COMPANIES

Thursday's downgrade contained a veiled threat that pointed at politicians in Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the United States and plainly stated, Stop talking about making the banks responsible for their own follies -- or else.

Google announced a new tool called Google Maps Coordinate on Friday, which helps businesses coordinate tasks and locations via the easy-to-use Google Maps platform. With more than 1.3 billion workers -- 37.2 percent of the total workforce -- expected to be completely mobile by 2015, Google's solution seeks to help businesses communicate with their employees in the field and deploy them with the user-friendly Maps app.

Self-proclaimed travel expert Gabor Orsos is working on a prototypical floating island that will set you back around $5 million to snatch up your own private paradise.

After allegations of racial profiling by Apple Inc. employees against Farsi-speaking customers at Apple stores, the company issued a statement Friday saying it doesn't discriminate against anyone, but it failed to address accusations of specific incidents at Atlanta-area stores.

Cyberdefense specialists in the U.S. and Israel collaborated on the so-called ?Flame? malware that caused havoc with Iran?s nuclear reactors, a top engineer has said.

As expected, the App Store has officially launched in 32 new countries as of Friday, including Albania, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, and Ukraine. This means that app developers can now sell or distribute their applications for gaming, productivity, news, business, education and entertainment in a total of 155 countries around the globe.

Apparently, McDonald?s spends as much time and effort styling their Big Mac?s as celebrity stylists do when prepping red carpet looks. Thanks to a video supplied by McDonald?s Canada, the world now knows what goes into the food styling process behind how the fast food chain makes the burgers seen in advertisements much more appetizing -- and bigger -- than the real deal.

More than a month after the initial public offering of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, investors ought to be on the alert for several bullish signs.

Analyst Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee said in a note to investors Thursday that Apple's next generation iPhone is expected to arrive in October, full 12 months after the release of the iPhone 4S last October, with support for China Mobile's proprietary 3G network, making it a true world phone.

Apple's shining white façade is picking up grime in the year after the death of genius CEO Steve Jobs. Recent weeks have brought a marketing gaffe at the World Wide Developers Conference and accusations of racial profiling against Iranian-Americans and Farsi speakers by Apple Store employees.

The latest blockbuster involves Jerry Sandusky's adopted son.

Nissan Motor Company (Tokyo: 7201) CEO Carlos Ghosn may step down before the start of the company's next mid-term business plan begins in five years, according to Bloomberg News Thursday.

Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), the No. 3 PC maker, seeking to battle Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), the No. 1 database developer, may have been stymied in its efforts to acquire Quest Software (Nasdaq: QFST).

The National Iranian American Council joined the Council of American-Islamic Relations in denouncing Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and asserted that Apple Store employees who have refused to sell iPads and other products to customers speaking Farsi, the language of Iran, have been clearly engaging in racial profiling.

Natalee Holloway's mother has filed a lawsuit against The National Enquirer that claims the tabloid published untrue stories to profit from her daughter's 2005 disappearance in Aruba. According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit filed by Beth Holloway on Wednesday, June 20, claims that the magazine and its publisher, American Media Inc., published false headlines, articles and statements for nearly seven years.

Lanai, Hawaii, was once known as the pineapple capital of the world. Then the pineapple plantations became four-star resorts. What's next? That's up to the new owner: American billionaire Larry Ellison.

A new technology allows for musicians to create music in real time.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it's talking to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) about an official response to reports employees have been refusing to sell iPads and products to customers speaking Farsi, the Iranian national language.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, has won major support from smartphone makers led by Samsung Electronics (Seoul: 005930) to battle Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company.

It may not be the sexiest feature, but it may be one of the most rumored. Although Apple doesn't discuss product pre-releases, several tech sites claim that Apple has built smaller dock connectors for its new phone, dubbed the iPhone 5, by some. TechCrunch is the latest to report on the mini dock connector, but the first to confirm it.

Expectations for U.S. company earnings are on a slippery slope down Wall Street. While the downward slide in estimates highlights the caution analysts and companies are expressing, investors should also be aware that companies are setting lower goals so that they can look better or be able to ?beat estimates? when the results come out.

Rumors about Apple ditching the current 30-pin dock connector in favor of something smaller are nothing new. Reports surfaced last month suggesting that Apple would bring the change to its upcoming iPhone iteration, presumably called the iPhone 5.

Larry Ellison, the CEO of software giant Oracle, is said to have paid between $500 million and $600 million for the 141 square mile Pineapple island.

Microsoft has struck again. Just a couple of days after launching the Surface tablet, the Redmond company took the wraps off the latest iteration of its mobile operating system, the Windows Phone 8, during a nightclub-themed media event in California Wednesday. With an exciting set of new features, the upcoming mobile OS has indeed managed to get the first impression of many onlookers already.

Sanford, Fla., Police Chief Bill Lee, who drew criticism for his department's handling of the killing of Trayvon Martin, was fired Wednesday, his spokeswoman said.

After much anticipation, storied British carmaker Aston Martin finally released its new flagship the AM 310 Vanquish, reviving the Vanquish name after an absence of years and securing a niche for the super grand tourer.

Bank of America directors have reached a definitive settlement of litigation by shareholders, who accused the bank of overpaying for Merrill Lynch, a federal judge said.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, said service had been restored to the iCloud after several hours of disruption on Wednesday.

Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), the No. 3 search engine, could settle its patent dispute with Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, soon, lawyers told a federal judge in San Francisco.