BUSINESS

Apple and Google continue to ramp up their assault on the mobile gaming sector as the two giant tech firms again registered growth that analysts said could soon obliterate the dominance of previous market leaders that date back in the early 1990s.

Steep budget cuts approved and set to be implemented by the U.S. government over the next 10 years have rattled global firms currently engaged in contracts with the world’s wealthiest nation.

With about 1,500 claims from Thais, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) is expected to pay out $150 million in flood claims following the recent inundation of Thailand.

Everyone would want to have the first dibs on the third installment to the Modern Warfare series The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It was simultaneously launched in Europe and Northern America on November 8, 2011, with versions on Microsoft Windows, Xbox360, Playstation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS

When you hear Apple, it doesn't always mean perfection. Just like the previous iPhones released, iPhone 4S had its share of shortcomings. So don't fret when you encountered some of these in the course of your mobile experience.

10th November 2011By Peter Switzer, founder of the Switzer Super ReportIt was always going to come, and now Italy has become the new Greece.

There's been an upheaval in the mobile games market in the last couple of years as Sony and Nintendo give way to newer players like Apple and devices running on Google's Android software.

Research in Motion's next smartphone with its new BBX operating system will have the same resolution as the BlackBerry PlayBook. The screen resolution of 1024x600 will be a unique size for smartphones.

Australian retailer Myer announced on Thursday plans to shutter underperforming stores and boost its online presence to reach an overall sales target of $4 billion by 2015.

China's clampdown on its rare earths production has alarmed trading partners led by Japan, which intends to take up the issue at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Hawaii.

Still reeling from the phone hacking scandal that shook his global news empire this year, Rupert Murdoch found himself sobbing for long-time Australian News Ltd CEO John Hartigan, who announced his departure earlier this week.

Australian budget carrier Jetstar made aviation history on Wednesday by allowing its passengers from Auckland to Melbourne to use iPads made available by the air carrier during their flight.

Australian consumers appear to continue their migration to online shopping but most players in the retail industry seem to continue miss the significant surge because they have yet to implement the necessary adjustments on their websites.

Thai firm Mitr Phol Sugar Corporation offered on Wednesday A$4.45 per share cash price for stocks of Australian sugar producer MSF to hike its stake in the company. Mitr Phol currently owns 22 per cent of MSF. The offers values MSF at A$313 million

Solar power is perhaps one of the most expensive renewable energy technologies today, but developments are underway to make it cheaper and more economical. Researchers at Argonne National Laboratories and Penn State are saying that luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) could eliminate the cost barrier.

Housing finance edged up in September, but a housing group has claimed the result masks weak demand for new homes.

Now watch attitudes towards the state of the Chinese economy change after a sharp fall in monthly consumer and producer inflation in October.

Google Inc. executive chairman Eric Schmidt refuted Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs' allegations that the Android copied the iPhone iOS saying the former was developed first before the latter.

Rising global food prices could mean two things for the Australian farmer – higher production cost and a significant boost on possible incomes, which according to Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) assistant governor Philip Lowe should spur growth in the agricultural sector over the near term.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 may be far from becoming the much-awaited ‘iPad killer’, as many tech experts would assert, but Apple left nothing to chances when the tech titan recently successfully blocked the device’s commercial release in a number of countries, including Australia.

- Supply side of oil market faces challenges- One forecast for peak oil just above 2010 level- Barclays suggests oil price focus is US$90-100 per barrel at present- JP Morgan's forecasts above this levelBy Chris ShawThis week the International Energy Agency (IEA) is due to publish its long-term...

- Chinese steel demand softening shorter-term- Long-term outlook remains positive- Steel margins should also climb from current levelsBy Chris ShawA recent softening in Chinese steel demand can be put down to three factors in the view of ANZ Banking Group.

A $30 million athlete facility being built in London uses wood sources from protected Tasmanian forests, according to results of a six-month probe. The wood is used for the flooring of the sports hall.

Android vendors need not fear patent infringement lawsuits from Apple as Google Inc., maker of the most popular mobile operating system in the world, promised to support them if they face legal actions from the iPhone maker.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) housing finance figures for September 2011 show in trend terms that the number of finance commitments increased for the fifth consecutive month; the September increase was 1.2 percent.

By Greg PeelEvery March and September leading global investment manager PIMCO conducts a survey of institutional clients to gauge their level of optimism or pessimism with respect to global economic growth and inflation.

ExxonMobil Corp., the world's largest integrated oil and gas firm, would have to shell out $134 million to clean up the oil spill in Yellowstone River, Montana last July.

Kathleen Brooks, Research Director UK EMEA, FOREX.comThe silence from the EU's high command as Italian bond yields come under sustained attack is deafening.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 389 points or 3.2% while the S&P dropped 3.7% to 1229 and the Nasdaq lost 3.9%.