Apple’s iPad may prove crucial to salvaging a decent Christmas-shopping season for some retailers.

Arena Pharmaceuticals encounters FDA skepticism on new anti-obesity drug.

Bank of America admits to foreclosure-document errors.

Barnes & Noble launches Nook Kids.

BMW plans to test short-term car rentals in Germany.

Denny’s details a new fast-casual restaurant model for urban markets.

Google gets apps makers to focus more on its Android software after its smart-phone success competing with Apple’s iPhone.

Land Rover goes collaborative over marketing for its new small vehicle, Evoque.

L’Oreal adapts approach to marketing. Continue reading...

Amazon sees costs rising at faster pace than sales. 

Bell & Evans and Mary’s Chickens prepare to switch to more humane way of killing chickens. 

Calvin Klein faces censure in Australia over ads depicting violence. 

CBS picks up all five of its new fall TV shows. 

Dodge will get its first Fiat-based car in late 2011.

Ford lags in repairing cars recalled for fire-engine risk, regulators say. Continue reading...

Comcast and GE name Comcast COO Steve Burke as new CEO of NBC Universal, replacing Jeff Zucker after the NBCU sale to Comcast closes. 

Alberto Culver has been sold to Unilever for $3.7 billion in cash.

AIG will lose the US Treasury as a part-owner.

Apple's Ping music-based social network incorporates users' iTunes libraries.

Barnes & Noble ownership battle nears its climax.

BP pressured to restore reputation and stock price as new CEO Robert Dudley takes the reins on Friday.Continue reading...

Airstream pitches younger, creative affluents on RV-ing.

Apple is wooing publishers to develop iPad versions of their titles.

ARM, a British semiconductor firm, holds a command position in the crucial technology of low-power chips.

Barnes & Noble’s takeover struggle centers on e-books.

BP finally seals the well in the Gulf of Mexico, but the effects of the disaster will linger for years.

California Pizza Kitchen tests technology that allows patrons to pay their tabs from their tables.Continue reading...

In a move that is likely to create a wider market for e-books, Best Buy plans to sell Amazon.com's Kindle e-reader this fall.

The biggest electronics retail chain in the U.S., Best Buy already carries Barnes & Noble's Nook and Sony's Reader. It will add Amazon's Kindle to the mix and display all models together so customers can compare the products.

It's an interesting sales strategy for Amazon, which to date has sold Kindle exclusively online.Continue reading...

* Apple is close to a deal with Disney to rent ABC TV shows via iTunes, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's also looking to trademark several of its mobile app icons.

* Burger King reported slumping sales.

* AARP research finds brand-name drug prices increased 8% last year.

* Barnes & Noble reported a tough quarter and increased legal costs due to proxy fight with investor.

* Best Buy named Aura Oslapas its new chief design officer.Continue reading...

Ford and GM brands came out on top for the American Customer Satisfaction Index study for the first time. Ford's Lincoln-Mercury and GM's Buick took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, the first time U.S. auto makers have held the two top spots in the survey. BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz tied for third.

KFC franchise owners are suing Yum! Brands for control of the fast food chain's advertising. Their beef (er, fowl)? They feel KFC's decision to emphasize grilled instead of fried chicken has hurt the brand and lowered U.S. sales. They've also hired former McDonald's CMO Larry Light to spearhead their campaign.

Toyota is studying the design and placement of its accelerator and brake pedals to see whether the current setup makes drivers more prone to hit the wrong one.

Barnes & Noble removes its brand from Nook e-reader suite, while commercial landlords start to worry about B&N being up for sale.

Barclays agreed to pay $298 million to settle charges by U.S. and New York prosecutors that the U.K. bank altered financial records for more than a decade to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in payments flowing into the U.S. from Cuba, Libya, Iran and other sanctioned countries.

BlackBerry's new Torch has not been a runaway hit, as UAE reports progress on BlackBerry security talks.Continue reading...

AT&T is sponsoring Latino TV network Azteca America's Spanish-language celebrity blog, Paparazzi.

Barnes & Noble found a friend in a Delaware judge who sided with the bookseller in a legal spat with billion investor Ron Burkle.

BlackBerry is facing a new challenge in India, where officials are threatening to block the wireless service unless they get access by Aug. 31.

US fast food eatery Chick-fil-A is speeding its operations as it expands its urban footprint.

In the wake of today's strong earnings report and CEO resignation, GM's IPO could be filed tomorrow.

Microsoft has filed a trademark application for the name ONIT, intended for a men's lifestyle website.

MTV's Jersey Shore star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was denied the right to trademark her name in light of Snooky the cartoon cat's prior claim.

Paris Hilton was hit with a $35M breach of contract suit for wearing the wrong hair extensions.Continue reading...