Microsoft RIM… doesn’t sound too bad, eh? Well, definitely doesn’t sound too bad for Research in Motion (RIM-T) shareholders, whose shares rose today on speculation that the Canadian-maker of the BlackBerry handheld device could be bought by Microsoft Corp (MSFT-Q). Waterloo-based RIM’s shares rose $2.10, or 2.42 percent, to $88.90 in Toronto. Meanwhile in the [...]

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A New Jersey teen, George Hotz, 17, confirmed last week Friday that he has unlocked Apple’s iPhone from the AT&T Wireless Network. This frees the most hyped cell phone for use in other networks worldwide. Calls to AT&T and Apple for comment were not immediately returned. The iPhone unlock is still a bit complicated, and [...]

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Although Canadians, in general, seem to be more comfortable with the Conservatives, they hold mixed feelings when asked about Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A poll conducted by the Strategic Counsel shows the Conservatives and the Liberals deadlocked, with each being named as the first choice of 33 percent of respondents. In general though, Canadians seem [...]

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The Canadian dollar fell today in the wake of an inflation report that economists said is more likely to keep the Bank of Canada on the sidelines next month. The central bank raised interest rates to 4.5 percent on July 10, and suggested that further increases were a possibility – due to inflationary pressures. Although [...]

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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Mattel Inc., by Attorney Jefferey Killino, for its lead poisoned toys. The lawsuit, filed today, is aimed at forcing the world’s largest toy maker (Mattel Inc.) to pay for the testing of children who might have gotten lead poisoning from the Chinese-made toys. The 1.5 million toys [...]

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What is subprime mortgage? A mortgage given to a home-buyer with less than sufficient credit, or who lacks a proven income source to support loan payments. Lenders with excess money in the U.S. were giving loans to almost anyone who asked – charging a little more interest in return for the riskier loans. The lenders [...]

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An Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates energy investment company has started operating a Canadian-based oil and gas firm after completing a two-billion-dollar acquisition. “Beginning today, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) will own and operate TAQA North Ltd, following the completion of the acquisition of Northrock Resources Ltd, a subsidiary of the US firm Pogo [...]

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Say ‘Goodbye’ to your 2007 gains (if you haven’t already done so, on reading the title of this post). For those of you who seen your mutual fund gains vanish after the China scare earlier this year, and haven’t checked on them ever since, your funds are probably just the way you left them – [...]

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Canada’s housing starts slowdown to 220,000 this year, down 3.2 percent from last year, says the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This slowdown is partly due to higher prices, and rising mortgage costs. The agency also made a forecast of a drop to 207,200 next year as well. “Despite high employment levels, income gains [...]

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Wow. I just finished writing about the possible end of hearing the word “recall” so often – but I guess I was wrong. Toy maker Mattel Inc. just announced its second wave of recalls of Chinese-made toys today, due to concerns that they may contain excessive amounts of lead and small parts. The company is [...]

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