Across the globe, people everywhere are pulling out their cell phones and tablets and e-readers—in buses and trains, in hallways and doorways, on beaches and ski lifts, in bedrooms and in bathrooms. Everywhere, the world is turning to look at mobile devices. Those devices may be getting all the attention out in the world, but the mobile world is much deeper than that, of course, and will have many ramifications for how the world lives.

The mobile world will be taking a close look at itself when the annual Mobile World Congress opens in Barcelona on Feb. 25th. To kick things off, the mobile world’s major association, the GSMA, will showcase how it expects mobile will change in the future by building a “Connected City” that expands on last year's connected house exhibit by featuring everything from a town hall, department store, and apartment to an electrical store, hotel, cafe and lounge, and a car showroom, among other things. With each location, different brands and innovations will be featured.

At MWC's fully connected city street, AT&T will showcase how people can manage their energy consumption and home security. Deutsche Telekom and IBM will show off how their using mobile help create better public transportation as well as  energy, security and water management. Aston Martin will show off a bike that features embedded sensors that communicate with an on-board computer to help athletes get a slew of data on how they are performing.Continue reading...

American Airlines and US Airways finalize merger details.

Comcast buys balance of GE's stake in NBCUniversal for $16.7 billion.

Yahoo CEO Mayer looks to focus mobile, expresses disappointment in Microsoft search deal.

Adidas will reveal Boost running innovation at New York event.

Apple CEO Cook feels brand's stores are too small; a Google payday might help.

Barclays CEO pressured to get moving on revamp.

BBC Worldwide appoints global editorial director.

Blockbuster UK closes 164 more stores.

Dior sees former designer John Galliano re-offend Jewish community.

Facebook eyes books, movies and TV content as Zuckerberg's full philanthropy revealed.

Ford assures dealers on Lincoln MKZ supplies.Continue reading...

The list reads like a Who’s Who of A-list celebrities: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Victoria Beckham, Swizz Beatz, will.i.am. But it's not a concert bill.

Instead, it's a list of stars who have recently agreed to serve as creative directors for brands — a trend that seems to blur the lines between star bling and business acumen.

Bud Light Platinum is the latest, announcing this week that it's inked deal with Justin Timberlake “to provide creative, musical and cultural curation for the brand.” The collaboration is to debut at Sunday’s 55th Grammy Awards via an ad, "Platinum Night," which features his latest single, "Suit & Tie." "Bud Light Platinum brings a refined, discerning aesthetic to beer that plays well with what I'm doing," Timberlake stated in a press release.Continue reading...

In late January, executives at telecom companies AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Intel and Qualcomm signed a letter asking the Federal Communications Commission to not go through with eventually handing out a good chunk of unlicensed airwaves to the public — a move that would provide free WiFi for many Americans and allow tech innovators to create new products, according to The Washington Post.

Perhaps these companies would like to remind the debt-ridden federal government that it could make a lot of money by selling off those airwaves instead. 

However, companies like Google and Microsoft would like WiFi to open up, the Post notes — a move that would not only spur innovation, they contend, and also allow their web-enabled businesses to likely expand along with the technology.

The last time the FCC opened up some unlicensed airwaves was in 1985. As a result, consumers gained garage-door openers, baby monitors, wireless stage microphones, and the current WiFi network.Continue reading...

Any doubt that the BlackBerry 10 is central to the survival of Research In Motion was likely erased on Wednesday as the company not only unveiled its new operating system and phones, but changed its corporate name to "BlackBerry," too. "We have a fantastic brand, BlackBerry, and we are known as such all over the world, except in North America," CMO Frank Boulben commented in a video interview at the launch. "We wanted to take full advantage of that global, iconic brand."

"We have redefined ourselves inside and out," said CEO Thorsten Heins, speaking from New York to launch events held across the globe, including one held at the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, in its $650-a-night Armani Hotel. "RIM becomes BlackBerry. It is one brand, it is one promise." He declined to specify the company's marketing spend for the corporate rebrand and a global launch of BlackBerry 10 that includes Sunday's Super Bowl ad buy, but characterized it as in the "hundreds of million dollars."

That was partially evident at the New York launch with the introduction of Grammy Award winning singer Alicia Keys as the company's "global creative director." It's a trend that follows Lady Gaga's arrangement with Polaroid, will.i.am with Intel, Victoria Beckham with Range Rover, and Keys' husband Swizz Beatz with Reebok — and no doubt annoys creative directors.Continue reading...

McDonald's debuts new packaging featuring QR codes.

Samsung reportedly developing new Galaxy Tab 3 line-up and a tablet.

Walmart toughens ethics policies for suppliers with zero tolerance policy.

AB InBev wins court bid to get back Bud EU trademark for beer.

Boeing faces intensifying probes on troubled Dreamliner.

Caterpillar woes deepen in China.

Cumulus brings country music back to New York City radio.

Daimler commits to innovation in mobility.Continue reading...

Oprah Winfrey and Discovery's OWN TV channel sets ad premium Lance Armstrong TV confession while his personal brand redemption bid is seen as falling short.

AT&T takes $10 billion pension charge against earnings.

Amazon launches music store for Apple devices.

Ameriprise Financial taps Tommy Lee Jones for encore.

Aston-Martin seeks development partner to build high-end engines.

Boeing grounding of Dreamliner forces airlines to scramble.

Chrysler nears deal to restart in-house financing.Continue reading...

The National Retail Federation's annual conference is in full swing in New York, with retailers, brands and vendors convening at the Javits Center to take a closer look at how digital technology is bringing brands closer to consumers at the point of sale.

In 2011 at the NRF "Big Show," Intel unveiled its vision of the “Connected Store,” featuring interactive demonstrations from leading retailers including adidas, Best Buy and Kraft Foods that aim to integrate the best of online, mobile and in-store shopping with traditional retail environments. Adidas demonstrated its adiVerse virtual footwear wall powered by Intel, featuring a touchscreen interface and 3-D rendered graphics.

At last year's NRF Expo, Intel continued to highlight technology innovation through work with retailers including HSN and Macy’s, delivering more relevant and entertaining experiences to shoppers. Intel's booth showcased Macy’s BeautySpot digital experience as a means to offer customers a helpful and fun way to evaluate cosmetics across multiple brands.

And in 2013 at the National Retail Federation Expo, Intel (as you can watch below) is showing its work for McCormick, adidas and Costa Coffee, harnessing intelligent systems to help digital shoppers "quickly and easily research products, find reviews, compare prices, share experiences with friends." The goal, says Intel, is creating "fun and memorable brand experiences as well as new ways to ensure the goods customers want are immediately available," as demonstrated in 2013 NRF Expo video, below.Continue reading...