extra texture :: marketing news + trends

Tesco has put the expansion of its Fresh & Easy stores in the U.S. on hold for three months to allow the business time to “settle down.” (more)

Core values that turned Apple into the best store in town. (more)

Dole joins those recalling Honduras melons. (more)

American Girl doll skates into computer game. (more)

Apple has taken the wraps off Aperture 2.1. (more)

Microsoft plans to sponsor a NASCAR team for the 2008 season in a bid to boost the profile of its offerings for small businesses. (more)

Corporate sponsorship of the Beijing Games is at record levels. (more)

Google paid clicks data generate debate. (more)

The maker of the popular photo-editing software Photoshop launched a basic version available for free online. (more)

As the stock market gyrates, authors’ proposals flourish. But will their financial advice be relevant by the time a book’s in print? (more)

When Martin Cooper invented the cell phone 35 years ago, he envisioned a world with people so wedded to wireless connections that they would walk around with devices embedded in their bodies. (more)

Without laptops, that is. Silicon Valley is unplugging — at least in conference rooms. (more)

Shamsunnahar Hena, a gynecologist in a Bangladesh hospital, was stunned when her pregnant patient confessed to having eaten half a kilogram of soil every day since she conceived. (more)

Yahoo launches a new Web site aimed at women. (more)

Starbucks says it’s going to take a little more time to start listing calorie counts on menus at its New York City outlets. (more)

Reebok International names Matt O’Toole Chief Marketing Officer who is succeeded as President of North America by Jim Gabel. (more)

Coming to Redmond Town Center this October is a $35 movie experience at the ultra-plush Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas. (more)

The founder of JetBlue Airways plans a new Brazilian airline that would begin operating next year with three jets and eventually grow to a fleet of 76 planes flying nationwide. (more)

Miami police could soon be the first in the United States to use cutting-edge, spy-in-the-sky technology to beef up their fight against crime. (more)

Advertisers and marketers, struggling to keep up with changing consumer habits, are about to make massive investments in new digital and out-of-home media platforms. (more)

Squeezebox Duet unleashes music on your computer. (more)

Colorado’s mountain casinos posted a 10 percent drop in revenue last month — perhaps the strongest sign yet of the smoking ban’s impact on the industry. (more)

Atlanta’s only hostel is cultural crossroads for travelers. (more)

Six girls, along with two of their younger siblings, take part in a consumer-education pilot program. (more)

Some of the UK’s best young novelists are working with computer games designers to create digital short stories, each inspired by a classic work of literature but featuring games, blogs and web tools. (more)

1,500-foot tower plan in Philadelphia heralds new era of super-tall skyscrapers. (more)

In targeting casinos, restaurants, and hotels, Microsoft knows it is barely scratching the surface of the demand for its tabletop computer. (more)