Apple-led group including RIM and Ericsson buys Nortel patents for $4.5B.

Apple passes 100,000 iPad apps.

Audi targets Ferrari on racing circuit.

BP launches first TV commercial in the UK in five years.

Bulgari signs Rachel Weisz, develops branded hotel with Marriott to open in London.

Chevy US sales hit 20-year high.Continue reading...

Amazon cloud issues impact sites including Reddit, Quora, Foursquare, and Hootsuite.

Apple reportedly ready to launch cloud-based music service ahead of Google.

eBay and Amazon wage costly battle for shoppers. 

Gap kicks tires on Visa's new mobile commerce program with Gap Mobile 4 U launch.

JPMorgan will return $861 million to Lehman brokerage. 

Linux patent suit ruling goes against Google.

MLB takes control of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

RIM's PlayBook beats odds and sells 50,000 devices on day one.

Samsung launches first Droid-branded smartphone for Verizon.

Android is booming thanks to Asia.

Boeing boosts jet prices, drops short-range carrier.
 
Boston Scientific abandons sale of pain-management unit.  

Brett Favre sits out Vikings vs. Giants game, ends streak at 297 NFL games. 

Comcast tests combo web/TV service.

Costco rebuffed by U.S. Supreme Court in challenge against Swatch's Omega watch brand.Continue reading...

* AIG talks with the U.S. government about ending taxpayer aid.

* AT&T connects local search to emotions in new marketing campaign.

* Bank of America relies more on cross-selling and less on acquisitions under new CEO Brian Moynihan.

* Dell shifts focus back to big business.

* Gatorade plunges into social media to help revive flagging brand.

* Google Instant challenges brands with more than one name.Continue reading...

Geico and T-Mobile prepare customers in Northeast US for Hurricane Earl.

Google will continue to provide search functions on AOL's websites in a new five-year deal.

Google Maps sponsored icons intrigue brands as new geo-advertising opportunity.

HP trumped Dell for 3Par, as the WSJ ponders what all the fuss was about in the first place.

Lehman Brothers bank units face sale or closure.

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch sees global economy in turmoil.Continue reading...

Cadbury rejects Kraft bid. [WaPo]

European antitrust authorities object to Sun-Oracle merger. [WSJ]

Lehman's creditors claim Barclays underpaid $5 billion in Lehman deal. [NY Times]

Google and partners ask for an extension in book case settlement review. [NY Times]

Moving toward mobile phone advertising, Google buys AdMob for $750 million. [NY Times]

Pfizer broke the law promoting drugs for off label usage. [Bloomberg]

Sony to release "Cloudy..." on-demand on Sony Bravia Internet-enabled TV's and Blu-ray, not DVD. [NY Times]

(More headlines: Talbots, Burberry online, MacLaren stroller recall.)Continue reading...

Will Barclays lead the next generation of global financial brands? Barclays president Robert E. Diamond Jr. says so: "Our aim is clear: to be the premier global investment bank." The new Best Global Brands 2009 report from brandchannel's parent Interbrand calls the bank a "brand to watch," but the WSJ reports it has a few hurdles to clear before claiming ascendancy.

Relatively fresh-faced, Barclays has weathered the economic crisis with not just a strong balance sheet, but an increased reputation. Despite its failed attempt to save Lehman, the bank is viewed positively for absorbing many of Lehman employees.Continue reading...