Retailers hit by IT spending slowdown

According to research, investment in software and IT services by UK retailers will decline by 5.9% this year, the equivalent of £2.77 billion, reports Computing.co.uk.

The study by analysts Pierre Audoin Consultants and TechMarketView indicates that, even though IT transformation projects are taking place in retail, businesses in the sector will “slash or freeze their budgets for new applications software and IT project services, as they shelve expansion plans and focus on cost control”.

Retail is being hit harder than other sectors, says the survey, with overall UK investment in software and IT services expected to fall by 1% in 2009.

One of the driving forces behind Oracle's three-year corporate buying frenzy has been to add customers to its roster by owning the 44 technology companies supplying them, says The Register.

Problem is, you can have all the customers under the sun, but if they are not spending on IT, they are not buying your products.

Now, it seems Oracle's $13 billion-plus M&A binge has hit its logical flaw, as Oracle is this month expected to report the worst quarter since the early 1990s - another recessionary period for those who can see past the dot-com crash of the early 2000s.

The music streaming service Spotify has been targeted by hackers, reports the BBC.

The Swedish company says people's personal details, including e-mail addresses, dates of birth and addresses, were all stolen.

However, it is thought credit card details, which were handled by a third party, have remained secure.

Twenty-six operators are committed to the long-term evolution 4G standard, according to research released this week by the Global Mobile Suppliers Association, says CNet.

While the forum for GSM and 3G suppliers worldwide have a stake in promoting LTE, the number indicates growing momentum for the standard, which promises download data rates of at least 100Mbps.

Fierce competition has arisen to become the world's first LTE operator in an arena regarded as the next generation of mobile phone service and a huge draw for customers.