Dish Network, the No. 2 US satellite television provider, has submitted a 11th-hour merger proposal to Sprint Nextel Corporation for $25.5 billion, a gutsy move that challenges a near-complete aquisition of Sprint by Japan's SoftBank Corp.

“The DISH proposal clearly presents Sprint shareholders with a superior alternative to the pending SoftBank proposal,” said Charlie Ergen, Chairman of DISH Network in a company press release. “Sprint shareholders will benefit from a higher price with more cash while also creating the opportunity to participate more meaningfully in a combined DISH/Sprint with a significantly-enhanced strategic position and substantial synergies that are not attainable through the pending SoftBank proposal.”Continue reading...

Deutsche Telekom raises bid for MetroPCS.

The Masters begins at Augusta National today with Tiger Woods again among the favorites.

Toyota and other Japanese automakers recall 3.4 million vehicles over Takata airbag.

Applebee's led first-quarter social media engagement by restaurants.

Barnes & Noble rebrands self-publishing platform PubIt! as Nook Press as it continues to invest in future of Nook brand.

Justin Bieber backs a debit card for teens, from parents.

ConocoPhillips suspends Arctic drilling plan.

Daimler says worsening Europe puts its 2013 profit outlook in doubt.

Dell plans to double sales outlets in China.Continue reading...

Mobile companies are in a tough battle for market share and survival, and brands including Blackberry and T-Mobile are anxious to increase their piece of the pie.  

BlackBerry, the one-time darling of smartphone users has struggled to re-discover its place in the market next to stiff competitors like Apple and Samsung. The brand pinned its hopes on the Z10 that it introduced in January, and so far, results look good as it helped the company to its second consecutive quarter of profit. 

The phone has only been on the market for about a month and hasn’t set the world aflame but while it continues to roll out, the company formerly known as Research In Motion has announced that it will soon produce a few more mixed-price phones, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"I don't think anyone expects BlackBerry to dominate like they once did," said Al Hilwa, an analyst at industry consultancy IDC, to the Journal. "But the company can survive and even prosper with a microbrew of a platform, with 5 percent to 10 percent market share, if it can execute well and at the right scale."Continue reading...

Subway named top QSR brand in new study. 

Google tests same-day delivery business.

Amazon plans to acquire Goodreads book site.

AOL teams up with coach Phil Jackson to punk Twitter.

Apple faces heightened oversight in China.

Audi aims at Mercedes-Benz CLA with new A3 sedan.

Deutsche Telekom runs into opposition over proposed merger of T-Mobile with MetroPCS.

eBay says it is "now playing offense."

FX pitches new FXX channel at Millennials.Continue reading...

Japanese firms, fueled by a strong yen and low interest rates, have spent $75bn this year on foreign deals with no evidence of a slowing down. Now Japanese mobile operator SoftBank has agreed to pay $20.1 billion for a 70 percent stake in Sprint, marking the company's largest overseas acquisition to date.

“This transaction provides an excellent opportunity for SoftBank to leverage its expertise in smartphones and next-generation high speed networks, including LTE, to drive the mobile internet revolution in one of the world’s largest markets," stated SoftBank's billionaire founder and chief, Masayoshi Son, in a joint press release. 

"As we have proven in Japan, we have achieved a v-shaped earnings recovery in the acquired mobile business and grown dramatically by introducing differentiated products to an incumbent-led market. Our track record of innovation, combined with Sprint’s strong brand and local leadership, provides a constructive beginning toward creating a more competitive American wireless market.”Continue reading...

Adele captures iTunes download record overnight with Skyfall theme song release at 00:07 on global James Bond Day.

Apple pays tribute to Steve Jobs as his legacy celebrated on the one-year anniversary of his death.

Starbucks to allow digital tipping.

American Airlines keeps finding more seat problems.

Arby's fixes TV spot that dissed Subway and angered Iowans.

Chipotle voted favorite Mexican chain in survey.Continue reading...

KitchenAid apologizes for anti-Obama tweet during presidential debate, the most-tweeted event in US political history, which saw Mitt Romney gain the upper hand on Barack Obama. Romney's anti-PBS comment on Big Bird also took over social media, while "Walmart mom" is the new soccer mom. The campaigns, judged the most negative in recent times, inspire JetBlue to offer chance to pull an Alec Baldwin and leave the country after election result.

HP warns about grim outlook, sending shares to lowest level in almost a decade.

Facebook passes one billion users with plans to charge to promote user posts, while Twitter measures brand impact with Nielsen.

Amazon now offers loans to small businesses.

American Airlines pulls 47 jets after loose-seat debacle as image suffers.

Apple rumors of smaller iPad persist as the #2 Best Global Brand earns kudos for admitting maps screw-up.Continue reading...

T-Mobile's 10th anniversary gift to itself: buying a smaller rival to grow its U.S. market share. America’s fourth-largest wireless carrier is about to get bigger as T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom and MetroPCS have approved a merger between the two American wireless carriers.

T-Mobile US CEO John Legere, who was only named to that post on Sept. 19, took to YouTube today to pitch the ‘game-changing’ deal that aims to create "a bigger, better and bolder wireless provider" and the "value leader in the marketplace."

Legere elaborated in a blog post, "This isn't a deal to survive – it's to thrive. This is a terrific opportunity for two companies with a shared commitment to innovation and customer service to come together to improve the way you communicate. We're here to compete. We're here to unlock value."Continue reading...