A mid-day look at brands making headlines, led by Steve Jobs' latest headache:

Apple faces China challenge with local company selling iPod-touch-to-cellphone hack.

Research in Motion's security stance sparks concerns, as Oman declines to ban the BlackBerry and negotiations continue with Saudi Arabia.

Barnes & Noble expands textbook rentals as Henry Blodget cautions Amazon bulls crowing over B&N's pending sale.

BP says it has deposited $3 billion into promised $20 billion Gulf disaster relief fund.Continue reading...

U.S. politician Drew Rees supports lower taxes, limited government and the delicious combination of peanut butter and milk chocolate.

Music fans sings "Don't Bring Me Down" to Yoko Ono's assertion that the Beatles on iTunes won't happen while she has a say.

Would today's more lawyered up Campbell Soup be so flattered by Andy Warhol's homages?Continue reading...

At 8:00am EST this morning, the word rang out: Let there be Rock! And Hip-Hop! And disco, R&B, metal, country, and everything else...  Rdio, the latest entry in the online music streaming game, went live in the US and Canada this morning.

After two months in beta, Rdio beat the much-blogged European service Spotify to the sonic punch when it launched to general audiences.

Started by Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Rdio’s business model is similar to Spotify’s: monthly subscription ($4.99 to $9.99), unlimited access, massive archive of tunes (over 7 million and counting as momentum builds with indie music companies). They enter a field in need of weeding out, with Pandora starting to feel venerable, MOG going strong, and Apple’s slated relaunch of the popular Lala service it purchased last December then abruptly shuttered.Continue reading...

Skype has expanded its pay-for-call service for advertisers with the launch of Click & Call Advertising. This new product enables brand marketers and advertisers to generate inbound calls from Skype customers.

The move offers a quantifiable method to drive customer calls. Now millions of business phone numbers listed online can display Skype's Free Call button which, when clicked, will launch the new software and connect the caller for free.

It also creates a new revenue stream for Skype, of course, while aiming to make life easier for advertisers to connect with the 560 million Skypers worldwide.Continue reading...

Blockbuster was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange as company scrambles to avoid bankruptcy.

BMW and Mercedes boost U.S. sales with "Ann Taylor shoppers" as BMW unveils electric car model.

The Guardian touts its value as News Corp. implements a paywall around The Times' websites today.

Disney bought Tapulous, a maker of music game apps.Continue reading...

Facebook aims to help brands better connect with fans ... prepares to launch local ads ... looks to China and Russia ... beefs up privacy staff ... and calls for federal oversight of rogue apps.

Foursquare Avoidr app helps users avoid people they don't wish to see.

Microsoft and Yahoo join industry consortium to monitor online trackers.

Twitter is barred "for 20 years from misleading consumers" by FTC in privacy ruling concerning 2009 hacked accounts (including Barack Obama's).Continue reading...

Libo, an Israeli startup that's now available to the public, aims to be the Skype of media.

Its goal: to serve as a virtual digital portfolio for users' personal libraries and a one-stop media storage product that enables shared access of music, photo, and video files on any computer — with or without an Internet connection.

In the site's own words: “Using a patent-pending combination of distributed, grid and peer-to-peer networking technologies along with highly sophisticated analytic algorithms, Libox effectively creates private clouds between devices that access the Libox platform.”Continue reading...

AT&T accidentally reveals VIP iPad owners' information as iPhone 4 "retina display" challenged.

BP shares plunge 16% as oil industry's Dr. Doom predicts collapse.

Goldman Sachs was sued by Australian hedge fund.

Google and Apple are fighting over mobile ads.Continue reading...