CarrierCompare: The iPhone app your carrier doesn’t want you to see

A new app hit the iTunes store Friday morning that your carrier probably isn’t too thrilled about.
It’s called CarrierCompare. Developed by Boston-based startup SwayMarkets, it allows you to see which carrier offers the best service for your iPhone in any given location.

The crowd-sourced app is simple to use. After you touch the start screen, […]

Skittles joins food brands at center of tragedy

It could’ve been Starbursts, Twizzlers or Sour Patch Kids. But when Trayvon Martin was fatally shot, he happened to be carrying a bag of Skittles.
The 17-year-old’s death at the hands of a neighborhood watchman in February ignited nationwide protests and heated debate about racial profiling and “Stand Your Ground” laws.
For Mars Inc., the privately held […]

Obama healthcare law could sharply worsen U.S. deficits: study

President Barack Obama’s healthcare law could sharply exceed its cost-savings targets and add up to $530 billion to the federal budget deficit, a leading authority on U.S. government benefit programs said on Tuesday.
A study by Charles Blahous, a George Mason University research fellow and the Republican trustee for the Medicare and Social Security entitlement […]

Analysis: How low can U.S. jobless rate really fall?

Gary Feeman has been searching for a job for 16 months. He’s not ready to give up just yet, but the 60-year-old worries he is running out of options.
Feeman is among the more than 5 million Americans who have been out of work for more than six months and who represent the heart of […]

Rents keep rising as home prices stagnate

Renting used to be cheaper than buying. But in many U.S. cities that’s no longer the case, as rents continue to climb and home prices stagnate.
While asking prices for homes declined 0.7% over the past 12 months through March, rents rose 5%, according to a report released Thursday by real estate listing site Trulia. […]

Ireland Buys More Time on Bond Market Return after Debt Accord - Bloomberg

Irish Finance Minster Michael Noonan laid out plans to ease the immediate burden of repaying the country

US weekly unemployment aid applications decline

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dropped last week, the latest evidence that the job market is strengthening.
The Labor Department says weekly unemployment benefit applications fell 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 359,000. That’s the smallest number of applicants since April 2008. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, declined to 365,000.
The department also […]

Cisco goes after Apple TV with $5 billion NDS deal

Cisco Systems is riding the wave of connected televisions with a splashy $5 billion acquisition deal for NDS Group, a privately held British TV software company.
NDS makes software for about 90 cable and satellite companies around the world, enabling content to be delivered to set-top boxes and DVRs as well as mobile devices. That […]

Iran Central Bank Says Rial Can Be Traded at Market Rates - Bloomberg

Iran

US brings new trade case against China

The Obama administration is bringing a new trade case against China that seeks to pressure Beijing to end export restrictions on key materials used to manufacture hybrid car batteries, flat-screen televisions and other high-tech goods.
The latest action, announced Tuesday, is part of President Barack Obama’s broader effort to crack down on what his administration sees […]