IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 23 June
23-06-2008
by
Google faces Android delays | Facebook now more popular than MySpace
The Irish Times reports that the Department of Energy is developing a high-tech system aimed at helping Dublin commuters to avoid the worst of the rush-hour traffic in future. The pilot project, called "Work Flow", combines broadband, global positioning system (GPS), sensors and advanced conferencing systems. The system is based on the idea that workers have two work stations, one at home and one at work. They are "dynamically linked" to each other using advanced online audio and video systems. A briefing paper explains: "The commuter has a continuous real-time estimate of the predicted commuting time between office-home-office. In this way commute time is minimised." A feasibility study for the project in the greater Dublin area is due to take place over the next 18 months.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google and its partners are experiencing setbacks with the launch of handsets based on the search giant's Android mobile software. Last November, Google said it planned to have the new phones on the market by the second half of this year, but it now says the handsets won't arrive until the fourth quarter. And some mobile operators and makers of programs that work with Android are struggling to meet that schedule, according to sources. Some handset makers are taking longer than they expected to integrate Android, test it and build custom user interfaces to meet operators' specifications.
The paper also notes that a US District Court judge has ruled that Microsoft will have to pay Alcatel-Lucent more than USD500 million for the infringement of two patents. Judge Marilyn L. Huff denied Microsoft's request for reconsideration of a jury's decision and the amount of damages the jury awarded Alcatel. One patent covers how software users fill out forms; the other is related to the use of a stylus on a tablet computer.
The Financial Times reports that social network Facebook has taken a significant lead over MySpace in visitor numbers for the first time, according to web monitoring firm ComScore. Facebook attracted more than 123 million unique visitors in May, an increase of 162 percent over the same period last year, said ComScore. That compares with 114.6 million unique visitors to MySpace, Facebook's leading rival, whose traffic grew just 5 percent during the same period.
The paper also says that pay-TV operators and set-top box makers are considering legal action against the European Commission after a tax ruling has left many of them facing millions of pounds in unexpected costs. A reclassification of digital video recorders such as BSkyB's Sky+ box could cost BSkyB alone STG15 million a year from next month. Basic set-top boxes, which are classified as communications devices, are exempt from tax when imported into the EU. But a change to the rules last month means any box with a hard disc drive or ethernet connection will be treated as a recording device, which is liable for tax at 13.9 percent. Pay-TV operators including BSkyB, UPC and Sky Italia have joined manufacturers including Thomson and Pace to mount a challenge.
The Sunday Times reports that satnav phones are providing a boost for Nokia, with 2 million of the devices sold by the company in a year in the UK. According to the firm, this puts it close to outselling satnav experts TomTom and Garmin. Over half of the handsets bought in May have had the navigation software activated on it, it said.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Tribune writes that Skillsoft, the e-learning software firm, is taking steps towards initiating a share buyback. A High Court order is allowing the company to cancel EUR684.5 million from its share premium account, reducing its share capital and wiping out the company's accumulated deficit. The company told the paper that it took the decision because it feels the shares are undervalued.
The same paper warns iPhone fans that they could be paying up to 50 times more than other European consumers for their hybrid device. Although the new 3G version is much cheaper than its predecessor, Irish customers will be charged from EUR49 for the handset with a EUR169 a month contract with O2, compared to T-Mobile's deal in Germany, for example, which will see customers pay EUR1 for the handset, and in Britain some contracts will offer the handset free of charge. However, O2 Ireland has denied that the prices for the handset in Ireland and the UK can be compared, and insists the network's prices can be compared favourably with other European operators.
A student from DIT may have come up with the answer to the problem of air turbulence, according to the Sunday Business Post. Aircraft mechanics student Stephen Geary has come up with an apparatus that will help monitor and predict any changes in air pressure surrounding the aircraft's wing, which will allow a "self stabilising technology" to come into play to prevent turbulence. The technology could also avoid the plane stalling. Geary's invention has had interest from the aircraft firms, and a patent is currently pending.
The same paper writes that a number of Irish bosses have found their salary details and reviews of their performance posted on a website, Glassdoor.com. The information, which is posted anonymously, includes reviews of executives in Bank of Ireland, O2 and Pfizer, and thousands of salary details have already been posted to the site, allowing it to compile average salary levels according to company. Bosses from Sun Microsystems, HP, IBM and Microsoft came off the worst from the global staff reviews.
The same paper draws attention to the financial expectations of hotspot provider Bitbuzz. The latest deal it has signed with O2 should see the wireless hotspot company exceed EUR1 million in turnover this year. Under the deal, O2 customers signing up for the iPhone will get free access to Bitbuzz's network of 160 hotspots in hotels, cafes and bars around Ireland.
Deals are also on the cards for HR software firm Empower, after it signed its first agreement to provide a bespoke software service to Webprint in Cork, according to the Sunday Business Post. The company said a second deal is already close to announcement, and negotiations with other firms are ongoing.
The same paper writes about a new text directory service from Irish internet search directory Vazumo.com. Open to all Irish networks, the "sensible search" will allow users to send partial names to the service and still get results -- for example, omitting the "La" from "La Dolce Vita". They can also text looking for a particular service, such as hairdressers in a specific region, and will get the results texted back to their phone.
A new deal with Credit Suisse has provided the impetus to allow Corvil to secure a new round of funding, the Sunday Business Post writes. The deal with the bank, which will see it implement Corvil's CorvilNet Latency Management System to monitor Credit Suisse's IT network to speed up data transmissions for electronic trading, has secured Corvil a new investor. The value of the deal has not been announced, but details of the new funding will be revealed soon, the company said.
The same paper writes briefly about a new computer game from Maxis that is supposed to be the "next big thing". Spore is in the same line as The Sims, and allows people to create their own monsters and follow their progress.
The same paper briefly notes the recent move by Dublin software firm Ci3 into the Central American market, installing its software in one of the region's major banks.
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