A few weeks ago we gave you a list of the 10 brands Americans hate most and tried to figure out why. Today we’re taking the opposite approach with the help of Harris Interactive‘s latest public opinion poll gauging the most (and least) trusted brands in the country.

Here are the brands held in highest esteem by the 19,000 random people who participated in the poll (along with our attempts to figure out how they got there):

1. Amazon: It could be the fact that Amazon remains the first and biggest online retailer with a reputation for security and an endless inventory. It could be the brand’s truly innovative recommendation system. Or it could be Amazon’s plan to create its own “virtual” currency–because no dishonest individual would ever make his own money, right?

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On the eve of the new 007 flick Skyfall, The Wall Street Journal asks an interesting question: has “the mother and father of all franchises” (thanks, David Denby) turned into a big, disgusting orgy of product placement? Is James Bond a sexy spy or just a not-so-secret spokesman for Heineken, Omega, Sony, Adidas and, of course, Aston Martin? And have these obvious sponsorships damaged the series’ credibility?

Hmm…we’ll spend Saturday afternoon pondering that one. Next week in Questions That Matter:

• Are puppies too adorable?
• Are chocolate chip cookies too delicious?
• Are cumulus clouds too white and fluffy?
• Is the name “Miss Pussy Galore Honey Rider Solitaire Plenty O’Toole May Day Xenia Onatopp Holly Goodhead Tiffany Case Kissy Suzuki Mary Goodnight Jinx Johnson Octopussy Domino Moneypenny” too subtle?

We await your answers with bated breath.

Apple won a small reprieve on the matter of its biggest PR problem this week as the Fair Labor Association announced that the tech giant has slightly improved conditions at its now-infamous Foxconn plants in mainland China. The catch? Auditors stress that “the toughest tasks lay ahead.”

Prodded into action by pressure over a series of not-quite-positive stories in The New York Times, Apple has taken some steps to improve its standing among global labor advocates by reducing hours, raising wages and, apparently, improving general work conditions from “suicide-inducing” to “somehow tolerable!”

This is what we call progress. But it’s not like Apple really had a choice in the matter.

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With the embargo imbroglio a thing of the past and the opening day pushed up to tomorrow, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is officially everywhere. However, according to New York magazine, there is concern that the movie won’t attract the female audience that has made the books so popular. Polls show that while awareness of the film among women is high, the percentage who actually plan on watching the movie is much lower.

Marketing execs have chimed in on the issue, with a couple focusing on the nature of the violence against women that the film depicts. One exec tells New York, “Hyper-realistic violence against women is very different from the average horror movie.” Another exec focused on the dark marketing posters.

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The tablet wars continue. Amazon is hoping to cut into iPad’s dominance with its latest iteration of the Kindle e-reader that’s expected to have all sorts of bells and whistles along with a lower price tag.

Sony is also getting in on the tablet action, revealing info about its new devices a few weeks ago along with the launch of a social media campaign meant to drum up online excitement before the tablets hit stores.

Working with its firm Atomic PR, Sony has launched Catch the Tablet (or #CatchtheTablet), which used Sony Facebook and Twitter pages to drive fans to events, spur them to snap photos of the tablet to post on social networks, and encourage them to enter a contest with a Sony Tablet S prize.

According to an email from Atomic, the campaign has resulted in an eight percent in rise in the number of Facebook fans and a five percent increase in Twitter followers. The campaign has also gotten the company some media attention with TheNextWeb calling the it Sony’s “most successful social media campaign.” You can click that link for more campaign details.

On Monday, the Sony Online Entertainment Network had to shut down its services because of a data breach that affected 24.6 million subscribers and some financial info.  Services are still down.

Sony also had to shut down the PlayStation Network on April 20 after a data breach on April 19 that may have affected 77 million users. Sony did not admit to consumers that this breach happened until six days later. The attack, one of the biggest ever, could cost more than $1 billion.

“Sony put the burden on consumers to ‘search’ for information, instead of accepting the burden of notifying them,” said Rep. Bono Mack (R-CA) during a Congressional hearing that took place yesterday. Sony did not accept an invitation to appear at this hearing, but sent a letter instead.

“If I have anything to do with it, that kind of half-hearted, half-baked response is not going to fly in the future,” the Congressman continued.

There were suspicions that hacker group Anonymous might have been responsible for the big PlayStation attack. What did they do? Issue a press release. Are we living in an augmented reality?

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Fashion label Byron Lars Beauty Mark has partnered with Sony to present his Spring/Summer 2011 in 3D. Technically, the live runway shows are in 3D, but guests at this event get to wear the glasses.

Presented tonight during Fashion’s Night Out at the Sony Style Store, members of the media, industry insiders, and others will have the chance to see pieces from the upcoming collection’s look book on Sony 3D HDTVs as well as on live models. Lars is celebrating 20 years in fashion, and the label’s PR manager, Sheila Gray, says the event is a way to introduce the line to new audiences.

“It opens [the label] up to new age groups and clientele,” Gray told PRNewser, adding that Lars has done elaborate presentations for many years. “It’s awesome to have the fashion presentation in 3D, which is something fashion hasn’t really used yet.”

SonyInsider has an interview with Sony VP of Communications David Migdal. In response to blogger Christopher MacManus‘ question, “What’s one thing you’d like to say to bloggers who unfairly criticize the company?” Migdal said:

Everyone has the right to their opinion and fairness is in the eye of the beholder. I understand it’s not in vogue to praise large corporations these days. Come to think of it, I’m not sure it’s ever been. But it’s our job to listen to what’s being said and choose to take some course of action or not. When you’re a company as large as Sony, criticism comes with the territory. We’re not perfect, but on balance, we’re still a strong, highly respected company and a powerful consumer brand.

Read the full interview here.