COMPANIES

Amazon is preparing to take on Apple's iPad in a head-to-head battle that promises to get interesting soon -- as soon as Amazon launches its new tablet, possibly as early as October. If you thought the discontinued TouchPad's brief success as a $99 fire sale product as the first realistic competitor to Apple's iPad was interesting, you haven't seen anything yet. Amazon has shown the company can be successful with a mass consumer tablet-like product -- the Kindle e-reader.

With U.S. job growth sluggish, renewed European debt concerns, and now the damage caused by Hurricane Irene, it’s not surprising that cautious investors are reluctant to deploy additional capital to stocks. However, one moderate-risk way to commit new money to equities is to consider stocks that also pay a decent dividend, and here are three options.

LDK Solar Co Ltd suffered a quarterly loss as a sharp drop in solar wafer prices forced it to write down millions of dollars in inventories, but forecast revenue for the current quarter above estimates on stabilizing prices.

Bank of America shares rose more than 6 percent after the banking company announced it agreed to sell Chinese Construction Bank Corp.

Chick-fil-A is giving away free breakfast entrees from September 6-10 for people who book online now.

Are angry Netflix customers upset over the company's price hike last month turning to Wal-Mart's Vudu? One subscription service shows Wal-Mart's Vudu is gaining momentum, fast.

Social gaming company Zynga is delaying its IPO, according to a report.

Chick-fil-A is giving away free breakfast entrees from Sept 6 to 10 if you make a reservation now.

After finding out that I'd finally get my hands on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt -- but during the weekend of Hurricane Irene's assault on the East Coast -- major concerns filled my head.

Apple's board of directors has moved to lock in new CEO Tim Cook through mid-2021 by awarding him one million share of company stock. Cook is replacing long-time co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who announced his retirement last week. In connection with Mr. Cook's appointment as Chief Executive Officer, the Board awarded Mr. Cook 1,000,000 restricted stock units, Apple said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A councilman from Fort Bragg, Calif., was shot and killed while investigating a marijuana-growing operation, authorities said.

Conventional wisdom in legal circles has long held that Goldman Sachs (GS.N) might escape further large fines or criminal charges for its role in the 2007-2009 financial crisis after reaching a $550 million settlement with securities regulators in July 2010.

World stocks rose 1 percent and the dollar fell on Friday as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke left the door open for future U.S. economic stimulus.

The new head of the IMF on Saturday called on global policymakers to pursue urgent action, including forcing European banks to bulk up their capital, to prevent a descent into a renewed world recession.

The Bank of America (BAC.N) is completing plans to sell over half of its shares in the China Construction Bank (0939.HK), with a group of Asian and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds negotiating to buy, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Hurricane Irene sent East Coast shoppers into stores to stock up on essentials this week, instead of the clothes, notebooks and other supplies that retailers were counting on selling as children get ready to go back to school.

HP killed its TouchPad tablet, but suddenly the company likes its WebOS system.

Hurricane Irene caused as much as $1.1 billion in insured losses in the Caribbean, catastrophe modeling company AIR Worldwide said on Friday, with more expected to come as the storm heads for the U.S. Northeast.

Ronald Gerald Wayne, who founded Apple Computer with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and sold his 10 percent share in the company just after 12 days, revealed the reason for his withdrawal from the Cupertino-based technology leader.

Shaanxi Coal Industry plans an initial public offering in Shanghai to raise as much as 17.3 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in what could be mainland China's biggest IPO this year.

Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) plans to sell more than 2 million vehicles this year in China, its single biggest market, it said on Friday after celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of a joint venture with China's First Automotive Works (FAW).

China's Lion Fund Management Co will launch next week the country's first mutual fund that invests in overseas oil and gas-related assets, as Chinese money managers step up innovation to woo investors haunted by inflation concerns.

China COSCO Holdings said on Friday that vessel seizures during contract disputes are common as it is embroiled in disagreements with several shipowners over payments.

XCMG Construction Machinery Co Ltd (000425.SZ) is slated to start pre-marketing on September 5 for an up to $1.5 billion planned share listing in Hong Kong, IFR reported on Friday.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. economy needed more stimulus to get it moving, putting in a plug for government measures shortly before the White House unveils new proposals to boost job growth.

The struggling U.S. economy expanded even more slowly than previously thought in the second quarter of 2011, but a breakdown of the growth suggested a new recession could be avoided.

Steve Jobs announced his resignation from Apple on Aug. 24. Tim Cook, who was the company's Chief Operating Officer and had been assuming Jobs' role in his absence, has been handed over the reins.

The news Apple's Steve Jobs Resigns this week caused many to ponder if the high-flying tech company will ever be the same. So far, the company's stock hasn't taken a downward hit after Wednesday's news, but one only need to look at another legendary leader and company example for the answer. It's likely that Steve Jobs was to Apple what Sam Walton was to Wal-Mart. Both were company founders with product impact on company cultures. Both, also, were unique leaders, who perha...

Legendary investor Warren Buffett made a phone call to Bank of America CEO Brian T. Moynihan on Aug. 24 and offered to invest a staggering $5 billion in the bank. The Bank of America shares had been in doldrums amid questions over its liquidity situation and rumors that it would need a massive capital injection.