Google, Microsoft and Yahoo agree on free speech
The three Internet media and technology giants are expected to announce a common set of principles on how to do business in nations that restrict free speech and expression, following criticisms that they have helped to enable censorship in some countries. These new principles will allow for protection of users’ personal information, as well as committing to greater scrutiny of governments which have a track record of jeopardizing personal information and freedom of expression.
The Independent

Intel forced to apologise over iPhone gaffe
Anand Chandrasekher, the head of Intel's ultra mobile product division, has apologised after the VP of Intel’s mobility group slammed the iPhone's performance and laid into rival chip company ARM. Chandrasekher went so far as to admit that Intel's own low power Atom processor did not yet match the battery life characteristics of the ARM processor, and that while Intel does have plans to become competitive in the ultra low power domain, they had not yet achieved that goal.
Telecoms.com 

Breakthrough US deal by Google to sell book content online
After two years of negotiations and a multimillion dollar lawsuit, Google and the US book industry yesterday struck a deal that is set to transform publishing. The deal will allow internet users to choose from and buy millions of titles, many of which are out of print. The agreement draws comparison to the way in which Apple's iTunes music store helped revolutionise the record industry when launched in 2003. UK publishers hope that the deal will be replicated here.
The Guardian online

Microsoft looks to rent web "cloud" computing space
Microsoft yesterday unveiled “Windows Azure”, a platform that allows third-party developers to host, manage, calculate and store data for applications running on the Internet. Microsoft says it will work alongside servers and applications on the PC rather than replace and move them to the browser. This is part of its new strategy to become a player in the "cloud computing" trend. Although virtualization technology has been around for years, Microsoft claims that due to cheap computing and cheap storage now is the time for cloud services.  No details were revealed on pricing, other than that it would be dependent on usage levels and the level of service required. 
TechRadar.com

Android hit by security bug
Security experts claim to have identified and exploited a flaw in the recently launched Google mobile operating system, Android. The vulnerability is believed to have occurred because the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) did not use up to date versions of the more than 80 different open source packages used in its construction. Google will release an update to fix the problem, but it is believed that the first batch of phones may contain the flaw.
Telecoms.com

CDMA Development Group backs LTE, WiMAX
The CDMA Development Group (CDG) has announced that its members, which comprise mobile operators using ‘3GPP’ networks (CDMA 1x and EV-DO), will chose either LTE or WiMAX as their preferred path towards 4G. This is a major change from the 3GPP2 evolution path towards UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband) that the CDG and 3GPP2 body outlined last year. 
Telecoms.com  

AT&T pushing green agenda
At this week’s Green Telecom 2008 conference held in Dallas, keynote speaker AT&T said that they were actively pushing a green agenda not only to be a better corporate citizen but also to positively affect its bottom line. Not only is it questioning how it operates on a day to day basis, it is also challenging its equipment suppliers across the board – from handset manufacturers to optical network providers.
Lightreading.com

Verizon cautious for Q4
Operators announce healthy returns for the current quarter but many are nervous about what the next quarter will bring. In the case of Verizon, its third-quarter revenues were up 4.1 percent to $24.8 billion compared with the same period last year, pointing to mobile data being a key growth driver for the quarter.  But it said that coming up to Christmas it expected consumer spending to be lighter, with business spending postponed until after the New Year. 
Lightreading.com 

ABI Research report identifies five ways for operators to increase ARPU
A recent report by ABI Research has identified occupation distribution, customer mobility, Smartphone penetration, pricing, and device features adoption as the five factors that operators should consider in order to increase ARPU. The report, "U.S. Mobile Operator Business Customer Profiles," says that operators need to balance these factors in order to drive ARPU – for example, Smartphone adoption along will not drive ARPU.  Instead, operators need to have a wide portfolio of services that they can tailor and use individually or in partnership to serve their customers needs.
Information Week