DNA sequencing in a holey new way

IBM will announce today how it intends to hold DNA molecules in tiny holes in silicon in an effort to decode their genetic secrets letter by letter. Their microelectronic approach solves one of two long-standing problems in "nanopore" DNA sequencing: how to stop it flying through too quickly. The aim is to speed up DNA sequencing in a push toward personalised medicine. IBM's chief executive Sam Palmisano will announce the plans to the Medical Innovation Summit in the US today. While sequencing the genomes of humans and animals has become relatively routine in a laboratory setting, the ability to quickly

and cheaply sequence genomes of individuals remains out of reach.

BBC Online

Action urged on mobiles coverage

UK mobile operators need to do more to help customers who experience coverage problems, an advisory panel has said. It recommends a "try before you buy" period in mobile contracts to enable customers disappointed by their new handset's coverage

to switch operator. The Communications Consumer Panel, which advises Ofcom, says about one-third of consumers and small businesses regularly experience coverage problems.

BBC Online
 

Telenor and Alfa Group strike Vimpelcom deal

A corporate battle that has blighted Russia’s investment climate for years took a big step towards resolution yesterday when Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms operator, and its Russian partner, Alfa Group, said they would merge their Russian and Ukrainian holdings. The deal would merge Vimpelcom, Russia’s number two mobile operator, with Ukraine’s Kyivstar to create a new New York-listed entity worth more than $23bn.But Telenor and Alfa warned a great deal still had to be done to remove outstanding disputes, including a legal threat to Telenor’s strategic 29.9 per cent stake in Vimpelcom, before the deal could

be closed as planned in the second quarter of next year.

FT Online

T-Mobile: pre-merger strategy boosts growth

Richard Moat, chief executive of T-Mobile in the UK, said that the struggling mobile phone operator was showing signs of

recovery after enjoying its best-ever month for subscriber growth in September. T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom, lost

200,000 subscribers to rivals in the first six months of the year, but in September it signed up an estimated 100,000 net —

although the newly arrived Mr Moat declined to release the exact figure. He said the subscriber gain, boosted by its heavily

advertised Free Texts for Life promotion, was 13 per cent higher than its previous best month, December 2007.

The Times Online

Microsoft's Windows phones hit the market

After months of talking about Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft is announcing today that the first crop of phones to carry the

Windows Phone brand are ready to hit the market. A host of new phones running the new operating system are expected to debut

between now and the holidays, with many being announced later today. AT&T has already announced two Windows Mobile 6.5-based

phones--the Pure and the HTC Tilt 2. In all, Microsoft has said to expect more than 30 phones running the OS by year's end.

CNET Online

Google Decides to Find Its Creative Side

Google Inc., a champion of the belief that advertising should be less about art and more about science, is embracing its inner creative side. As it searches for new growth, the company in recent months has focused more on creating custom ad campaigns spanning multiple Google services for big spenders including Hewlett-Packard Co. and Ford Motor Co. Since the summer, Google has helped J.C. Penney Co. and PepsiCo Inc.'s Quaker Oats unit launch ad campaigns on YouTube and on some of the hundreds of thousands of sites across which Google sells display ads, along with search ads.

Wall Street Journal Online