase consumers' awareness of food. But a new study conducted by three academics at Duke University has found government's good intentions cannot stop companies from making junk food -- nor will it stop Americans from buying said products.

Michael Douglas has reprised his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko for a public service announcement from the FBI about insider trading. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is, Douglas says in the spot, which debuted on CNBC and Bloomberg Television.

General Motors Co. will take up to a 7 percent stake in France's PSA Peugeot Citroen as the two automakers discuss an engineering and development partnership to boost both of their struggling European operations.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski caused a stir on Monday as he began chatting with fans on Twitter following an explosion on the track that happened the same night, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

EA-owned video game development studio Visceral Games could be aiming to employ EA's newest graphics engine, the DICE-developed Frostbite 2.0, for a new title in the Dead Space series, Dead Space 3.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, which was unveiled at the 2012 Mobile World Congress (MWC) Monday, is the iteration of Galaxy Ace.

Yahoo has demanded licensing fees from Facebook for use of its technology, the companies said on Monday, potentially engulfing social media in the patent battles and lawsuits raging across much of the tech sector.

Morgan Stanley said it will have to post another $6.52 billion in collateral to counterparties and clearinghouses if Moody's follows through on a warning that it might cut the Wall Street bank's long-term debt rating by up to three notches.

Facebook appears to be gearing up for the launch of new premium ads according to documents that surfaced late last week. The documents reveal that the new Facebook advertisements will be social in that they'll reveal who has liked an advertiser. The ads will pull content from a brand's Facebook Page, rather than requiring separate copy to be written.

Bank of America had attempted to get an $8.5 billion settlement over bad Countrywide mortgage-backed securities approved in New York state court over the objection of some angry investors.

Mercedes Benz unveiled plans on Monday to use Siri, Apple's virtual personal assistant exclusive to the iPhone 4S, to power its electronics system called Drive Kit Plus, which will essentially let drivers access their iPhone apps while driving using voice commands.

Several of the suspect's classmates have identified the gunman as Thomas T.J. Lane, a sophomore or junior at Lake Academy, a nearby school for at-risk children. A Facebook rant leaked online, and several Twitter photos that appear to show the teen brandishing handguns for a webcam, seem to prove that he is the shooter. Officials, however, have yet to release any information about the suspect's identity.

Apple's next-generation tablet, presumably called the iPad 3, could cost about $70 to $80 more than the current price of an iPad 2, if the newest report from MacRumors proves true.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) announced on Monday it will buy back $1.17 billion in stock from billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn.

Wang Shu was selected to receive the 2012 Pritzker Prize, becoming the first Chinese to win architecture's highest honor, the Hyatt Foundation, sponsor of the prize, announced Monday.

As smartphone sales continue to surge worldwide and the market ripens with increased spending from consumers, analysts predict Chinese vendors could seize market share with more affordable devices. Huawei and ZTE combined had sold 35 million smartphone sales in the past year.

BP, Britain's No. 1 oil company is said to be negotiating a $14 billion settlement for the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and fouled the Gulf of Mexico for months in 2010.