Verizon Wireless is betting on the new BlackBerry Storm for the all-important holiday season, hoping the highly anticipated smartphone can compete against the iPhone offered by rival wireless provider AT&T Inc .

Vodafone Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said on Wednesday holding on to its stake in Verizon Wireless was the right thing to do at the moment and that Nigeria could also be interesting for the mobile group.

General Electric Co said on Tuesday it planned to cut costs by $2 billion (1 billion pounds) next year at its finance arm, GE Capital, which has dragged lower the U.S. conglomerate's results as a result of the global credit crunch.

Yahoo Inc said Jerry Yang will step down as chief executive as soon as the board finds a replacement, sending shares up 4 percent on hopes the departure would clear the way for a deal with Microsoft.

Belgium's dominant telecom operator Belgacom said Monday it sold the Hong Kong and Chinese arms of its IT services unit Telindus to Easynet Global Services, part of pay-TV firm BSkyB .

Hewlett-Packard and Dell are set to report quarterly results in the most depressed economic climate since the Great Depression, with the outlook for the PC industry rather grim.

Anglo-Dutch IT company Logica posted a 7 percent rise in third-quarter revenue on Friday and lifted its guidance for full-year sales growth to slightly above 4 percent.

Chip giant Intel Corp cut its fourth-quarter revenue forecast by about 14 percent citing weak demand across the world and in all its products, indicating the economic crisis is set to hurt computer sales in the holiday season and beyond.

Cable TV operator Virgin Media said on Tuesday it would reduce its workforce by around 2,200 by 2012 as part of a new restructuring process.

Mobile group Vodafone cut its full-year revenue outlook and will reduce costs by 1 billion pounds, but it increased its forecast for free cash flow after reporting first half results slightly ahead of expectations.

Cable & Wireless (C&W) increased its full-year earnings guidance after posting strong first half results on Monday but said it had been forced to postpone its demerger plans due to turmoil in the markets.

Technology Security company Trane Commercial Systems (TCS) has named a new President for its Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMAIR) region.

Cable operator Virgin Media is considering selling its content division, the Financial Times said on Friday.

Technology and controls group Invensys reported a 12 percent rise in first half operating profit on Thursday and said it had strengthened its financial position.

Google Inc pulled out of a search advertising partnership with Yahoo Inc due to regulatory objections, causing Yahoo shares to rise as investors hoped the move could lead to a resumption of deal talks with Microsoft Corp.

Japanese electronics conglomerate Fujitsu Ltd will buy Siemens AG's 50 percent stake in their PC joint venture for 450 million euros ($567 million), aiming to boost its presence in Europe.

Tiscali SpA said on Monday it was in talks with Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) about selling its British assets, sending its shares soaring by more than 40 percent.

Vodafone Group was calling analysts to collate consensus numbers ahead of its next set of results, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Monday, after traders cited a rumour it was guiding lower.

Microsoft and South Korea's LG Electronics on Monday said they had signed a preliminary agreement on strategic collaboration in mobile technology.

Britain's online retailers have suffered a monthly traffic fall for the first time since records began three years ago, researchers Experian said on Friday.

Datz Music Lounge offers unlimited music downloads for £99.99 a year.

Japan's Toshiba posted a 99 percent plunge in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday, dragged down by weakness in its mainstay chip operations, but stuck to its recently revised outlook above expectations.

Google has reached a legal settlement with authors and major publishers that paves the way for readers to search through millions of copyrighted books online, browse passages and purchase copies.

One sector benefitting from the current economic uncertainty and gloom is the world of professional social networking, which has boomed in recent months.

Ben and Jos White, multi-millionaire brothers and entrepreneurial founders of Messagelabs, have announced a British technology venture capital start-up fund.

Freesat, the free satellite service, will launch a High Definition (HD) Personal Video Recorder (PVR) next month.

The Symbian Foundation, formed to create an open-source smartphone platform, has unanimously nominated Lee Williams as its Executive Director.

Sony slashed its annual operating profit forecast by 57 percent to far below market expectations, citing a firmer yen and tough price competition in the flat TV and digital camera markets.

Kerchoonz, the free, legal music download site which pays the artists for every download and stream, will launch this weekend.

Yahoo posted a sharply lower quarterly profit on nearly flat sales, but its shares rose 8 percent on the Internet media company's plan to cut at least 10 percent of its work force to save costs.

Apple reported a stronger-than-expected 26 percent rise in quarterly profit, spurred by strong sales of its new iPhone, and its shares rose 13 percent on Tuesday.

Yahoo said on Tuesday that its quarterly profit fell sharply on weak sales as corporate advertisers slashed spending on brand promotions at the leading provider of online display advertising.

Microsoft Corp is expected to cut its forecasts for the remainder of the year as customers curtail software spending amid the economic downturn.

Sky has added the BBC’s iPlayer service to its own on-demand Sky Player service.

Software developer CryptoLogic is in talks with PartyGaming over the two companies' poker businesses to save costs, reported the Financial Times on Tuesday.

One of the UK’s leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) has been awarded the title of ISP of the Year at the Custom PC Awards.

Yahoo is expected to outline plans to cut expenses, which would include future job cuts, when it reports its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

IT firm Computacenter said third-quarter revenue grew 6 percent, boosted by the strength of the euro, but trading since then was flat, reflecting market uncertainty.

IG Holdings plc along with sister company Extrabet has launched the first online casino fully licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

Shares of Yahoo jumped 12 percent after Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer reportedly said that a deal between the companies may still make economic sense for shareholders.

The Qatari unit of Vodafone Group has submitted a revised timetable for its October initial public offering after the capital markets regulator asked it to delay the launch due to market conditions.

As UK consumers increasingly turn to the internet for cheaper deals and to compare prices, a successful website must be high in Google’s search results.

A much lighter, more flexible technology for the e-reader market has been launched.

In the wake of the ban on short-selling bank stocks, UK technology stocks take their place.

A new survey has found that 72 percent of consumers would stop illegally downloading if told to by their ISPs.

The fastest-growing systems management company, Nimsoft, announces a second round of funding.

Global software giant Hewlett-Packard has announced that 3,378 workers will be made redundant at newly-acquired EDS.

The programmable Ford Focus key can limit speed, music volume, and chime when seatbelts are undone.

A US hospital puts its no-infections record down to a UK company’s unique anti-microbial technology.

IBM has announced that it will open a new data centre in Scotland which will offer services to middle-sized businesses.

BSA has settled with three companies using illegal software, and filed a court order against a fourth.

Nintendo has announced a new DS console and that it will re-launch ‘old favourite’ games for the Wii.

According to a recent survey by Shopzilla, over 11 million Britons shop online twice a week.

Despite the economic climate, Game stores and its recently acquired Game Station brand have reported record profits.

Vodafone Group plc has appointed two Vodafone insiders to the board to run its two new regions.

A recent report predicts that spending on internet advertising and marketing will increase by 20 percent this year.

The number of available Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses is likely to run out in 2010, stopping users getting online.

PC world has released an eco-friendly computer made from recycled plastic which uses less electricity.

iRex, the world’s leading provider of e-reading solutions, has announced the launch of the 1000 Digital Reader series, aimed at professionals.