BUSINESS

Dolby Laboratories and Research in Motion have reached an agreement and has agreed to a licensing deal.Under the agreement, RIM maker of BlackBerrys and PlayBooks will pay Dolby licensing fees to use some of Dolby's technologies. In return Dolby has dropped its two patent infringement lawsuits against the manufacturer.

High-end Australian department store David Jones reported its profit after tax dropped 1.5% to $170.8 million and sales fell 4.4% to $2053.1 million. David Jones attributed the decline the strong Aussie dollar and reduced consumer spending due to the global financial meltdown.

Eric Schmidt, Google Inc.'s CEO, stood up to U.S senators Wednesday to defend his company against allegations that it skews search results in favor of its own online services.

The U.S. Federal Reserve announced on Thursday that it unveiled another strategy purportedly to reduce the costs of long-term loans and reinforce the nation’s slumping housing industry.

Foster's Group had expressed high hopes that the takeover of SABMiller of its company will mean Australian beers getting the exposure it deserved from beer aficionados around the world.The Australian beer giant accepted on Wednesday an improved takeover package worth from $10.1 billion from British-based brewer SABMiller.

Nathan Tinkler is the richest young person in Australia below 40 years old, according to BRW Magazine, which makes the annual list. The 35-year-old mining magnate and owner of Newcastle Knights has an estimated fortune of $1.13 billion.

Apple board member Al Gore said that the company will announce their new line of products on Oct. 4 including the much anticipated iPhone 5.

Australian households are rationalising their expenditures, prioritising essential services and doing without goods, leading to what a central bank official called "very subdued trading conditions in many parts of the retail sector."

Shakers and movers of the tech industry climbed their way to the dominant position of America’s wealthiest for the year 2011, with perennial frontrunner Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates heading the list again with his estimated net worth of some $59 billion.

- Tox Free wins contract at APLNG project- More contract wins expected in the region- Earnings outlook strengthening but share price not reacting- Brokers see value at current levelsBy Chris ShawFor some time both UBS and RBS Australia have had Buy ratings on waste management services group Tox Free...

By Rudi Filapek-VandyckJim Morrison said it a few decades ago: "The future is uncertain and the end is always near".

Angry Birds mania continues to spread rapidly even beyond the techie world. Proof of this is that Angry Birds soft toys are also selling like hotcakes at the rate of one million pieces monthly.

By Richard (Rick) MillsAs a general rule the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationGovernment attempts to inflate the money supply and stimulate growth through quantitative easing have failed, so far, because they gave the stimulus to banks, not directly to their citizen...

Sales of existing homes climbed 7.7 per cent from the previous month to an annual rate of 5.03 million units, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Wednesday. The median price was 5.1 per cent lower than a year earlier, making analysts remark that the outlook is still grim for real estate.

The US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) has announced new measures to stimulate the economy. In what is termed a ´´twist´´, the FOMC intends to purchase by the end of June 2012, $400 billion of securities of maturities in a range of 6 years to 30 years and to sell an equal amount of Treasury securities of maturities of 3 years or less.

U.S. stocks dropped as investors questioned the effectiveness of the Federal Reserve's latest unconventional attempt to bolster the faltering U.S. economy.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 283 points or 2.5% while the S&P lost 2.9% to 1166 and the Nasdaq fell 2.

FNArena has added another video to its Investors Education section on the website. In this educational video, ATW's Jerry Simmons makes a few observations across various risk assets.

Facebook is set to recruit a high-profile executive whose primary role is to make sure that the social network would establish solid ties in the film and music industries in a bid to boost its content.

Skype has been informed by a researcher it is vulnerable to information thieves online. In a Fairfax Media report, security researcher Phil Purviance of AppSec Consulting says a hole in Skype's system for Phone and iPod Touch devices.

The long wait for Diablo 3 may be almost over as Blizzard Entertainment has launched the closed beta version of the hack-and-slash game.

ERM Power has received environmental approval from the Western Australia government for its proposed $500 million Three Springs power station and 60 kilometer gas pipeline in Western Australia.

Treasury boss Martin Parkinson has backed a move to abolish real estate stamp duties, saying they are biggest drag on productivity and inhibit economic adjustment.

Commonwealth Bank today unveiled its landmark new office premises at Darling Quarter in Sydney’s western CBD fringe.

It ain't over yet. Beleaguered Qantas Airlines faces more turbulence ahead as the Transport Workers Union (TWU) pushes for successive work stoppages this and next week.

Days after S&P reduced Italy's credit rating on Monday, Chinese foreign currency experts are getting restless the euro's weakness will greatly affect the value of Chinese currency and its overall exports performance.

With an aim to provide high-end technologies to everyone, Microsoft will give one million students marked down PCs, software and internet to poor families.

FNArena Editor Rudi Filapek-Vandyck has joined the queue of financial markets experts who appear regularly on Sky Business's Switzer TV, hosted by Peter Switzer himself.

China, in a bid to gain a foothold in the global pricing of iron ore, will launch by October its own iron ore price index, with updates on a weekly basis.