Valuation of debt and equity investments and certain liabilities - Investments at fair value (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$ 1,242,000,000		$ 1,199,000,000
Short-Term Investments	2,062,000,000us-gaap_ShortTermInvestments		2,342,000,000us-gaap_ShortTermInvestments
Long-Term Investments	232,000,000us-gaap_LongTermInvestments		224,000,000us-gaap_LongTermInvestments
Credit losses related to available-for-sale investments	0	0
Proceeds from sales, redemptions and maturities of short-term available-for-sale securities	615,000,000	785,000,000
Aggregate maturities of investments in money market funds and other debt securities classified as available for sale [Abstract]
One year or less	2,919,000,000
One to two years	135,000,000
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	992,000,000		984,000,000
Short-Term Investments	2,062,000,000		2,342,000,000
Long-Term Investments	193,000,000		185,000,000
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement \| Available-for-sale securities \| Money market funds
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	442,000,000		522,000,000
Short-Term Investments	0		0
Long-Term Investments	0		0
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement \| Available-for-sale securities \| Corporate obligations
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	160,000,000		97,000,000
Short-Term Investments	365,000,000		390,000,000
Long-Term Investments	0		0
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement \| Available-for-sale securities \| U.S. Government agency and Treasury securities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	390,000,000		365,000,000
Short-Term Investments	1,697,000,000		1,952,000,000
Long-Term Investments	0		0
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement \| Trading securities \| Mutual funds
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	0		0
Short-Term Investments	0		0
Long-Term Investments	193,000,000		185,000,000
Portion at Other than Fair Value Measurement \| Equity-method investments
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	0		0
Short-Term Investments	0		0
Long-Term Investments	27,000,000		27,000,000
Portion at Other than Fair Value Measurement \| Cost-method investments
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	0		0
Short-Term Investments	0		0
Long-Term Investments	12,000,000		12,000,000
Portion at Other than Fair Value Measurement \| Cash on hand
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents	250,000,000		215,000,000
Short-Term Investments	0		0
Long-Term Investments	$ 0		$ 0

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This item represents the fair value of debt securities which are expected to mature after one year and through two years from the balance sheet date and which are categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading securities.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Fair value of available-for-sale debt securities maturing in the next fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 3

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=d3e27198-111563

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 942

-SubTopic 320

-Section 50

-Paragraph 3

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957658&loc=d3e62586-112803

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (d)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=d3e27161-111563

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- Definition

This item represents the difference between the gross realized gains and losses realized on the sale of debt or equity securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading securities. Additionally, this item would include any losses recognized for other than temporary impairments (OTTI) of the subject investments in debt and equity securities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 9

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=d3e27357-111563

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- Definition

Fair value portion of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. Includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits. Also includes short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Cash

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6506951

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Cash Equivalents

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6507016

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- Definition

The total amount of investments that are intended to be held for an extended period of time (longer than one operating cycle).

+ References

+ Details

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- Definition

The cash inflow from sales, maturities, prepayments, calls and collections of all investments, including securities and other assets, having ready marketability and intended by management to be liquidated, if necessary, within the current operating cycle. Includes cash flows from securities classified as trading securities that were acquired for reasons other than sale in the short-term.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 230

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 12

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=31042434&loc=d3e3179-108585

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Investing Activities

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6516133

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- Definition

Investments which are intended to be sold in the short term (usually less than one year or the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer) including trading securities, available-for-sale securities, held-to-maturity securities, and other short-term investments not otherwise listed in the existing taxonomy.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.2)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 03

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph g

-Article 7

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