Lenovo hopes to sharpen its branding and enhance its ability to innovate in both premium and mainstream product by splitting operations. Lenovo Business Group (LBG), led by Liu Jun, senior vice-president, will focus on the mainstream consumer/commercial desktop, notebook PC and tablet businesses. Think Business Group (TBG), led by Peter Hortensius, senior vice-president, will focus on premium products in both the commercial and consumer segments.

Chinese hardware makers trying desperately to make a name for themselves with U.S. retailers and consumers, put on a show at CES. Hisense, Huawei, Haier, TCL, ZTE and other Chinese firms see CES as a way to build buzz and consumer recognition here. "The U.S. is the most important market in our portfolio," said Lin Lan, the vice president of Hisense. "We've said this: If we are successful only in China and other countries without success here, we are not a big brand."

McDonald's will give away of millions of copies of a children's book by Michael Morpurgo, author of "War Horse," and non-fiction books to British children. The books will be given away with puzzles and stickers that feature topics including stars and planets, big cats and oceans. McDonald's said it was launching the campaign in response a pilot program it ran last year, which resulted in 9 out of 10 parents involved saying they would like to see more book promotions from the fast-food chain.

Chelsea Football Club and shirt sponsor Samsung and have launched a campaign to encourage youngsters around the world to train "the Chelsea way." The "Dream the Blues" initiative is aimed at nine- to 13-year-olds whose parents own Samsung home appliances such as microwaves and fridges. It spans eight countries across four continents. The company has released a YouTube video featuring ambassadors and Chelsea teammates Mata, Torres, Victor Mosesto and "Oscar" dos Santos Emboaba Jnior, to introduce the initiative and its slogan, "The dream starts here".

The NFL and the International Franchise Association (IFA) are hosting an NFL Franchising Boot Camp April 26-29 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, giving 20 current and former NFL players a chance to learn the franchising business. Steve Caldeira, president and CEO of the IFA, says attendees will not only walk away with a clearer understanding of what it takes to be a successful franchisee, but also with advice on how to evaluate franchise opportunities and pick the best option for them.

It can spot a potential problem 500 feet away and tell the difference between a red and green light. It can anticipate a corner even before the driver turns the steering wheel. It's designed to prevent a crash but can also make it easier to survive a collision even as it automatically calls for help. Toyota's Lexus luxury brand is giving the public a first look at its advanced active safety research vehicle this week. Also known as the AASRV, it is designed to test and demonstrate a variety of automated vehicle safety technologies that could be used in production …

Krispy Kreme has hired Patricia Perry to become its next VP of U.S. franchise development. Most recently, Perry had served as director of franchising and development at Church's Chicken, according to LinkedIn. Perry's hire signals Krispy Kreme's desire to revamp its U.S. expansion efforts, said Cindy Bay, senior vice president, U.S. operations and franchising at the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based company.

If anyone's going to offer up a fish-eye look at CES (for those who didn't book a flight about a year ago), it's going to be Engadget. The site offers, herein, a huge rundown of goodies that they got to play with but you didn't. There's HP's hot spot with a playlist, Asus slates with Windows, Blu-rays galore, a chromed-out Wikipad, and too many smartphones to count. Go to the jump, don't listen to me.

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed sweeping rules to curtail foodborne illnesses. The rules, drafted with an eye toward strict standards in California and some other states, enable the implementation of the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act that President Obama signed two years ago in response to a string of deadly outbreaks of illness from contaminated spinach, eggs, peanut butter and imported produce.

Uno Restaurant Holdings Corp. Friday tapped Ian Baines as the new president and CEO. Baines, who most recently served as a SVP at Brinker International and Chili's Grill & Bar, is scheduled to begin his new job Monday. Frank Guidara, the company's current chief executive, plans to stay on as a part-time consultant until July 2014. Uno has 143 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the US and worldwide.