There's a lot riding on a comparatively cheap and streamlined smartphone Nokia is rolling out in the U.S. on Jan. 11. The Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone will launch at T-Mobile stores and online for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year contract. As for color, it has more choices than the Model T: not only black but also white.

Marketing wunderkind Andrea Jung, whose attention to product detail did not extend to the day-to-day operational details of running a direct sales operation, will be stepping down as CEO of Avon as soon as a replacement from outside the company is found. She will continue as executive chairman at that point and will help in the transition. Avon says that Jung proposed the arrangement, and she says she will "devote the next two years at least to help the new CEO 'do whatever it takes to get the company back on track,'" writes "Women's Wear Daily"'s Andrea Nagel.

The headlines in the "Los Angeles Times" and "Ad Age" are virtually identical this morning: "Lowe's Faces Backlash After Pulling Ads from TLC's 'All-American Muslim,'" reflecting the growing controversy surrounding the No. 2 home-improvement retailer's widely reported decision that, in the words of a California state senator, many people see as ""bigoted, shameful, and un-American."

There's a quote floating around that basically says that sluggers who take big swings strike out more often than singles hitters. One of the heavy hitters in the digital ballpark, Amazon, has been having a bad game.

The headline above is a mere 35 characters. Meaning what? You got it. Meaning that it doesn't take much to entice us to learn more about something that catches our fancy. Not only that, but I have 105 more characters at my disposal to get really verbose if I want to Tweet the information. Amazing how this app, which makes headline writers of us all, has so quickly changed the way we think about things.

Problems? What problems? Did you see a problem around here?

The PR Newswire headline reads: "Helen of Troy Limited Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire PUR Business from The Procter & Gamble Company." Cincinnati.com, the website of P&G's hometown "Cincinnati Enquirer," trumpets the more important story: "P&G Brands Water Purifier."

Kraft Foods yesterday formally revealed that current CEO Irene Rosenfeld, 58, will head up its $31 billion global snacks business, and Kraft North America president Anthony Vernon, 55, will run the $17 billion North American grocery business when the company bifurcates next year, Reuters reports.

What's the first thought that comes to mind when you read this headline from this morning's New York Times: "Xbox Live Challenges Cable Box"? If you're like me, it's "Wow, Siri, get me my nickel-and-diming cable provider on the phone and cancel."

Google is testing a service that would compete with Amazon.com by allowing consumers to order goods from local stores and the branches of national retailers (Macy's, Gap and Office Max, for example) and have them delivered to homes and offices by the next day. The Wall Street Journal's Amir Efrati and Stu Woo broke the story yesterday. Both Google and Amazon refused to comment on the report.