COMPANIES

Apple's new TV spot features Old St. Nick himself using Siri on the iPhone 4S to help him deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

Here are some items to watch when Oracle reports: earnings, Europe outlook, cash, deferred revenue, third-quarter earnings forecast

Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) announced Monday the firm is expanding its international commercial finance capabilities through acquiring Burdale Financial Holdings Ltd and the portfolio of Burdale Capital Finance Inc. from Bank of Ireland Plc (BKIR). The portfolio represents approximately $1 billion in loans outstanding from U.S. and U.K. customers. Bank of Ireland, the nation’s largest bank, will receive about 690 million euros ($899 million) from the sale.

The Dallas-based company's plan to sell off some of its assets in order to gain regulatory approval for its $39 billion merger are falling flat, which could spell trouble for the merging parties as they try to convince regulators that a merger wouldn't concentrate too much power in the wireless industry.

Sailors had roughly 30 minutes before freezing to death in the icy cold waters of the Sea of Okhotsk where the floating platform listed in heavy seas and sank.

Siri is a fun and useful tool on the iPhone 4S, but Apple has plans for it to become a centerpiece in all its devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

Dell, the No. 2 U.S. PC maker, plans to restart its venture capital unit as Dell Corporate Ventures. To head it, it designated Norwest Venture Partners executive Jim Lussier.

Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY), Britain's biggest mortgage lender, is making a new move to appease political and shareholder anger over executive pay. The bank's 1,000 most senior managers will see their salary frozen in 2012, including Chief Executive Officer António Horta-Osório, who just returned from medical leave last week.

The much-awaited Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, is finally in Verizon Wireless stores and available online for $299.99 with a two-year contract. The smartphone battle can only get more intense, with the LG Nitro HD and the Galaxy Nexus squaring off against each other.

The airline, the first operator of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, said in a statement on its Web site last week that a productivity reason is being given for the delay in delivery. All Nippon said it will delay Dreamliner service between Tokyo and Beijing and between Tokyo and Frankfurt as a result.

Robert W. Baird downgraded its rating on shares of RSC Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RRR) to neutral from outperform following United Rentals Inc.'s (NYSE: URI) intention to buy RSC Holdings for $18 per share.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an investor in some of the world's top companies, has bought a stake in Twitter for $300 million, gaining another foothold in the global media industry.

GM operates in a partnership in China with state-run SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd and contends that providing parts and technology to Saab's new owners had the China investor deal gone through would have run counter to the interest of its own shareholders.

After a year in which global macro machinations drove stock correlations to record highs, the Canaccord Genuity technology team is hopeful that 2012 will be a year in which favorable returns are the reward for superior fundamental analysis.

Statistics compiled by AppData reveals an average of 58.8 million users who view Facebook on Android, as compared to 57.6 million users who use the iPhone app daily, as of Dec. 18, 2011.

Samsung Electronics has filed new claims in its patent war with Apple Inc over alleged patent infringements in Germany, a spokesman for the company said on Monday.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Morgan will face questions via video link Tuesday before the Leveson Inquiry about the News of the World hacking scandal.

Stephen Elop, the first non-Finn to run Nokia, on Sunday quashed rumors the cellphone maker could move its headquarters to the United States from Espoo, a suburb of the Finnish capital Helsinki.

Last week, investors could finally buy a share of Internet gaming site Zynga, which was priced Thursday at $10 a share in the company’s $1 billion initial public offering. What did they say about other IPOS as well as Facebook's for 2012?

In an effort to continue busting myths that surround homosexual and bisexual lifestyles, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health suggesting that same-sex marriages could cut the number of mental and physical illnesses experienced by those in these relationships.

If you enjoyed seeing your search results doing a complete 360 flip when you typed in do a barrel roll then you will most certainly enjoy these two new holiday Easter eggs from Google: let it snow and Hanukkah.

Developers can get a taste of freshly released versions of the DK bugging tools, along with the r7 NDK tool and the Eclipse plug-in for developing Android applications.

Alexza Pharmaceuticals Inc said it will explore options including sale of assets, strategic business combination, or partnerships.

Developed by Detroit-based Marxent Labs, the app is available for a free download from Android and iPhone app stores on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Police, prosecutors, and the Japanese securities watchdog may launch a raid on the offices of the disgraced Olympus Corp. this week on suspicion the company falsified financial accounts, Kyodo News has reported, citing investigative sources.

MSG Network, which airs games of the NBA's Knicks, and hockey games of three New York teams including the Rangers, Islanders and Devils, has a contract with Time Warner NYC that expires on December 31. The parties have been negotiating a new deal for a couple of years but haven't reached a new agreement, and MSG Network which airs games of the New York teams could be off Time Warner cable Jan. 1.

Technology investors and experts are asking whether Research in Motion (RIM) needs to ditch its BlackBerry handset business to survive.

MVRDV's The Cloud has attracted criticism, but the risk taken is essential for design to move forward.