sale

New Jersey residents ordering from Amazon will pay sales tax on their purchases next year, the state's governor announced today.

Gov. Chris Christie said his office has reached an agreement with the company, which plans to begin construction on two "state-of-the-art" fulfillment distribution center facilities in New Jersey next year. While the center is expected to create several thousands jobs, Amazon will also start collecting taxes as part of the deal, according to a press release.

Amazon will start collecting sales tax by July, 1 2013, unless federal legislators can establish legislation for sales tax collection from out-of-state retailers … Read more

commentary A year from now, Research in Motion may not exist.

A little while ago, that might have been a controversial call. Sure, RIM had its share of problems, but many were willing to give it some space to possibly turn itself around. But after today's first-quarter warning and disclosure that it hired bankers to advise it on strategic reviews, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that RIM's days as a standalone company are numbered.

All you have to do is look at the bankers. RIM said today that it hired J.P. Morgan and RBC Capital for … Read more

Already on shaky footing, Research In Motion is being dealt another blow. After 14 years of company loyalty, the company's London-based head of global sales is moving on, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Patrick Spence was with the company since 1998 but had only been in his current position as SVP and managing director of global sales and regional marketing for the last 10 months, according to The Next Web.

This shakeup comes at a bad time for RIM. It is struggling to bring back lost market share and sales for its once popular BlackBerry devices, but it'… Read more

Those of you in the market for an iPhone 4 can now pick one up at Best Buy for just $49.99.

The iPhone 4 is half off the usual retail price of $99.99 and requires a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless, AT&T, or Sprint. Potential buyers have a color choice of black or white.

The deal seems to be an in-store only promotion as the Best Buy Web site shows that none of the models is available for shipping. Stock may also be limited -- an online search of various stores around the country revealed the … Read more

iPhone buyers looking for a healthy discount on a new phone can find one at their local RadioShack store, the company tweeted this week.

The retailer is selling the 16GB iPhone 4S for $149.99, the 32GB edition for $249.99, and the 8GB iPhone 4 for $49, all three a full $50 off the retail price.

The promotion is in-store only, so customers can't score the lower price by ordering online. As expected, the sale price requires the usual two-year contract. Buyers can choose from among any of the three U.S. iPhone carriers: Verizon Wireless, AT&… Read more

In today's show, Google takes us for a spin, ultrabooks are no longer ultra-pricey, and the iPad isn't just for humans anymore:

Hewlett-Packard announced several new thin and light laptops under the Envy brand. Some are officially called ultrabooks, equiped with Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processors, while less-expensive ones are called sleekbooks. But regardless of the different labels, it means high-quality thin and light laptops are moving into the $600 to $700 price range. (There's even a rumor that the MacBook Air -- the computer that kickstarted the ultrabook craze -- will drop its price to $… Read more

Apple has updated its after-sales policy in South Korea, making it the world's best, according to a regulator in that country.

According to the Korea Herald, citing a statement from the country's Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Apple will now replace all defective products in that country with new devices within the first month of purchase. The company will even replace devices that become defective after the first month with a new model if the issue is obviously caused by a manufacturing issue. Apple had previously offered the policy to Korean customers with its iPhone last year, but has … Read more

If you think you paid the government enough in taxes this year, think again. An alliance of state and federal politicians, with the assistance of deep-pocketed big-box retailers, is hoping to lighten your wallet by levying new Internet sales taxes.

Their plan: to convince the U.S. Congress to approve a law that would allow states to force Amazon.com, Overstock.com, Blue Nile, and other online-only retailers to collect sales taxes from out-of-state customers.

So far, they've had little success. But a state government budget shortfall estimated to total around $50 billion next fiscal year, coupled with accelerated … Read more

Research In Motion, struggling to keep its BlackBerrys relevant in the smartphone game, could still make an attractive prize for the right acquirer.

RIM is considering hiring a banker to explore its "strategic alternatives" -- often code word for putting itself on the block -- according to a Bloomberg report today.

The move is in line with CEO Thorsten Heins' recent comments during the last quarterly earnings announcement that he would explore all options for the company, something prior leaders were reluctant to do. For shareholders, it may be their only way to get any kind of return … Read more