Stories of the month - January 2007

Stories about work generated lots of interest in January - perhaps because it is traditionally the month when everyone starts looking around for new jobs.

One story that received a lot of interest - and generated a lot of comment - was news that fewer women are looking to work in the IT industry due to long hours and a lack of flexible working.

Not only this but senior female IT execs are leaving their tech posts creating a lack of experience and role models for younger women looking to work their way up the industry career ladder.

Keeping with the theme of work, another story that generated a lot of interest was one that revealed IT graduates have the highest unemployment rate of any discipline – double the average of university leavers in the UK.

Stories of the month - January

Click on the links below to read the stories everybody is talking about...

Dell hit with class action suit

Women abandoning tech jobs

Warning over "critical" QuickTime hole

Google beats Gates in UK love stakes

Mobile messaging 'still top earner in 2011'

IT grads top jobless league table

Photos: The first Windows Vista computers

The techs SMEs need for converged telecoms

Flexi display tech factory 'to boost RFID, e-paper'

EC: 'Open source almost always cheaper option'

Still, it was a good month for Google, named the UK's most popular brand of 2006 as well as the best global company to work for in 2007. It was closely followed by other tech heavyweights such as Microsoft and Vodafone.

And the mobile texting craze is going to continue. According to this research it will remain the top money-spinner and non-voice mobile service by 2011. European messaging revenue in 2006 was €2bn but it's predicted to hit €9bn by 2011.

Meanwhile, out in Las Vegas we were treated to the first Vista computers at the Consumer Electronics Show. HP, Medion, Sony and Toshiba all showed off their high-end Vista wares, and we've got the pictures.

And, as part of our Converged Communications special report, we looked at the benefits of broadband and wireless tech for SMEs who might still be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Throwing some new tech innovation into the mix was a UK company announcing it had secured $100m to fund a factory to produce flexible display components and really get the ball rolling on making e-paper products a commercial reality.

And last by no means least, we reported on a boost to open source software as the European Commission released a report saying Linux and the like could save lots of money for businesses compared to other proprietary software. This is going to be one story that will run and run.