COMPANIES

A surprise launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III may happen on March 30.

The Cancer Society is against the planned increase of New Zealand export of tobacco products to Australia. While the hiked production of cigarettes would lead to the creation of 50 new jobs in the next 24 months, it would also cause the loss of 20,000 lives yearly in Australia, Cancer Society Health Promotion Manager Jan Pearson said.

The fifth generation iOS, the operating system for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) mobile devices, was released in October last year alongside the iPhone 4S. Also made available for older devices, iOS 5 promised 200 new features. iOS 5 introduced the iCloud service, revamped notifications, improvements to native apps such as the Camera, new applications like Reminders, Newsstand, and iMessage.

Apple's incredible success has produced side industries that convinced enterprising individuals to take a slice on the billons that the American tech giant has been raking since its renaissance in mid-2000.

Qantas will use vegetable cooking oil for a historic test flight between Sydney and Adelaide on April 13.

The positive leads from global markets led by the rise in the U.S. equities Friday have not provided enough boost to prop up the sentiment in the Australian stock market early on Monday.

You've heard of small man syndrome, but do drivers of small cars suffer from a similar need to overcompensate for their vehicle's diminutive dimensions? According to a study commissioned by local insurer AAMI, the answer is yes.

The long wait for the Android 4.0 update for Samsung's Galaxy Note has been further extended, with the giant Asian mobile device maker admitting this week that Ice Cream Sandwich's (ICS) arrival will be delayed.

The successor to the Maserati Quattroporte has been spied testing on an icetrack in Sweden.

Clicking today's Google doodle will take you to search results for "Juan Gris."

Microsoft wants to dominate the smartphone market, not in the United States, but in China, which research firms said will take the spot as the biggest smartphone market in the world this year.

Windows 8 is set to hit the market by the last quarter of 2012, likely just in time for the holiday shopping spree that sellers target to boost their financial results before ending the year.

As the 2012 NRL and AFL seasons get ready to kick-off, business information analysts at IBISWorld reveal how much Australians are spending on sports betting - the fastest growing gambling segment.

Dell recently announced that the company has plans of entering the tablet market once again by the end of the year 2012. No exact details have been revealed but there are reports speculating that the company will enter the tablet market through the help of Windows 8 or through Google’s Android.

A $1.6 billion project has been given ‘a likely green light,’ and it is seen to line the northern Wairarapa hillsides to become New Zealand’s largest wind farm, providing power for up to 370,000 homes, Dominion Post reports.

The newly-released tablet from Apple dubbed as the "new iPad" has 4G LTE connectivity which makes it convenient to have Internet access everywhere. Aside from this feature, one of the highlights of the new iPad includes the Retina Display which Apple claims to be "game changer" in the tablet industry.

Apple reported on Monday that it has so far sold three million units of the new iPad, barely a week after the device was released.

Another session of positive leads from overnight trades in the U.S. and partly from European markets will bode well for Tuesday's trading in Australia.The markets in the U.S. moved forward with Apple Inc. leading the way with shares selling $600 a piece in reaction to company announcements that cash dividends and a buy-back scheme will be the way to go forward spending its billions in cash coffers.

Apple's huge cash chest is no secret and most definitely that reserve keeps on adding up as new Apple products hit the market. Yet how much really has Apple been cashing on its incredible success lately?

China continues its foray on energy securing measures with its recent joint venture with French energy giant Total SA ((NYSE:TOT) to produce and refine shale gas.

The Australian share market has started the trading week on a positive note, after European and US share markets posted strong weekly gains. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 25.8pts or 0.6pct to 4390.5.

There were cracks around the cockpit windows of an Air New Zealand plane, the airline found on Sunday, resulting in the grounding of 11 planes on the same day. The cracks were spotted during routine maintenance check in Christchurch.

It seems our hopes of yet another brand joining the V8 Supercars championship next year has been short-lived, with Chrysler confirming to V8X magazine that it will not proceed with the move.

A firm and steady opening has set in the Australian stock market today and analysts are closely watching if it would break the barrier resistance of 4320, an indicator that a change in sentiment towards the positive amidst concerns of the economy's correlation to China's economic slowdown may take place.

Passenger car sales in the European Union plummeted almost 10 percent in February -- their biggest drop since 2010 -- as consumers tread warily through uncertain economic times.

Online payment processing firm PayPal has introduced another of its over-the-counter payment scheme, this time around through the use of the now ubiquitous smartphones.

Health campaign groups in Australia launched on Friday the independent Alcohol Advertising Review Board. The main task of the new board would be to name and shame alcohol firms with advertising campaigns that violate international alcohol advertising regulations.

Telstra Corporation has some sort of a coup when the giant Telco offered on one of its stores the third iPad edition early Friday morning, with an Aussie construction manager earning the distinction as the first in the country to own the most-sought after product.

The National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX) announced on Friday that it will lower its trading fees to 0.1 basis points per buy and sell beginning April 2.