April 12th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News – 12/04

IT PRO – Labour fires candidate over rude tweets
Labour fired a parliamentary candidate over offensive comments he posted on Twitter, embarrassing Prime Minister Gordon Brown ahead of next month’s election.

BBC – Leaders sign up for online debate

The three main party leaders have agreed to take part in digital debates on websites Facebook and YouTube. Internet users will be able to suggest questions in five categories on the sites, which will be voted on by other members of the public.

The Daily Telegraph – Apple to venture into three dimensions

Electronic spectacles that will allow the wearer to watch “3-D” films while on the move are being developed by Apple. The computer giant, which manufactures the iPod, iPhone and the newly released iPad, has revealed plans for a new device that will give users the kind of three dimensional film experience that they can currently only get from specially-equipped cinemas. Worn like a pair of glasses, the gadget has already been nicknamed “iSpecs” by technology fans.

The Financial Times – Race on to unlock Twitter’s potential

A race to cash in on the global Twitter phenomenon is set to be triggered on Monday with the launch of a service that attempts to replicate the highly successful search engine advertising formula that has made Google rich.

The Financial Times – Business apps help sales of Apple devices

Apple’s reputation as a consumer darling is paying unexpected dividends in the corporate market. Companies are snapping up hundreds of iPads, the touch-controlled tablets Apple released this month, software vendors have told the Financial Times. And so many groups are handing iPhones to staff; analysts say the devices could catch up to Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, the business leader, in a couple of years.

The Financial Times – Backlash as data traffic explodes

All the world’s leading telecoms groups in developed countries are grappling with the challenge of how to reap profits from the data explosion on their networks. European network operators are casting around for new revenue sources, and Google is an obvious target, given that its YouTube video-sharing service is a prime driver of data traffic.

ManagementToday – MT Expert – Innovation: Use technology to keep customers happy

Technology is crucial to creating an engaging customer experience. And it doesn’t even have to cost you.

SC Magazine – Access to cloud services by standard passwords could cause a data security headache for businesses

Multiple use of similar passwords is causing problems when it comes to accessing sensitive data in the cloud.

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April 9th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News – 09/04

Computing.co.uk – Twitter to host first developer conference

Twitter is to hold its first developer conference next week, in a further sign of the micro-blogging site’s growing ambitions.

IT PRO – Men dominate mobile social networking
Men have the monopoly on using their mobiles for more feature rich applications, according to a new report.

ComputerWorldUK – Security experts argue over iPad enterprise readiness
Whether the iPad is secure enough for enterprise uses is debatable, based on a survey of several analysts and experts. Some analysts say that with tougher data protection laws, the iPad deserves an “F” for security readiness for financial services companies and other federally regulated industries.

CBR – MPs pass Digital Economy Bill

The Digital Economy Bill (DEB) was passed in the House of Commons on Wednesday night after its third reading, following just two hours of debate.

The Daily Telegraph – Apple ‘planning smaller iPad’

A more compact version of the iPad will go on sale early next year, according to an influential analyst. The so-called “iPad mini” will feature a screen somewhere between 5in and 7in, compared to the current iPad’s 9.7in display, said Mingchi Kuo, an analyst with DigiTimes Research.

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April 8th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 08/04

Computing.co.uk – Tories allow six-year retention of innocents’ DNA to pass

The Tories have agreed to allow government plans regarding DNA retention to become law. The plans, contained in the Crime and Security bill, restrict keeping DNA seized from suspects subsequently released or found innocent on the police national database for up to six years – except in the case of serious violent or sexual crimes where it can be retained for longer.

Computing.co.uk – Nokia set to launch iPad clone

Nokia is looking to rival Apple’s iPad with its own tablet computer, which could be in stores later this year.

BBC – Apple iPad users report Wi-Fi problems

Some owners of the newly-available iPad have reported problems with connecting their devices to Wi-Fi.

Guardian.co.uk – Bebo faces closer or sale by AOL as members log off

Social networking site bought by internet giant for $850 has seen its numbers of global users dwindle to 12.8m.

Computerworld UK – Digital Economy Bill passed along by empty House of Commons

The Digital Economy Bill has been passed to the final stage before becoming law, after a minor debate in which only a handful of the country’s 646 MPs turned up.

IT PRO -London Underground line hit by IT failure
London’s transport network took a massive hit yesterday after an IT error left travellers without the use of the Circle Line for several hours.

CBR – Facebook users slam privacy changes

New research by security firm Sophos has revealed that the vast majority of users on social networking site Facebook oppose the recently-announced privacy changes. Sophos quizzed 680 users through its website and Facebook profile, with 95 per cent of respondents claiming the new changes are a “bad thing”. Just 2 per cent said they support the changes while the rest didn’t understand what changes were being proposed by Facebook.

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April 7th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 07/04

BBC – Super-fast broadband tax scrapped

The broadband tax has been scrapped in the last-minute scramble to rush key legislation through before Parliament is dissolved next week.

IT PRO – Orange and T-Mobile merger finalised
It may have divided opinion in the telecoms industry but the merger between T-Mobile and Orange has been officially completed.

The Register – AOL to sell or shutter Bebo

It’s uncertain whether Bebo will or will not survive into June, but one thing is certain: the declining social-networking website will no longer be under AOL’s wing.

Computerworld UK – Apple set to reveal iPhone OS update

Apple will preview the next generation iPhone operating system, just a few days after the launch of the iPad tablet, which also runs on the OS. The company has sent out invitations for an event that will provide a “sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software.” The event will be at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.

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April 6th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 06/04

Image representing iPad as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

BBC – Call for ‘fuller’ debate on Digital Economy Bill

Opponents of the controversial Digital Economy Bill have urged MPs to give it “the debate it deserves” when it is discussed in the Commons next.

BBC – Google rolls out privacy reset for Buzz social network

Google has said that it will begin to roll out a privacy reset for its controversial social network Buzz.

BBC – Apple iPad sells 300,000 on debut

Apple says it sold more than 300,000 of its latest product, the iPad tablet computer, on its launch day in the US.

The Register – Apple’s iPad – ‘Will It Blend?’

Apple’s iPad, released Saturday, has been scrutinized by hundreds of reviewers, disassembled by iFixIt and others, and fiscally analyzed by Wall Street, but it wasn’t until Monday that the most pressing question about the “magical and revolutionary” device was answered.

The Register – Apple to reveal hallowed iPhone 4.0 on Thursday

Apple will uncloak a new incarnation of its iPhone operating system on Thursday morning during an event at its Cupertino headquarters.

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March 31st, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 31/03

BBC – US tech coalition calls for new online privacy law

US technology firms and privacy groups have called for an overhaul of privacy laws, saying the government has too much access to private online data.

The Register – Google mocks Steve Jobs with Chrome-Flash merger

When Steve Jobs met Google boss Eric Schmidt for coffee late last week, they may or may not have reached some common ground on certain hot-button subjects. But odds are, they didn’t see eye-on-eye on Adobe Flash.

The Register – Your internet policy sucks, US tells Aussies

Critics of the Australia’s proposed internet filtering scheme just keep on coming. This week, it’s the turn of one of Australia’s biggest and most formidable allies, the United States, to put the boot into a scheme that would turn Australia into the free world’s strictest regulator of internet content.

Total Telecom – Spain shifts from analog to digital TV
Spain’s government switched off analog TV signals in key regions Tuesday as the country shifts to digital terrestrial television in a move that will expand Spain’s TV market.

ZDNet – Apple shows off iPad productivity apps

Apple posted demonstration videos on Monday that showed various applications running on the iPad, due for US release on Saturday and UK release in late April. Included were four videos showing the iPad’s email app and three office productivity apps: Keynote for presentations, Pages for document creation and Numbers for spreadsheets.

The Daily Telegraph – UK must do more for child safety online

Prof Tanya Byron, the Government’s online child safety tsar, has said that the politicians and the technology industry need to work even more closely with parents. Launching a progress report on her initial policy document, “Safer Children in a Digital World”, she said that although the UK is a world leader in keeping young people safe online, more work still needs to be done.

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March 31st, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 30/03

CIO – Government told it ‘must fix weak IT procurement’

The outgoing chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has lambasted the state of public sector IT procurement, insisting serious weaknesses must be fixed if the government is to achieve its much-trumpeted multibillion pound efficiency savings.

Edward Leigh singled out IT procurement as “particularly weak”. He said: “Projects are over-ambitious, overly complex and fail to deliver what is promised while costs rocket.”

IT PRO – Cloud computing fueled by coal, says Greenpeace
When the industry talks about cloud computing, what they don’t realise is data centres running internet applications are fuelled by coal – leading to a real cloud of pollution, according to a new report by Greenpeace.

Total Telecom – Carphone Warehouse splits into two separately listed companies
U.K. mobile phone retailer and broadband provider Carphone Warehouse Group PLC Monday split into two separately-listed companies, 21 years after Charles Dunstone founded the company.

The Register – Apple uncloaks deep details of its 11 iPad apps

Apple’s iPad won’t be available in the company’s brick-and-mortar stores until this Saturday, but on Monday Cupertino added a series of videos to its website that provide more detail on the device’s “magical and revolutionary” capabilities – and The Reg sat through each self-congratulatory video to give you a deep-dive preview.

The Daily Telegraph – 3DTVs too expensive for mass market

A survey suggests that 53 per cent of consumers won’t pay more than £499 for 3DTVs, which currently retail at around £2,000. Three dimensional television might be the latest product to be receiving all the hype, but a new survey suggests that just 1.4 per cent of consumers are willing to pay the £2,000 price tags that new sets typically carry.

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March 30th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 29/03

BBC – Introducing UK broadband’s first customer, 10 years on

The UK’s first broadband customer celebrates 10 years with the faster internet connection this week. Single parent Mark Bush was spending £300 a month on his dial-up connection before pre-registering for broadband with Virgin Media.

BBC – Sensors turn skin into gadget control pad

Tapping your forearm or hand with a finger could soon be the way you interact with gadgets. US researchers have found a way to work out where the tap touches and use that to control phones and music players.

BBC – US credit card hacker sentenced

Computer hacker Albert Gonzalez has been jailed for 20 years in the US for his part in stealing the details of more than 130m credit and debit cards.

Computing.co.uk – What happens when your cloud bursts?

Steve Prentice, vice president and fellow at research firm Gartner, reminds organisations not to rush into cloud service agreements or tryst any third party provider with mission critical data and applications without following appropriate risk management procedures.

The Guardian – We’re staying in China, says Microsoft, as free speech row with Google grows

Hopes that Google’s forthright stand on censorship in China would inspire other companies to follow suit appeared unfounded today.

Computer Weekly – Millions of e-mail users still respond to spam, survey reveals

Despite more than 80 per cent of e-mail users being aware of bots, tens of millions respond to spam in ways that could leave them vulnerable to a malware, a worldwide online survey has revealed. Half of the 4,000 people surveyed by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) said they had opened spam, clicked on a link in spam, opened a spam attachment, replied or forwarded it.

The Register – Third of UK students would strip their way through college

A third of female students would happily top up their funds by stripping while four per cent would consider escort work as a way to make ends meet.

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March 26th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 25/03

Computing.co.uk – Budget brings extra funding for universities

Alistair Darling announced one-off funding of £270m through a bursary designed to modernise higher education and create more university places in yesterday’s Budget.

BBC – Budget 2010: UK games firms welcome tax breaks

The chancellor’s decision to offer tax breaks to the UK gaming industry has been welcomed as “fantastic news” by those who work in it.

IT PRO – Twitter slashes spam to one per cent of tweets

Twitter has cut spam on the site to under one per cent of messages, it claimed today.

Computerworld UK – Budget promises little support for IT

Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced almost no immediate help for the IT industry in his Budget today.

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March 26th, 2010 by stephenw

Daily News 24/03

IT PRO – Pirate Party unveils its election manifesto

The Pirate Party is neither right nor left, won’t fiddle with expenses and will listen to citizens as it doesn’t have all the answers – and it’d quite like file sharing not to be criminalised, too.

Total Telecom – UK immerses itself in IPTV

The U.K.’s Project Canvas has big plans to drive forward the IPTV market, although those involved remain tight-lipped on the timescales and revenue models.

Computing.co.uk – Broadband tax to exclude low-income

Tory shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt had claimed the government’s 50p-per-landline tax to fund the universal provision of next-generation broadband could exclude more than 200,000 low-income subscribers from the internet altogether.

Computing.co.uk – Government launches online help for people with learning disabilities

Care Services Minister Phil Hope and Minister for Disabled People Jonathan Shaw have launched an online resource hub for people with moderate and severe learning disabilities who are looking for employment.

BBC – Nintendo unveils 3D DS

Nintendo is planning a 3D version of its popular DS handheld games console. The move is a response to the whirlwind of attention being given to 3D content and devices.

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