COMPANIES

Facebook and Spotify are joining in a collaborative effort to provide a streaming music service to Facebook users. Business magazine Forbes reported that in the next two weeks, Facebook users will be able to see a Spotify icon on their news feed. Clicking on the icon will allow the service to install on the user's computer.

Heinz has launched a new campaign for its iconic baked beans, asking Australians what "Beanz Meanz" to them.

Glencore International Plc's debut in Hong Kong has been graded the world's biggest initial public offering this year that could lure other investors from its competitors with its size and market value, analysts said.

Australia leads other Asian Pacific countries in adopting cloud computing. In a recent report from Frost and Sullivan titled State of Cloud Computing in Australia: 2011, 43% of enterprises are now using cloud computing in some form and 41% of IT decision makers agreed that cloud computing will continue to be a top priority.

Investment in Australia’s advanced minerals and energy projects hit a record $173.5 billion in April 2011, 31 per cent higher than in October 2010, according to new data released today.

The first Virgin Australia, formerly Virgin Blue, (ASX: VBA) A330 service from Sydney to Perth took to the skies this morning with commercial guests and media onboard.

Your workforce is one of your greatest assets. Without talented employees your organisation will struggle to develop new initiatives and remain competitive.

Coming as a relief to investors, the U.K.'s Office of National Statistics released preliminary GDP data earlier today which was very much in line with analysts' expectations.

In an effort to keep on par with competitors, AT&T said Wednesday that it plans to launch its LTE network in five cities this summer. The first to receive service will be Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, with another 10 cities to follow by the end of the year.

In a veritable repeat of the events of 2010, Amazon on Wednesday dropped the cost of its 3G-equipped Kindle with Special Offers to $164 after new, cheaper Kobo and Nook e-readers were debuted by its competitors.

Daimler AG has announced the upcoming redesign of its B-Class Mercedes Benz, which the German carmaker said, will hopefully attract a new generation of buyers once its compact car lineups have assumed the more familiar features currently deployed on the flagship models.

Australian retail property group Westfield Group (ASX: WDC) says it is confident of strong performance across its portfolio this calendar year despite the impact of a lower U.S. dollar.

Oil and gas producer Santos has discovered oil at Finucane South in the Carnarvon Basin, offshore Western Australia. Well logs and wire line testing have confirmed a net oil column of 18 metres in excellent quality reservoir sands in the Angel Formation, the company said.

The New South Wales Government will inspect a further 500 solar panels in Sydney to ensure the installations are safe for consumers and comply with regulations.

Google has long been a thorn in Microsoft's side especially in the search engine market. When Microsoft launched Bing in 2009, the company thought it could easily catch up with Google. It didn't quite succeed as well as it hoped.

A new development in Apple's legal suit against Samsung has a federal court forcing Samsung to hand over samples of their new Android smart phones and tablets for Apple to examine.

Qantas pilots have today moved toward industrial action for the first time since 1966, with the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) lodging a formal application at Fair Work Australia to ballot 1700 long-haul pilots.

The resilience of Queensland business owners shone through despite the state’s small business sentiment being hit hard by the recent natural disasters, with the state reporting a Happiness Index of 53 per cent in a new business survey released by Westpac.

Galaxy S smartphones from Samsung outsold Apple iPhones in Japan during Q1 2011, which places Samsung in the ranks of the top four handset vendors of Japan for the first time, according to Strategy Analytics. Android smartphones are now outselling iOS smartphones in Japan.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the next version of Microsoft Windows will arrive sometime next year. The new operating system, billed "Windows 8", will be available for PCs, slates and tablets.

The harmonisation of workplace health and safety laws across the country, while reducing red tape and arguably improving safety for workers, could prove costly.

Shares in accounting software provider Reckon Ltd fell 3% yesterday after the company's annual meeting heard the company is seeing improved business conditions in 2011 as demand for its products recovers.

A traditional view is that 'talent' refers to the A Players, the top 20% of employees.

Amid increasing bank competition, St.George Bank has slashed its two-year, fixed packaged home loan to 6.99 per cent per annum.

Sony Corp. said it expects the costs arising from the online security breach to hurt operating profit by about 14 billion yen (US$170 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

Apple has beefed up its patent portfolio, apparently obtaining the rights to about 200 patents formerly held by Freescale Semiconductor. The patents cover a range of technologies, from Wi-Fi to cellular data and data encoding, some filed as late as 2010.

There's a sucker born every minute. And for every sucker out there scammers are working hard to create newer and more elaborate scams. The newest breed of phishing scam involves malware, IP telephony and an offshore call center.

Apple stores have a basic set-up. You go in the pristine environment and everything is neatly organized by each product. The iPods, iPhones, MacBooks and iPads are all arranged in their own sections and next to each product is a small piece of paper enclosed in plastic that shows the product's specs and price. Apple has decided to do away with this piece of paper and is now going hi-tech by replacing this with iPad 2s.

The Gillard Government appears to be taking credit for National Australia Bank’s recent move to sell discounted mortgages online.