Amazon sees online retail rivals rise in 4Q and reign as most expensive stock end as company may have smartphone ambitions.

Facebook phone, no longer a rumor, is coming to Android.

Toys 'R' Us pulls planned IPO.

American Express tests geo-targeted ads in London cabs.

American Greetings decides to go private.

Apple apology by CEO Tim Cook seems to satisfy Chinese authorities.Continue reading...

China's streets are, sometimes literally, littered with the Apple logo. But as much an IP violation as unlicensed merchandise is, its existence has always said something about the power of Apple's brand in China. Indeed, it was only in January that the country's launch of the iPhone 4S forced the brand to halt sales after fears of uncontrollable crowds.

Apple's iPhone 5 China launch produced no mass hysteria and the barricades erected outside one Beijing store were unceremoniously taken down soon after launch. Yet the brand sold a tidy 2 million units of its latest iPhone over the weekend. How? By selling the iPhone 5 for under $100. Continue reading...

Apple and HTC settle patent dispute.

BBC needs radical overhaul, chairman says, as two more senior execs step down.

Hyundai and Kia cope with damage they've done to their main selling point: mileage.

AEG and StubHub align.

Alltel returns with holiday pitch to Santa.

Brinks says it isn't for sale right now.

Cisco rolls out aggressive new strategy for dealing with patent trolls.Continue reading...

Don't cry for Suzuki. The company's exit from the U.S. market simply eliminates its exposure to one of the world's most competitive markets for automakers, where Suzuki has been beating its bumper against a wall, and allows the Japanese company to focus on domestic and emerging markets where it's doing quite well, thank you.

In fact, the brand won't entirely disappear in America, Bloomberg notes: "Suzuki will stop the sale of new automobiles in the U.S., though it will continue offering motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and boat motors."Continue reading...

U.S. President Barack Obama wins re-election, defeats Republican Mitt Romney soundly in electoral votes and with slim popular-vote margin, and puts "Forward" campaign slogan to the test.

American Express and NBC Universal try to create "TV commerce."

Del Monte reminds consumers that its canned products meet their needs.

eBay reaches out to auto buffs with new channel.

Famous Dave's plans expansion, mostly in California.

Financial Times seen as going on the block.

Ford pins hopes on Lincoln MKZ to refresh luxury brand.

Goldman Sachs partners pocket $22 million.

Kevin Bacon helps rebrand UK's Everything Everywhere as EE.Continue reading...

The most expensive presidential election in U.S. history comes to a close as America heads to the polls.

Suzuki to end U.S. auto sales and file Chapter 11.

Netflix adopts poison-pill defense and Carl Icahn slams it.

Apple is said to be considering switch from Intel for Mac and may be seeing tablet dominance come to an end, as EU reportedly ready to stike a deal on e-books.

Balenciaga parts ways with longtime creative director Nicolas Ghesquière.

BMW shrugs off high costs as profit rises.

CBS signs multi-year deal with Hulu.

Eight O'Clock Coffee sends "superfans" on junket.

GM bolsters its credit line against European losses and pension costs.Continue reading...

Intending not to let rivals outdistance it in emerging markets, Volkswagen may launch a new low-cost brand by about 2015. Surprisingly, one of the world's best small-car makers so far has lacked a major presence in important emerging markets such as India and Southeast Asia.

Now Volkswagen reportedly is aiming for a price range of $6,500 to $12,900 for the budget cars, which may include a minivan, wagon and small sedan. They would be aimed at the BRIC nations and also, perhaps, Europe. "We're regularly looking at new segments and interesting markets which also include so-called budget cars," Volkswagen Group America spokesman Eric Felber commented to Reuters. "But a decision has not been taken yet."Continue reading...

Advertising Week kicked off in New York Monday morning with a "Memoriam for Advertising." Now Declan Stone may need to update his new Logo R.I.P. book sooner than expected.

If 24/7 Wall Street's soothsayers have an accurate crystal ball, it’s time to slather on some Avon products, pull on some Pacific Sunwear shades and an Oakland Raiders jersey while reading Salon.com’s story about American Airlines on your BlackBerry.

These are six of the 10 brands mentioned in 24/7 Wall Street’s new list of what 10 big name brands could disappear in 2013. The others? MetroPCS, Suzuki, Talbots, and Current TV. 24/7, ever so slightly tongue in cheek but in a wake-up call, too, believes these brands will either be bought out or go out of business before the big ball in Times Square drops at the end of 2013.

According to the website's prognosis, American Airlines is “inefficient.” BlackBerry-maker RIM has “lost its edge.” Pacific Sunwear “no longer has the capital to compete.” At MetroPCS, “investors have abandoned.”

All 10 of the companies suffered from at least one of the following:Continue reading...