USA TODAY-
SAN FRANCISCO — With an eye on the holiday selling season, Apple on Wednesday announced an overhaul of its iconic iPod line of media players, a revamp of its underperforming Apple TV box, and a new social media network in iTunes.

In a widely anticipated announcement, Apple (AAPL) cut the price of Apple TV to $99, down from $229. It will be available in four weeks.

Many companies are looking to bring Internet entertainment to the living room with set-top boxes and other initiatives, including rival Google, which is expected soon to launch Google TV with several partners.

FULL STORY: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2010-09-01-apple-ipods_N.htm.

The end of summer is approaching fast and everyone wants to get out and enjoy those last few days in the sun.

But if all your summer fun depleted your Labor Day travel funds, consider these ideas for road trip savings:

There are still plenty of great deals to be found if you book a room now for this weekend. “But don’t delay,” advises Bob Deiner, president ofGetaRoom.com. “We expect hotels to raise rates right before the weekend.”

Deiner’s low price pick for Labor Day: Orlando. The Disney Regal Sun is offering deals as low as $55 a night.

Botox may ease wrinkles, but a $600 million government fine today of its manufacturer Allergan is making clear it’s not a legal remedy for headaches, pains and juvenile cerebral palsy.

The Justice Department today came down hard on Allergan for making such claims, announcing a settlement that has Allergan pleading guilty to one misdemeanor criminal count of promoting Botox for off-label use as well as civil charges. Of the $600 million, $375 million is a criminal fine and the rest is a civil settlement that will be split with some state attorneys general, who in 2008 had sued the company.

Sharp Electronics is recalling thousands of 32-inch LCD TVs over a concern the neck support of the stand can break and cause the TV to topple, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Sharp said the recall only involves its LC-32SB28UT model TV. The company has set up a website to help consumers identify whether their model TV is subject to this recall.

The recall by Sharp preceded any reports of problems to the company, the CPSC said.

About 9,000 TVs sold between March and August for about $550 are being recalled. They were made in China in March and April.

The social-network giant is getting into the gift card business, starting Sunday, with Facebook Credits cards.

The new Facebook gift cards will be available in values of $15, $25 and $50 at all of Target’s 1,750 retail stores and at Target.com. Two or three more national retailers will start selling the cards in coming months.

This will be the first time Facebook has had any presence in a retail store. Facebook already has an arrangement with online-payment services PayPal and MOL to purchase Facebook Credits.

Facebook is banking that a sizable chunk of its 500 million members will purchase the cards and use them on their favorite social games, applications and virtual goods.

The gift cards, which look and work like Apple’s iTunes cards, were created by GMG Entertainment, which also produced iTunes cards. Target carries iTunes cards, too.

FULL STORY: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2010-09-01-target01_ST_N.htm

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A hot new smartphone can be Incredible, Vibrant, Epic or just “eh,” but no matter how it stacks up, it’s a safe bet that it will start selling at $199.

On the four major wireless networks — Verizon Wireless (VZ, Fortune 500), AT&T, Sprint (S, Fortune 500) and T-Mobile — there are 13 smartphones priced at $199 with a two-year contract. There are no phone models with a higher starting price (add-ons like more memory can increase the price tag), and there are more smartphones selling at $199 than at any other single price point.

FULL STORY: http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/01/technology/smartphone_price/index.htm

Although McDonald’s retired the “super-sized” option from its menus in 2004, chain restaurants continue to redefine the size of a typical serving of food, often doubling or tripling official government serving sizes, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The national average price for gasoline has been falling steadily this month, reaching $2.678 for a gallon of unleaded on Monday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That’s about 6 cents a gallon less than a month ago and 7 cents less than it was on the Friday before the July Fourth weekend.

West Coast drivers pay the most for gas — between $2.792 a gallon and $3.539 a gallon. The cheapest gas is in Texas, the Gulf Coast states and parts of the Midwest, where prices range from $2.431 to $2.523 a gallon.

FULL STORY: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2010-08-30-gas-prices_N.htm

Remember how everyone complained that banks weren’t doing enough to help troubled borrowers?

Well …

Banks have realized that foreclosing on home after home after home may not be in anyone’s best interest — least of all their own. So they’ve ramped up the number of loan modifications they’re handing out to their delinquent clients.

Banks are doing nearly twice as many modifications under their own foreclosure prevention initiatives than under the Obama administration’s signature Home Affordable Modification Program, known as HAMP.

FULL STORY:http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/30/news/economy/foreclosure_modifications/index.htm

Learn some of the tips for getting the best rewards cards to charge those back-to-school purchases on.