Troy Wolverton reports that Palm finally announced a long-rumored deal with Verizon and unveiled two new phones at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday. It also opened its app store to all developers and says new capabilities for its webOS software enables to it keep pace with -- or even surpass -- rivals. But Palm has struggled to maintain the buzz it generated when it won a "Best in Show" award at CES last year as Apple's iPhone and Google's Android operating system, and the phones running it, have overshadowed it in the marketplace. …

Unless technology zooms to the rescue with all of its voltage firing full bore, two studies find that electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt will cost too much to appeal to most global consumers, Justin Hyde reports. "You will definitely see more hybrid cars on the road in the future," says Xavier Mosquet, senior partner in Boston Consulting Group's Detroit office. The question, he says, is how big the market will be. BCG estimates that electric vehicles will be limited to a range of 160 to 190 miles by 2020 -- more than today but still less …

Sears yesterday unveiled an online marketplace it has been experimenting with for six months that allows third-party vendors to sell goods on its Web site. Marketplace at Sears.com carries more than 10 million products across hundreds of categories, from furniture to shoes. Reporter Sandra M. Jones seems a bit miffed that the retailer has been so surreptitious about the project, suggesting in her lede that secrecy is good for hedge fund guys, such as Sears Holding's chairman Eddie Lampert, but not usually for shop keeps. She also contrasts Sear's aversion to publicity to Wal-Mart's trumpeting its …

Duracell's first TV ad for its Smart Power initiative uses technicians at Iowa Lakes Community College to demonstrate the role that the brand's rechargeable batteries play in training students and keeping wind turbines operational, Elena Malykhina reports. "The message is that Duracell is making products that are powering those on the forefront of renewable energy ...," says Duracell's Kurt Iverson. "To be able to connect with a group of experts who are widely recognized is a way for us to tell consumers that we're offering them a trusted and reliable product." The …

CMOs have to refocus their attention away from aggressive advertising and promotion and toward connecting the dots of every touch point between their brands and their customers, writes Forrester Research vp, research director David Cooperstein. They must become the "chef d'orchestre" for the company, not the manager of the box office. I sense no disagreement out there, only questions. Like, "Okay, how?" Cooperstein offers Forrester's four pillars. 1. Align the company by customer group; 2. Synchronize the consumer lifecycle; 3. Offer visible value to the customer; 4. Use customer insights to direct company efforts. Examples of …

Ralph Gilles, CEO of Chrysler's Dodge brand, is a 39-year-old designer with impeccable creative credentials who is charged with reversing the brand's precipitous slide in market share -- down to 8.9% last year from 11% in 2008, Greg Gardner reports. "The challenge is to awaken ourselves and to let the world know we are alive and well," Gilles tells Gardner. "We underestimated how quiet we had been." His elevator pitch on what makes a Dodge a Dodge is: "Cars that make you feel good, that are niche-like in their demeanor, but have mass appeal." Gilles, who …