The experiences of the reponses to Hurricane Katrina and 9-11 show what can happen when there are massive failures of communications between military and civilian authorities and agencies: hardware failures, incompatibility, system overload, interference, and other factors that vastly complicated a coordinated response.

FORBES: Connect

The Australasian bid, centred on the virtually unpopulated Shire of Murchison, in Western Australia, scored better for radio quietness (important to prevent interference), and on non-scientific factors such as political stability and the quality of the working environment.

ECONOMIST: The Square Kilometre Array

With the highest level of noise immunity, ClearPad 3400 performs with precision even in the presence of noise interference, which can be exacerbated by a range of factors, including the use of noisy handset power supplies.

ENGADGET: Synaptics launches a pair of mobile touchscreens at MWC 2013