Google PowerMeter comes to UK
British Gas has partnered with energy consumption monitoring outfit, AlertMe. The partnership allows British Gas customers to monitor their electricity usage, from their office, using Google’s online PowerMeter Service. Google's PowerMeter  generates graphs of electricity usage that can be viewed anywhere using a mobile phone or computer.
Techworld

Microsoft and Yahoo delay search deal
Yahoo and Microsoft have declared that they need more time to finalise their search deal. The two companies agreed to the deal back in July and told investors it would be finalised by 27th October, but both informed the Security and Exchange Commission of an extension.  The deal is now expected in early 2010.
PC Pro

Ovi Store gets re-downloading feature
Nokia has continued in the footsteps of Apple, and is now letting users of its mobile application store, Ovi, re-download premium apps and content they have purchased in the past. The move follows a number of problems with Ovi, including network connection loss and software updates rendering content incompatible.
Mobile Entertainment

Netlog gets a major makeover, now growing at 500,000 users a week
Social networking site, Netlog, is holding it partner summit today and will be revealing the lastest design of the popular Web2.0 site often dubbed, The European Myspace. Netlog has also announced that it is receiving 250 million visits from 56 million unique visitors on a monthly basis and is handling half a million new sign-ups every week.
Tech Crunch

TalkTalk will resist net piracy plans
UK ISP TalkTalk revealed that it will not cut off internet access to its customers that illegally file-share online.  The government’s legislation to tackle internet piracy will kick into effect next April. In a move set to outrage the government and content providers, TalkTalk has launched the “Don’t Disconnect Us” campaign in a bid to ensure Brits aren't disconnected from the web without a trial.
PC Advisor

Westminster readies 'wave and pay' parking meters
Westminster City Council is to trial "wave and pay" parking meters. Drivers with contactless debit or credit cards will be able to wave them at the relevant meter from the New Year. The technology - being used for the first time in the UK - will be trialled on 20 meters in the West End, but could be extended if it is successful.
The Register

Motorola unveils Droid handset
Mobile phone vendor Motorola has unveiled its much-hyped Droid handset. The new smartphone will be based on Google's Android 2.0 platform and will sport the traditional 3G and Wi-Fi connections. Other hardware features include a 3.7 inch screen, 16GB of storage and a five megapixel camera.
V3

BBC Radio 4 adds 750,000 listeners in a year
Around 10.22 million people now listen to the station every week, up from 9.45 million people last year and 10 million in the previous quarter.  The figures are the highest for the station since new research methods were set up in 1999.  They were boosted by the popularity of the Today programme, which has 6.60 million listeners, an increase of nearly half a million on the same time last year.
Telegraph

Amazon to simplify online shopping
Amazon.com is set to launch a system to simplify the process of online shopping. Amazon PayPhrase will let consumers purchase goods with a short phrase such as "Shopping Fanatic" and an identification number. PayPhrase requires only a phrase and PIN instead of giving a credit card and address to buy things on Amazon and other websites that accept this PayPhrase system.
Yahoo News

New approach to ID verification aims to safeguard privacy
Government and industry are being encouraged to take part in a new electronic identity scheme that could put control of online privacy back into the hands of individual web users. International policy body the Global Trust Council (GTC) hopes to put a universal legal framework in place that will see online identity verified using “relationships”, sidestepping the need for database-held information, and upholding the individual’s right to privacy and to retain details of their identity.
Computing

ZTE booms as competitors wilt
The global end-of-recession results are showing sharp differences in the way different companies are emerging. Apple, for instance, has announced its best ever results for the quarter ending in September: computer unit sales up 17 per cent; iPhone sales up 7 per cent. Only its iPod sales had slipped. That's impressive but looks a tad languid when set beside the performance put in by Chinese telecoms equipment behemoth ZTE. It has enjoyed a third quarter headline growth rate of 43 per cent over the same quarter last year, representing $6.2bn.
Telecom TV

Google launches Social Search amid social-media battle
In a move underscoring the escalating battle among internet companies over social media, Google has launched a tool that allows users to find postings from their friends as part of a web search. Social Search is being launched days after both Google and Microsoft announced separate deals with start-up micro-blogging site Twitter. Microsoft also announced a similar deal with Facebook. to get access to its user information. Microsoft owns approximately 1.6 per cent of Facebook, following a 2007 investment.
Total Telecom

Microsoft: Users to blame for Windows 7 upgrade woes
Microsoft has blamed user confusion for the problems many have encountered trying to move from Vista to Windows 7 after buying a discounted upgrade offered to US college students. It has been reported on Microsoft’s support forum, where some users have seen their PCs crippled by an endless series of reboots.
PC Advisor

Experts warn of BlackBerry bugging app
The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team has issued a security alert concerning a free application for the BlackBerry which can turn the handset into a bugging device. PhoneSnoop sets up a PhoneListener and waits for an incoming call from a specific number. Once it detects a call from that specific number, it automatically answers the victim's phone and puts the phone into SpeakerPhone mode. This way, the attacker that called can now hear what's going on at the victim's end. The author of the app says the software was written as a proof-of-concept to show how easy it would be to turn the BlackBerry into a bugging device.
Yahoo News

Shortage of chips threatens LED supplies
Strong demand for LEDs for backlit applications and lighting has created a shortage in the supply chain that will last until the first quarter of 2010. The situation has partly been caused by a rush to create LED backlit applications for both notebooks and TVs. The penetration of LED backlighting in botebooks has increased dramatically and LEDinside forecasts that the penetration into this market for calendar year 2009 is likely to reach 52 per cent.
TG Daily

Samsung opens app fund to developers and brands
Samsung is embracing the age of the app by investing in a global venture fund to help come up with game ideas for the next generation of Samsung handsets. The electronics company is teaming up with Handmark, which makes mobile apps, to create the fund, which aims to generate 'market-changing game ideas'.
Revolution Magazine

Newspapers jump gun on mobile phone cancer link
Reports this week claimed that a 10-year study carried out by the WHO will reveal a link between heavy use of mobile phones and cancer. But even if the initial results have been leaked. there is no way anybody can tell if there is or isn't a link between mobile phones and brain tumours because the scientific research process is not complete, said Dr James Rubin at Kings College London.
Computer Weekly

Android 2.0 SDK launched by Google
They include an overhaul of the contacts and email synchronization, exchange support, combined inboxes for mail and search through both SMS and MMS. Camera phones will now have the option of built in flash support as well as digital zoom, white balance and macro focus. The browser has been given a makeover, which includes HTML5 support and Bluetooth 2.1 is not supported.
Tech Radar

Massive call for mobile rate cut
The Terminate the Rate campaign wants to see mobile termination rates (MTRs) slashed to reflect actual costs. These rates are what mobile network operators charge to handle other networks' traffic. Signatories, including 258 MPs and 60 businesses, are calling for the rates to be slashed from 5p to less than 1p.
BBC News

Sky's the limit as Xbox streams live satellite TV
Viewers can watch Sky TV through a computer games console for the first time from today. Britain's biggest pay-TV broadcaster is making 24 channels available over the Microsoft Xbox 360 console without the need for a dish. The broadcast of paid-for live channels via broadband is set to revolutionise the way millions of viewers watch television.
Metro

Guitar Hero rocks one million Facebook fans
Guitar Hero is the first console game franchise to surpass one million Facebook fans, says developer Activision. As the number one best-selling third party video game franchise in America and Europe this year to date, since its release, more than 38 million games have been sold worldwide. The most recent release "Guitar Hero 5" launched in September and is said to be the "most social and interactive Guitar Hero game ever".
Pocket Lint

IBM to open financial analytics centre in London
IBM will open a centre in London concentrating on how business analytics should be used in the financial sector. The announcement came at the same time as IBM announced a big push with business analytics at its Information on Demand (IOD) conference in Las Vegas.
IT Pro

India 3G auction postponed until January 2010
India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) this weekend announced plans to auction 3G licences in January 2010, confirming earlier speculation that the government is unlikely to meet its 7th December deadline.
Total Telecom

Amazon iPhone app lands in the UK
Amazon has made its shopping app for the iPhone and iPod touch available to UK customers, a year after its launch in the US. The Amazon Mobile App, available as a free download from the Apple App Store, links to your Amazon account and allows you search for items, manage Wish Lists, place orders through Amazon's 1-Click ordering system and then track them afterward.
IT Pro

Net set for 'language shake-up'
The internet is on the brink of the "biggest change" to its working "since it was invented 40 years ago", the net regulator Icann has said. The body is finalising plans to introduce web addresses using non-Latin characters. The proposal - initially approved in 2008 - would allow domain names written in Asian, Arabic or other scripts.
BBC

Mobile net 'heading for data jam'
The number of people accessing the net on mobile phones could soon outstrip the capacity of networks. According to mobile analyst form Informa, mobile data traffic looks set to rise 25 fold by 2012. The boom could present operators with problems as revenues generated by those using such mobile data services will only double over the same time period.
BBC

Google Voice allows users to keep phone number
A new feature will allow consumers to use Google Voice service without switching to a special phone number, potentially broadening the appeal of the nascent, and controversial, service. Google will provide users with a special code to enter into their phone which forwards unanswered calls to a Google-maintained voice mailbox.
Reuters

Hitachi Takes Nortel's LTE Packet Core
Hitachi is putting up $10 million to acquire some of Nortel's packet core assets. Whilst Hitachi is snapping up Nortel's Long-Term Evolution (LTE) packet core assets, the assets do not include legacy packet core elements from Nortel's GSM and UMTS businesses.
Unstrung

ZTE ‘to invest $1bn in Nigeria’
ZTE is to invest $1 billion in telecoms support services in Nigeria, according to Nigerian sources, quoting ZTE executives, who were in the country for discussions with local operators.
The source quotes ZTE executive Wayne Guo as saying the $1 billion is part of $15 billion that ZTE has available for investment in overseas projects via a framework agreement with the China Development Bank.
Global Telecoms Business

Smartphone security threats likely to rise
As smartphone popularity rises, so will security threats, experts say. Smartphones are attack-resistant, but their growing numbers make them attractive targets. Users should use same caution on phones they do on laptops or desktops.
CNN

Carl Icahn steps down from Yahoo board
Carl Icahn, who launched a shareholder insurrection at Yahoo last year over its handling of a takeover offer from Microsoft, is leaving Yahoo's board of directors.
ZDNet

Internet giants join forces to beat Nigerian email scams
Nigeria’s anti-corruption police have now joined forces with the world’s leading technology companies, including Microsoft, to create a system that will warn email users when they are the target of a scam.
Times Online

Hackers target the Guardian job site
Computer hackers have targeted the Guardian newspaper's jobs website in a "sophisticated and deliberate" move, the company has said. The breach put the personal details of some of the site's users at risk, and those who may have been affected have been identified and emailed. The Guardian said it had since been "assured" by the supplier that runs the site that the system was now secure. Officers from the Metropolitan Police's e-crime unit are investigating.
BBC News

Universal phone charger approved
A new mobile phone charger that will work with any handset has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body. Industry body the GSMA says that 51,000 tonnes of redundant chargers are generated each year. Currently most chargers are product or brand specific, so people tend to change them when they upgrade to a new phone.
BBC News

Orange to sell iPhones for Christmas
Orange will start selling the iPhone to British customers in just over two weeks, triggering a two-horse race for customers in the run-up to Christmas. The mobile phone company announced last month that it had become the first UK network to prise open O2's exclusive grasp on the device, which has helped the company maintain its place as the UK's largest operator. Orange is understood to be planning to launch the iPhone on 10 November, the day after O2's two-year exclusive contract with Apple comes to an end. It will be sold through the company's own shops and Phones4U .
The Guardian

Social media creating productivity black hole
Consultancy firm Morse has renewed calls on firms to create and enforce tighter acceptable usage policies, after new research found that unregulated use of social networks could be costing UK firms over £1.3bn a year in lost productivity. The firm polled over 1,400 office workers and found that 57 per cent use social networking sites during the working day for personal reasons, while three-quarters said that their employer had not issued specific guidelines for Twitter use.
V3

3 UK launches Jumbuck chat and dating services
3 UK has launched two new mobile social services: Power Chat and Fast Flirting. Both are supplied by Jumbuck. Power Chat ties into Jumbuck's global chat community, offering live chat, photos and profiles, as well as the ability to have private chats and send virtual gifts.
Mobile Entertainment

Windows 7 predicted to fare well in business market
A recent study suggests that Microsoft Windows 7 could see a warm reception from businesses in the coming months.
According to a study conducted by research firm ITIC, some 49 per cent of businesses surveyed plan to adopt Windows 7 within the coming year, and another 11 per cent expecting to update with the release of the first service pack.
V3

Virgin Media portal to use behavioural targeting across site
Virgin Media has embraced behavioural targeting across its portal as it looks to boost revenues. It has appointed behavioural targeting firm AudienceScience to collect data and create segments based on user behaviour across its site, which includes verticals like travel, shopping and music
NMA

Ofcom grants Freedom4 licence variation for mobility
Freedom4, the joint investment between Daisy Group and Intel Capital, has been granted a licence variation by Ofcom that enables it to offer mobile wireless broadband services to its customers using its nationwide 3.6GHz spectrum. Freedom4 says it has already achieved the world's first seamless mobile WiMAX handover between base stations operating at two frequencies (2.5GHz and 3.6GHz) and architected a high capacity core network, capable of delivering wholesale services.
Mobile Europe

O2 offers online mobile phone recycling
O2 has announced the launch of O2 Recycle, an online service that claims to make it easy for people to recycle old handsets in return for cash.  Run by Redeem, the service can be used by anyone in the UK, regardless of network, and as well as phones will accept MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS devices and other consumer electronics.
Pocket Lint

Google and Bing seal live search deals with Twitter
Google and Bing have both signed deals with Twitter to add real-time user updates from the popular micro-blogging platform, to its search results. Users will be able to see results based on the most recent and popular trends on Twitter. Bing will also index updates from Facebook.
Net Imperative

Sony unveils 360 degree 3D display using LED light source
Sony has unveiled a prototype screen technology that can be viewed from any direction. The display is currently on show at the DC Expo in Tokyo and uses an LED light source, but Sony is keeping the rest of the details about the technology under wraps.
Mac World

Microsoft looks to match Apple success with stand-alone stores
Microsoft has undergone a change in its retail strategy to help fight the pressure from computing rival Apple. Just like it’s counterpart, Microsoft is looking to have a more direct connection with its customers and will be opening its first stand alone store with further roll-out across the US.
Times

Wii 2 smaller and cheaper
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that the follow-up games console to Nintendo’s popular Wii, the Wii 2, will be smaller and cheaper and will move into “other aspects of daily life” following rivals Microsoft and Sony into the world of home entertainment.
Electric Pig

Orange offers 20Mbps broadband as standard
Orange has followed the trend set by Virgin and BT and will offer broadband speeds of up to 20Mbps as standard. Orange plans has been applauded throughout the industry and has added further criticism to the Digital Britain plans, showing the government as “off the mark”.
Tech Radar

Incumbents threatened by cable players but fibre offers hope
National incumbent operators such as BT and Deutsche Telekom have been caught on the back foot by cable carriers and their bundled offerings, with analysts expecting a mass deployment of fibre in a bid to avoid large scale subscriber loss. Investment firm Execution Ltd said that 2010 will see a step change in European fibre optic cable rollout as incumbent telecom operators seek to limit subscriber migration to cable operators.
Telecoms.com

Gartner outlines 10 strategic technologies for 2010
Gartner analysts have identified the 10 technologies they believe will have the most significant impact on business in 2010. The technologies include cloud computing, advanced analytics, client computing, IT for green, reshaping the datacentre, social computing, security – active monitoring, flash memory, virtualization for availability and mobile applications.
V3

EU project set to make chip cards more secure
Infineon Technologies AG, ST Microelectronics and NXP Semiconductors Germany GmbH, as well as its largest supplier of chip cards, Giesecke & Devrient GmbH and Gemalto, have joined forces to develop a high-security chip card platform. The aim for BioP@ss is to do the technical for the introduction of an electronic ID card in chip card format valid throughout the EU.
Comms Design

IBM announces new OS
IBM has revealed plans to create a cloud-based Linux operating system for release next year. IBM Client for Smart Work package and was oringally created for emerging markets in Africa, but IBM says it can help businesses save up to 50 per cent of software costs.
PCR

Nokia Siemens Networks Tops Infrastructure Supplier Rankings
In a new survey by Infonetics Research, Nokia Siemens was named the top mobile infrastructure vendor by service providers. The same service providers rated five mobile infrastructure vendors (Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks) on 8 criteria: technology, product roadmap, security, management, price-to-performance ratio, pricing, financial stability, and service and support. Ericsson topped the poll for service and support.
Cellular News

ARM launches its processor for the masses
UK low power chip designer ARM has announced the latest addition to its Cortex A family of application processor designs - the Cortex A5 - and is positioning it as the processor to bring Internet connectivity to the "next billion" users of mobile devices.  The Cortex A5 has many of the capabilities of its bigger brothers that are in top-end smartphones, but is smaller and more power-efficient, meaning lower price. The smaller size will mean lower price, as more can be produced on one silicon wafer.
Hexus

Apple launches ‘Magic Mouse’
Apple has announced updated versions of its iMac and MacBook systems along with a new multi-touch mouse.  The new iMacs will boast either a 21.5 or 27 inch display and will range in price from £949 to £1,599.  Accompanying the iMac overhaul is the addition of a new mouse. Dubbed the " Magic Mouse", the multi-touch device will be the first to support multi-touch finger gestures rather than clicking on buttons or scroll wheels.
V3

China reaches one billion lines
According to statistics provided by each of China's three main carriers for the end of September, the combined group has hit a milestone, reaching one billion telecom access lines between them.  China Mobile had more than 500 million mobile customers, China Telecom boasted over 240 million (including fixed and mobile), and China Unicom Ltd. had 250 million.
Light Reading

New Google Music Service Launch Imminent
Multiple sources are reporting that Google will soon launch a music service.  It is rumoured that the company has spent the last several weeks securing content from the major music labels for the launch of the service. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.  Current understanding is that the service will be very different to the Google China music download service that they launched  in 2008. That service, which is only available in China, allows users to search for music and download it for free.
TechCrunch

Mintera wins 40G contract with NSN
Mintera has announced a major 40Gb/s contract with Nokia Siemens Networks.  The contract is significant largely because NSN was the core customer of Mintera’s number one rival, StrataLight.  NSN is deploying Mintera’s 40G linecards into its hiT 7300 long-haul DWDM system.  The continued backing of 40G technology by NSN is a big boost to optical equipment manufacturers who have invested millions in developing the high speed networking kit against the possible risk of a jump to implementation of 100G systems.
Light Reading

Obama calls on US citizens to guard against hackers
Barack Obama has urged Americans to help guard against cyber attacks in a first-of-its-kind video published on the White House website. He called the threat of cyber attacks one of the most serious economic and national security challenges. Furthermore Obama will appoint a cyber security coordinator to ensure that defending the country’s networks becomes a national security priority.
Computerworld

Gartner: Loosen up on social networks, security
Gartner analysts are arguing that corporate computing departments shouldn't block social networking and that security shouldn't completely lock down communications with the outside world. The advice reflects the transformation of the information technology world as the Internet steadily pervades more and more corners of everybody's life.
CNET

Twitter passes the five billion 'tweet' mark
Twitter has had it five billionth tweet, according to GigaTweet.com which measure's the micro-blogging service's site traffic. If you have never been to GigaTweet, the third party app is a simple one which offers up a continual count of all the tweets sent on Twitter every second.
Tech Radar

YouTube rolls out keyword ad trial
YouTube is trialling an auction-based advertising model that enables brands to target consumers with relevant online video ads. The Promoted Videos ad programme combines Google AdWords with YouTube videos, allowing advertisers to create keyword-targeted campaigns, priced on a cost-per-click basis. Domino's Pizza, for example, one of the first brands to sign up to the scheme, will create video ads around relevant search terms including ‘pizza'.
Marketing Magazine

Office 2010 public beta expected in November
Microsoft on Monday announced that it will release a public test version of Office 2010 in November. The software maker released a limited technology preview of the software in July and plans to release the final version next year. It also started testing of the browser-based 'Office Web Apps' in September.
ZDNet

Apple profits up on iPhone sales
Apple has shrugged off the recession with profits surging on demand for its iPhones, laptops and desktop computers. The technology giant made a net profit of $1.67bn (£1bn) in the three months to 26 September, up 47 per cent on a year earlier. Sales rose 25 per cent to $9.87bn.
BBC

Police crime maps go live for UK
Wondering if your town is safer than the one down the hill? Now you can find out after the UK's crime information has been put on a map for the public to peruse. The Home Office, along with the National Policing Improvement Agency, have put the crime info onto a website, allowing people to feel a little more confident (or, presumably, scared) about the areas that they live in.
Tech Radar

Nokia reshuffles top execs after poor quarter
After posting its first quarterly loss in over a decade, Nokia has embarked on another reorganisation, splitting its mobile phone division into two. It has appointed CFO Rick Simonson as head of the mobile phones division while Jo Harlow will run the smartphones group. The global head of sales, Tim Ihamuotila, will fill the CFO chair. The move comes after Nokia posted a €913 million quarterly net loss.
Telecoms Europe  

UK launches mobile broadband consultation
The UK government has launched a consultation in a bid to improve and extend mobile broadband coverage to up to 90 per cent of the country. The government proposals aim to drive wireless internet growth with new spectrum auctions. Freeing up the airwaves for the expansion of wireless and 3G services will increase their reach to consumers and businesses across as much as 90 per cent of the country, including rural communities.
Total Telecom

Majority oppose internet ban for filesharers
Plans to force internet service providers (ISPs) to disconnect suspected illegal downloaders have been roundly rejected in a new YouGov poll, the first time public opinion has been tested on the issue. Nearly 70 per cent of those surveyed said someone suspected of illegal downloading should have a right to a trial in court before restrictions on internet use were imposed. Only 16 per cent were in favour of automatic curbs based on accusations by copyright holders such as musicians, as is proposed by the business department.
The Guardian

Google launches first big UK ad push
Google is today launching its first major advertising campaign in the UK as part of an international marketing push designed to win over users of Microsoft products. The US search engine giant, which has famously built its global business using little to no advertising, has launched its biggest ever international ad campaign running across six countries using the strapline "Gone Google".
The Guardian

Oracle to roll out huge patch update
After Microsoft and Adobe both released their largest ever slew of patches last week, Oracle users will be bracing themselves for similar from their vendor, as the business software giant prepares a whopping 38 security vulnerability fixes this week. The firm’s quarterly Critical Patch Update, set for 20 October, will contain fixes for problems across “hundreds of products”, according to a pre-release announcement.
V3

Accenture completes Nokia buy
Global consultancy Accenture has completed its acquisition of Nokia’s professional services unit, a move which is set to extend the firm’s expertise in embedded software services for mobile devices. Accenture first announced its move for the unit, which is responsible for responsible for providing engineering and support of the Symbian operating system to device manufacturers and service providers, around three months ago.
V3

IBM Q3 profits up 14 per cent
IBM has reported that profits are up 14 per cent despite revenues of $23.6 billion in the third quarter of 2009, down seven per cent, or five per cent after the currency adjustments, compared to $25.3 billion in the same period last year.
Computer Business Review

Verizon unleashes anti-iPhone ads for new Droid handset
Verizon Wireless has gone on the attack with Apple’s handset squarely in its sights. It’s launched an ad campaign for a previously unannounced  new phone called Droid. The ads spoof Apple’s trademark commercials, with slogans highlighting features lacking from iPhone: ‘iDon’t have a real keyboard’, ‘iDon’t run simultaneous apps’, ‘iDon’t take 5-megapixel pictures’, ‘iDon’t allow open development’.
Mobile Entertainment

Nokia's Comes With Music has just 107,000 users
It's been around for just over a year now, but it doesn't look like it'll be a happy anniversary for Nokia's Comes With Music service, if new figures on take-up from Music Ally are to be believed. The idea sounded good on paper, the option of downloading all the music you required from the Nokia Music Store as part of a monthly mobile deal. But when DRM, a limited range of phones and free streaming from elsewhere (some via mobile phones) came into the mix, the deal started to look a little less appealing.
T3

Intel and IBM face insider trading rap
Intel Capital and IBM executives are facing insider trading charges after allegedly providing information which reaped a massive $25 million in illicit gains, the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) said yesterday. The SEC revealed that Rajiv Goel, a managing director of Intel subsidiary, Intel Capital, and IBM senior vice president Robert Moffat are among six senior execs arrested in what it is calling a “massive insider trading scheme”.
V3

Sony Ericsson reports loss of £149m
As Sony Ericsson posts another large loss, this time of €164m (£149m), it tells the industry it is in a better place to enter the smartphone market. Analysts have said the firm’s poor financial performance is because it lacks a cheap phone with a Qwerty keyboard. Such phones tend to be the dominant choice among business users as well as being increasingly popular among consumers.
V3

Nokia seeks to freshen sourcing policy after poor results
The day after announcing its first loss in more than a decade, Nokia has swung the axe at its mobile phones division, and put its chief bean counter in charge. Mobile Phones is one of two new entities within the Devices unit that came into operation on October 1, 2009, the other being Smartphones
Mobile Europe

Mobiles set for mountain roaming
Mobile phone users will be able to call the emergency services from another UK network on 999 if their own network is unavailable, Ofcom, has said. The development is one of a number of steps announced by the communications regulator after recent consultation on communications services.
BBC News

Britain's airwaves to be auctioned to aid mobile broadband access
One fifth of the population of Britain denied mobile broadband access will stand a much better chance of being able to log on when the UK government clears the way today for an auction of airwaves best suited to wireless data.
Times

BlackBerry stirs up a second Storm
Addressing some of the concerns about the original Storm’s touchscreen technology, which featured a mechanical display that sunk into the casing when pressed, the Storm2 introduces SurePress, which is based on an electronic system requiring less pressure as well as supporting multi key actions.
Telecoms

Schmidt: “Android Adoption Is About To Explode”
During Google’s third quarter earnings conference call today, one message came out loud and clear: Google’s mobile strategy is starting to pay off. “Android adoption is about to explode,” declared CEO Eric Schmidt, explaining that all the “necessary conditions” are set for growth
Tech Crunch

Channel 4 the first to air its shows on YouTube
Channel 4 is to become the first television channel in the world to put full-length programming on YouTube for viewers to watch free of charge. 3,000 hours of will be uploaded on to the video-sharing website, in a deal that will also allow Channel 4 to sell advertising around its content.
Times

Tories to launch Spotify ad campaign
The Conservatives are to become the first UK political party to run a marketing campaign on Spotify, in a bid to target the hard-to-reach youth audience. The ad will feature party chairman, Eric Pickles, speaking on the issue of debt, backed by a message that Spotify users should vote Tory at next year's general election.
Guardian

Motorola release schedule leaked
Motorola is working on three new mobile phones and an associated tablet device following its recent DEXT launch. The new Sholes mobile phone will be an Android phone, is due to be released next month with an associated Tablet, to be released during the first quarter of next year.
Mobile Choice

Behavioural advertising faces OFT scrutiny
The UK's competition authority has launched two studies that will probe behavioural-advertising pricing strategies and if some pricing practices could potentially mislead consumers. The aim of the studies is to give the Office of Fair Trading a view of how pricing strategies and techniques are changing in e-commerce.
PC Advisor

Apple expands e-commerce on iPhone
Apple has begun allowing in-app transactions for free applications on its iPhone and iPod Touch handsets. The company said that developers would be allowed to perform transactions within free applications offered through the company's App Store service. Previously transactions had been only available in paid applications.
V3

TIM to launch Qualcomm-powered app store in Brazil
Qualcomm has announced  a big win for its Plaza Retail white-label app store platform, signing up the Brazilian subsidiary of global operator group TIM. TIM’s app store will be available to its 40 million subscribers in Brazil, who’ll be able to download the app store client from TIM’s portal.
ME

Telmap enables GPS navigation service Ruta Movistar
Telmap has announced that it has been selected to power Ruta Movistar, search, mapping and navigation service for Telefónica subscribers. Ruta Movistar is a Telefónica branded service that will be enabled by the latest technology from Telmap, available on all GPS embedded phones.
Mobile Europe

Airwide Solutions partners with Sentry Wireless
Airwide Solutions has partnered with Sentry Wireless to expand its mobile security offerings for wireless operators. The partnership will see Sentry join Airwide's solution partner program, while Airwide will integrate Sentry Wireless' SpamGuard mobile security product into its AirGuard anti-spam suite.
SC Magazine

T-Mobile sued for Sidekick
T-Mobile was hit with two separate class-action lawsuits alleging that the company misled consumers into believing that their data was secure, despite the fact that it was really caused by Microsoft's Danger subsidiary.
The Inquirer

Nokia reveals Q3 results, including services revenues
Nokia has announced its Q3 financials, revealing net sales of €9.8 billion - down 20 per cent year-on-year. The company shipped 108.5 million mobile handsets during the quarter - down eight per cent year-on-year - while its estimated market share remained constant at 38 per cent.
ME

Battle of the smartphones begins
Smartphones are going mass market, fuelled by the public's "insatiable appetite" for social media, analysts say.  They predict an explosion in sales alongside price falls for smart handsets next year. It comes in a week which sees the launch of Blackberry's latest handset, the Storm 2.
BBC News

Spotify reveals new 'buy MP3' button
Spotify has made a major improvement to its music buying feature this week, introducing a clear Buy button next to tunes in your playlists, or a 'Buy Album button' below the cover artwork on albums. The timing of the MP3-purchasing upgrade is significant, what with Sky set to introduce its own music streaming and download service, Sky Songs, next week.
Tech Radar

The UK arm of online video company Joost has gone into liquidation
At the start of the month Joost UK, owned by Netherlands-based Joost Technologies, appointed a liquidator, Paul Appleton, managing partner at chartered accountants and insolvency specialists David Rubin & Partners LLP. The move marks the end of a turbulent journey for the UK arm of the start-up, which was launched by Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström in 2007.
NMA

London cyber criminals face jail over Natwest fraud
London-based cyber criminals face jail after siphoning off £600,000 from bank customers with a trojan virus. Shown a page with a faked Natwest logo and a message that it was an additional security measure, victims would be persuaded to type in personal details including, PIN numbers. This was the first successful operation for the Police Central e-crime Unit, which were involved in investigating the banking fraud and making the original arrests.
IT Pro