Computing.co.uk – Northern Ireland to see £48 million broadband boost
Northern Ireland’s communications infrastructure will be boosted to the tune of £48m, following financial commitments from BT and the EAFRD, according to Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster.

BBC – Troubled £12bn NHS IT system to be scaled back
The government is to scale back its £12bn NHS IT system in what the Tories are calling a “massive U-turn”.

The Guardian – Forget the iPod: the iPhone orchestra really makes music mobile
A group of students will be performing in a concert next week using musical iPhone applications, programmed by students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

IT PRO – Retailers geared up for ‘Mega Monday’
Online retailers face major traffic volumes on Monday 7 December, what e-retail body IMRG says will be the busiest online shopping day of the year for the UK. Retailers like Amazon, Play.com, Tesco and Argos will be expected to deal with hoards of online shoppers looking to buy gifts for Christmas, with a prediction that £350 million will be spent on Monday alone.

The Register – Mozilla lights fire under Thunderbird
Mozilla will step up the pace of on its Thunderbird mail and communications platform next year, to re-invigorate a “stagnant” email client scene.

The Financial Times – Apple buys internet music site Lala.com
Apple bought internet music site Lala.com late on Friday for an undisclosed amount, a development that could lead to the addition of streaming songs and new payment systems at Apple’s iTunes, the world’s biggest music retailer.