There's something unsettling about a big company being able to silently reach into your pocket and take things - but that's exactly what Google has done.

The search and advertising giant used a relatively obscure feature within its popular Android operating system to remotely access the mobile phones of some users and delete installed software apps. It's a little creepy.

To be fair, it was done with the best of intentions. As the company explained on a developer blog, it made use of its inbuilt Android "kill switch" to rid some phones of applications deemed to have 'misrepresented their purpose in order to encourage user downloads'.

It transpires that the apps were created by researchers (reason not clearly explained) and, although not malicious, were deemed by Google to be not appropriate for users to install on their handsets.

Google maintains that the "kill switch" facility is needed to give the option of removing apps in the future, should any appear that are malicious. Apple has a similar feature built into its iPhone.

While I can see the point, it still leaves me feeling a little unsettled that an external party can determine what I run on my phone. If they decide something has to go, it's gone.

Is this the price we have to pay to ensure the ongoing security of mobile devices?

News that Telstra has signed an (albeit non-binding) agreement to move its network traffic to the planned NBN is a massive step forward for this country.

The planned network has the potential to radically benefit millions of households and businesses, and the Telstra agreement means it's now significantly closer to becoming a reality.

The telco has been in tough talks with the Federal Government for more than 12 months to figure out how it could become involved in the project.

The new agreement would see Telstra move traffic off its ageing copper networks and onto NBN fibre.

As well as going a long way to securing the future of the NBN, Telstra's involvement is also likely to significantly hasten its deployment.

Rather than having to string fibre cables from telegraph poles or dig kilometres of new trenches, the deal could see Telstra opening up access to its existing ducts.

Telstra could also sign over control of its existing fibre assets to NBN Co, removing the need for costly duplication of assets.

Hopefully this new agreement will also cause the Federal Opposition to rethink its position of shutting the project down should it come to power at the next election.

As a country, we're now a lot closer to the high-speed broadband network that we need to propel us forward in the decades ahead. It's a good day.

Mobile carriers are pushing us all to embrace wireless broadband services, but why are they so inflexible with their data plans?

As users, we've grown accustomed to plans that guarantee us a certain amount of data usage during a month. But we've also grown accustomed to having any unused portion of that plan disappear when the month ends. Why does it have to be that way?

Surely it's not unreasonable to expect the megabytes of download capacity I haven't used in one month should be made available to me in the next. It's not like it would cost the carrier anything extra and I'm confident their billing systems are sophisticated enough to be able to cope.

With more companies equipping their employees with wireless broadband services, such a policy change would surely be very appealing to corporate bean counters.

Carriers, how about it?

HP raised some eyebrows recently when it announced plans to save millions of dollars by automating functions within its data centres.

The IT giant believes the savings can come from using sophisticated software tools to do away with the need for many staff. The slight downside is that 9000 HP folk will lose their jobs as part of the changes.

Sackings aside, such moves are likely to become increasingly common within large organisations as they search for ways to remove fat. Leaner companies are more flexible, and more profitable.

But such strategies can also work for SMBs. Just because you don't have a football stadium-sized room full of servers doesn't mean there aren't ways you can cut your IT costs.

One of the easiest is server consolidation. Chances are that any office with multiple servers is probably not using them to maximum efficiency. Making use of virtualisation tools from the likes of VMware or Microsoft can reduce server numbers, complexity and operating expenses.

For those feeling a little more adventurous, cloud computing is looming as an enticing alternative.

Again, much attention on the cloud has focused on what it can do for the big end of town - but it has considerable potential for smaller firms too.

Rather than running your own servers and applications, why not 'rent' them from a cloud service provider?

As well as freeing up capital, it removes the need for in-house IT management altogether.

While you're unlikely to be able to reduce your headcount by 9000, there will certainly be at least some boost to the bottom line.

Making use of such cloud services also means you will effectively have automated the ongoing tasks associated with maintenance. Applying software updates and security patches will be a thing of the past.

Take a look around your office IT kit. Are there any ways that automation could make your work life a bit easier?

It might be responsible for millions of barrels of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, but energy giant BP is also giving a great display of compelling corporate video.

For days now the company has been broadcasting a live video feed from remote controlled vehicles working on the Gulf seabed. It's a show that is as scary as it is compelling.

Depending on when you tune in to the feed, you're greeted with anything from alarming shots of oil spurting from a ruptured pipe to robotic arms trying desperately to stop it. Once you find it, it's hard to stop watching.

While nothing will save the company from the biggest PR disaster in modern memory, being this open about what it's doing to stop the flow has to be worth at least some good marks.

In any case, it represents a fantastic example of how internet video can be used to communicate with a global audience. No amount of media briefings or press releases can replace the ability to watch what's happening on the sea floor as it happens.

BP - once you've plugged the leak it's going to take months - if not years - to clean up the mess. But if you can maintain the sort of transparency that your bottom-of-the-ocean cameras have been providing, you might just save some of your corporate reputation yet.