BUSINESS

Because of their portability and lower prices compared to laptops, the tablet market bloomed in the past two years, causing sales of PCs and laptops to decline further. With so many tablet computers available on the market as tech companies cash in on the tablet trend, experts recommend that potential buyers of the device answer first the following seven questions before making a decision what unit to purchase.

Five years after the global financial crisis hit in 2008 and Wall Street crashed, unemployment remains a top problem in the United States. Across the 50 states, the unemployment rate is 7.6 per cent in March, slightly down from 7.7 per cent in February 2013.

Australian shares are 1.2 per cent higher at midday following a strong end to trade overnight and a weaker than forecast inflation reading. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is currently higher for the fourth straight day, making it the second longest winning streak of the year. The index is also above 5000.0 points.

The new Android OS version 5.0 or Key Lime Pie is expected to appear in the upcoming Google I/O in May, but something might delay this appearance by two or four months. Another news revolves around the absence of both Nexus 5 and Motorola X Phone in the same event. Are these all true?

If Aussie computer whiz kids can level up to include entrepreneurial skills in their list of technological expertise, Australia can create a sector of tech start-up firms that could contribute $109 billion to the economy annually by 2033 as well as create 540,000 new jobs.

Last week, an apparently Photoshopped image of Apple CEO Tim Cook ranting at the tombstone of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs did the rounds of social media sites. Was the image prophetic of what Mr Cook will do these coming days given the second quarter results of the iPhone and iPad maker? Or would he instead gloat because while the numbers spell slower growth, earnings and number of devices shipped beat analysts' expectations?

ASUS continues to update their devices with Android 4.2 firmware and includes the Memo Pad Smart ME301T in the list. This update brings new features such as lock screen widgets, improved keyboard experience and bug fixes.

A ray of hope is on the horizon for the bird flu scare gripping China for three weeks now as scientists from the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) on Tuesday said the influenza A H7N9 virus showed to be combination of genes from various viruses.

Sony announced before that the Xperia Tablet S will receive an update of Android Jelly Bean OS but without any certainty. Now, the update that owners have waited for is finally rolling out, bringing 4.1 Jelly Bean goodness.

Grain growers in Australia's South Australia and Victoria have been advised to implement necessary measures as prevailing dry weather conditions are expected to continue for at least the next three months, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

- Market leading container position- Broker sentiment positive- Moelis sees further upside availableBy Andrew NelsonRoyal Wolf ((RWH)) is a stock that has begun to garner increasing attention since listing in 2011.

Toyota Motor Corp. does not stop in its attempts to expand. It is widely rumored that the Japan's automaker is to reveal its plans to start production of Lexus cars in the United States. Interestingly, it seems that Toyota Motor Corp. is striving for the title of the No.1 in the US luxury ranking which the company lost back in 2011.

The continued financial crisis in large and small economies across the world, has led to academics revisiting the concept of debt in the context of borrowing. Currently, the US debt is 74 percent of its GDP and analysts predict that the numbers will remain the same in the next ten years, causing a lot of concern for both sides: policy makers and taxpayers.

As the world grows more dependent on technology, people who use laptops, PCs, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices also develop bad habits on their usage along the way.

Greg PeelThe Dow rose 152 points, or 1.1%, while the S&P gained 1.0% to 1578 and the Nasdaq added 1.1%.

It was an almost counter intuitive day for the local share market on Tuesday which managed a solid improvement of 1% not withstanding a weaker than expected reading on Chinese manufacturing.

Smart sensor technology, specifically the ability to control a smartphone interface, is a not a monopoly of Google-Motorola, a U.S. court said, thereby ensuring that the iPhone 5S, the iPhone 6, Nexus 5 and the X-Phone will continue to display such capability.

Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways is planning to enter a fourth strategic alliance with Latam Airlines in a bid to boost its international business, particularly on the thriving Latin American market.

By Andrew NelsonThe low volume drop in uranium prices booked the week before last drew out some new buyers last week.

After tech experts from CNET picked in March the Surface Pro table as the best high-end Windows 8 tablets in the market, a month after, another tech Web site pointed to the same tablet as best Windows 8 machines you can buy.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportMe old mate Craig James of CommSec says the answer to all questions is pretty well "China!" Our high dollar, our budget deficit, lower commodity prices, even the current lower share prices are all linked back to China.

Instagram's 100 million users could soon earn money from the images they post on the Web site using its popular photo sharing app.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 19 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P gained 0.5% to 1562 as the Nasdaq added 0.

By M. Ayhan Kose, Prakash Loungani, Marco E. TerronesThe Great Recession has been followed by a 'Not-So-Great Recovery'.

Monday saw a fairly constructive tone of trade to start a holiday shortened week. Weekend developments helped lift the spirit of investors. There was relief that the Italians had formed a Government at long last. Asian markets specifically were relieved that the G20 Communique presented no obstacles to the ambitions of the Bank of Japan in relation to its quantitative easing program.

U.S. cellular carriers are already accepting pre-orders online, including AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, but the Verizon network is still not offering any Galaxy S4 in the meantime. It remains a mystery why Verizon hasn't announced any pre-orders for Galaxy S4. What happened and why is it still a bum?

Samsung will go telepathic and telekinetic features as their next big thing on upcoming devices. Some of these are already present to their current devices, including Galaxy S4 with eye-tracking and hovering sensors. What are the possible mentally manipulated features that Samsung has on its sleeves?

A new strain of Android malware was discovered by LookOut Security. It infected millions of Android running devices globally. The manifestation is a Russian-looking clone apps now spreading fast online.

It was a big week for apps last week as big tech companies and developers released new ones. Here are the top 7 picked by Web site Mashable, which called these as not-to-be missed apps.