Just got a new iPhone, iPad or Android device for Christmas? Gameloft cuts popular iOS and Android games to 99¢

Smartphones and tablets running Apple’s (AAPL) iOS platform and Google’s (GOOG) Android OS are big this year — so big that traditional toy makers are terrified they might soon be obsolete. If you’re one of the tens of thousands of people young and old who just unwrapped a brand new iPad, Android device, iPod touch or iPhone, Gameloft has made figuring out where to start fairly easy for you by putting...

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Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks

Research In Motion (RIMM) CEO Thorsten Heins recently said during the company’s Q3 earnings call that BlackBerry 7 is still a “strong success” in the Asian-Pacific markets. Despite the company putting most of its weight behind BlackBerry 10 and the Z10 and X10, Heins said RIM will continue supporting BB7 and consumers “might expect us to even build one of the other new products” based on it. Heins...

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Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas

While it does have drawbacks just like anything else, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface is a great slate for those looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like very many people were looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet this holiday season. In a recent note to investors, R.W. Baird analyst William Power recounted recent conversations had at retailers...

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iPad is a Christmas graveyard for ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Modern Combat’

At the beginning of December, the traditional video game industry attempted another iPad invasion. New versions of “Grand Theft Auto,” “Modern Combat” and “Baldur’s Gate” hit the iOS app market priced between $5 and $10. Over the past years, we have seen repeated attempts by major console and PC industry franchises to tailor their blockbuster games for iPhone and iPad platforms. None have succeeded....

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Apple still can’t build enough iPad minis

A common issue often presents itself when Apple (AAPL) launches new products: it can’t build them fast enough. We’ve seen it time and time again, most recently when Apple launched the iPhone 5 and 150,000 dedicated factory workers still couldn’t keep up with demand. Now, a report has surfaced claiming that Apple’s manufacturing partners in the Far East can’t build units fast enough to keep pace with...

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Netflix streaming service back online after outage

Those hoping to spend the holiday watching streaming video from Netflix can now get back in front of their TVs, tablets and PCs after a Christmas Eve outage.A Netflix Inc. spokesman said by email Tuesday morning that the service has been fully restored.The outage affected customers in the Americas starting around 12:30 p.m. PST on Monday. The company, which is based in Los Gatos, Calif., blames problems...

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Home prices rose in ninth straight month: S&P

 Single-family home prices rose in October for nine months in a row, reinforcing the view the domestic real estate market is improving and should bolster the economy in 2013, a closely watched survey showed on Wednesday.The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.7 percent in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, stronger than the 0.5 percent rise forecast by...

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US home prices rise in October from previous year

 US home prices rose in most major cities in October compared with a year ago, pushed up by rising sales and a decline in the supply of available homes. Higher prices show the housing market is improving even as it moves into the more dormant fall and winter sales period.The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller national home price index released Wednesday increased 4.3 percent in October compared...

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US economy could handle short fall over 'cliff'

The economic threat that's kept many Americans on edge for months is nearing reality — unless the White House and Republicans cut a budget deal by New Year's Day.Huge tax increases. Deep cuts in domestic and defense programs. The likelihood of sinking stock prices, reduced consumer spending and corporate layoffs. The risk of a recession within months.Still, the start of 2013 may turn out to be far...

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Future of state estate taxes hangs on U.S. "fiscal cliff"

Falling off the "fiscal cliff" is a bad thing, right?Not necessarily for some state governments that could begin collecting more in estate taxes on wealth left to heirs if the United States goes over the "cliff," allowing sharp tax increases and federal spending cuts to take effect in January.In an example of federal and state tax law interaction that gets little notice on Capitol Hill, 30 states...

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Former S.African president Mandela 'much better': Zuma

Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is looking much better after more than two weeks in hospital, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.Zuma, who visited Mandela on Christmas Day, said in a statement that doctors were happy with the progress the elder statesman was making."We found him in good spirits. He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking...

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Former South African president Mandela "much better": Zuma

Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is looking much better after more than two weeks in hospital, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.Zuma, who visited Mandela on Christmas Day, said in a statement that doctors were happy with the progress the elder statesman was making."We found him in good spirits. He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking...

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‘Bumping’ Your Way to Safer Sex With a Smartphone App

Let’s face it.  Teens have sex.  Parents may choose to ignore it, and teens may choose to deny it, but almost 50 percent of American high school students are having sex, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And each year, millions of those sexually active teens contract sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and HIV.Now one doctor hopes...

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The Medical Guide to Holiday Movies

Anna Karenina lies febrile on her post-partum bed, her husband, Karenin, and lover, Vronsky, flanking her in sorrow. She repents to each, anticipating her end, and just when the romance soars to its peak, you wonder aloud -- why does she have a fever? And, could this really happen?Luckily, we've got Hollywood's holiday ailments covered. Our unofficial disease guide takes a shot at unraveling the medical...

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Cardiologist Used Ethanol Shot to the Heart to Save British Man's Life

A cardiologist in England gained international attention when he used an unconventional procedure -- a shot of basic alcohol to the heart -- to stop an unusual cardio rhythm in an elderly patient. Dr. Tom Johnson, who carried out the procedure at the Bristol Heart Institute Hospital in Bristol, England, said Ronald Aldom, 77, was doing "fantastically well" after Johnson and his team used pure ethanol...

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'Hobbit' extends No. 1 journey with $36.7 million

Tiny hobbit Bilbo Baggins is running circles around some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" took in $36.7 million to remain No. 1 at the box office for the second-straight weekend, easily beating a rush of top-name holiday newcomers. Part one of Jackson's prelude to the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the Warner Bros. release raised its domestic...

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Lawmakers see 'fiscal cliff' deal as elusive

With anxiety rising as the country lurches towards a "fiscal cliff," lawmakers are increasingly skeptical about a possible deal and some predict the best possibility would be a small-scale patch because time is running out before the yearend deadline. Sen. Joe Lieberman predicted Sunday: "We're going to spend New Year's Eve here, I believe." Even those who see the possibility of a deal don't expect...

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Greece not doing enough against rich tax dodgers, say EU/IMF

Greece's drive to crack down on flagrant tax evaders such as doctors and lawyers is flagging and must be reinvigorated, a report by the European Union and International Monetary Fund said on Monday. Athens has collected just half the tax debts and conducted less than half the audits it was supposed to under the targets set by its lenders, according to a survey by the country's international lenders...

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China to crack down on "malicious" trademark registrations

China plans to change the law to crackdown on "malicious" trademark registrations, state media said on Monday, after a series of cases in which well-know international brands and individuals have had their names or copyright misused. Foreign governments, including the United States, have for years urged China to take a stronger stand against intellectual property rights violations on products ranging...

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FDA warns doctors of counterfeit Botox

Federal regulators have warned more than 350 medical practices that Botox they may have received from a Canadian supplier is unapproved and could be counterfeit or unsafe. The Food and Drug Administration said in a letter sent last month, a letter released publicly last week, that batches of the wrinkle treatment shipped by suppliers owned by pharmacy Canada Drugs have not been approved by the FDA...

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Legendary Indian sitarist, composer Ravi Shankar dead at 92

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar, who helped introduce the sitar to the Western world through his collaborations with The Beatles, died in Southern California on Tuesday, his family said. He was 92. Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner with legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Festival and at Woodstock, had been in fragile health for several years and last Thursday underwent...

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Actor Depardieu's Belgium move "pathetic": French PM

Actor Gerard Depardieu's decision to establish residency in Belgium, which does not have a wealth tax, by buying a house just over the border with France, is "pathetic" and unpatriotic, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Wednesday. Depardieu has become the latest wealthy Frenchman after luxury magnate Bernard Arnault to look for shelter outside his native country following tax hikes by...

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Mick Jagger love letters fetch $300,000 at auction

A collection of love letters written by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger to American singer Marsha Hunt, believed to be the inspiration for the band's hit single "Brown Sugar", sold at Sotheby's on Wednesday for 187,250 pounds ($301,000). The 10 letters, dating from the summer of 1969, had been expected to fetch 70-100,000 pounds, according to the auctioneer. "The passage of time has given these...

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Politico financier Joe L. Allbritton dies at 87

Joe L. Allbritton, the millionaire founder of Politico's parent company, died Wednesday of heart ailments in a Houston hospital. He was 87. The founder of Allbritton Communications, which launched Politico and owns several television stations, built the Washington, D.C.-based media empire after controversy-fraught years as the chief of Riggs National Bank. Born in Mississippi and raised in Texas,...

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Media mogul and banker Allbritton dies at 87

Joe Lewis Allbritton, a media mogul and owner of the scandal-plagued Riggs National Bank, died on Wednesday at a hospital in Houston. He was 87. Allbritton died of heart ailments, said Jerald Fritz, a senior vice president of Allbritton Communications. Allbritton's media empire included newspapers throughout the U.S. Northeast and ABC network affiliates. Allbritton's son, Robert, recently founded...

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Christmas comes slowly to austerity-hit Europe

PARIS (AP) — Across Europe, holiday "shoppers" this season are doing more browsing than buying. Retailers remain hopeful for a last-minute burst of Christmas consumerism, and some governments are encouraging it by allowing stores to open on Sunday. But with economies across the region slowing and unemployment soaring, analysts say holiday spending in Europe is bound to disappoint for the fourth year...

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Feds, shuttered NM peanut butter plant reach deal

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A peanut butter plant shuttered by a widespread salmonella outbreak has been given the go ahead to start harvesting a bumper crop of prized eastern New Mexico Valencia peanuts next week under an agreement that ends a tense, monthslong standoff with federal regulators. A consent decree filed in federal court Friday says Sunland Inc. can reopen its plant in Portales if it hires...

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Hurting Spaniards celebrate Christmas lottery wins

MADRID (AP) — Winners of Spain's cherished Christmas lottery — the world's richest — celebrated Saturday in more than a dozen locations where the top lucky tickets were sold, a moment of uplift for a country enduring another brutal year of economic hardship. The lottery sprinkled a treasure chest of €2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in prize money around the country. Champagne corks popped and festive cheer...

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Belgium may hand Arnault tax file to Paris: press

PARIS (Reuters) - Belgian tax authorities may hand French tycoon Bernard Arnault's file to their Paris counterparts for closer scrutiny of Brussels-based companies linked to his LVMH luxury empire, according to media reports. John Crombez, Belgium's minister for fraud prevention, said any information on local "mailbox companies" held by France's richest man should be shared with Paris, newspaper De...

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Obama seeks scaled-down 'fiscal cliff' agreement

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has scaled back his ambitions for a sweeping budget bargain with Republicans. Instead, he's calling for a limited measure sufficient to prevent the government from careening off the "fiscal cliff" in January by extending tax cuts for most taxpayers and forestalling a painful set of agency budget cuts. In a White House appearance Friday, Obama also called on...

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Questioning Albert Pujols' Age; Injury Bug Strikes NBA Players Abroad

Today in sports: Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is the American League's most value player, an arrest in the stabbing death of Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman, and a tough weekend for NBA players overseas.RELATED: The St. Louis Cardinals Are Cashing In on Their 'Rally Squirrel'Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death early Monday in his home country of the Netherlands....

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Manny Ramirez Can Even Make Errors While Retiring

The former Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez is seeking to leave Major League Baseball's retirement list, and will try to make a comeback. There is one slight hitch, as NBC Sports reports. Ramirez retired after he tested positive, for the second time, for a banned substance, meaning he would have faced a 100-game suspension. He left baseball rather than...

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Meet Yu Darvish, the Next Possibly Great Japanese Pitcher

Today in sports: The bidding process for star Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish ends tonight, Browns president Mike Holmgren thinks his training staff is doing a heckuva job, and Chinese soccer struggles to go legit.RELATED: The Republican National Convention, Ryanomics, and K-popHamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor Joseph Deters has decided not to file criminal charges against the players involved in the...

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