NEWS IN BRIEF
For the record 6 March
06-03-2008
by Charlie Taylor
ComReg publishes Radio Spectrum document | Sales of satnav devices soar
ComReg has published its draft Spectrum Strategy Statement 2008 2010. This document sets out the regulator's strategy for managing the use of the radio spectrum in Ireland over the next two years in order to ensure that Ireland can obtain the maximum benefits economically, strategically and socially from use of this national resource. ComReg said that the period to 2010 will see many changes in the deployment and use of radio spectrum as well as increased demand for spectrum from a wide variety of areas.
On-demand software provider Salesforce.com has once again been included in Forbes magazine's "Fastest Growing Tech Companies" list. With annual sales growth of 85 percent over the last five years, the company ranked second only to Google on the list of technology innovators.
IT Alliance estimates that up to EUR370 million of Irish IT spend each year could be wasted due to failed IT projects. Dermot Hore the new head of IT Alliance's project management practice said Irish public sector and private organisations are now implementing stricter project management procedures to cut back on costly IT over-runs and failures. The IT services group's figure on estimated waste is based on conservative international research that says between 5 percent and 15 percent of all IT projects fail.
Dublin-based Alchemy Software Development has merged with US firm Translations.com. Following the merger, Alchemy, the developer of Alchemy Catalyst and Alchemy Language Exchange products, will be run as a division of Translations.com. A value of the deal was not disclosed.
Ulster Bank has unveiled an interactive online financial education programme aimed at providing young people with basic money management skills. MoneySense for Schools aims to help students learn essential life skills such as running a bank account, budgeting and managing money. It is aimed at 12-20 year olds, and has been developed in consultation with teachers in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
IT security firm Eset has announced support for Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 platform, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. ESET's line of security solutions includes ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
Sales of satnav devices reached a record high last year, according to new figures released by Canalys. Global shipments hit 39 million in 2007, up 13 percent on the previous year. EMEA remains the biggest market for such devices with 21.7 million units shipped last year. The US is the fastest growing market though with shipments rising from 18 percent in 2006 to 31 percent in 2007. Year-on-year growth in mobile GPS navigation device shipments stood at 148 percent worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2007, the highest seen since the first quarter of 2006.
Ahead of International Women's Day on Saturday, the European Commission has said moves need to be made to encourage more women to consider a career in the ICT sector. At a conference held on Thursday, Viviane Reding, EU commissioner for Information Society and Media, said: "we need to overcome common stereotypes which describe ICT careers as boring and too technical for women, and instead encourage women to succeed in this exciting, innovative and multi-facetted sector". Reding is initiating a "European Code of Best Practices for Women in ICT" which aims to break down some of the stereotypes concerning work in the sector.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 