IBM may sell part of its server unit to Lenovo, misses estimates for first time since 2005 and struggles to deal with mobile computing shift.

AB InBev reportedly strikes deal with US on Modelo acquisition, as Busch heir resigns from NRA in wake of gun control bill's defeat in US Senate.

Dell sees Blackstone end its pursuit.

Adidas brings out "Boston Stands As One" t-shirt as CVS Caremark pledges to raise money for bombing victims, along with JetBlue and other companies.

Al Jazeera pushes back U.S. launch date.

Amazon may be unveiling mobile payments solution according to patent filing. 

The Atlantic magazine plans to launch paid digital content.

Avis taps celebrities to target "professionals" in new ad campaign.

BBC America and Twitter announce content-sharing partnership.

Boeing may see FAA clearance for Dreamliner as early as today.Continue reading...

Charlie Ergen's Dish Network offers to buy Sprint for $25.5 billion in a bid to one up SoftBank.

ConAgra, Heinz and Nestle lead frozen food battle to reverse negative image.

Nike seeks to regain its edge with fewer ads following Tiger Woods stumble.

Dannon uses Greek-style to leapfrog Yoplait to top of U.S. yogurt business.

Apple clearly enters post-Jobs era.

Justin Bieber sparks controversy with Anne Frank comment.

Boeing sees new inspection order on its 737s.Continue reading...

As America’s economy climbs back from some brutal years, plenty of folks are still looking for work. No matter how desperate they are, though, there are a few companies that they might want to avoid. 

One of them is satellite TV provider Dish Network. It already has 26,000 employees, but the word is that not too many of them are happy. Last August, 24/7 Wall Street named it the Worst Company to Work for in America. Now that’s an accolade to put on your LinkedIn profile.

What makes it so bad? “Long hours, lack of paid holidays, and way too much mandatory overtime,” Bloomberg Businessweek reports. And it’s all because of one man: the 59-year-old legendary founder and chairman of Dish, Charlie Ergen, who maintains 53.2 percent of the company’s shares and 90.4 percent of the voting rights.

Ergen has never met a penny he didn't pinch. And while that sometimes means making shrewd business decisions, it also means making such choices as installing fingerprint scanners at the doors to company headquarters that are rigged to send emails directly to HR if an employee is late. The company only put in the scanners after Ergen noticed that the key/badge system was being circumvented by employees badging in for coworkers.

And the renowned cable-hater certainly has an eye for such detail.Continue reading...

Apple plans limited US manufacturing as it lands back in court with Samsung and baffles Eric Schmidt.

Starbucks agrees to pay more UK tax, capitulating to criticism.

Rolls-Royce is caught in bribery probe in UK.

AmEx works on social engagement that closes the loop with consumers.

AT&T is on track for record smartphone sales.

Barclays Africa is sold to Absa in $2.1 billion transaction.

Bob Marley trademark spat settled as 'relaxation drink' comes under fire.

Deutsche Bank is probed by SEC.

Dish will start selling mobile phones at its Blockbuster movie rental stores.Continue reading...

As the grandfather of streaming video, Netflix has suffered the slings and arrows of being out front, exacerbated by hubris and internal missteps.

The video rental company's announcement of separate fees for DVD and streaming services a year ago was a disaster, one that was exacerbated by CEO Reed Hastings’ foot-in-mouth comment regarding subscriber outrage, "It's something we'll monitor, but Americans are somewhat self-absorbed."

“Despite shrinking margins, a weakening balance sheet and increased competition, the stock was bullet-proof. Netflix was the great Achilles that vanquished Blockbuster Video with a little assistance from Coinstar's Redbox. But like Achilles, Netflix was not invulnerable,” notes Seeking Alpha.

Enter Amazon and its move to free video streaming with Amazon Prime in February 2011, membership priced at $79/year, including free Super Saver Shipping, free book rentals via Kindle and the add-on to rent or buy digital movies and TV shows for an additional fee providing newer content overall than on Netflix.Continue reading...

Apple plans smaller iPad to compete with Google Nexus, as Nokia gets touchy too.

Getty Images bidding nears $4 billion.

Barclays ex-CEO Diamond faces UK MP grilling as Bank of England faces tough decision.

Asian tourists flock to Europe for luxury bargains.

Asus aims to help athletes "find their zen."

Branded content shown to have limited impact in US.

China bans shark fin consumption in luxury crackdown, as mainland slowdown affects Hong Kong luxury spending.Continue reading...

Call it a series of tit-for-tat lawsuits.

First, TiVo sued AT&T and Verizon over technologies used in DVR delivery and purchasing systems. Nothing new there considering disputes and lawsuits are common in the world of developing technologies. However, the storyline here takes an interesting turn as AT&T has some powerful allies. Enter Microsoft.

Microsoft is launching its own attack against TiVo, accusing the brand of some rather harsh allegations involving patent infringement. The claims state that the digital video recording company has inappropriately used video and programming display technology -- specifically, it unlawfully applied features from Mediaroom, a Microsoft-created system.

But TiVo isn't budging.Continue reading...