Articles filed under Business

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  GOP hopes IRS scandal will snag health care law May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  The Internal Revenue Service has a major role in carrying out the health care law, because financial assistance to help the uninsured afford coverage will be funneled through the tax system. At the same time, the IRS is also responsible for penalties on individuals and employers who fail to comply with the law's requirements.
  

   

• Investor values Twitter at $10 billion; IPO expected May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Twitter was valued at almost $10 billion by one of its investors, up about 10 percent from a previous estimate, indicating shares are appreciating before a possible initial public offering for the microblogging service.
  

   
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  Applications reviews: Angry Birds Friends, Tempo May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  
  

   
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  Facebook’s like feature faces free-speech test in sheriff firing May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Danny Carter shocked colleagues when the Hampton, Virginia, jailer posted a picture of his boss's opponent in the sheriff's race on his Facebook page along with a link to the contender's website. The post, made almost four years ago because Carter clicked the "Like" button on the "Jim Adams for Hampton Sheriff" page, is now the subject of a federal appeals court argument over whether the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects one-click, online endorsements of a person, idea or product.
  

   

• Turning off iPhone essential to pilots reporting interference May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Public figures from Sen. Claire McCaskill to actor Alec Baldwin have bristled at what they say are excessive rules restricting use of tablets, smartphones, laptops and other devices during flights. More than a decade of pilot reports and scientific studies tell a different story. Government and airline reporting systems have logged dozens of cases in which passenger electronics were suspected of interfering with navigation, radios and other aviation equipment.
  

   
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  Mobile-App loyalty programs gain ground May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Loyalty programs are moving out of wallets and into smartphones as a new generation of applications seeks to reward consumers for shopping, watching television or snapping photos. Walt Disney Co. and Target have signed up with Shopkick, which created a mobile app that gives points to shoppers for entering stores or buying products.
  

   

• The end of the credit card? May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  This week Square announced a new product that took me by surprise: the Square Stand, an iPad holder and credit card reader that's meant to function as a point-of-sale system for high-volume small businesses like restaurants and cafes.
  

   
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  Google highlights: Music, maps, photo, other tools May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  
  

   
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  Google boosts photo offerings to rival Facebook May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular. Many of the 41 new features being added to Google Plus beginning Wednesday will draw upon the computing power, machine learning, algorithms, semantics analysis and other innovations that established Google's search engine as the most influential force on the Internet.
  

   
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  Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They're engineered not to develop ugly black bruises. McDonald's, which gets many of its fries from Simplot, rejects those.
  

   
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  Research In Motion unveils cheaper BlackBerry May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Research In Motion unveiled a lower-cost BlackBerry aimed at consumers in emerging markets on Tuesday, stepping up its efforts to regain market share lost to Apple's iPhone and Android devices powered by Google's software. The lower-cost gadget, called the Q5, is the company's third smartphone to run the new BlackBerry 10 system. It will have a physical keyboard, something that sets RIM's devices apart from Apple's iPhone and most Android phones.
  

   
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  Ex-Groupon CEO working 9 to 5 on business album May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Andrew Mason says he wants to present business wisdom to younger people and that his songs will help them understand ideas that are critical to becoming productive and effective employees.
  

   
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  A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Despite its disappointing stock market performance, the company has delivered strong financial results. Net income increased 7 percent to $219 million in the most recent quarter, compared with the previous year, and revenue was up 38 percent to $1.46 billion.
  

   
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  Hardware review: Toshiba brings high-res screen to Windows May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Like supermodel turned rapper, the Kirabook sounds bad but looks good. It's beautifully done in magnesium, a tougher metal than the aluminum found in MacBooks and some other laptops. Magnesium is rarely used in consumer electronics, but when it is, the results can be spectacular: I had a magnesium-bodied point-and-shoot camera that didn't show a scratch after 10 years of use.
  

   
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  Stocks rise on hopeful economic signs May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  The Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.6 percent last month after a revised decline of 0.2 percent in March. The index is intended to predict how the economy will be doing in three to six months. The University of Michigan's preliminary survey of consumer confidence climbed to 83.7. Economists had predicted that the gauge would climb to 76.8.
  

   

• Syrian hackers compromise Financial Times blogs, Twitter accounts May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  A clutch of blogs and Twitter accounts maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which often attacks media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.
  

   

• Tableau Software soars in trading debut May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Tableau Software shares soared in their trading debut Friday after the company and some of its investors raised about $254.2 million in its initial public offering. Seattle-based Tableau Software Inc. provides software that helps businesses convert data into visual presentations.
  

   
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  Unemployment falls in 40 US states, rises in 3 May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Solid hiring helped push down unemployment rates in 40 U.S. states last month, the most since November. The declines show job markets are improving in most areas of the country. The Labor Department says unemployment rates only rose in Louisiana, Tennessee and North Dakota. Rates were unchanged in seven states.
  

   
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  Gauge of US economy’s future health up in April May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  A measure of the U.S. economy's future health rose solidly in April, buoyed by a sharp rise in applications to build homes and a better job market. The Conference Board said Friday that its index of leading indicators increased 0.6 percent last month to a reading of 95. That followed a 0.2 percent decline in March. The index is intended to signal economic conditions three to six months out.
  

   

• Stocks rise on hopeful signs for the US economy May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Encouraging news about the U.S. economy helped push stock prices higher on Wall Street Friday. A gauge of future economic activity rose more than analysts had expected, as did a measure of consumer confidence, adding to evidence that the economy is maintaining a steady recovery.