Apple exceeds one million Lion downloads on first day.

Borders liquidation plan approved by judge, while 11th hour Books-A-Million offer may save up to 30 stores, as employees start Google+ group.

California Milk Processor Board pulls controversial PMS campaign.

Etsy founder steps aside for new CEO.

Facebook Comments add videos, photos and website previews.

Fiat buys up US government stake in Chrysler.

Ford and Chevrolet will enhance NYC taxi fleet.Continue reading...

The longer America’s economic doldrums continue, and the debt-ceiling talks drag on, the more that Corporate America feels compelled to speak out, both in criticism and defense of the man in the middle of the maelstrom: President Obama.

Last week’s berating of America's corporate chieftains by GE head Jeff Immelt amounted to a sort of defense of the president and his policies. Immelt, a key figure on Obama’s jobs council, told his fellow CEOs to stop whining about the economy and the dire employment situation and to create jobs within their companies.

And earlier this week, a group of CEOs were convened for an education roundtable (at top), evidently eager to meet with President Obama to help him figure out how industry-led partnerships can help improve the prospects for America's youth — the foundation of all future job growth, of course.Continue reading...

He may be a captain of industry, but General Electric chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt isn't getting any salutes from other C-Suite comrades this week. They're feeling miffed that Immelt has been taking them to task, beating down US CEOs for not doing more to spur job creation.

In speaking out against corporate America, Immelt further infuriated conservative commentators who can’t abide his cozy relationship with President Obama.

Maybe Immelt didn’t get a Dale Carnegie course in winning friends and influencing people as part of his Harvard MBA, Class of ’82. In any event, earlier this week, the chair of Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness called out his fellow capitalist titans for being stingy about creating jobs at a time of rising unemployment in the US.Continue reading...

General Electric has decided to go “faster, higher, stronger” for another decade.

The 119-year-old brand co-founded by Thomas Edison has agreed to extend its Olympics sponsorship with “a four-games deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to the Associated Press.

As with past Olympics, when it owned NBC to help reinforce its branding, viewers worldwide will get to see the GE logo in every place possible through the 2012 London Olympics, the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and the 2018 Winter Games and 2020 Summer Olympics. The latter pair has not had their host cities selected, the AP points out.

The other current sponsors that will be involved with the Olympics through 2020 include Coca-Cola, Dow, Omega, Proctor & Gamble, and Visa.Continue reading...

Apple's iPhone turns 4, while company reports worst first-half since 2008.

Associated Press to open bureau in North Korea.

Bulgari acquisition by LVMH approved by EU.

Clinton Global Initiative launches micro-lending drive.

Coca-Cola details environment and corporate citizenship progress.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg now worth $18 billion — more than Google's founders.

GE expands Olympics sponsorship through 2020.

Google champions UK tech hub.Continue reading...

Airbus may develop longer-range plane to rival Boeing.

Apple tucks Newsstand into WWDC announcements.

AT&T's bid for T-Mobile is supported by Microsoft and Facebook.

Barack Obama's chief economist, Austan Goolsbee, resigns.

Bayer prostate-cancer drug shows promise.

BHP Billiton starts first US Gulf well since BP disaster.

BP tries to salvage Rosneft deal.Continue reading...

Haven't you always wondered what happens to your socks after a few loads of laundry? Are they getting lost in the machine? Are they being stolen? GEs recent viral campaign may have the answers you seek.

A fictional organization called L.O.S.S (Laundered and Orphan Sock Society), started by GE, has tried to settle the missing sock phenomenon once and for all. On its report a sock section, it gives viewers the chance to create "wanted" flyers for their socks, and an opportunity to win prizes from GE.

It's nice to see this idea come to life using the viral video and website approach, because anyone who has ever done laundry has probably lost a sock or two in the process.

• Sony is the latest of many brands to use Albert Einstein in its advertising. Except, this time it's different.

• Baidu now accounts for three fourths of all searches in China — and is poised to be Facebook's travel guide to China.

• Online restaurant info site Dianping.com (check out its app) raised $100 million to bring its valuation to a whop-ping $1 billion.Continue reading...