launch

Verizon Wireless stores were braced for a crushing wave of customers seeking the newly available Verizon iPhone Thursday. But thanks to a strong pre-order campaign, the crowds were lighter than expected, and happy shoppers got their phones quickly.

Netflix, whose DVD-by-mail service hastened the demise of several video rental chains, may soon find itself under siege from Amazon. The world's largest online retailer appears to be on the verge of launching its own unlimited movie and TV-show streaming service.

Apple is the current standard bearer for innovation and now the biggest tech company in terms of market value. Paradoxically, Apple is succeeding even as it faces an unprecedented series of missteps, snafus and just plain bad luck.

Hundreds are lined up outside of Apple stores for the chance to buy the latest iPhone. But some customers may leave empty handed: Just hours after the global launch of Apple's iPhone 4, many stores in Japan are already sold out.

Anyone prepared to launch a print magazine in 2009 is almost by definition bound to be an adventuresome type. So it makes sense that Afar, one of the relatively few new titles introduced this year, is by, and for, the kind of travelers who aren't content to follow the usual Fodor's recommendations....