Nicholas Negroponte's ambitious plan to get a laptop computer into the hands of up to 150 million of the world's poorest children has been derailed, in part, by the power of his idea. For-profit companies threatened by the projected $100 price tag set plunged Negroponte into unexpected competition against brands such as Intel and Microsoft's Windows operating system. World leaders and corporate benefactors quickly jumped in to support Negroponte's nonprofit project, called One Laptop Per Child. But after three years, only about 2,000 students in pilot programs have received computers. An order from Uruguay for 100,000 machines appears to be …

As more Americans go green, debates are fermenting over packaging: plastic vs. paper at the grocery store, plastic vs. glass for beverages. The packaging issue perplexes Seth Goldman, co-founder and CEO of Honest Tea, an organic-beverage company where sustainability is a way of life. He is agnostic on the issue. "If you can reduce your package, that's what you should do first," Goldman says. That's where the plastic bottles come in. Made of PET plastic, which can be recycled only once--or made into carpet or clothing--the bottle's liquid weight is 512 grams, while its package weight is 42.2 grams. That …

For generations, taglines have served as the foundation for advertising--a short statement poised to deliver the brand message in a memorable way. Today, there is some consensus that the tactic is on life support. Many marketers are using their taglines sparingly or not at all. Starbucks, Samsung, Converse and others are among the growing number of brands that do not focus on the use of taglines. M&Ms and Pizza Hut, meanwhile, run their tags, "Discover your inner 'm'" and "America's favorite pizza," only occasionally. The reasons range from ever-shorter tenures of CMOs to ever-splintering consumer demographics. Another factor is the …

Clipboard-carrying concierges in aqua blue shirts greet customers to direct them to the right section of the Apple store or to the personal shopper or trainer with whom they had made an appointment. Several others mill around the floor in case someone has a question or is ready to buy an iPod, an iPhone or Mac. The electronics on display are all powered up and ready for use. Over the past year, Apple has revamped its 201 stores, changing the layout, adding services and increasing its staffing. The "concierge" service that Apple launched last week is only the latest initiative …

Vizio--which employs just 90 people in a southern suburb of Los Angeles--is the No. 1 brand for North American LCD (liquid crystal display) TV shipments for the second quarter in a row. Vizio has a 13% share, followed by Samsung with 12.8%, Sharp with 12% and Sony with 10.1%. It has won its leadership by beating its rivals on price and selling through warehouse club channels such as Costco. Vizio cannot compete with the massive R&D budgets of its big rivals and assembles its TVs from other manufacturers' parts. But the quality and design of the sets have been praised. …