IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 27 April
27-04-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Facebook to open up to third parties | Christians urged to pray by text
The Irish Times reports that digital entertainment company Creative Labs saw operating profit plunge 70 percent to the end of June 2008, on the back of redundancy expenses totalling EUR4.7 million. The Singapore-based company, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, announced last May that it would cut 50 jobs. This followed job cuts of 230 in December 2006. Operating profits fell to EUR1.3 million in 2008 from EUR4.5 million the previous year, according to accounts just filed. Pretax profit grew slightly to EUR1.5 million, from EUR1.4 million a year earlier. The company expects revenues for this year to decrease due to "adverse macro-economic conditions".
The Irish Independent reports that young Christians should send daily prayer messages by text, Twitter or e-mail, according to a leading Catholic churchman. Cardinal Sean Brady said, "I appeal to every Christian in Ireland today who sends texts, Twitters or uses e-mail to think about setting up groups of prayer between you and your friends using these modern means of communication... I ask young people in particular to think of sending their friends and family an occasional Twitter or text to say that you have prayed for them."
The Wall Street Journal says that Facebook is expected to announce major plans to open up core parts of its social networking site to third-party developers, according to sources. The move, expected to be announced on Monday, means that developers could build services that access the photos, videos, notes and comments users upload to Facebook, with users' permission. That's a big change for the site, which has until now exercised tight control over the look and feel of its service and how developers can interact with it. Sources say that Facebook hopes that developing new ways to access the information it hosts will build user loyalty and encourage people to engage more often with the site.
The paper also reports that Japanese electronics maker Sharp has swung to a loss in its last fiscal year. The company said it intends to return to profitability through restructuring, involving job cuts and assembly line closures. For the 12 months ended 31 March, Sharp posted a JPY125.82 billion (USD1.3 billion) net loss, compared with JPY101.92 billion profit a year earlier and almost in line with the company's estimate of a JPY130 billion loss, due to special losses totaling JPY140 billion -- which includes JPY58 billion in restructuring costs. For the current year, Sharp expects to generate JPY3 billion net profit following savings of JPY200 billion through reducing its workforce, advertising and other costs.
The Sunday Business Post says that a new website is targeting those who are willing to work for free, with users given the chance to register and advertise their qualifications. Users can state their intention to work for free while they seek employment, allowing them to broaden their skills and keep on top of industry trends. Talenttank.ie has already attracted 150 users in the two weeks since its launch.
The paper also writes that 450 workers will leave Dell Ireland this week as the computer maker begins to wind down manufacturing operations. A similar number are due to leave at the end of July, in line with the end of Dell's next financial quarter. There will be 1,900 layoffs in total.
The paper also writes that RTE is seeking a review of its strategy on digital terrestrial television in the wake of the pullout of the Boxer consortium from the project. The deal will now be offered to the second placed consortium, which includes Eircom, TV3 and Setanta. Failing that, cable provider UPC and RTE may be offered the chance to provide the service. The paper says that the state broadcaster told the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the government six weeks ago that the Boxer DTT deal could collapse and asked for a review of the plan to provide DTT services.
The paper reports that Dublin-based telecoms software firm Equiendo has raised funding to finance its expansion in the European market. The company raised EUR1.5 million from investors, including Enterprise Ireland and private funders from the telecoms industry. The firm, which was founded in 2007, recently launched tools that help telecoms operators deal with calculations necessary to guarantee quality of service and keep costs in line.
The Sunday Business Post also reports that Polarlake is set to move into profitability in 2009. The software firm has recently begun targeting the financial services sector and has won deals with big names such as Credit Suisse, AIB and others. According to the latest abridged accounts, the firm made a EUR1.4 million net loss in the year ending 30 June 2008. However, Chief Executive John Randles said the firm would move into the black this year.
The same paper reports briefly on the new ethernet service provided by Cable & Wireless; the appointment of three advisors to start-up business incubator The Greenhouse; the EUR200,000 contract with Tourism Ireland won by web development firm Strata3; and BT's new contract to provide Wi-Fi services to Starbucks.
The Sunday Independent writes that Irish businesswoman Jackie Rafter has complained to Gardai about an anonymous e-mail smear campaign. Rafter has also complained to Google about the e-mails, which she says contain untrue allegations about her personal life. The culprits have also threatened to post the allegations on social networking website Bebo.
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Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 