Wireless giant AT&T reportedly spent $40 million in ads alone to convince legislators, regulators and subscribers that its proposed merger with T-Mobile would be good for consumers and would create jobs. But the Justice Department filed suit to block the merger and then, the Federal Communications Commission came out against the deal.

The House on Tuesday is scheduled to vote to send the fight over the payroll tax holiday to a conference committee. But Democrats say they won't appoint conferees. House Republicans object to the Senate measure, because it would extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits for just two months while a longer-term deal is worked out.

While searching for a way to help her kids pay for college, Anne Marie Blackman spotted a trend she thought she might capitalize on: The holiday-themed sweaters she found online. They didn't seem ugly enough. So, she started My Ugly Christmas Sweater, Inc. for people hoping to win a prize for the scariest holiday sweater at a party.

Smartphone-makers have filed dozens of lawsuits against one another for patent infringement. On Monday, a federal agency handed Apple a limited victory in a closely watched case. Apple complained HTC violated several of its patents.

Millions of India's young people are cutting edge when it comes to high-tech. Yet the country is still very conservative by Western standards, and a government minister recently said that offensive material on the web should be removed. The statement has angered the nation's tech community who say the idea infringes on democracy and is possibly illegal.

AT&T shuttered proposed plans to buy T-Mobile. For more, Robert Siegel talks to NPR's Joel Rose.

Tablets are not just changing how people go about their lives. They're also changing the way businesses function. Small businesses especially are using tablets to replace a variety of business tools: from menus, to timecards, to cash registers.