Computing.co.uk – Government to simulate “total collapse” of UK phone network
In the first exercise of its kind in the UK, the government will simulate a “total collapse” of the national phone network next week, as part of the National Strategy for Cyber Security launched by Gordon Brown in June. The exercise will take place on 11 and 12 November and be codenamed White Noise. It will be designed to simulate a complete shutdown of the public telephone network.

BBC – EU offers hope to file-sharers
Internet users throughout Europe accused of illegal file-sharing are to receive more protection from being cut off by their service provider. The European Parliament and Council is due to make a decision on its Telecoms Reform Package in late November. The package will entitle users in all 27 EU states to be put through a “fair and impartial procedure” before being disconnected.

IT PRO – Big retailers turn to full e-commerce platforms
The bad year for retailers has forced them to look online, as they invest in the only area that that is growing – e-commerce. According to Frank Lord, EMEA managing director of e-commerce company ATG, larger retailers were now looking at complete e-commerce platforms rather than trying to put together something in pieces by themselves.

The Times – Computer giants forced on to mobile battlefield
More and more they resemble mini personal computers, with internet, e-mail, cameras, keyboards and/or touchscreens and ever bigger memories, and — more and more — PC manufacturers have been waking up to the fact that smartphones are presenting them with a clear and present danger.

The Register – Large Hadron Collider scuttled by birdy baguette-bomber
A bird dropping a piece of bread onto outdoor machinery has been blamed for a technical fault at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) this week which saw significant overheating in sections of the mighty particle-punisher’s subterranean 27-km super cooled magnetic doughnut.

The Daily Telegraph – Inventor of mobile phones says they have become ‘too complicated’
Mobile phones with cameras and music players are too complicated, according to the inventor of the device. Martin Cooper, who was the lead engineer of the Motorola team that developed the mobile phone, told a privacy conference in Madrid this week that today’s phones try to do many things for too many people.

The Financial Times – MySpace abandons race with Facebook
The new chief executive of MySpace has told the Financial Times that the company is no longer interested in competing with Facebook, effectively conceding defeat in the race to become the largest online social network.

BBC – Government opens data to public
An ambitious new website that will open up government data to the public will launch in beta, or pilot, form in December. Reams of anonymous data about schools, crime and health could all be included. Data.gov.uk has been developed by Sir Tim Berners Lee, founder of the web, and Professor Nigel Shadbolt at the University of Southampton.

BBC – Big names support net neutrality
A group of the world’s largest internet companies has written a letter of support to the US Federal Communications Commission. The letter is the latest in an ongoing debate about “network neutrality” – or how data is distribute on the web.

Computing.co.uk – Gartner outlines 10 strategic technologies for 2010
Gartner analysts have highlighted the 10 technologies most likely to have a “significant impact” on business in 2010. The firm categorises technologies likely to have a significant impact as those with a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, including cloud computing, advances analytics, client computing, IT for green, reshaping the datacentre, social computing, security, flash memory, virtualisation for availability and mobile applications.

ITPRO – Bing and Google sign Twitter search deals
Twitter has decided not to play favourites, and instead go for market share, signing real-time search deals with rivals Microsoft and Google on the same day. The two firms will be given access to Twitter’s data for search. The financial terms of the deals weren’t disclosed. For Google, the agreement means results from Twitter will soon be surfaced in search listings, giving users access to real-time information from the social networking site.

The Daily Telegraph – Google ‘to launch own Android phone and music service’
Ashok Kumar, an analyst with Northeast Securities, claims to have spoken to Google’s design partners about the plans. “Google is working with a smartphone manufacturer to have a Google-branded phone available this year through retailers, and not through telcos,” he said.

Computer Weekly – Could new IT system revolutionise air travel?
Researchers are developing an airport operations system which they say could improve the customer experience at airports and cut carbon emissions. They say co-coordinating and computerising four key areas of airport operations could reduce delays, by making each isolated area work in conjunction with the others. The aim is to computerise and co-ordinate: scheduling of take-off; scheduling of landing; gate assignment and baggage handling.

BBC News – Microsoft unleashes new Windows
Personal computers are about to get a makeover with the launch of the latest Windows operating system. Microsoft is hoping the successor to Vista will be more of a hit with users when it launches on 22 October. Many of the features take into account multimedia applications and the fact that users are beginning to store their data on the internet. In the UK some computer stores are due to open at midnight so keen PC users can get their hands on the software.

Silicon.com – Cheat Sheet: Windows 7
Windows 7 is more than just a Vista service pack according to the company, with new features that Microsoft says will make it easier to connect to corporate networks as well as support for multi-touch operations.

IT Pro – Cloud computing and web-based services need to move from the consumer space to the business world, says tech giants
It’s time for businesses to finally make the move to web-based services, well after consumers have, according to SAP and Intel.

ITPRO – Google et al voice support for net neutrality
Industry heavyweights including Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Sony and Twitter have joined forces to pledge their support for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) stance on net neutrality. In a letter sent to the FCC, signed off by the big names, the collective expresses how important it is to them, the economy and innovation that the web stay as open as it has done historically.