In addition to new campaigns for Ford's "Hello Again" music project for the Lincoln brand and Kraft's "We are the World"-like music video for its Miracle Whip dressing during the Grammy Awards telecast on CBS, a host of other brands used the post-Super Bowl platform to make some noise.

Anheuser Busch InBev's Bud Light Platinum debuted its new new campaign by its new "creative director," Justin Timberlake, while Target also used the Grammys to kick off its tie-in with the singer's new album and promote its tie-ins with singer Pink and fashion designer Prabal Gurung:Continue reading...

Apple reportedly working on a lower-end iPhone.

H&M reveals launch plans for & Other Stories store brand.

Lance Armstrong to discuss doping in exclusive live-streamed Oprah Winfrey interview as new allegations arise.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos doesn't care about profit margins.

American Airlines upgrades international travel.

Asus looks to share in Google Nexus glory.

Audi A7 self-driving autopilot car goes for a spin at CES.

Beauty brands including Philosophy try oxygenating products.

Best Buy's former CMO lands at LivingSocial.

Boeing sees formal probe of Dreamliner.Continue reading...

Google is touting its voice-activated search app in a new TV campaign. Above, a mom scrambles to pull together a costume based on the eighth president of the United States — Martin Van Buren, with an assist from her Nexus tablet — and below, a replacement baseball umpire gets a little help from the app on his Android phone to refresh his memory on the rules:Continue reading...

Hurricane Sandy may have blown out Google’s planned NYC press reveal of its Nexus family of devices Monday, so new details on the Nexus 4 smartphone, Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus 10 slate released by the search giant online.

The search giant's flagship smartphone is 4.7-inches, runs the newest version of Android, and was made by LG Electronics with input from Google, which claims its quad-core processor makes it the fastest smartphone on the market.

The Nexus 4 will not support LTE as it’s being sold as an unlocked, off-contract phone for $300 globally and LTE is not a uniform standard. The price is a dramatic departure from the norm, represented by the unlocked iPhone 5 which retails at $700.Continue reading...

A snapshot of how Hurricane Sandy is impacting the U.S. today, as states shut down transit systems and schools, and many businesses are closed or letting employees work from home as the northeast is in lockdown mode: 

• An estimated 7,500 flights have been cancelled
• Chase and Citibank are waiving fees for customers in Sandy's path
• Google cancelled NYC Nexus launch event
• YouTube is live-streaming the Weather Channel's coverage
• Insurance industry braces for (potentially) billions of dollars in losses
• NFL and other sports impacted
• NYSE and NASDAQ cease trading as European stocks hit by knock-on
• New York Broadway shows and other performances go dark
• Oil prices are falling as gasoline climbs
• Starbucks has closed locations
• HMS Bounty movie ship sinks, as crew rescued by Coast Guard (update: two still missing)

Google Nexus NYC tablet launch delayed by Hurricane Sandy, sells out online.

Pearson and Bertelsmann strike deal to combine Penguin and Random House publishing houses, thwarting News Corp.

Honda cuts full-year outlook over anti-Japan sentiment in China.

Audi repeats goal to match 2011 operating profit in 2012.

British Airways launches customer recognition program.

Burger King third-quarter net income falls, still beats estimates.

Burt's Bees "deflakes" with billboard and video campaign.

Cadillac raises prices in bid for luxury credibility.Continue reading...

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the one-hand-ready iPad mini today, prompting fans of the brand to ponder whether they need one, while investors seemed to make up their minds, as the company's stock dropped after the reveal.

Bigger than an iPhone and smaller than an iPad, at 7.9 inches and starting at $329, it's lighter but costlier than its 7-inch, $199 rivals, the Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7 tablets. It's being marketed as "the full iPad experience — there's less of it, but no less to it," and may appeal to, for instance, the education market. It also marks a reversal of Steve Jobs's (initial) opposition to the 7-inch tablet size.

Why is smaller now better for Apple? Design head Jony Ive commented in the launch video, "Our goal was to take all the amazing things you could do with a full-size iPad, but pack them into a product that was so much smaller."

“iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing, in a press release.

“iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper" he added, "yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.”Continue reading...

Early look at new Windows 8 design baffles some users, but not three-year-old Julian, above, as Best Buy starts taking pre-orders for Windows 8 phones and gets ready to launch Surface tablet — and manage expectations ahead of growing thirst for tablets, and Oct. 23rd reveal of Apple's iPad Mini.

Lance Armstrong urges cancer supporters and celeb pals to stand by LiveStrong, as the New York Times and other media detail alleged doping cover-up.

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO sued by former private airline pilot over dismissal and eyebrow-raising requirements.

Apple sued over deal locking iPhone to AT&T network.

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile will launch Isis mobile wallet on Monday.

Audi may help Mercedes-Benz overtake BMW in US.

Banana Boat recalls sunscreen due to flammability threat.

BBC roiled by "worst crisis in 50 years" and internal strife as its Jimmy Savile sex scandal handling goes public in broadcaster's own Panorama expose.Continue reading...