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August 27th, 2010 by Estelle Douine

Levi’s gets social in Asia

Levi’s launched last week ‘Denizen10’, a new apparel brand specially designed for the Asian markets (‘denim’ and ‘zen’, see what they did here).

Its first-ever product launched outside of the US is targeting young, middle class Asian consumers between the ages of 18 and 28 – and what better way of targeting them than hiring ten of them to blog?

The 10 lucky ones have been selected from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and India to represent the rising Asian generation – and also cleverly to support ‘Denizen’ which, after launching in China last week, will subsequently expand to Singapore and South Korea.

This 100-day innovative pan-Asian social media campaign appears to be rather audacious given that the bloggers have been given total editorial freedom and only asked to ‘share their experiences and thoughts’ – topics are suggested but not imposed and their blogs aren’t linked to the official brand website.

Is this why the Head of Corporate Affairs at Levi Strauss Asia-Pacific division said that Denizen10 wasn’t part of their official marketing plan? “Denizen wants to provide a social media platform that speaks from grass-root level and represents the youth 24/7”, he also added, un-marketingly.

Professional models weren’t hired for the launch of the first collection in Shanghai but bloggers, musicians and friends of those involved with the campaign – people who could be identified as ‘regular people’ – well, if this isn’t marketing then…

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April 14th, 2010 by michael.frier

Daily News – 13/04

CIO – Labour reveal manifesto and IT plans

Labour repeatedly highlighted the importance of IT in its electionmanifesto, which was launched today, but made few new IT-related promises.

ComputerWorldUK – Rich more likely to use eHealth records but poor benefit more, survey finds
The results of a survey released today of thousands of users of electronic personal health records nationwide (PHRs) revealed that while the wealthy tend to use them more, it was the poor who derive the greatest benefits from online records.

CRN – HP seals 3Com deal

Hardware giant HP has completed its acquisition of networking vendor 3Com, having announced its intention to buy the firm five months ago. The vendor said the deal, worth approximately $2.7bn (£1.7bn), would add weight to its HP ProCurve product portfolio, expand its Ethernet switching offerings and strengthen its market position in China.

BBC – Parties ‘failing’ to use web well

Political parties are failing in their efforts to use the internet to campaign, a survey has suggested. Carried out by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts it shows a gap between what voters want and what they get from the parties.

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March 23rd, 2010 by Steve

Daily News 23/03

ITPRO – Browser ballot hits Internet Explorer’s market share

The browser ballot has hit the market share of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer in France, Britain and Italy.

The Daily Telegraph – China angry as Google stops censoring search results

Google has stopped censoring its search results in China in defiance of the country’s authorities, sparking a furious response from Beijing. The internet giant said yesterday it was closing its China-based search engine and redirecting visitors to an uncensored site based in Hong Kong.

The Daily Telegraph – Google offers racist search suggestion after hack

Google offered “Why are black people so ugly?” as a search suggestion after hackers avoided the firm’s filtering process. The question appeared when internet users typed in the word “why” and Google offered the question in full as one of its suggestions for what you may be about to write. The firm has extensive filters which are intended to remove offensive suggestions but hackers appear to have got around the controls and users picked up on it.

Computing.co.uk – Brown sees government savings of £11bn from new IT

In a major speech made today, Gordon Brown outlined plans for a new digital Britain that will save the government millions of pounds and be underpinned by UK-wide access to super-fast broadband and the ‘next generation web’.

BBC – Mixed reaction to fast net pledge

Labour plans to wire up UK homes with super-fast broadband have met with a mixed response. Experts want more details about what “super-fast broadband” means and how the plan would be implemented.

The Register – OFT to examine BBC’s Canvas

The Office Fair of Trading is to examine Project Canvas, the BBC’s strategic Sky-f*cker next generation set-top box. The BBC Trust looked at Canvas and decided that its strategic goals of screwing over Murdoch and Branson furthering BBC content were not incompatible with the Trust’s charter.

The Register – Home Office takes non-action against phone pinchers

The Home Office is demanding that mobile phone recyclers continue what they’re already doing, in the name of cracking down on mobile phone theft. The office is busy creating a new Code of Practice which will require the industry to check handsets sent for recycling against the register of stolen phones, preventing thieves cashing in on the £25 average value of a handset. Which would be most laudable, it if wasn’t happening already.

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March 15th, 2010 by Steve

Daily News 15/03

Computing.co.uk – Report suggests multi-tasking ahead for iPhone

Apple may be preparing to allow multi-tasking on the iPhone, according to media reports. Apple news site AppleInsider cited anonymous sources in reporting that the iPhone OS 4.0 release will allow users to launch and access multiple applications at once, including those from third-party developers.

BBC – Dotcom web address celebrates silver anniversary

The internet celebrates a landmark event on the 15 March 2010, the twenty-fitth birthday of the day the first dotcom name was registered.

The Register – Google ’99.9 per cent’ certain to pull China search plug

Google is now “99.9 per cent” certain it will shut down its Chinese search engine, according to a report citing “a person familiar with the company’s thinking”.

Computerworld UK – Humans continue to be ‘weak link’ in data security

Nearly 90 percent of IT workers in the UK have said a laptop in their organisation has been reported lost or stolen, new research has found.

Computerworld UK – Virgin runs fibre broadband via telegraph poles

Virgin Media will use telegraph poles to extend the reach of fibre-to-the-home in a test in the UK village of Woolhampton, it said today.

The Daily Telegraph – Man fined over Facebook insult to ex-girlfriend

A man has been ordered to pay £165 for calling his ex-girlfriend an offensive name on Facebook, in one of the first cases of its kind.

SC Magazine – Former Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair speaks on the danger cyber terrorism could have on the UK, along with organised hackers and the insider threat.

Sir Ian Blair speaks of how information communication technology security was potentially the greatest threat to the UK by the end of this decade.

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January 14th, 2010 by Speed Budapest (Matt)

Daily News 14/01

Computing.co.uk – Privacy watchdog to have power to fine £500,000
Organisations that lost people’s personal data will be liable for fines of up to £500,000 from April, according to the private watchdog.

BBC – Manchester to gain fibre network
A project to build a fibre network in Manchester could offer insights into how the UK can make next-generation broadband pay for itself.

IT PRO – Will free laptops boost grades and the economy?
A government minister has said trials of the Home Access Programme have boosted student grades and that educational tech boosts the economy.

Total Telecom – Microsoft says no mail systems have been compromised
Microsoft Corp.’s mail systems haven’t shown any signs of having been hit in the cyberattack that targeted Google Inc., the company said Wednesday.

The Guardian – Google acted on censorship amid China dissident fears
Google moved quickly to announce that it would stop censoring its Chinese ­service after realising dissidents were at risk from attempts to use the company’s technology for political ­surveillance, according to a source with direct ­knowledge of the internet giant’s most senior management.

January 13th, 2010 by Chris Measures

Google and China – Don't be evil?

China has always been a minefield for foreign internet companies. The size of the market needs to be balanced against the censorship demanded by the Chinese government as a price of operating. Up until now Google has found this a price worth paying – despite the ramifications for its corporate motto of Don’t Be Evil.

But recent alleged cyber attacks on the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists seem to be have changed its mind. To the point it is now suggesting it might pull out of the country altogether – and at the very least end censorship on www.google.cn.

Whether it will actually go through with the threat is another matter – but making its threats public is going to definitely rile the Chinese government. Let’s see what happens to the Google share price today and how that affects its ultimate decision………images

January 13th, 2010 by Speed Budapest (Matt)

Daily News 13/01

IT PRO – TalkTalk calls government’s free PC plans ‘inconsistent’
TalkTalk has called Government plans to give free computer and broadband access to low income families “deeply muddled thinking” as other proposals will see them having to pay out for the privilege.

Computing – 50 per cent of web users choose internet banking
Internet users are more likely to use internet banking for straightforward actions, but still rely on phone banking for more complicated enquiries, according to research from independent watchdog financialfraudaction.org.uk.

BBC News – Data losses to incur fines of up to £500,000
The Information Commissioner’s Office will be able to issue fines of up to £500,000 for serious data security breaches.

Computer Weekly – IT budget cuts expected in 2010
Businesses expect to make significant cuts to their IT budgets during 2010 according to the National Computing Centre’s latest survey of IT infrastructure plans.

The Guardian – Google to end censorship in China over cyber attacks
Google, the world’s leading search engine, has thrown down the gauntlet to China by saying it is no longer willing to censor search results on its Chinese service.

January 6th, 2010 by Lisa Francis

Daily News: 06/01

Computing.co.uk – Most SMEs will use cloud computing in 2010
More than half of small and medium sized enterprises are planning to use cloud computing technology this year, according to new research published by internet service provider Easynet Connect.

BBC – 3D TV, e-readers and tablet PCs to debut at CES show

Connectivity, 3D, e-readers and tablet computers are the trends to watch at the world’s biggest technology conference in Las Vega this week.

The Register – Sony to co-launch 3D TV channel?
Sony may partner with two leading video entertainment giants to launch a dedicated 3D TV channel, it has emerged, just hours after sports broadcaster ESPN confirmed plans for its own 3D telly service.

Computerworld UK – Good news on IT jobs
There has been a significant increase in the demand for IT staff, according to an extensive survey of recruitment firms.

The Financial Times – Cybersitter sues China for piracy

A small California company that was one of the first to bring an internet porn filter to market sued the government of China and several major computer companies on Tuesday, accusing them of misappropriating its censorship program for use in the controversial “Green Dam” project.

December 21st, 2009 by Lisa Francis

Daily News: 21/12

Silicon.com – Windows users to get browser choice as antitrust dispute settled
The European Commission has accepted Microsoft’s plan to offer a choice of browsers with Windows PCs sold in Europe.

BBC – Chinese proposal to meter internet traffic

China wants to meter all internet traffic that passes through its borders, it has emerged. The move would require international agreement – but it is being discussed by the United Nations body in charge of internet standards.

BBC – Thousands of shopping websites ‘could be breaking law’
Thousands of internet retailers may be breaking laws that protect customers, claims a consumer advocacy group.

Total Telecom – Nokia, ST-Ericsson sign long-term technology deal
Nokia Corp., the world’s largest mobile handset maker, and chipmaker ST-Ericsson said Friday they are partnering in a long-term technology deal, in a move to enhance their position in the fast growth Chinese market.

Total Telecom -Twitter hacked by ‘Iranian Cyber Army’

Popular microblogging site Twitter was briefly shut down overnight, its home page replaced with an image claiming the site had been hacked by the “Iranian Cyber Army.”

IT PRO – One in five pounds to be spent online by 2020
The internet will account for one in every five pounds of British retail spending by 2020, when online sales of electricals and books will overtake purchases made in store for the first time, according to a new study.