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January 31st, 2011 by Sophie Hodgson

Log off and sit back – seriously, try it

Tim Weber’s article ‘Davos 2011:We’re all hyper-connect, now what?’ poses many interesting questions. I’m sure there is the potential here to be clever and pick up on the loss of control for brands etc., but what struck me was the pace of the article. Weber sounded rushed and as I read the article I to found myself becoming tense.

Undoubtedly we’re on the move, contactable and engaged 24/7. For businesses, mobile devices represent the biggest opportunity to do more, more, more than ever before. But for consumers it’s exhausting! We’re all so busy being ‘available’ that we’ve been fooled into thinking that tweets and messages on Facebook are productive and valuable signs of friendship. They might help connect us with a wider community and broaden our horizons – this is good – but if any friend thinks tweeting me (I refuse to join Facebook) for my big 30, or any birthday, is acceptable they can jog on.

My point isn’t that social media is bad, far from it, more that hyper-connectivity as Weber calls it, can mean we lose sight of what’s important. Some critics say the Internet is shutting us down, which if you ask me, is a load of old bollocks. But sometimes there is a lot to be said for putting down laptop/mac/iPad/smart phone, making a cup of tea, putting your feet up and disconnecting. And after reading the article on my iPhone, that’s exactly what I did. Bliss.

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May 13th, 2010 by michael.frier

Daily News – 13/05

BBC – Child abuse ‘big business online’

There are around 450 criminal gangs around the world making money from images of child sex abuse, the UK’s Internet Watch Foundation has said.

IT PRO – HTC asks for iPhone, iPad and iPod ban
HTC has asked the US International Trade Commission to ban sales of Apple’s products in a patent infringement case.

Total Telecom – LG unveils its first US Android smartphone
South Korean vendor presents Ally; will sell through Verizon Wireless this month.

ZDNet – Office 2010 launched to business

Microsoft has released Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 to volume licensing enterprise customers, ahead of the software’s retail launch in June.

ZDNet – ID cards, National Identity Register scrapped

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat government has confirmed that it will scrap the ID cards scheme and the National Identity Register

SC Magazine – Google responds to international information commissioners criticisms on Buzz privacy issues

Google has responded to international criticism on privacy issues surrounding its Buzz social networking site.

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May 4th, 2010 by michael.frier

Daily News – 04/05

BBC – Smartphones to get novel memory material

Smartphones could have their battery life extended by up to 20 per cent by changing what type of memory they use. Samsung has announced plans to produce memory modules built of what is known as a phase change material.

BBC – Student convicted of hacking Sarah Palin e-mail account

A jury in Tennessee has convicted a former student of hacking the e-mail account of Sarah Palin. David Kernell, 22, was found guilty of obstructing justice and unauthorised access to a computer.

The Register – Internet Explorer drops below 60 per cent market share

Less than two thirds of surfers are now using Microsoft’s browser on the web as Google’s Chrome continues its northward assault.

CIO – Adobe CEO responds to Steve Jobs Flash attack

Grab your ringside seats, gang: Apple and Adobe are at it again, and this time, the fighting’s turning fierce. In one corner, you have Steve Jobs, decorated CEO of what may be both the most loved and most hated company in technology. In the other corner, you have Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, who can’t understand why Jobs won’t allow his Flash software onto the iPhone, iPod, or iPad

The Financial Times – Apple shifts 1m iPads in first month

Apple has sold 1m units of the iPad in the four weeks since it went on sale in the US, suggesting that demand for the touch screen tablet computer is higher than anticipated. However, the company faced criticism from users who complained that the 3G iPad, released at the weekend, was delivering poor video performance over AT&T’s network.

The Daily Telegraph – Head teacher calls for Facebook ban

The principal of a school in New Jersey has asked students to join a voluntary ban on social networking and text messaging to prevent cyber bullying. Anthony Orsini, head teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, New Jersey, sent an email asking parents to help wean their children – aged between 11 and 14 – off social networking websites such as Facebook, and to keep a careful track of their text messages.

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April 12th, 2010 by Steve

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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February 22nd, 2010 by Steve

Daily News 22/02

The Guardian – Google attacks ‘traced to Chinese schools’

Chinese authorities have not commented on NY Times reports that intelligence has linked the hacking strikes to two schools.

IT PRO -Microsoft browser ballot to arrive next week

Microsoft will start offering its web browser choice screen to UK users from next week.

The Register – iPad pitch to the Wall Street Journal laid bare

Steve Jobs took the iPad to the Wall Street Journal to explain why the paper should drop Adobe’s Flash, to a cool reception.

Computerworld UK – Mobile banking doubles every year

In 2015, about 244 million people worldwide will carry out financial transactions with their banks using their mobile phones.

Computerworld UK – Facebook more popular than Yahoo

Facebook is now the second most popular website in the United States, passing Yahoo with 133 million unique visitors in January, according to new research.

The Daily Telegraph – Apple ‘obsessed’ American couple marry at New York store on Valentine’s Day

An American couple, Josh and Ting Li, who are obsessed with Apple products, have become the first to marry inside one of the technology giant’s stores. The couple, from New York, said “iDo” at the city’s Apple store on Fifth Avenue, at 12.01 on Valentine’s Day in a ceremony dominated with the company’s products and references to them. The pair, who met in the Apple store, had their priest dressed as Steve Jobs, the company’s chief executive, read their vows from their iPhones, while the rings were tied to a ribbon wrapped around a first generation iPod.

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December 2nd, 2009 by Lisa Francis

Daily News: 02/12

CRN – Cisco ploughs more into SME channel
Cisco has further invested in its SME channel by adding pre-sales technical support and a new hardware advanced-replacement service specifically designed for the smaller customers.

Total Telecom – Vodafone to launch mobile health care unit
Vodafone Group PLC Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said Tuesday the company will launch new unit to work with pharmaceutical companies and government organizations to provide healthcare services using mobile phone technology.

Total Telecom – Google plans to invest in renewable energy projects

Internet search giant Google Inc. plans to invest directly in one or more renewable energy projects as part of a broader move to expand investment in clean -energy technology, a company executive said Monday.

IT PRO – Londoners lose 10,000 mobiles in cabs a month

Londoners lose 10,000 mobile phones each month in cabs, according to new research. Another 1,000 other devices – such as iPods and laptops – also get left on the seat each month, according to the report from Credant Technologies.

IT PRO – Government to create own private cloud, app store

The government is looking to heavily centralise its IT services, rolling out a private cloud and app store, according to a leaked draft document from the Cabinet Office. The leaked report showed the government has “substantial” plans to centralise and rework its IT over the next five years – and longer.

The Telegraph – Shops offer discounts and vouchers on Twitter

Shops such as Marks and Spencer, Debenhams and Asda have embraced the microblogging service as a way of marketing special offers and one-off sales to customers. Some of the discounts and offers only apply in-store, and experts say it’s a way of attracting shoppers away from online-only retail operations and back to traditional bricks-and-mortar high-street stores.