Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer arrived at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with his usual optimism, but he also brings a clear sense of reality: the tech industry is in for some rough times. “The fact of the matter is, this is not a downturn, this is...

Cisco will kick off the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by announcing Eos, a hosted-software platform that allows media and entertainment companies to create, manage and grow online communities. Through Eos, Cisco has compiled technology tools and added an easy-to-use interface to make building and customising websites easy....

Yahoo Inc unveiled on Wednesday a list of partners to aid its push to bring the Internet and television together, hoping their joint effort will finally connect with consumers. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Yahoo said it has forged deals with companies including Samsung Electronics Co...

In the near future, the “greenness” of a gadget will have a big influence on whether consumers will buy it, suggests research published as CES begins. Consumers will soon look for more information about the environmental impact of a gadget and how it was made. Published by the Consumer...

Amid a dispute over tax cuts, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition has prepared the groundwork for a new economic stimulus package designed to protect Germany from recession. A key element of the talks between Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and her Social Democrat (SPD) partners was how to...

As currencies go, the euro is still in short trousers. But where once it was dwarfed by the powerful pound, now the two currencies are rubbing shoulders. Ten years on since its birth, the euro is the strongest it has ever been. A year ago, a pound would have...

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist has criticised the UK’s 2.5-percentage-point cut in spending taxes. Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s chief economist, said that the temporary cut in VAT would not significantly influence shoppers’ behaviour. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, Mr Blanchard said he did not think...

As planeloads of European tourists roam London looking for cheap Christmas deals, the Labour government of Gordon Brown is keeping a stiff upper lip over the British pound’s relentless slide towards parity with the euro. “We have never had a policy of targeting the pound,” Yvette Cooper, a cabinet...

A member of the German opposition FDP party said the budget deficit for 2009 will be the biggest ever in Germany’s post-war history and blamed Germany for not doing more to promote savings. Germany will set a new record for debt next year, surpassing even huge 40 billion euros...

Search engine Yahoo is to cut the time it stores personal data from 13 months to three. It is hoping its decision will provide a benchmark for industry. Currently Google stores data for nine months and Microsoft for six months. International data protection officials have been urging firms to...

The UK’s north-south divide is mirrored in IT salaries, according to results from the exclusive 2008 Skills Survey. Techies who earn in excess of £70,001 are a fifth more likely to dwell in the southerly regions of England than in the north-east or west of England, the Midlands or...

Yahoo on Monday launched a massive project to increase activity and advertising on its internet sites through social connections and online applications. The company has been working mostly behind the scenes to build what it calls the Yahoo Open Strategy, but now the strategy’s changes will become evident to...

Users of the world’s most common web browser have been advised to switch to a rival until a serious security flaw has been fixed. The flaw in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer could allow criminals to take control of people’s computers and steal their passwords, internet experts say. Microsoft is investigating...

The British pound has continued its sharp decline against the euro, reaching a new record low of 1.1238 euros on Thursday. It is at the lowest level since the euro was launched in 1999. Meanwhile, the pound gained one cent against the US dollar, reaching $1.4924 in afternoon trading....

As European leaders gather in Brussels, the German finance minister has launched a blistering attack on Gordon Brown’s economic rescue plan. In an interview with Newsweek magazine Peer Steinbruck derided the £20bn package and accused Mr Brown of “tossing around billions” which would saddle a generation of taxpayers with...