(Reuters) - John Stuart has been chained to his BlackBerry for years, first as a systems manager for Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley and then as chief information officer for Beverly Hills Wealth Management.

But this week, Stuart ordered an iPhone from Apple Inc, ending his 7-year relationship with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.

His move highlights how even security-conscious banks and IT managers, who have been among RIM's most loyal customers, are starting to defect, lured by improvements

LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's latest iPhone looks set to become its bestselling device ever, and one reason appears to be disenchantment with rival smartphones.

Nearly one in four people who thronged Apple stores from Tokyo to San Francisco told Reuters on Friday they were ditching BlackBerries, discarding Nokias or even giving up Google Android-based phones, hoping for something better.

The majority of the 127 iPhone 4S buyers polled informally by Reuters in the United States, Japan, Australia,

(Herald Sun)  MEN who can't stand traipsing around stores are leading an online charge that has crowned Australians the world's most frequent internet shoppers.

A study has found a quarter of Aussie web users are buying goods and services online at least once a week, eclipsing Europe, the US and other countries.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation at Swinburne Institute report also shows biggest online spending growth among consumers aged over 50.

Swinburne

Why are Australian retailers losing the online battle to offshore companies? They’re not engaging the customers, says report.

With Australian online retail sales increasingly going to offshore sites, eMarketingConnected decided to examine the online practices of national retailers. The results presented in its Beyond the Basics report show that Aussie retailers are failing to engage consumers and to provide them with a full online experience.

This year, 44% of all Australian online retail sales will go to retailers overseas,

(Brisbane Times) U.K. grocers are building more advanced websites and smart-phone applications to tap shopper demand for home deliveries.

U.K. online grocery sales will almost double in the next five years as more shoppers use mobile phones and the internet to buy food, an industry group said.

Online purchases will surge to 11.2 billion pounds ($17.6 billion) in 2016 from 5.9 billion pounds this year, according to a survey by theInstitute of Grocery Distribution. That

(Source: Arnnet)

Australian consumers and their smartphones are driving the country’s ecommerce growth, with a new study predicting online commerce will grow at 12.2 percent throughout 2012.

A panel of experts earlier this month said Australian consumers were ahead of retailers in the ecommerce revolution, enjoying the benefits of a global marketplace accessible from their mobile devices.

Today a research report issued by online financial transaction facilitator, PayPal, confirmed their speculations saying Australia’s ecommerce market would