Business - NewsFactor

The top search result for First Lady Michelle Obama via Google images is a crude manipulation adding ape features to her face. And Google says there's nothing it can do about it.

Google has expanded the availability of its free Google Maps Navigation service, which previously ran only on handsets equipped with the company's Android 2.0 operating system. Now handsets running Android 1.6 and higher -- such as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the G1 -- have access to the beta software, according to navigation manager Michael Siliski.

Nokia announced two new slider 3G phones Tuesday -- the 6700 Slide and the 7230. The Finland-based company described the new models as "made for the design-conscious consumer and optimized for socializing and sharing." The devices are among a series of steps Nokia is taking to recover from a downturn.

Joost, a provider of online TV, movies and music, has received a boost. The company, which operates out of offices in the U.S., the U.K., and the Netherlands, has been acquired by Adconion.

On Tuesday, Amazon.com unveiled two new improvements in the latest-generation Kindle: 85 percent more battery life and a native PDF reader. With the latest enhancements, Kindle users can now read e-books for seven days -- even with wireless connectivity turned on -- before running out of battery power. If users leave the wireless connectivity turned off, the Kindle will run for two weeks without the need to recharge.

On the heels of Google's Teracent acquisition, TiVo has announced a deal of its own with the search giant. TiVo has entered into an audience-research agreement with Google to empower the Google TV Ads platform.

As it struggles to reinvent itself, AOL has the savvy, technology and assets to succeed, but may not have the time, according to a former executive of the company. "AOL has quite a number of hidden gems and Internet properties that many users don't even know are part of the brand," says Jules Polonetsky, who was AOL's chief privacy officer and a senior vice president from 2002 to 2008. "That includes dozens of the most highly visited blogs, like the leading technology blog Engadget, that draw substantial advertising revenue."

Microsoft's decision engine Bing may get the push it needs to better compete with search-engine giant Google. News Corp., a global media company and publisher of several news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and Fox, and online networks such as MySpace.com may pull its search content listings from Google and move them to Bing.

Is an iPhone an acceptable device for business users? Verizon Wireless and AT&T have been involved in a public multimillion-dollar spat over the question with dueling television advertising campaigns -- and a lawsuit to boot. Now Apple is stepping into the fray with its own ads.

Things are changing in the world of smartphones, according to the October Mobile Metrics Report from AdMob. The organization, which is in the process of being acquired by Google, traced the operating systems and handsets running on devices served by its network, said Nicole Leverich, the company's director of corporate communications.

On Monday, Google announced it plans to acquire yet another advertising company. The search giant has targeted Teracent, a San Mateo, Calif., startup that customizes display ads for different situations. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Verizon Wireless said Monday that it will begin shipping Samsung's Omnia II smartphone on Dec. 2. The new handset features Samsung's TouchWiz 2.0 user interface, which provides users with the ability to customize and personalize their devices in a number of different ways.

While Apple's App Store has been king of its particular hill, there are indications that at least some developers are getting annoyed at its policies -- and are increasingly developing for other platforms, such as Google's Android. Now Apple is beginning to push back.

Just two weeks after Apple iPhone users in Australia reported jailbroken iPhones came under siege by attackers, a new version of the iPhone worm is posing a threat. Symantec reports the new worm targets jailbroken iPhones running SSH that are still using the default password. The worm can reportedly steal data stored on the iPhone as well as connect back to the attacker, giving them control of the phone.

The California Energy Commission has regulated a new set of energy efficiency standards for new televisions measuring 58 inches (1,400 square inches) and smaller in California, beginning in 2011. The commission said the standards will improve the energy efficiency of televisions without affecting their quality.

In what may remind many consumers of the Amazon Kindle's early days, Barnes & Noble expects shipments of its nook e-book reader to be delayed. On Friday, the giant book retailer said it has sold out its first batch of nooks amid high demand -- and new shipments won't be available until after the holiday shopping season ends.

Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit Friday afternoon after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery. Dell's shipments were flat in the third quarter and down five percent from the year-ago period despite improvements in the large-enterprise and small-and-midsize business segments and increased demand and revenue from business customers.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer isn't talking turkey when it comes to the software giant's newest operating system. At a shareholder meeting Thursday in Bellevue, Wash., Ballmer told investors that Windows 7 sold double the number of copies in one month as its previous Windows Vista operating system.

On Friday, Cloud Engines released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely. The company described Pogoplug as "your own personal cloud that broadcasts safely from your home."