COMPANIES

Aside from the delicious food, dazzling decorations, beautiful clothes and gifts, the holidays also bring about numerous sales from stores that want to cash in on the consumers' fat wallets and generous spirits. Unfortunately, it is also during this time that a lot of counterfeit products are being sold alongside the real ones. To avoid getting duped into buying fake products, especially electronics, check out some tips on how to spot fake electronics

The new "Lara Croft: Reflections" will reportedly be a free-to-play (F2P) collectible card game and is currently being tested in Australia and New Zealand. However, it is still unclear if the said game will also be available in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. But, if it turns out that it will be made available worldwide, then it is predicted to be released in 2014. As a free-to-play (F2P) card game, "Lara Croft: Reflections" can be downloaded for free, but gamers might be c...

A Galaxy research surveyed that two-thirds of all customers across all service providers are expected to use more data over the Christmas season. Data usage is higher among Gen Y's with almost 75 per cent of younger people saying that Christmas causes their usage to go up.

Rumours are going around the tech industry that Samsung will release a Galaxy Band Fitness Tracker to debut at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. The 2014 MWC will be held at the Fira Gran Via from Feb. 24 -27, 2014.

Apple Inc shares climbed 3.8 per cent at $570.09 after the company has officially announced and confirmed the deal with China Mobile, the biggest mobile carrier in the world. Now Apple Inc is one of the tech stocks to watch out for in 2014 with analysts optimistic of bigger iPhone sales in the Chinese market.

Beyonce handed out $50 gift cards to 750 Walmart customers on Friday, Dec 20, 2013, after Amazon and Target refused to stock her new CD because she released it in secret on iTunes just minutes before midnight EST on Friday morning, Dec 13, 2013.

For people who prefer tablets that are smaller than the standard 10-inch tablets, these three new tablets in the market are now under this category: Nexus 7 2013, Amazon Kindle Fire HDX and the Apple iPad Mini 2 with Retina display.

Apple Inc has officially announced a deal with China Mobile on Dec. 22 which signaled the end of a 6-year negotiation. Apple's bestselling iPhones will be available on the world's largest mobile carrier on Jan. 17, 2014.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., an American Southern country themed chain of restaurants and gift stores founded in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee (TN), announced on Dec. 22, 2013 that they will bring back selected "Duck Dynasty" products that were deemed "offensive" in its stores' shelves just a day after announcing that it was pulling it out.

Cyanogen, a company known for its free, open source operating system and community built distribution of Android for smartphones and tablets, finally received Google's approval to produce the Oppo N1 phone after previously warning them in Nov. 2013 that its installer encourages phone owners to void their warranty.

Apple Inc's deal with China Mobile was the most anticipated agreement by investors as the world's biggest mobile carrier was expected to make a big announcement on December 18. However, the day had passed without a single word from both parties, leaving investors disappointed.

U.S. retail giant Target Corporation has confirmed reports that it is investigating a security breach on credit and debit card information of its customers. Around 40 million shoppers who purchased from the company’s stores across the country from November 27 and December 15 are feared to be affected by the theft.

Reebok Australia is under fire for promising consumers toned thighs and calves if they use its EasyTone shoes. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched legal action against the sports company for making false, misleading, or deceptive representations about the workout shoes.

Melbourne man Steve Sammartino co-created the world’s first life-sized and drivable Lego car

Due to the popular and strong sales of iPhone 5S, Susquehanna Financial Group predicted that Apple’s stocks may go up to $650.

This particular Holiday 2013 Gift Guide features wonderful gifts that give back to those in need. It's a great feeling to receive gifts, but when you are giving gifts, it's even better. Whether you will be the giver or the receiver of gifts this season, it's a nice touch that someone else will benefit from this traditional exchange of gifts this Christmas. Some of the products mentioned in this gift guide include nail polish, makeup, accessories and even a bike!

Cameras are great for taking pictures and more importantly preserving precious memories. With the advent of camera phones, it's not as popular as much as before. But, it is still highly coveted by photography enthusiasts and hobbyists who know that these babies are the best gadgets to take winning photos with. Check out this Holiday 2013 Gift Guide featuring the best cameras to give this Christmas.

Twitter Alerts was launched in Australia on Dec 17, 2013

Scoopon is paying 1 million for misleading businesses and consumers

About 17,000 New Zealand customers of the ANZ Bank joined a class action suit against the lender over excessive bank fees. The legal action was initiated by Fair Play on Fees Group.

Apple Inc. announces on Dec 16 that BEYONCE’ shatters iTunes Store records with 828,773 albums sold in three days

Google Inc., the world's largest Internet search engine, has just acquired the Boston Dynamics Robotics Company. Part of Google's acquisition are several robots made by Boston Dynamics including Big Dog, a four-legged robot dog that can climb hills and Cheetah, a really fast robot that can outrun Usain Bolt, who is believed to be the fastest human today.

Apple Inc. shares may have regained its momentum after climbing to its new 52-week high. Analysts are expecting the company to sustain its strong stock performance given Apple's massive gains from its iPhone and iPad sales across the globe. Analysts at Jefferies have agreed with others in increasing their long-term predictions and price targets for Apple Inc.

Like Australia which has benefitted from the mining boom, Canada is also going heavily into the resources sector, but similar to the situation of the Land Down Under, Canada too is suffering from skilled labour shortage.

Despite being almost a year old, the game-changing HTC One smartphone continues to impress the world of technology, prompting ZDNet's Matthew Miller to name the device the top smartphone of 2013.

Ward's AutoWorld Magazine has just named its 2014 10 Best Automobile Engines including the Audi S5, the BMS 535d and the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. Ward's 10 Best Engines is an annual list of the ten best automobile engines available in the U.S. automobile market that are available in regular-production vehicles and are on sale in the U.S. no later than the first quarter of the year. Check out the winners below:

Sprint is considering a potential merging bid with rival telecom carrier T-Mobile.

Fashionistas and beauty junkies need to celebrate the holidays too, especially since it is at this time of the year that a lot of people get dolled up and dressed to the nines for the various Christmas parties that they need to attend. There are a lot of new beauty collections that are debuted during the holidays. These would be perfect as gifts to beauty junkies. For fashionistas, there are a myriad of trendy options to choose from.

If men had been enjoying Viagra and other male erection enhancement drugs for almost 20 years, flibanserin, the equivalent of the sex enhancement drug for women, has suffered from another impasse with the regulator, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).