BUSINESS

If Microsoft's Surface Pro is the expert's choice of best Windows tablet, what is the device's counterpart among laptops? Techies unanimously picked Apple's MacBook Pro as the best performing Windows laptop.

Melbourne is planning to join the ranks of cities with landmark skyscrapers as city officials disclosed the proposed 82-storey 404-metre office tower by the Stamoulis Group.

By Greg PeelOn Wednesday night the Dow fell 43 points, or 0.3%, while the S&P was flat at 1578 and the Nasdaq was also flat.

- Woodside hands out dividend presents- Brokers question implications for growth- Woodside will now out-yield the banks- Fresh pressure on BHP and Rio?By Greg PeelThere are two things we can claim to be certainties in the stock market of 2013.

Touch your lover over a distance with new innovation over electronic lingerie and underpants called Fundawear. Using tiny vibrating devices similar to smartphones, let it make you feel your partner anywhere in the planet.

If you're in a card game and you look around the table... if you can't figure out who the fool is, he might be you. Then, you get nervous. You start rubbing your hands or scratching your forehead. The other players will see that you've lost your nerve.

Foxconn could suffer up to $259 million due to substandard or dysfunctional issues of iPhone devices which was returned for repair.

While the Australian market ignored the slow implosion of its big neighbour to the north yesterday, it held a party for Woodside, who boosted its dividend payout ratio from 55% of earnings to 80%, and promised to hold it there for the next few years. The stock price jumped nearly 10%.

Global equity markets surged overnight on the back of deteriorating manufacturing data out of the US, China and Europe. Yep, you heard that right.

China's manufacturing activity for April certainly embittered analysts and markets as the preliminary reading showed that the factory activity expanded at a slower pace than initially expected, adding to signs that the world's second economy was slowing down. There are still many various obstacles ahead of China which is trying to get back on the growth track.

Verizon confirmed pre-order of beginning on April 25, 2013 with release date of the device on May 30th. Verizon finally answered all the questions regarding product specifications and price.

That little smugness must have appeared as Credit Suisse Group AG, which happens to be the Switzerland's second biggest bank, informed that its quarterly earnings topped analysts' projections. The bank is slowly levering itself on feet after facing many challenges, including restructuring, debt, etc.

While speaking on fiscal policies in Brussels, the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, admitted that the 'fiscal austerity' policy practiced in EU in the past 3 years outlived its cause and no longer enjoyed the backing of the people.

HTC released the latest update for their flagship smartphone, HTC One featuring camera, audio, and HDR improvements. Despite the competition with Samsung Galaxy S4 and Sony Xperia Z, HTC continues to devote innovation to their devices.

Network carriers in the United States are having issues with the supply of Samsung Galaxy S4 and concerned with the possible disruption of selling in the country. Samsung reacts to the unexpected high demands and now making efforts on replenishing stocks soon.

Several details revealed that Final Fantasy Versus XIII becomes exclusive to Sony PlayStation 4 and will not be released on Xbox. A report details the financial help from Sony to Square Enix for Final Fantasy XIII development.

The Australian share market has closed 1.6 per cent higher as a lower than expected inflation report excited investor expectations of an interest rate cut in the near term. A majority of sectors registered strong gains. The Financial, Industrial, Health and Utilities sub-indices all gained more than 2%.

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.