Microsoft will announce Monday a plan to sell tablets under its own brand, in a challenge to Apple's iPad, while Amazon reportedly plans to launch cloud music service in July to rival iTunes.

Kirin Holdings agreed to pay $200.9 million Australian dollars (US$203.4 million) for the shares it doesn't already own in Australian boutique brewer Little World Beverages, as Japanese companies expand offshore to combat flagging domestic demand.

Dr Martens owners seeks up to £200m from potential buyers.

AirAsia plans to follow Virgin model with brand extensions.

Android relaunches user interface.Continue reading...

A number of American shows that are running on Canadian TV are being given extra attention by marketers north of the U.S. border in hopes of reaching a whole new audience.

For example, to promote NBC’s Prime Suspect, debut Friday night, Global Television sent out one hundred actresses dressed as detective Jane Timoney, the show’s main character who is portrayed by Mario Bello, into “downtown Toronto as part of a giant flash mob,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“The response was terrific. We grabbed their attention, and the actresses were carrying iPads with clips from the show,” said Jason Keown, senior director of marketing at Global.

We get it: flash mobs are cheap, fun, attention-grabbing and traffic-stopping. But given that Toronto is rife with flash mobs, the strategy may be wearing thin. (The fact that we couldn't find a video of this on YouTube shows it may not have been all that impressive to passersby.)

Taking a different tack to stand out, Rogers Media is bringing FOX’s Journey to Terra Nova fan experience bus to Toronto to promote the new Steven Spielberg-blessed series, Terra Nova.Continue reading...

Our loyal readers (Hi Mom!) know all about Captain America's tie-ins with Dunkin' Donuts and Norton Anti-Virus. They've been riveted by the search for Captain America's leather jackets. They've ridden along on Captain America's Harley-Davidson deal.

Now, as Captain America: The First Avenger heads into its opening weekend — poised, it seems, to unseat the mighty Harry Potter juggernaut — we bring you more news of how Marvel has powered up brands for the Captain's Comic-Con timed big-screen debut ... and a little somethin' somethin' about who's been cozying up to Friends with Benefits on its first weekend date with moviegoers. Continue reading...

Dunkin' Donuts is leaving no bear claw unturned in its quest to wring every last bit of promotion out of its partnership with Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger, which opens Friday.

The commercial Dunkin' has been running to call attention to its line of Captain-inspired products is creative and fun. Then there is pressuring Captain America star Chris Evans into admitting that producers have told him just how that shield gets buttered.

But that's not all for Dunkin' Donuts' tie-ins, nor Captain America's. Bring on Comic-Con, Harley-Davidson and... Norton Anti-Virus?Continue reading...

If comic book, animation and movie fans were excited by the first look at the posters and trailers for The Adventures of Tintin that were released in May, then their heads may have exploded today.

Ahead of the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, Paramount and Columbia Pictures today released the first full-length trailer for the upcoming Steven Spielberg-directed and Peter Jackson-produced film, showing more of the animated effects than before. It's already got fans (and pros) buzzing about how to describe the animation.

Ever wonder who brings together Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, the Incredible Hulk, and all the rest together to form the Avengers?  (And don’t say it was the writers at Disney-owned Marvel Comics.)

It was, of course, S.H.I.E.L.D., a secret government organization. And now fans can join.

Marvel will be using S.H.I.E.L.D. at the massive annual Comic-Con comic book convention in San Diego to drum up interest in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, which debuts right smack in the middle of Comic-Con (taking place July 20-24th) as well as The Avengers, which doesn’t come out till 2012.Continue reading...

Apple and J&J considered "most trustworthy" in a U.S. consumer survey.

Bratz dolls owner MGA Entertainment won back the rights to the brand from Mattel.

Caterpillar's healthy second-quarter earnings bodes well for the global industrial economy.

Channel Five in the U.K. has a handshake deal to be acquired by media tycoon Richard Desmond.

Comic-Con is underway in San Diego, where comic-book and movie superheroes take center stage.

Fiat pushes work ethic at Italian plant.

Ford posted its highest quarterly gains in six years, thanks to higher priced models and upgrades to SYNC.Continue reading...

Thanks to Apple and Disney's new retail partnership, your kids may soon be satisfied with a trip to the mall instead of Orlando or Anaheim. (Though since Steve Jobs is involved, it'll probably still cost you.)

As reported this week, Disney is planning to spend $1 million per store over the next five years, with Apple's help, to convert each existing Disney-branded outlet from a simple retail location to a complete "experience."Continue reading...