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...

In-N-Out Burger caused a "frenzy" last month when it popped up with a stealth five-hour pop-up in London. Now Five Guys, the US burger chain so-named in honor of the male half of the founding couple and their four sons, is about to make its first foray out of North America and into the UK, and it's planning to stick around a little longer.

The word from UK's Marketing magazine is that Five Guys, which has a thousand locations in the U.S. and Canada, is expanding to the UK thanks to a deal that Five Guys has made with Sir Charles Dunstone, the founder of Carphone Warehouse.

The plan is for Dunstone to open a few Five Guys in the UK next year with the first of them being a flagship store in London. And no, Barack Obama's beloved Five Guys won't rebrand as "Five Chaps" for its UK arrival, and we doubt they'll start calling their menu's mainstay "burgers and chips."Continue reading...

GM has new CMO tout Chevy relationship with Manchester United, after changing the terms, as pundits make recommendations on GM's way forward.

Chick-fil-A brand perception drops in wake of LGBT controversy.

Anheuser-Busch InBev sees North American drag on results.

Apple gets knocked for new "Genius Bar" Mac TV campaign as company mulls uses for corporate cash hoard.

BP posts weak earnings.

Chobani celebrates success that led to Team USA sponsorship.

Chrysler earnings leap on U.S. gains.Continue reading...

About 120 Burger Kings across the nation currently use the high-tech Coca-Cola Freestyle beverage dispenser system to provide drinks to its customers.

The Miami-based Burger King just announced that it plans to roll Freestyle out into all of its more than 850 locations, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

Since it was acquired by private investor group 3G Capital Management last year, Burger King has been more adventurous in testing out new menu items. The addition of Freestyle has allowed BK consumers the “option of customized drinks from more than 100 brands using touch-screen technology,” NRN reports.

“The ability to customize your own beverages combined with the quality that Coca-Cola Freestyle delivers to our guests is a perfect addition to our most recent menu offerings,” said Steve Wiborg, president of Burger King Corp.’s North America division.

This will make Burger King the largest franchise to install Coca-Cola's Freestyle fountain drink dispenser across all of its locations. That is, if it beats Five Guys Burgers and Fries to the punch.Continue reading...

For three years, Coca-Cola Freestyle fountains have been quietly doing their work for the soda giant. Soon it will be Freestyle’s time in the spotlight.

Freestyle, for those not keeping score at home, can produce up to 125 different beverages (soft drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks, you name it) while also digitally shipping info on consumer behavior back to Coke headquarters for later analysis, according to AdAge.

There are currently more than 1,500 machines nationwide in such places as Wendy’s, Burger King, and Five Guys, and they will appear in more than 80 U.S. markets by year's end as the interactive machine goes national.Continue reading...

Apple plans iPhone fix as new iPhone rumors abound.

AT&T targets African-Americans in “Rethink” campaign.

Facebook deepens ties with Microsoft via Skype video chat integration.

Five Guys and other better-burger chains influence Americans to eat more burgers.

Google turns to TV advertising in India.

HP enlists young celebrities to help sell TouchPad.

Huffington Post launches in the UK.

Infiniti creates year-long art show in Europe.Continue reading...

Ford and GM brands came out on top for the American Customer Satisfaction Index study for the first time. Ford's Lincoln-Mercury and GM's Buick took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, the first time U.S. auto makers have held the two top spots in the survey. BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz tied for third.

KFC franchise owners are suing Yum! Brands for control of the fast food chain's advertising. Their beef (er, fowl)? They feel KFC's decision to emphasize grilled instead of fried chicken has hurt the brand and lowered U.S. sales. They've also hired former McDonald's CMO Larry Light to spearhead their campaign.

Toyota is studying the design and placement of its accelerator and brake pedals to see whether the current setup makes drivers more prone to hit the wrong one.

Barnes & Noble removes its brand from Nook e-reader suite, while commercial landlords start to worry about B&N being up for sale.

Barclays agreed to pay $298 million to settle charges by U.S. and New York prosecutors that the U.K. bank altered financial records for more than a decade to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in payments flowing into the U.S. from Cuba, Libya, Iran and other sanctioned countries.

BlackBerry's new Torch has not been a runaway hit, as UAE reports progress on BlackBerry security talks.Continue reading...