New Report Outlines Major Findings -- "Service-oriented, business-driven and cost-effective emerged as the key characteristics of city governments that participated in the 2004 Digital Cities Survey, according to a new report issued by the Center for Digital Government and National League of Cities (NLC). The report documents the results, major findings, and trends from last year�s survey, which evaluated city governments� use of information technology to better serve their citizens and streamline operations. The survey evaluation was based on 24 scored questions and 56 data points in all. Results of the survey provide new evidence that advancements have been made in the campaign for digital government, said Paul W. Taylor, Ph.D., chief strategy officer at the Center."
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...