IBT Staff Reporter

With the holidays around the corner, smartphone makers have been busy rolling out some of their best devices. From the Samsung Galaxy S2 (SII) to the Motorola Droid Razr, Android devices in particular having been strutting their stuff, giving the much-hyped iPhone 4S a run for its money.

China's annual inflation rate eased to 5.5 percent in October, a third straight month of decline from July's three-year peak and Premier Wen Jiabao said prices had fallen further since then.

Activision Blizzard revealed it has lost almost a million users for its World of Warcraft cash cow, dampening enthusiasm for its blockbuster Call of Duty franchise and wiping 3 percent off its share price.

State governments would be able to collect online sales taxes under a bill due to be introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, said sources familiar with the bill.

An over-the-top wedding followed by a whipsaw divorce is leading to what can only be called Kardashian backlash.

Sunday was a good night for bad behavior in the cable-ratings race.

Find Cops to be a little too high-brow? TLC has the show for you.

J. Edgar Hoover, America's revered and feared controversial top cop for five decades, was one of the most secretive men in government, keeping covert files on powerful figures including President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

Nominations for the annual People's Choice Awards were announced on Tuesday, with popular films like the final Harry Potter and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean and their actors among nominees.

The booze-fueled misadventures of Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone could be getting the big-screen treatment.

History Channel follows up its Emmy-winning WWII in HD miniseries Tuesday night with the premiere of Vietnam in HD, a three-night, six-hour documentary in which real Vietnam War veterans -- complemented by voiceovers from actors including Armie Hammer, Blair Underwood, James Marsden and Edward Burns -- share their powerful, often painful, memories of Vietnam combat.

Rapper Heavy D, who scored hit singles such as Now That We Found Love, died on Tuesday after falling at his Beverly Hills home, according to media reports. He was 44.

When artists break free from the bands that have always defined them to take up solo careers, some celebrate their emancipation with radical musical departures. Others adhere to the old group's sound as much as possible, either out of fear, habit, or a desire to prove once and for all that they were the brains of the band.

Japan's Rakuten Inc and spun off in late 2009. Indigo is still Kobo's majority shareholder and said it expects to get about $140 million to $150 million from the sale.

Olympus Corp's losses on securities investments mounted to more than 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion) at one point, the Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday, citing sources close to the matter.

Digital entertainment technology firm Rovi Corp reported fourth-quarter revenue that missed market expectations as sales at its consumer software business fell 16 percent, sending its shares down by more than a fifth in extended trade.

Canadian-based e-reading service Kobo Inc will be acquired by Japan's Rakuten Inc for $315 million, the companies said in a release on Friday.

LED supplier Universal Display Corp posted a third-quarter profit, gainsaying loss expectations, as revenue more than tripled, and forecast full-year revenue above expectation, sending its shares up 8 percent in extended trade.

A federal judge ordered Raj Rajaratnam, the Galleon Group hedge fund founder sentenced to 11 years in prison for insider trading, to pay a record $92.8 million penalty in a related Securities and Exchange Commission civil case.

Fannie Mae, the biggest source of money for U.S. home loans, on Tuesday said it needed a further $7.8 billion in federal aid to stay afloat as a shaky housing market widened its third-quarter loss to $5.1 billion.

Activision Blizzard, the largest U.S. video publisher, posted better-than-expected revenue in the third quarter and raised its earnings outlook on strong demand for its holiday games.

State governments would be able to collect online sales taxes under a bill due to be introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, said sources familiar with the bill.

A joint venture of Hitachi Ltd and LG Electronics pleaded guilty to 15 criminal counts in connection with a long running probe of price fixing in the sale of optical disk drives.

The reality TV stars Jim Bob, 46, and Michelle Duggar, 45, are expecting their 20th child in April, 2012, the couple revealed on Today Tuesday morning.

Activision Blizzard, the largest U.S. video publisher, raised its earnings outlook due to strong demand for its top shooter game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which hit stores Tuesday.

The amount of public Internet hotspots (Wi-Fi) globally will grow more than fourfold to 5.8 million by 2015, boosted by consumers increasing demand for connections on smartphones and tablets, an industry study showed on Wednesday.

The robbers struck two shipments of the game, making off with almost 10,000 copies of the latest “Call of Duty.”

Hedge fund managers Paul Singer, Robert Zoellner, Kyle Bass and Israel Englander are among the handful of people millionaires trust with their riches.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 adds 12 new characters to the game, joining the 36 fighters available for MvC3. That brings the total roster up to 48 characters, with two more available as downloadable content.