COMPANIES

Research firm International Data Corp. said Friday that Apple's iPad and the recently introduced iPad 2 continue to dominate the media tablet market, as other vendors have had a more difficult time finding market acceptance for their products.

Just like Craigslist, Cracker has sections devoted to jobs, stuff, cars, community, real estate, housing for rent and sale, services, and dating and personals.

ANALYSIS: Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), the company perhaps best known for Internet protocol-based networking and other products, has launched its own tablet PC, called Cius. Cisco describes the device based on Google's Android platform as "an ultra-portable, mobile collaboration enterprise tablet that offers access to essential business applications."

MARKET CLOSE-CommSec (4.30pm AEST)It was a less than desirable start to the week for equities, with the ASX 200 index (XJO) falling 1.6 pct or 72.4 pts to 4582.3 while the broader All Ordinaries index (XAO) has dropped 1.5 pct or 69.2 pts to 4646.8. Almost all market segments ended in lower territory by the close of business.

Qantas pilots have voted unanimously to take protected industrial action for the first time since 1966 in pursuit of a Qantas flight/Qantas pilot clause in the new enterprise agreement.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has gained approval to use in-house lawyers to conduct all its civil penalty litigations.

Despite the latest forecast showing a slight oversupply for accounting and auditing professionals for the next five years, employers will face difficulties in recruiting personnel as the demand for multi-skilled staff increases.

Implementing generous and accommodating parental leave policies can help employers boost their productivity and bottom line, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Since the release of the first model four years ago, Apple's iPhone has been blazing the trail for all smartphones. A decade ago, in the age of mobile calling and sending short messages, Finland-based Nokia was the king. Then came Research in Motion's BlackBerry, with its bigger display and QWERTY keyboard providing U.S. President Barack Obama and others a more convenient means of sending instant messages and e-mail. But in the age of the mobile Internet and apps, iPhone has been atop e...

Apple Inc. is releasing a thinner and lighter iPhone at the end of September, hoping to cut off Samsung Electronics Co. and other manufacturers benefiting the delayed release of the iPhone 5.

A research team from North Carolina State University headed by professor Xuxian Jiang discovered early this month a trojanised app called Fast Racing, hiding malware which it called 'Golddream'.

Consumer watchdog Choice has called for the Financial Claims Scheme (FCS) to be maintained to enhance competition in the banking sector and benefit consumers.

Australia's crop growing industry can take advantage of the weather and other climate conditions with the new online tool from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

Rupert Murdoch will shut down Britain's biggest selling Sunday newspaper, the News of the World, in a startling response to a scandal engulfing his media empire.

The Winklevoss Twins are set to continue their endless legal fight with Facebook. Why do you think they persist with court action after court action? Because Facebook has only just got started and they know that.

For many years the recruitment industry specifically requested a resume to be submitted when applying for a position.

The company building the national broadband network has put a call out for providers to train workers needed for the $35.9bn project.

COMMSEC MORNING REPORT (7am AEST)US same store sales rose by 6.5pct in June - well ahead of expectations for a 4.9pct rise. Of the 23 chain stores tracked by Thomson Reuters all but four of the chains reported an increase. The ICSC expects sales to rise by 4.5-5.5pct in July.

MARKET CLOSE - CommSec Report (4.30pm AEST)The Australian sharemarket has managed to end higher by the most modest of margins for the third time this week despite being around 0.4 pct lower at one point this morning.

China has expressed concern on the planned carbon tax by the Australia government, which the Chinese government said might be a step back for the country's mining boom.

Home owners are still refinancing their mortgages, even as the property market remains flat, the latest Bankwest/MFAA* Home Finance Index has shown. The Home Finance Index, which surveyed more than 1,139 respondents, revealed that one in four (24.7%) had refinanced their loan in the past two years and 14.2 per cent had refinanced in the previous year, an increase on the previous HFI.

National jobs figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today revealed a significant rebound in the employment market, confirming the underlying strength of the Australian economy.

The Australian sharemarket is improving after a slow start to trade, following a solid employment report this morning. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) is currently flat. Almost all sectors are trading slightly lower at lunch however.

The Australian government has mellowed down its carbon tax policy that would not be too much of a burden to small and medium enterprises. Industries affected by the carbon price had been reduced to 500 from the previous 1000, the government said.

Consumers may finally get their hands on a new iPhone soon as Apple is reportedly working for fourth quarter release of the hit smartphone, according to a Wednesday report by The Wall Street Journal.

Virgin Australia has extended its offer to disrupted Tiger Airways customers with a limited range of discounted fares on selected Australian domestic city pair destinations.

Former CNN chair and Time managing editor Walter Isaacson has been successful in profiling the lives of heavyweight figures such as Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger that he realized he could not risk bungling his new project, the authorized biography of Apple head Steve Jobs.

Queenslanders are spending $6.9m globally to push their state to the forefront in the competitive worldwide incentive travel arena.

Nestlé has confirmed it is in talks about a possible takeover of Chinese confectionery company Hsu Fu Chi.