According to a MediaPost report, Twitter will be launching an official advertising platform, with head of product management and monetization Anamitra Banerji confirming it at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting.

The platform is "only in the test phase," however. When asked how it would work, Banerji says it will be "explicitly clear that a sponsor paid for the ad," and it will be "relevant and useful, so the user doesn't think of it as an ad."

As reported today, the company says they receive and distribute about 600 Tweets every second, reaching a popularity almost as high as Facebook, meaning advertising revenue could be very high if done correctly.

We will keep you updated when the platform is better explained.

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PCWorld has reported this week the results of their annual 13-city 3G wireless data test, and the changes in results from last year are drastic.

Averaging the lowest average download and upload speeds last year, AT&T has brought itself back, registering the best average speeds for this year, including the best performance in 10 of the 13 cities, besting rivals Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

AT&T average download speed grew to 1410 kbps, and reliability increased as well.

Before posting the charts, here is how the source reports their testing:
Before getting into the details of our test results, a few words about the testing and the data. During December and January, PCWorld and our testing partner, Novarum Inc., tested the download speeds, upload speeds, and network dependability of the AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon 3G networks from 20 locations in each of 13 U.S. cities. Altogether we ran more than 51,000 separate tests covering 850 square miles of wireless cell coverage servicing 7 million wireless subscribers (see "How We Do the Testing").

At each testing location, we connected to the 3G network via both laptops and smartphones. The laptop tests accurately measured the capacity and performance potential of a given network, while the smartphone tests approximated the real-world connection speeds users of these popular devices might experience, given the less-powerful processors and 3G radios that the devices contain.

The charts:

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Although it was announced months ago, Google has officially dated the end of Internet Explorer 6 support via YouTube, with March 13th being that day.

The date was posted under YouTube Help, with the header: "When does older browser support end for YouTube and what does this mean?" The answer reads: "Support stops on March 13th. Stopped support essentially means that some future features on YouTube will be rolled out that won't work in older browsers."

YouTube will also notify visitors using IE6 to change browsers whenever they try to access the site.

Google has also announced that IE6 support will be dropped from Google Docs starting March 1st.

Pic via Mashable:

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Apple shipped 24.89 million iPhone units in 2009, making it the top shipped smartphone for the year.

The numbers come from industry group Gartner, which showed off smartphone market share.

Phones with the Symbian OS remained on top with 80.88 million units shipped, with RIM second at 34.35 million smartphones shipped for the year. Finishing off the list are Windows Mobile, Linux, Android, and WebOS.

Percentage-wise, Symbian controlled 46.9 percent, RIM followed at 19.9 percent, Apple with 14.4 percent, WinMo at 8.7 percent, Linux at 4.7 percent, Android at 3.9 percent and WebOS at 0.7 percent.

Overall, 1.211 billion phones were shipped in 2009, down from 1.222 billion in 2008.

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Adobe Systems said on Tuesday that it patched a critical vulnerability that affected the Adobe Download Manager. The Download Manager is used when Internet users download Flash or Reader software from Adobes websites.

A critical vulnerability was discovered that could be used by attackers to remotely install malicious software on a victims PC. In order to fulfill an exploit, an attacker would lead the victim to a special modified link on the adobe.com domain.

The combination of the two combined to make a very serious security threat. The download manager is usually removed from a users' PC as soon as a computer is restarted. Users of the download manager in the past can ensure security by making sure the directory - C:Program FilesNOS - is not present.

More information on the issue is available at:
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-08.html

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Acer has decided to halt its efforts to develop and market an e-book reader to compete with Amazon's Kindle, Sony Readers and now, Apple's iPad. The company only revealed last month that it was working on an e-book reader with the intention to launch in mid-year, but has had a change of heart and now would prefer to sit back and watch how the market develops first, Acer chairman Wang Jeng-tang said.

He said that the hardware is standing by, just in case the market does prove to be successful. Jeng-tang said that the question is whether or not e-book readers can break away from their current niche market and into the mainstream. Until consumers clearly display that they are willing to open their wallets to buy e-book readers, Acer does not see the business as being profitable.

The head of Acer's IT Products division, Jim Wong, revealed its efforts and intentions for an e-book reader in late January, but at the time did hint that Acer might adjust its product line-up based on what new device Apple would bring to the market this year. Just six days later, Apple launched the iPad, which the company asserts is a perfect solution for e-books.

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DisplaySearch announced this week that sales of televisions grew in Q4 2009 when compared to the same period of 2008. Helped by strong LCD sales, the worldwide market for televisions recovered from recession-struck Q4 2008. LCD shipments for the quarter were up 50 percent compared to the same quarter of 2008, while plasma rose 6 percent and CRT declined 37 percent.

In 2009, consumers worldwide bought about 211 million new televisions. In Q4 alone, 50.73 millions LCDs were shipped, followed by 12.31 million CRTs and 4.72 plasma TVs. DisplaySearch estimates that a dismal 400 OLED TV sets shipped in Q4 2009, up from 207 in the same period of 2008.

Sony made a decision to step back from OLED, which has considerable production challenges. The OLED TVs that were actually available were priced accordingly. Instead, Sony has decided to focus on LED technologies and the emerging interest in 3D TV.

Unsurprisingly, South Korean giant Samsung was the leader during the quarter with a share of about 23.9 percent by revenue. LG followed far behind with 13 percent, then Sony at 11.5 percent.

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Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio has reassured investors that the Nook e-reader is still selling well, and that the iPad should have little effect on the company's bottom line.

Because the book store offers e-books from its bookstore on many platforms, says Riggio, hardware is less important.

Riggio calls the Nook a "halo" device that is used mainly to get customers into stores, or to visit the e-book store.

Given the "strategic nature" of the e-book business, Riggio would not give any hard numbers for sales but called it the best selling device the company has.

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In a podcast ahead of the Global Investment Conference in London, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown singled out the games industry in the region as one of its most successful sectors. The games industry in the UK is "leading the way" in Europe, according to Brown. "We're leading the way in creative industries: by far the biggest producer of computer games in Europe," he said.

"And we're leading the way in digital communications. In a country with only one per cent of the world's population, more than a third of all internet traffic is routed through UK servers." TIGA, a trade association that represents the games industry in the UK, did not miss the opportunity to use the prime minister's comments to lobby on behalf of the industry.

"We warmly welcome Prime Minster Gordon Brown's comments and urge him to act quickly to introduce a Games Tax Relief as outlined by TIGA2, for the UK games development industry in the coming Budget," said TIGA CEO Richard Wilson.

"We hope that the support of the Prime Minister will ensure a commitment by the Government to the introduction of Games Tax Relief and so guarantee that the UK video games industry remains world leading."

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson also spoke at the conference yesterday, saying that the UK has the biggest industries for life sciences, financial services, creative industries and ICT in Europe, and that the Government would take the necessary steps to boost the sectors.

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Intel Corporation has revealed that it too was hit by a sophisticated cyberattack in January 2010, around the same time that Google Inc. publicly announced that its services were the target of an attack from China. Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy stressed that there was no current link between the two attacks. "The only connection is timing," Mulloy said.

However, the company did point out the similarity to the attack on Google in its annual filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As many as 30 targets were involved in a sophisticated attack in January, and researchers claim to be closing in on those responsible as they follow the trail back to the source of the events.

One freelance security researcher with links to the Chinese government is suspected of authoring the code used against Google at least, and a trail allegedly leads back to two schools in the country. The Chinese government, and both schools, deny and dismiss both charges.

The attacks brought further tension between the United States and China as U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed the Chinese government for an explanation publicly.

Mulloy said that Intel's systems are a target of hack attempts on a regular basis, and when asked whether the company had worked with Google on the issue, he only said that their security folks "work very closely and collaboratively throughout the industry."

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According to a survey conducted by Nielsen Games, U.S. consumers spend about 4.9 percent of their budgets for home entertainment content during a month on video game titles. Buyers of video game titles spend more than non-gaming households on products such as Blu-ray/DVD titles, music and other things.

In households with "active buyers" of video games, the share for gaming expenditure rises to 9.3 percent.

Nielsen said that the research shows the share spent on video games comes at the expense of particularly traditional media, such as magazines, books and newspapers. Regular home TV packages also are of less priority on "active gaming" households.

Compared to other forms of home entertainment, the category for videogames beats print media at 4.2 percent, premium TV packages at 4.1 percent and Blu-ray/DVD title purchases at 3.5 percent. It should come as no shock that music stands at 2.8 percent.

The games industry took a hammering in the second half of 2009 in particularly due to the recession straining consumer spending.

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Publishing giant Macmillan has announced today the launch of it's own DynamicBooks software platform, allowing professors to edit digital textbooks without approval of the original author.

The instructors can add or delete text, re-arrange chapters, and add their own media and charts, using a simple online authoring tool.

The digital textbooks will go up for sale via dynamicbooks.com and through college book stores, and will be quite significantly cheaper then their print counterparts. For example, the New York Times shows the book "Psychology," which has MSRP of $135, but retails for about $120 at most big book stores. The DynamicBooks version will retail for $48.76 and can be viewed on computers and the iPhone.

Android and iPad support is expected soon.

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Due to a dispute over the DVD release plans of Tim Burton's new Alice in Wonderland movie, Odeon movie theaters in the UK, Ireland and Italy will not screen the film. Walt Disney Pictures has decided to release the movie on DVD only 12 weeks after it is shown in theaters, instead of the usual 17 weeks.

Odean theaters in Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal will show Alice in Wonderland however, as there is a longer gap between theatrical and DVD release in those countries. The company said it is worried that Disney's decision to reduce the gap to 12 weeks will "inevitably set a new benchmark" making the 12 week gap more common.

Other cinema chains in Britain have also cried foul about the 12 week gap to the DVD release, but so far no others have chosen to boycott the movie in the region. Odeon said that it had invested "considerable sums of money" in digital projection equipment to display 3D movies and a shorter window to screen films undermines that investment.

The Cineworld chain announced last week that it reached a "satisfactory compromise" with Disney and so would be screening the movie in 150 of its screens in Britain.

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Intel Corporation and a group of 24 venture capital firms have announced an investment plan for companies in the United States. Venture capital firms including Advanced Technology Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures and Bridgescale Partners will invest $3.5 billion in companies that develop promising technology in the United States.

Intel President Paul Otellini said that the firm would cough up $200 million itself toward the plan. "The members of this alliance have committed to invest $3.5 billion in promising clean technology, information technology and biotechnology companies over approximately two years," Otellini said in a speech at the Brookings Institution think tank.

Additionally, Intel also announced plans for it and other companies to double their hiring of college graduates in the country, creating more than 10,500 new jobs. Otellini estimated the total annual paychecks would total more than $1 billion.

The companies that have vowed to take on more college graduates are..

• Adobe Systems Inc.
• Autodesk Inc
• Broadcom Corp
• CDW LLC CDW.UL
• Cisco Systems Inc.
• Dell Inc.
• eBay Inc
• EMC Corp
• General Electric Co
• Google Inc
• Hewlett-Packard Co
• Intel Corporation
• Liberty Mutual Group
• Marvell Technology Group Ltd
• Marvell Semiconductor
• Microsoft Corp
• Yahoo Inc

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Grow Up Australia is a campaign group in support of an '18' rating for video games in the country, which is the only developer first-world country to not have such a rating. The group's campaign has gathered 16,055 signatures which will be delivered to the Attorney General's Department.

EB Games strongly supports the campaign, and displayed posters in all of its 250+ Australian stores encouraging supporters to sign the online petition.

The Attorney General's Department had asked for public opinions, for or against the issue, back in December 2009, and until February 28, members of the public have their chance to give an opinion on it.

"Support for the introduction of the R18+ rating has been overwhelming with ninety-nine percent of the submissions made through the website in favour of the change," said Aaron John Percival, one of the founders of Grow up Australia.

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