Is it possible to measure IT Security?
It is a commonly held principle in many areas of business that if you can’t measure something quantitatively, it will be difficult to raise the quality objectively. The applicability of this statement to the world of IT security is clear. Without having some form of metrics in place, it is tough, if not impossible, to judge whether security is getting better over time. Indeed, it is probably fair to say that many organisations have only one way to assess security namely, did anything go wrong but this is hardly a metric for the forward-looking.
The Register

On Rupert’s iPad: Times, Sky TV Show Different Charging Approaches
The Times joined the Financial Times as the only national UK newspaper with a news app for iPad’s international launch Friday morning. Yes, it’s pay-for, but there’s an entirely different pricepoint from the new websites, which will soon charge £1 a day, £2 a week or free with print. It’s £9.99 every 28 days. But (and here’s where it may fall down) - these payments don’t link up with website payments. That means anyone who is paying to access the website must also pay the extra tenner a month for the same content on iPad, and vice versa.
mocoNews

What to Expect From Apple’s iPhone-centric WWDC 2010
News outlets may have spoiled the big surprise for Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference by publishing early photos and details of the next-generation iPhone. Nonetheless, in a recent e-mail, Steve Jobs promised a customer that You won’t be disappointed by the announcements to come. What else might Apple have in store for the event, which happens June 7 to 11 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center? Before last year’s WWDC, Wired.com accurately predicted the introduction of new iPhones and MacBooks, as well as the release date of the Snow Leopard operating system. So with this year’s WWDC keynote scheduled for June 7, we thought it’d be fun to step up and place our bets once again.  In addition to the obvious new iPhone, we’re predicting something big happening with relation to streaming video. Also, we dismiss recent rumors about Microsoft making an appearance to announce iPhone OS developer tools, and once again we file the possibility of a Verizon iPhone under unlikely.
Wired

Palm webOS Design Director Heads To Google
This can't be good. Matias Duarte has left Palm for Google. The now former senior director of human interface and user experience for Palm was the genius behind webOS's user interface and his departure does not bode well for new owner HP. Google has confirmed with All Things D that Duarte is joining his former Danger cohort Andy Rubin and the Android team. While Duarte was design chief at Helio, Rubin approached the now defunct team about an open source platform he was working on at Google. Had Helio released the Ocean 3 with Android and not the Linux-based smartphone OS that was being built internally, Helio might still be around. But that's neither here nor there.
Techland

Apple iPad ready to hit UK streets
Jake Lee knew he would have a long, cold night ahead  but wasn't troubled: the 17-year-old from Theydon Bois, Essex had his father's thick coat  plus the assurance of being the first to buy an Apple iPad at the company's Regent Street store in London when it opens its doors at 8am tomorrow."I didn't order online because I wanted to get the experience of buying it, of being in the queue," said Lee, who has been saving from his part-time job after school "for months" to be able to afford the £429 low-end version. Yet judging by the length  or brevity of the queue outside the store, which by mid-afternoon comprised just five people, Apple's latest offering a 9-inch touchscreen tablet computer operated like its hit iPhone  is not drawing the crowds in the same way as previous product launches, which attracted scores of patient buyers.
The Guardian

Bebo founder not interested in buying it back
Talking exclusively to The Telegraph, British born Birch, who co-founded the once highly popular site with his wife Xochi, has said he wouldn’t be surprised if a social gaming company, like Zynga, responsible for very popular games such as Farmville, snapped up the business. Most social networks have gone into gaming and I think somebody will buy Bebo from AOL as it still has still has a lot of unique users a month and that’s valuable, Birch said.
Telegraph

Yahoo! scoops deal with creator of 'Farmville,' 'Mafia Wars,' 'Treasure Isle'
Zynga and Yahoo! Inc have announced that Zynga will be bringing their set of social games to Yahoo!'s sites, in much the same way as they are available on Facebook and MySpace. The move means that Yahoo! users will be able to play Zynga games not only on Yahoo! websites but also via their email and instant messanger programs. Heads were scratched after Zynga and Facebook tied up a five-year deal last week in the face of rumors about a rift in their business relationship, but those rumors now appear to have had some foundation following the announcement of a partnership with Yahoo! Inc.
The Independent

Behind the scenes: Tennis French Open in 3D
This year's French Open will be one that is remembered not just for the tennis played but for the fact that it is being shot and broadcast live in 3D. Home Cinema Choice – part of the TechRadar network were on hand to witness the event. According to HCC, the transmissions, produced in association with the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), are being beamed to 3,000 locations across 58 European territories, via Hotbird and Astra.
TechRadar UK

Facebook Provides Tools To Make Android Apps More Social
This time it is Facebook that allowing developers to integrate social networking into their Android applications. Last week, it was MySpace that released a software developer tool kit.
Facebook made the announcement on their blog today, saying that their SDK which already supported iPhone and mobile websites is now up to speed on Android. TechCrunch notes that there have been ways to integrate Facebook into Android applications before now, but that these have really been hacked together from the iPhone SDK, and weren’t really official.
mocoNews

Homelessness charity app iHobo tops 276k downloads
A virtual pet-style iPhone game that aims to raise awareness of homelessness has been downloaded more than 276,000 times in a matter of weeks in the UK.The app is called iHobo, and was launched by UK youth homelessness charity Depaul UK on 10th May. It is only available on iPhone in the UK, making that downloads total even more impressive.
Mobile Entertainment

Facebook bows to pressure to simplify privacy controls
Facebook, the world's most-popular social networking site, last night backed down and introduced simplified privacy controls after a storm of protest from users. Changes made to the site earlier this year led to allegations that the company was exploiting personal data for commercial gain and led to formal complaints from privacy groups.  Prominent technology bloggers publicly deleted their accounts, and the European Commission described the changes as "unacceptable".
The Independent
 
Concern over human cost overshadows iPad launch
The American electronics giant Apple was investigating damaging allegations last night that Chinese workers making its new iPad device were subjected to such "inhumane" treatment that some of them took their own lives by jumping off factory roofs. Documents seen by The Independent reveal there are widespread failures by Apple's suppliers to respect standards on labour rights and safety specified by the company, which had sales of £30bn last year.
The Independent
 
Computer games might reduce crime
The rise of the use of violent computer games during the recession might have led to a reduction in violent crime. Coppers in the US have been unable to work out why crime actually dropped when traditionally it rises during a period of economic trouble. Violent crimes fell 5.5 percent last year and property crimes declined 4.9 percent. One theory is that the US has locked up everyone who might have committed a crime and the other is that smart, data-driven police strategies have prevented anything from happening.
TechEye
 
Mobile VoIP Users to Exceed 100 Million by 2012
A new study from Juniper Research has found that Mobile VoIP services will develop significantly faster in developed markets due to the direct correlation between 3G roll outs and the take up of mobile VoIP. This is the case even though mVoIP traffic volumes may eventually be higher in developing markets due in part to the calling patterns of migrant workers, according to their report.
Cellular News
 
LinkedIn Lets Users Track Connections on Twitter
LinkedIn adds a feature to its Tweets application that lets users track their LinkedIn connections on both LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn began letting users tweet to Twitter from LinkedIn and vice versa in November 2009 through Tweets, which has been picked up by more than 1 million users. The new find/follow feature is represented by a new Tweets tab titled “Connections,” which Tweets users may click to see all of their LinkedIn connections who have added Twitter accounts to their LinkedIn profiles.
eWEEK Europe UK
 
Nokia faces struggle to claw back market share
Speaking at the Open Mobile Summit in London, Richard Windsor of Nomura Securities said that Nokia faces a period of difficulty caused in large part by the migration of developers from its Symbian platform to other devices and operating systems. "Nokia will hope that its Symbian^4 operating system, scheduled for a 2011 release, can help encourage developers back to its eco-system. However, looking at the reaction on Symbian^3 does not give much encouragement that this will be the case," he said.
V3
 
Sony develops flexible OLED screens
Sony is developing the latest flexible OLED screen tech, promising roll-out screens for mobiles and computers in the future. Sony announced this month that it has successfully developed a flexible full-colour OLED display which can be wrapped around a small 4mm-radius cylinder.
Tech Radar
 
BBC iPlayer 3: new features explained
The BBC showed of the latest iteration of its iPlayer service today, dubbed iPlayer 3, promising better streaming capabilities, social integration and a general simplification of the service. At the launch event, with TechRadar in attendance, the BBC's Anthony Rose called the iPlayer "more of an application than a website" and explained the many new features that make the iPlayer a more personalised service.
Tech Radar

Orange mobile chief reveals income from Care service
Orange is making €200 million revenue annually from the three million customers it has signed up to its Orange Care service, Olaf Swantee, Senior VP, France Telecom said. The service provides a combined "lifecycle" customer care service across user support issues, contacts and data transfer and back up, as well as insurance. Swantee said that the success of the Care approach shows that operators can turn what has previously been a cost base, customer care, into a revenue centre.
Mobile Europe

Latin fire driving regional MVNO market
According to figures released by Informa Telecoms & Media this week, MVNO subscriptions in Latin America will grow at a CAGR of 28 per cent to 6.6 million by 2013. This is largely due to the fact that mobile growth is slowing in Latin America, with mobile penetration rates already above 100 per cent in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela, and at close to 90 per cent in Brazil. So forward looking operators now see MVNOs as a good opportunity to grow subscriptions and revenues in new market segments.
Telecoms

3 pushing tablets to UK users
The UK’s mobile underdog and most disruptive wireless player, 3, has unveiled its own tariffs for the Apple iPad, which lands in the UK on Friday, and they’re pretty competitive. On a one month rolling contract, 3 is pitching 1GB of data for £7.50 per month and 10GB of data for £15.00 per month. This comes in as the cheapest monthly deal for 1GB and the best value for 10GB.
Telecoms

Digital Economy Act will fail
It looks like the Digital Economy Act will fail to deter people from downloading music and films. A survey from law firm Wiggin and Entertainment Media Research asked 1,592 UK consumers aged 15-54 if they thought the law change would mean anything to them. A third of those who admitted to downloading the odd file said that they would not change their behaviour even if the most direct action of internet account "suspension" is implemented under the DEA. However they might change their minds when they have their net cut off. One in five said DEA measures would lead them to take an active role in monitoring the use of their internet account. Women more than men would do this.
The Inquirer

Microsoft has no plans to advance mobile phone development
Software giant does not intend to make its own handsets, CEO says. Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Wednesday the software group has no plans to increase its mobile phone development capabilities but will launch new tablet PC designs that use the Windows operating system.
Total Telecom

Dell streaks ahead with tablet device
Dell will launch the first in an expected wave of tablet computers from big PC manufacturers next month, selling a small version with a 5in screen in the UK through Telefónica's carrier 0 2 .  Dell, Hewlett-Packard - the biggest PC maker - and others are trying to benefit from the consumer appeal of Apple's iPad, introduced in the US last month and due to go on sale in the UK and eight other countries this Friday.
Finanacial Times

3 offers cheapest iPad plan so far
So, you've got your iPad pre-ordered. You did it nice and early, so you know you'll definitely be getting it delivered on Friday. Plus you've had a look at our data plan comparison guide, and you're all set for some serious 3G surfing. You're very well prepared, you're an expert early adopter. Well done.
Pocket Lint

Nokia Releases Software Update for N900
Mobile phone maker Nokia has released a software update for its flagship N900 smartphone.  The version 1.2 software update will bring new and exciting games for the smartphone, joining the line up of games already available from Nokia's Ovi store, including Zen-bound, Angry Birds (level pack), Jurassic 3D Rollercoaster, Weatherbug, and GoGadget.
IT Portal

BBC upgrades iPlayer to allow 'social propositions'
The BBC has relaunched the website version of its popular iPlayer service in an effort to give the online telly catch-up service a Web2.0rhea sheen.
Auntie pushed out an iPlayer beta this morning and said it planned to release a full-fat version in July this year. The Corporation said it had simplified its iPlayer by making TV and radio shows easier to search for via its website. The Beeb has also tweaked the interface to allow users to personalise their iPlayer “experience”, and dipped the whole thing in some social networking dye.
The Register

Wired Magazine launches iPad e-mag... and it's a 527MB download!
Magazine publisher Conde Nast has launched the long-awaited tablet version of its Wired Magazine, initially for iPad. The June issue is available as an iPad app, costing $4.99 in the US App Store (and £2.99 here in the UK). The first thing that made our eyes pop out: it's a 527MB download.
Mobile Entertainment

MasterCard opens up platform
The New York Times reports that having experimented with building its own apps for money transfers and alerts, MasterCard wants to see how third parties can push on the online/mobile payments habit. Before, if developers wanted to use its payment technology, they have had to get a merchant agreement, set up the payment system and make the consumer enter data each time. The opening up of the system will remove these barriers, and enable payment features in all manner of apps from games to social media products.
Mobile Entertainment

Sky interested in Google TV platform
Sky are interested in putting the Sky Player on the Google TV platform, although Sky's director of on-demand Griff Parry has told TechRadar that he is keen to get more details on the internet television project.  Google TV was announced by the internet giant last week, with the company keen to set the standard for television through the internet, and forging a high profile partnership with the likes of Intel, Logitech and Sony.
Tech Radar

O2 limits unlimited broadband packages
Just as it runs a high-profile advertising campaign boasting it is "nobbling broadband niggles", O2 has begun telling users of its "unlimited" broadband packages that they shouldn't download more than 10GB in a month. Those who ignore the warning face disconnection, which might be considered a niggle. The new policy affects customers whose connections are not unbundled from BT at the local exchange and branded as "O2 Home Access".
The Register

Facebook challenged by ambitious upstarts
The controversy over Facebook's privacy policy is helping those developing alternatives to the social network. Funding and users are flowing to services that claim to put members in charge of their personal data. The rivals range from start-ups to more established firms working on the specifications for an ecosystem of open social networks. Experts say Facebook may have little to worry about, despite 11,000 people pledging to quit Facebook on 31 May.
BBC News

EU slaps Google over Wi-Fi data collection
European Union justice commissioner Viviane Reding has accused Google of flouting European privacy regulations by harvesting payload data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Reding responded after widespread concerns that Google may be bypassing privacy regulations when its Street View cars collected information from Wi-Fi networks across Europe. Google had been collecting data for its Maps service, using the MAC addresses to expand its geo-location API service and offer Google Map users limited triangulated location awareness for anyone without GPS.
V3

Google prepared to fight for AdMob deal
Google is prepared to "fight" if US regulators seek to block the firm's planned $750m acquisition of mobile phone advertising company AdMob, according to US reports. Google plans to use the acquisition to extend its internet advertising business to mobile devices. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is questioning Google's competitors and advertisers over monopoly concerns. But Eric Schmidt, chief executive at Google, said in a US television interview that the mobile advertising space is "hugely competitive" with up to seven companies vying for a share of the market.
Computer Weekly

Germany’s spectrum auction nets EUR4.38B
Germany’s high-profile mobile spectrum auction wrapped up yesterday after 224 rounds of bidding, netting the government EUR4.38 billion (US$5.42 billion). The country was selling spectrum in the ‘digital dividend’ 800MHz band, as well as 1.8GHz, 2GHz and 2.6GHz bands. Activity in the 800MHz band was the most eagerly watched, as this spectrum (previously used for analogue TV broadcasts) is ideal for providing coverage over a broad geographic area using relatively few base stations, (although it is less suitable for providing lots of capacity in a congested hotspot).
Mobile Business Briefing

Blu-ray disc sales double in a year
Blu-ray sales in Europe are looking better than ever, with new figures suggesting that the format has almost doubled in popularity in a year. In Q1 of 2010, Blu-ray sales managed to increase by 94 per cent year on year, with 8.4 million discs sold, according to new figures released by the Digital Entertainment Group Europe. This meant that consumers spent a cool 151.4 million Euros on the format. This is similar to what happened in 2009, where sales of Blu-ray increased by 109 per cent.
TechRadar

New legislation could 'reduce cost' of fibre rollout
The coalition government is considering new legislation to cut the cost of rolling out high-speed broadband across the UK, in order to get fibre access to more areas and to encourage new companies to become broadband providers. The government believes reducing the investment needed to lay fibre could spur more extensive fibre rollout than has been planned so far, a spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said on Thursday. The news came as the government laid out its broadband plans in its comprehensive policy announcement on Thursday. These plans include adopting the Conservative policy of using part of the BBC TV licence fee to "fund broadband in areas that the market alone will not reach", and trying to "introduce super-fast broadband in remote areas at the same time as in more populated areas".
ZDNet

The Great (Low-Tech) $100 Million Art Heist
Last night, a thief walked out of the Paris Museum of Modern Art with some $127 million in paintings by Picasso, Matisse, and Braque. There were no lasers and no temperature-sensitive security systems. Hell, there wasn't even an alarm. My whole understanding of what a major-museum art heist entails is informed by the Pierce Brosnan version of the Thomas Crown Affair, and I doubt that this is one of those cases in which Hollywood is exaggerating; if anything, I imagine that museum security is even more advanced than the stuff they show in the movies, with sophisticated motion sensors and trip wires and big heavy gates that smash down and trap thieves like rats in the middle of their undercooked operations. So what happened in Paris last night? Not much of anything, actually.
Gizmodo

iPads on Track to Outsell the Mac
Sales of the iPad are already outpacing those of the Mac in the United States, according to an analyst’s calculations. Apple is selling more than 200,000 iPads per week, says Mike Abramsky, an RBC Capital Markets analyst. That’s almost twice the rate of Mac computers, which average about 110,000 units sold each week. The iPad isn’t outselling the iPhone, though it’s coming close. Apple was selling about 246,000 units of the iPhone 3GS per week during its first quarter of launch. Checks indicate that U.S. iPad sales remain strong post-launch, driven by rising consumer visibility to iPad’s user experience, sustained PR/word-of-mouth marketing, 3G iPad launch, and broadening iPad apps/content,Abramsky said in a note to clients.
Wired

Extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon put on hold
The extradition of the computer hacker Gary McKinnon has been put on hold after the home secretary, Theresa May, agreed to an adjournment of a judicial review that was supposed to start within days. The move will allow May to begin formal consideration of the medical evidence to see whether McKinnon is fit to be extradited. If it is established that he cannot be allowed to go, it paves the way for a prosecution in the UK. A Home Office spokesperson said: "The home secretary has considered the proposal from Gary McKinnon's legal team and has agreed an adjournment should be sought. An application to the court is being made today."
The Guardian

Pakistan blocks YouTube in ‘sacrilege’ row
Pakistan blocked access to YouTube yesterday, condemning growing sacrilegious content on the video-sharing website in the latest twist of an intensifying international debate over Islam and freedom of speech online. The move came a day after the Pakistani Government responded to a court order by temporarily blocking Facebook over a page advertising a contest to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The Everybody Draw Mohammed Day! page and several spin-offs invite users to send in caricatures of the Prophet infuriating many Muslims who regard any image of him as blasphemous. Access to Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia, and Flickr, the photo sharing site, also appeared to be restricted, although Twitter was still accessible.
The Times

Largest Mobile Campaign Ever - To Reach Over 1 Billion Worldwide
Mobile operators from around the world have come together to support the 1GOAL: Education for All campaign by giving over 1 billion subscribers the opportunity to join the campaign. 1GOAL is bringing together footballers, fans, charities, corporations and individuals to achieve the ambitious aim of education for everyone.
MobiAdNews

Ballmer: Microsoft wasted time on Vista
In a chat with fellow CEOs at Microsoft's 14th annual CEO Summit, Microsoft boss  Steve Ballmer came close to admitting Vista was a dog. "How do you get your product right? How do you help the customer? How do you be patient?" he asked, as if he knew the answer. What he did know was that Microsoft spent too many years building Windows Vista. "We tried too big a task and in the process wound up losing thousands of man hours of innovation," he said.
ThinQ

Android mobile phones get streaming TV
Yamgo has released beta software for Android users so that they can see live streaming of high-quality mobile TV and video on demand. The outfit claims that this is the first software to do so on the Android operating system. It means that Android can do the same things with video as Jobs' Mobs' iPhone.
The Inquirer

Guardian announces commercial launch of Open Platform
The Guardian today introduced the second phase of its Open Platform initiative, expanding the content-sharing service to commercial partners. A comprehensive set of developer tools and resources, the commercial launch of Open Platform makes Guardian content available for advertisers and brands to tailor to specific online campaigns.
The Guardian

Voda Secures Indian 3G Spectrum
Vodafone has secured 2x5MHz of 3G spectrum in nine circles in the Indian auction for a total price of 11,617Cr Rupees (£1.74bn). The circles include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and a further three grade ‘A’ and three grade ‘B’ circles, namely, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh E, and West Bengal. This gives a footprint covering 66 per cent of Vodafone Essar’s current revenue base, more than 50 per cent of the urban population, and more than 50 per cent of India GDP.
Mobile Marketing magazine

Pakistan bans Facebook over Prophet page
Pakistan pulled the plug on Facebook yesterday, angered by its hosting of a "blasphemous" competition to draw the best portrait of the Prophet Mohamed. Within hours of the ruling from the High Court in Lahore, attempts to update statuses and upload photographs failed across the country as internet service providers hastened into compliance.
The Independent

Google TV primed for launch
Tie-up with Sony could see the best web shows land on your TV via Android. Google TV is set for an official launch later today. The much-rumoured internet TV service will be touted at Google’s I/O conference, with one hack managing to dig up the news through some tinkering with the search giant’s press site. TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid found news of Google TV by playing with the URL on Google’s journo resource, discovering the line, “Insert Android press release/TV release.” Google is expected to take the stage later with Logitech, Intel and Sony to outline plans for the new platform.
T3

India raises $14.6bn in 3G auction
Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular are the provisional winners of India’s 3G auction. India has raised about $14.6bn from its 3G mobile telephone services bandwidth auction. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular have emerged as provisional winners in the auction. Tata Teleservices, Aircel and S Tel are the other provisional winners in the auction, which began April 9. The Department of Telecommunications said the results are subject to the approval of the government. The proceeds from the auction will include payments by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam, who were given bandwidth before auctions and now have to match the winning bids.
Global Telecoms Business

Global mobile phone Q1 sales up 17% to 314.7m, says Gartner
Global mobile phone sales to end users totalled 314.7 million units in the first quarter of 2010, a 17% increase from the same period in 2009, while Smarpthone sales increased by 48.7% to 54.3 million units, according to new report from research firm Gartner. Gartner said that the first quarter also saw some movement outside the top five mobile handset vendor rankings, G-Five made its debut into the top 10, grabbing 1.4% of market share in the first quarter of 2010.
CBR

Google Chrome Web Store: iPad battling app market place revealed
Google Chrome and Google Chrome OS are going to get their very own iTunes App Store rival – the Google Chrome Web Store. It’ll let you buy web apps directly from Google Chrome and a clutch of apps revealed in the demo make it clear that Google Chrome Web Store will be a major weapon for tablets planning to take on the iPad. The Google Chrome Web Store is headed for the Chrome browser soon and will be a key part of Chrome OS. Apps can be built with HTML 5, Flash (sorry, Apple) and wide range of other standards. When you download them from the store they’ll be added as shortcuts in Google Chrome but will also work in other browsers.
Electricpig

Microsoft sues Salesforce.com alleging patent infringement
Microsoft is suing software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com claiming it has infringed nine patents. The case seeks to prevent Salesforce.com from providing efficiency features for its CRM software that Microsoft claims it has patented, according to US reports.The patents cover features such as alerts if the software needs to be updated, tool bars and navigation menus.
Computer Weekly

Google's Eric Schmidt: privacy is paramount
Google chief executive Eric Schmidt has defended his company's record on privacy in the wake of the discovery that its Street View camera cars had accidentally recorded data from unsecured domestic Wi-Fi networks, insisting that Google has the "most consumer-centric privacy policy of any service online".
The Guardian

Mayor promises free Wi-Fi for London by 2012
Boris Johnson has promised free Wi-Fi across the whole of London in time for the 2012 Olympics. The capital’s mayor said that the Wi-Fi London project will put access points in “every lamp post and every bus stop”. Johnson said that 22 of London’s 32 boroughs have already signed up to the scheme.
Mac User 

Which smartphone will be the king of the ring?
From Betamax to HD-DVD, the battlefield of technology is strewn with the corpses of great ideas that fought bravely but ultimately succumbed to public taste. Only occasionally is an uneasy truce declared. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates fought it out in the late 1980s as Apple and Microsoft went head to head in desktop computing, but 20 years on peace has largely broken out between the two, except in the field of mobile computing
The Times Online 

Vodafone profits double to £8.7bn despite write-off in Indian market
Vodafone more than doubled its full-year profits after strength in its emerging markets business and a cost-cutting drive helped to offset declines in Europe and Africa. This came despite a £2.3bn write-off in India.
The Independent 

HP profits jump on renewed PC buying
HP has reported that quarterly sales were up 13 per cent last quarter at over $30bn after strong PC buying from businesses and consumers.
The company beat analyst’s expectations with the results, which saw growth in HP’s PC business of 21 per cent, with desktop revenues rising 27 per cent and notebooks by 17 per cent, although portable computers make up over half of the company’s sales.
V3

Average Brit spends one day a month online
The average Brit spends nearly one day each month online, according to a new study, with most of that time spent on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. The new survey shows that Brits spend 65 per cent more time online than they did three years ago.
Tech Radar

Half of all games to be produced in 3D by 2012
50 per cent of all console games will be produced in 3D by 2012, according to French publisher Ubisoft.
Around 15 to 20 per cent of current consoles' games will get 3D versions over the next year, a Ubisoft rep outlined this week.
Tech Radar

Yahoo! buys! city! of! bloggers!
Yahoo! has bought Associated Content - which brands itself "the People's Media Company" - a sort of Wikipedia with a business plan.The site collects content from its contributors - short articles or videos mostly - on a variety of subjects and then sells ad space alongside them. Payments to contributors are tiny - between $2 and $15 upfront followed by $1.50 per thousand page impressions your article receives.
The Register

Facebook Launches Mobile Site For Emerging Countries; It’s Fast And Free
Facebook has unveiled a new mobile web site that will allow people in more than 45 countries, who aren’t accustomed to paying for data plans on the phone, to access its site quickly and for free. According to a company blog post, the deal has been inked with more than 50 mobile operators around the world, ranging from carriers in Barbados to Indonesia to Madagascar. Facebook says more countries are on the way.
Moco News