BUSINESS

Acer launched AcerCloud while unveiling its super-slim notebook ahead of the CES kickoff.

Study finds huge majority of UK companies negative about economic effects of 2012 games.

Ever looked at your fridge and thought that it could do with a big touchscreen, computer, camera, barcode reader, internet connection and the ability to talk to your oven?

This year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas marked the end of an era, as Microsoft - who has headlined the event for 14 years - made its last CES keynote.

Ireland had a rather gruelling year in 2011 with the Minister for Finance, Fine Gael's Michael Noonan, capping it in early December 2011 with the country's fourth austerity Budget in a row. Aiding Mr Noonan in this somewhat unpleasant if necessary task, was his Labour, Coalition partner, Brendan Howlin.

Chambers of Commerce survey of UK business shows risk of stagnant economy but no definite recession.

Thinktank concludes there is no link between immigration and unemployment levels in the UK.

Controlling our computers with a flick of the hand, Minority Report-style, might not be as far-fetched as we once thought, as Microsoft is bringing Kinect to Windows.

Entertainment company blames 'weak' video game market for continuing decline.

Fierce competition for education leads to deadly crush as enrolment opens for thousands of would-be students.

A common theme of CES this year is Smart TVs, and hot on the heels of LG, Samsung has announced its own range of internet-connected televisions.

Sony has announced its 2012 range of BRAVIA televisions at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, featuring tough gorilla glass and high-speed 3D panels.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has announced the much-anticipated 2.0 software update for the PlayBook tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Mercedes-Benz will showcase an exclusive Facebook app in-built in its vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

Encouraged by the increasing demand, the company is expanding its facilities.

There's hope for the 127 Britons who face unemployment after the liquidation of ferry firm SeaFrance on 9 January, as Eurotunnel eyes the business's assets.

LG has announced a new range of Smart TVs, featuring voice- and gesture-based controls, an almost invisible 5mm bezel and integration with Google TV

Wireless charging has been with us for a few years now, but has never really take off due to the technology not being built into smartphones, tablets and the like.

The head of the Swiss Central Bank, Philipp Hildebrand, has stepped down amid a storm of suspicion following a currency transaction made by his wife.

It seems that 2012 will be the year of the smart TV, with Lenovo being the first manufacturer of clever televisions to break cover at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Greece must speed up its debt restructure or risk getting no more bailout cash, warns senior European leaders.

With Netflix just arriving on UK shores, analysts have come to question whether it will be able to compete with established streaming services such as Amazon's LoveFilm.

The next iPhone and iPad could feature a super-powerful quad-core processor, if recent findings in a beta build of the iOS 5.1 operating system are to be believed.

Gaming enthusiasts will get paid to play the latest edition of Grand Theft Auto and come up with any bug that may have got into it.

Celebrity chef Anthony Worrall Thomson has been cautioned by police after he was found shoplifting in Oxfordshire on Friday.

British retailers experienced an increase in administrations in 2011 and predictions look bleak for growth in 2012.

Devil May Cry Reboot has provoked death threats from its fans over the looks of Dante in the game. A comic book release alongside death metal songs are dedicated to the game developers in this regard.

Falling tablet prices and the need to stay connected while on the move should spur the sales of tablets. Expect Brits to consume a whopping 8 million tablets in 2012, according to a Sky report.

Coalition will pursue new fairness agenda in 2012 as priority as anger grows over fat cat pay packets and bonuses and 'merry-go-round' of salary deals.