Fraudsters are targeting UK taxpayers with scam emails in the run up to the 31 January deadline for self assessment, showing a level of attention to detail that sets a worrying tone for spam in 2009, according to security company McAfee.

The DIT Hothouse programme is currently launching its recruitment drive for 2009, and is on the lookout for 16 bright and energetic tech entrepreneurs to apply for a place on its Hothouse 17 incubation programme.

From tomorrow, 9 January, us mere mortals will have the chance to download the beta version of Microsoft's brand-new operating system, Windows 7, which promises to kick Vista to the kerb.

The much-feared announcement that computer manufacturer Dell is moving production from Limerick to Poland has come to pass, which will result in about 1,900 jobs being axed.

While employees at the Dell plant in Limerick wait to hear about the future of their jobs, technology giant IBM is also garnering attention as unconfirmed rumours circulate concerning potentially huge global layoffs.

Chip-making giant Intel Corporation's preliminary fourth-quarter revenues represent a clear sign of the downward spiral in tech spending worldwide, dropping 23pc year-on-year to about US$8.2bn.

When the New Year rolls around, we tend to make a list of resolutions as long as our arm, which inevitably results in wasted gym membership and exercise bikes gathering dust. Why not start with a few simple ideas this year, and use the blogosphere as inspiration as well as a place to find support and advice.

Julie Meyer kick-started the First Tuesday tech investment gatherings in London in 1998. Today, she runs her own venture capital firm, Ariadne Capital, which has invested in firms such as Skype and SpinVox.

The recession marks an important era for business incubation. It allows start-ups that may otherwise have given up the scope to work on ideas that could drive much-needed efficiencies in Irish industry.

Intelligent machines are more about shaking hands than simply doing sums.

Mobile broadband in the US is transitioning into a mainstream service that could withstand the current economic downturn, according to a report out today.

Irish entrepreneur and the founder and chairman of mobile operator Digicel, Denis O'Brien, has been granted the keys to Panama City by the city's mayor, Juan Carlos Navarro, in recognition for the mobile firm's contribution to the city's economic growth.

Logitech's latest universal remote is a far cry from its last incarnation: the Harmony 1100 is a super-small, super-slick piece of gadgetry with touch interface, and it fits right in the palm of your hand.

Vodafone subsidiary Perlico is blowing its trumpet about a broadband offer, which it claims will save consumers up to €153 a year compared to Eircom.

And so the curtains closed on the last ever Macworld, with iTunes finally getting DRM-free music for all four major record labels, while both iLife and iWork received a revamp, and, oh yes, a new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro with built-in battery for longer life was unveiled. I know, nice touches, but not quite the swan song we expected from the final Macworld.

Motorola's new handset, the MOTO W233 Renew, is a load of rubbish. Literally. The handset is the world's first phone to be made from recycled water bottle plastics, and is itself 100pc recyclable.

Multinational Boston Scientific Corporation has acquired Galway-based stent technology company, Labcoat, which the medical devices industry has described as "yet another vote of confidence in Ireland as a location for medical technology development".

IDA Ireland's end-of-year statement shows a 22pc increase in research, development and innovation (RD&I) projects, and its CEO Barry O'Leary is "guardedly optimistic" of Ireland's ability to continue to attract high-level foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2009 and beyond.

It may not come as much of a shock for those of us who spend time online, but recent studies from the Seattle Children's Research Institute found that 54pc of teens frequently post details about their own personal 'high-risk behaviour' on social networking site MySpace. In other words, they talk about sex, drugs, alcohol and violent behaviour.

A new €30m project that promises to provide faster broadband at lower costs via a direct link to North America, and which will help Ireland attract more foreign direct investment, is to go ahead, said the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan TD.

With over eight million units of the Xbox 360 sold to date in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Microsoft said that in the six years since its launch, this past Christmas has been the best one ever for the console.

At a time when things look shaky for tech start-ups, e-commerce retailer of car parts and accessories MicksGarage has managed to secure €560,000 in funding to drive expansion.

In the heat of speculation about the fate of its 2,000-job manufacturing plant in Limerick, Dell has stated it is organising globally around three major customer segments - large enterprise, public sector and small and medium businesses. Dell's consumer business, led by Ron Garriques, is already organised globally.

China announced a major clampdown on internet pornography today, begging the question as to how much government intervention is too much when it comes to web content.

Dublin-based software firm Orbiscom, whose technology is used by both MasterCard and Discover card to enable secure credit-card payments, has announced today that it has been acquired for US$100m by MasterCard.

All free content must be supported by advertising, right? That's the way most media models work, but one hugely popular website that has managed to avoid this on principle is Wikipedia. Donations since July 2008 from over 125,000 individuals tallies up to between US$4m and US$6.2m in total - enough to keep the online collaborative encyclopaedia afloat for 2009.

When does technology journalism become celebrity gossip? When Apple CEO Steve Jobs has to release a statement about his health after deathbed theories multiply. One of the highlights of all this is 'evidence' of Jobs' good health being based on an observation from an employee in a yogurt shop.

Twice as many Irish people are on Facebook now compared to a year ago, and the social network is gaining more of a university and business profile, according to Damien Mulley of Mulley Communications.

Voice over internet is no longer just about Skype, but about businesses being able to cut corners and achieve quality calls on their own terms. IF ever there was a three-letter acronym best calculated to cause accountants and technicians sleepless nights, and business executives a cure for insomnia, it had to be 'PBX'.

For years the industry has been discussing the ultimate green data centre, but secretly wondering what it means to be 'really' green. Now we need to test these claims objectively.