The Register writes that “Internet providers have reacted with confusion at Gordon Brown’s announcement that the Home Office will summon them to Westminster for anti-terror discussions. The PM unveiled wide-ranging measures in Parliament this week (full speech here). Slipped into the middle of the long list of jihad-squashing pledges was news that ‘the Home Secretary is inviting the largest global technology and internet companies to work together to ensure that our best technical expertise is galvanised to counter online incitement to hatred.’ We asked a senior ISP industry policy source what reaction had been to the summons. He said bluntly: ‘That depends on what it actually means. Right now, I’ve no idea, and I don’t think anyone else in the industry does.’”

InfoWorld reports that, according to telecommunications analysts, “Google is making the necessary preparations to bid for wireless spectrum in an auction

[to] be held in the U.S. in January — but it will likely need a carrier partner to help build a network to use it. […] ‘Wireless spectrum and network management are nowhere near Google’s core competency. Its competence is in one market, online advertising,’ said Emma Mohr McClune, principal analyst with Current Analysis. That sentiment was echoed by Jan Dawson, a vice president at market analyst Ovum.” However, as InfoWorld points out, “Google’s goal may not be to make money from operating the network […]: It could simply be a lever to get its applications into the hands of more mobile phone owners. It has already taken steps in this direction, offering versions of its Web applications for Apple’s iPhone, and launching the Open Handset Alliance to promote its Android open software stack for mobile devices.”

According to Yahoo!News, “[a] VMware official on Friday scoffed at Oracle’s contention that its recent entry into the virtualization market performs better than ‘the existing leader server virtualization product.’ Oracle has not named names, but the identity of that ‘existing leader’ would appear to be the market-dominant VMware. Brian Byun, VMware’s vice president of global partners and solutions, said in the absence of hard numbers, Oracle’s claims amount to marketing spin. ‘When VMware launches a product and makes claims, we publish the full data,’ he said.”

The New York Times points out today that “Gartner Inc. analysts are warning that the semiconductor industry could plunge into a downturn in 2008 if the U.S. economy falters. The Stamford, Conn.-based IT consulting firm told clients in a report issued this week that the U.S. faces a recession by early next year due to climbing oil and gas prices and a struggling house market. That would leave less money for consumers to spend on personal computers, laptops, hand-held devices, and gaming consoles, which would sharply slow sales of semiconductors.”

CNetNews.com has an interesting article on the possible motivations behind Abu Dhabi’s purchase of an 8.1 percent stake in chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices.