For the members of Generation Y who (hope they) have stable jobs and incomes and are (reasonably) confident about their financial future, Acura has a message: The brand has a car for you, the new "gateway" model ILX.

The Honda-owned luxury brand is debuting the all-new compact luxury sedan at a starting price of $25,900 with the expectation (and new messaging) that young Americans in their early thirties, with their act together and decent prospects, are going to gravitate to what Acura calls a true luxury car at an attainable entry-level price point.

"This car was specifically designed for these people because of what they've gone through," Mike Accavitti, Acura's U.S. CMO, told brandchannel.Continue reading...

Starbucks acquires San Francisco's La Boulange Bakery for $100M to improve food menu and build out national premium brand.

Amazon acquires Avalon Books.

Bank of America execs explain how they hid Merrill Lynch losses. 

China embraces robot labor.

FedEx retires jets to cut costs.

Foursquare teases new app.

Google appears poised to buy Meebo as social agency M&A continues.

Marriott looks to expand through acquisitions.

Microsoft unveils Xbox Music as replacement for Zune.Continue reading...

Microsoft released this trailer of Steve Ballmer's CES keynote promoting Avatar Kinect for Xbox 360, one of the ways it's goosing Xbox 360 (along with Netflix streaming and Hulu).

Avatar Kinect, which brings a player's avatar to life, will be rolling out as a free add-on for Xbox Live gold-level members this spring. It aims to make entertainment "more active, more social and more fun" as Ballmer notes (and could liven up business videoconferencing, too).

With that in mind, Microsoft also showcased ESPN on Xbox Live with Kinect (after the jump).Continue reading...

As part of its billion-dollar global marketing spend, Microsoft is touting how Windows Phone 7 (which it's starting to promote as just Windows Phone) integrates Xbox Live (above), Bing search and other products in new spots rolling out in the UK.

The spots will be featured in Microsoft's two-night pre-Christmas ad buy on Channel 4 (running Dec. 21/22) that will encompass Jamie Oliver's Christmas show and another holiday special. Apple also just released a new holiday spot in the US — check it out after the jump.Continue reading...