Jobs says no to tethered iPad

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs has reportedly quashed the hopes of prospective iPad buyers who thought they might be able to access the Internet with the new devices using their iPhone data plan.
Swedish record producer Jezper Soderlund reports that he asked Jobs about the practice known as tethering in an e-mail:
"I'll keep it short.
I'm Jezper […]

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Student loan provider offers online savings

Students can now pay their college loans and save with Sallie Mae.
The largest U.S. student loan company took its first steps into retail banking Tuesday with the launch of two new online savings accounts.
The Reston, Va.-based company said it will offer high-yield savings accounts with a 1.35% interest rate and certificates of deposit […]

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Bernanke Lays Groundwork for Exit, Avoids Timetable

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke laid more groundwork for exiting his record expansion of credit without saying when he’ll take the first step.
Bernanke yesterday described how the Fed might use tools such as interest it pays on banks’ deposits to tighten credit “at some point.” In congressional testimony, he said a potential […]

China Trade Deal ‘Vital’ First Step for Taiwan, Official Says

Taiwan needs to seal a free trade agreement with China to ensure the island can compete with regional rivals in global markets, according to the island’s official who is leading the talks.
Taiwan has been unable to join in a wave of bilateral or multilateral free-trade agreements in recent years because China regards the […]

Ameren customers will see new charge on bills

AmerenUE’s 1.2 million Missouri electricity customers will see a new charge on bills because of higher fuel costs.
The average monthly increase for residential customers is 15 cents. The exact amount will vary by household and by month depending on electricity usage.
The charge reflects a $19.8 million rise in the utility’s fuel and purchased power costs from June to September and will appear on […]

San Jose mulls downtown business incentives

San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo is suggesting waiving fees, offering free parking and reimbursing companies for the taxes they generate to encourage businesses to locate in the city's downtown.
Liccardo, whose council district includes the downtown, said Monday that as the country emerges from the worst recession in 75 years, the city must seize opportunities to […]

New Phoenix Coyotes owners commit to long-term lease

The prospective new owners of the Phoenix Coyotes are willing to sign a long-term lease to keep the team in Arizona, but they also are looking at playing some “home” games in western Canada to boost revenue and attendance.
Ice Edge Holdings Inc. also is talking about parking charges at the Glendale-owned Jobing.com Arena to help […]

U.S. Economy: Payrolls Unexpectedly Dropped 85,000

The U.S. unexpectedly lost 85,000 jobs in December, supporting Federal Reserve forecasts that a labor market recovery will take time and making it more likely interest rates will stay near zero for the next six months.
Payrolls fell last month after a revision showed a gain of 4,000 in November, the first in almost […]

HBJ readers hope to slim waistlines

Despite any concerns about economic woes, more Houston Business Journal readers want to focus on their health in the new year.
Of the 328 responses to this week’s BusinessPulse survey asking about New Year’s resolutions, 26 percent said they want to lose weight. That was closely followed by 24 percent who didn’t make resolutions.
Other survey choices […]

Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Rose for Fifth Month

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in October for a fifth consecutive month, putting the housing market and economy farther along the path to recovery.
The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index increased 0.4 percent from the prior month on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 0.2 percent rise in September, the group said today in […]