COMPANIES

Mainland China and 21 other countries will finally launch sales for Apple's most advanced smartphone, the iPhone 4S, on Friday, Jan. 13. The phone will be available in black and white and will sell at the same prices as in the U.S.

Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable operator, and Walt Disney Co on Wednesday said they had reached a comprehensive 10-year programming carriage deal for TV, Web and handheld devices.

Nevertheless, Netflix shares are down significantly from the 52-week high of $304.79.

After receiving tepid reviews for his first book of fictional short stories, actor James Franco has sold his debut novel to Amazon Publishing, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Securities regulators charged an Illinois-based investment adviser on Wednesday with using LinkedIn and other social media networking websites to lure investors by offering more than $500 billion in fake securities.

The settlement will require AT&T to pay at least $215 million to TiVo by June 2018, $51 million of which must be paid upfront.

Shares of imaging pioneer Eastman Kodak plunged nearly 30 percent Wednesday after a report from the Wall Street Journal the company might seek to file for bankruptcy “in coming weeks.”

Royal Dutch Shell officials announced they are working to patch a second oil leak in Nigeria, which they attribute to sabotage.

On Tuesday, Delta became the first airline to add a surcharge on flights to and from Europe after the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme went into affect.

Holiday moviegoers in Chicago got more than what they paid for when 34-year-old Edward L. Brown decided to strip down and show off for the crowd of families and children. He told police he was waiting for a woman to do heroin, cocaine, and have sex with in the front row.

Barry Sanders, the former Detroit Lions running back who has shied away from the media spotlight since stunning the NFL world by retiring in 1999, will meet with the media next week in Detroit to promote Nissan's ventures at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

Chevron Corp. Tuesday night lost a judicial appeal against $18 billion in fines the company is being asked to pay by authorities in Ecuador. The company denies the charges and says the court ruling is the product of fraud and corruption.

Now that Scott Thomson, 53, has been elected as Yahoo’s new CEO as well as a director, here are a couple of items the technology savvy accountant needs to take care of fast:

The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) from Jan. 10-13, will feature thousands of exhibitors and special events. Here, we break down the 10 most exciting events and awards ceremonies of the Vegas showcase.

Robert W. Baird said its technology team has identified ten key themes that it expects to drive investment opportunities in 2012, across a range of technology verticals.

Chrysler reported a 37 percent rise in U.S. new-vehicle sales in December as the U.S. automaker finished the year with strong gains thanks to a refreshed lineup of cars and trucks.

Yahoo elected Scott Thompson, president of PayPal, as its new CEO, four months after ousting Carol Bartz as CEO and hiring investment bankers for a turnaround.

Apple iPad 3 Latest: What we Know and Top 10 Things we Need to Know

The demo is only for Gold members.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is an extremely common psychiatric disorder in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately nine percent of children between the ages of four and 17 are affected with ADHD each year.

“Far Cry 3” was originally due for release at the end of 2011.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) is likely to name Royal Bank Canada's Barbara Stymiest as its chairman, says Jefferies.

Halo 4 is one of the most anticipated games of 2012.

To kick sales of its ultra-low-cost Nano into higher gear, Tata Motors needs a lot more buyers like Vijay Govind Pisal, a sugar cane farmer in Ozarde in Maharashtra.

Samsung Electronics, the world's top maker of memory chips and smartphones, is set to report a robust quarterly profit rise on Friday, starting 2012 on an upbeat note aided by record-smashing sales of smartphones.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) lost a key ruling against MBIA Inc. (NYSE:MBI), which granted the latter company court permission to pursue further legal action against Bank of America, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The world's largest bond fund had $1.4 billion in outflows in December, according to fund analytics firm Morningstar.

AT&T Inc has agreed to pay TiVo Inc a minimum of $215 million and additional monthly licensing fees to settle a patent infringement litigations case, sending shares in TiVo up 15 percent in afterhours trade.

Chrysler on Monday announced and released photos of the 2012 Dodge Charger Redline, which the company will debut next week at the 2012 North American Auto Show in Detroit.