COMPANIES

As a former MF Global Holdings Ltd. CEO prepared to testify last week before a U.S. congressional committee about missing customer money, one independent broker attempted to restore customer confidence in the futures market by publishing exactly where it is holding its clients' collateral.

Warren Buffett has pegged his 56-year-old son Howard, a corn farmer, as successor to his $245 billion money-making machine Berkshire Hathaway, according to the billionaire in an interview with 60 Minutes, scheduled to air this Sunday.

Toys R Us Inc , which is looking to go public next year, reported a quarterly loss equal to a year earlier, as interest expense declined even as sales at established stores fell.

The secret is out, Coca-Cola says in the first sentence of a release Thursday about its 125-year-old formula used to make its Coca-Cola Classic soda.

Looking ahead to next spring when Apple is expected to release the iPad 3, Samsung is reportedly working on a rival tablet that bests Apple's display resolution.

How many times have you walked into an Apple store and thought, Wow, it's like Grand Central Station in here?

One Citi analyst, citing sources close to the situation, believes Apple will release its next-generation iPad in February of 2012. The tablet will reportedly feature double the pixel density of the iPad 2, as well as a new LED system.

A fire tore through a seven-story private hospital in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata before dawn Friday, killing at least 84 people, most of them intensive care patients who were asleep and suffocated in the fumes.

Motorola Mobility won a preliminary injunction against Apple Inc in Germany, which could bar the sales of iPhones and iPads in the country.

Washington D.C.-based District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle on Friday called for an additional hearing next Thursday to determine the status of the U.S. Department of Justice's case against the AT&T/T-Mobile USA merger.

Lloyds Banking Group's chief executive António Horta-Osório, who signed off on medical leave in early November because of exhaustion, will have to re-apply for his job at a board meeting next week before he can return to work, the Financial Times reported.

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., introduced on Thursday a bill to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and create a transitional mortgage program to be sold to the private sector after 10 years.

Zite and Flipboard released iPhone apps within three days of one another. Here we break down their features decide which personalized digital magazine experience takes the cake.

Samsung Electronics Co won a round of its bruising global patent fight with Apple Inc on Friday when an Australian court lifted a ban on the sale of its Galaxy tablet computer in time for the busy Christmas shopping season.

The largest United States chemical maker DuPont lowered its full-year profit outlook on Friday, a troubling sign for the rest of the chemical market. The company cited slower growth in certain segments because of an unstable global economy as the reasons for the shift.

Tulsa, Okla. police arrested a woman Thursday for stealing and mixing chemicals to make meth inside of a Wal-Mart.

A market participant with apparently $400 million in cash lying around just became one of Bank of America's (NYSE:BAC) largest shareholders. Between 11:01 and 11:02 a.m. New York time, trade in Bank of America spiked as over 72 million shares changed hands.

The U.S. Department of Justice doesn't want to go to trial until the companies reapply for merger with the Federal Communications Commission.

The Apple Store in Grand Central enjoyed its grand opening Friday. While the 23,000 square-foot store is large enough to accommodate the mobs, the company has other ways to keep crowds at bay.

Speaking at Bloomberg's Captain of Industry series, Stephenson said AT&T's capacity to keep up with wireless demand has been strained and Congress hasn't adequately addressed antiquated policies regarding the wireless industry.

For the first time ever, the Coca-Cola Company put the secret formula on display in its Atlanta museum.

Twitter's redesign isn't available to everybody yet, but a sneak peek at the site's new features reveals that Twitter's strategy to expand its audience is matched by a desire to beat Facebook at its own game. From Twitter profiles to embedded timelines, check out the five big changes to Twitter, and how its redesign plans to take on the social media giant.

Jawbone's CEO responded to customer complaints, offering full refunds on its dysfunctional UP wristband, but also giving customers the option to get their money back AND keep the bands.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) said on Thursday that it had agreed to acquire software company DemandTec, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMAN) for about $440 million or $13.20 a share.

There is, apparently, yet another fake doctor doing the rounds.

Citing several sources, Citi analyst Richard Gardner said in a note that the iPad 3 will launch in February with a screen that has double the resolution of Apple's most recent model, the iPad 2. Such a screen enhancement would improve the iPad's graphics to sharpness levels available on Apple's popular iPhone 4 and 4S, according to CNET.

The Arkansas Supreme Court has reversed a murder conviction because a juror tweeted and another slept during the trial.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Blue Coat Systems, Silver Standard Resources, Golar LNG, Logitech and Perrigo. The top pre-market NASDAQ losers are: Sears Holdings, Lattice Semiconductor, Intel, ProShares UltraPro and First Niagara Financial.

As we cast our eyes over the year that was, the computer tablet market across the world strikes one as having been the sort of space most affected by a constant stream of products, with each one trying to outdo the other, in terms of innovation, design, components and performance. At the end of it all, however, if you've played the waiting game, hoping that 2012 will be an even better year, here is a brief rundown of what to expect...