Technology

One of the slickest things Apple ever did to lure consumers to its products was creating the Genius Bar and Apple Care, offering fast, face-to-face customer support. Now, Apple is taking the same approach to small-biz IT support with a service called Joint Venture.

Talks between Apple and China Mobile didn't go so well back in 2009, but Steve Jobs apparently wants to take another stab at getting his wildly popular iPhone onto the world's largest network. And Apple may be more accommodating about terms now that Google's Android is gaining share globally.

Microsoft has gained on Google in search engine rankings -- if only by a little. But it is taking advantage of the momentum by launching a new Bing shopping product for phones and computers.

Gartner has lowered its laptop-sales forecast for this year and the next, predicting that the popularity of tablets and smartphones will slow laptop sales. Gartner expects worldwide laptop sales to increase 11% this year and and 14% next year, down from a previously forecast 16$ and 15%, respectively.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has rejected the IPO rumors and widely reported notion that the popular microblogging site is in talks to sell a 10% stake to JPMorgan Chase for $450 million -- which would have jacked up the site's valuation to $4.5 billion.

Chrysler is recalling nearly half a million popular minivan and crossover models because the engines may unexpectedly turn off while driving, increasing the risk for a crash.

Research In Motion (RIMM) will unveil its PlayBook tablet computer on April 10, according to the odd-but-often-correct website the Boy Genius Report. That's soon -- but perhaps not soon enough, based on Wednesday's launch of the Apple (AAPL) iPad 2.

The PlayBook has been described by RIM as better...

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave, made a surprise appearance at Apple's launch event to unveil the iPad 2, its next-generation tablet. It will go on sale in the U.S. on March 11. The company's stock edged up on the news.

Ford Motor is recalling nearly 32,000 recent-vintage pickup trucks and crossover vehicles in two separate actions to fix fuel leaks and electrical shorts that may lead to fires, according to a notice posted Wednesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety site.

Verizon has put off by three months its switchover from an unlimited data plan to tiered pricing for new customers, possibly to coincide with the release of the iPhone 5 this summer. Exact pricing for the new plan is still not determined.