BUSINESS

Apple Maps is still confusing to use, and it has caused several incidents in 2012, not to mention misleading people to drive into the middle of the forest. The application's flaw led Apple to include Google Maps available for download as an alternative for users using iOS devices in other areas not yet covered by the app.

As promised, LG uncloaked the Optimus G Pro via the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and everyone saw a strong phablet contender that aims to dislodge Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 from its throne.

The invites are out and by March 14 the world will get a glimpse of what mettle the Samsung Galaxy S4 is made of, possibly answering this question: What new smartphone capabilities do we get to see?

Samsung smartphone owners would soon be able to make payments for their purchases by merely waving their units near a special reader. The privilege would be open to owners of smartphones with the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that allows a phone to transmit information to a nearby reader without touching the reader.

Pitting the two handsets, we should be able to appreciate which delivers the best value for every dollar

The Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS and co-creator of the Nexus 4 announced on Monday an Android tablet with Intel Atom processor installed. The company unveiled the information at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with will lead to more power for the Android ecosystem using the Clover Trail feature of the processor.

Things are getting out of hand. Recent credit growth data from China's economy should be enough to excite the bears and the bulls alike. Total social financing, the metric of credit growth used to encapsulate both bank and non-bank lending in China, was a whopping US$400 billion in January alone. Or $4.8 trillion annualised!

With the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) set to meet again in the next few days to make another overnight cash rate decision, the central bank hinted on Tuesday that it may cut the current 3 per cent key lending rate to offset the impact of the strong Australian currency.

On February 26, 2013, the Assistant Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Guy Debelle, addressed a breakfast gathering at the University of Adelaide Business School.

- Tropical Cyclone Rusty expected to make landfall today- Port Hedland and Dampier ports already closed- Supply disruptions expected- Possible short term run in spot pricesBy Andrew NelsonIt's either the product of a good sense of humour, or a wonderful example of natural irony, but either way ...

The UK is expected to benefit from an increase in North Sea investment as oil and gas companies will spend at least £13 billion in 2013. What is interesting is the fact that 2013 North Sea spending is estimated to reach its highest level in 30 years.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 216 points, or 1.6%, while the S&P lost 1.8% to 1487 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.

Initial data on China's manufacturing activity indicated a sharp decrease in February, raising concerns over the recovery of the Asian dragon. The deceleration was driven by weak global demand for China's exports and the timing of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. A survey by HSBC and Markit Economics showed that China's manufacturing expanded at the slowest rate in four months.

By Andrew NelsonLast week The Japan Times reported that Japanese utilities were selling uranium inventory.

The Australian share market ended higher on Monday although it wasn't a flawless performance. Figures released mid-session revealed that activity in the Chinese manufacturing sector eased in the month of February. As a result the Aussie dollar and the share market retreated in response.

Huawei, the Chinese smartphone company and the world's third-largest maker, released on Sunday what it claims the world's fastest smartphone to date, the Ascend P2.

More clues leaking out are suggesting that Apple has redesigned the next generation iPad to resemble that of the iPad Mini and fifth take is breaking out June this year.

The TouchPad was a disaster for Hewlett-Packard, once safely nestled as the global leader in PC manufacturing, so the company is a trying a tablet market re-entry on the safe side: Use Google’s Android and sell cheap, for as low as $US169.

We may have some of the world's most liveable cities, but Australian children (and adults) live a severely deprived life. It's probably got something to do with the time difference, but the cultural phenomenon of 'Domino Day' never seems to feature on Australian television screens. Even when Kylie Minogue received the world's ultimate honour of knocking over the first domino in 2001, nobody in Australia got to watch, as far as we know.

Now that the Galaxy S4 is coming out, experts believe it will be an instant hit, possibly neutralising every competition around, including the affordable and powerful Nexus 4.

The Australian sharemarket has opened the week higher following strong global leads over the weekend.

With the increasing volume of data placed online, the need for better security protection for email or social networking accounts becomes stronger. Tech security experts said that the earlier use of biometric features had leveled up from the traditional fingerprint or facial recognition.

No AMOLED screen display tech and Exynos CPU for the Galaxy S4, a new report said, further strengthening earlier reports that the new Samsung flagship will rely on a 1.9GHz Qualcomm chip for brute power.

- TPI result surprises- Trend improving- Recovery story beginning- Not without riskBy Greg PeelOnce flying high with an $11 stock price, waste collector and recycler Transpacific Industries ((TPI)) found itself a significant victim of the 2007 global credit crunch as the market rushed out of over-le...

Singapore, the better business destination, informed that its economy expanded in the fourth quarter of 2012 more than initially expected, proving that Asia is slowly recovering. However, it has been underlined that the outlook for the Singapore's economy was "cautiously positive," indicating that growth is expected to reach 1 - 3 percent for 2013.

As smartphones become more popular with new technologies being imbedded in these mobile devices, the chances of theft of cellular phones are also on the rise. There is also the possibility that handheld units are misplaced or inadvertently lost. To help phone owners deal with these situations, developers have come up with apps that help the users track their lost or filched phones. Here are three of these apps available for Android users on Google Play.

The cover was long peeled off but when Samsung formally let out the new Galaxy Note 8.0, what came out is an elegant-looking gadget carrying on the Note tradition that the South Korean tech giant started in 2010 – a tablet that doubles too as a smartphone.

True to its word, Samsung previewed the Galaxy Note 8.0 right at the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, introducing a device that can be called as a phablet, at least in select regions where it will be released.

Unlike Tom Albanese, his counterpart in Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton (BHP: ASX) Chief Executive Marius Kloppers insisted over the weekend that he was not sacked, and his retirement is part of the miner's succession plan in place since he was appointed to the top post six years ago.