NEWS IN BRIEF
For the record 30 October
30-10-2007
by Stephen Errity
Magnet launches voice and data service ¦ Over 50m expected to shop with mobiles by 2011
Magnet Business launched a new integrated communications package for businesses on Tuesday, which offers voice and data services over a secure broadband connection. The company claims that its 'Magnet Business Converged Voice and Data' product will allow for savings of up to 85 percent by eliminating the need for separate ISDN voice and data lines. The service is to be offered to companies that lie within the Magnet Business 'broadband footprint' of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Portlaoise.
Over 50 million people worldwide will use their mobile phones to shop by 2011, according to new forecasts from Juniper Research. The firm expects the mobile payments market to be worth USD11.5 billion in the same year. Analysts believe that Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and other physical mobile payment methods will begin to offer consumers a viable alternative to cash, credit and debit cards, supporting increasingly mobile lifestyles.
NBC and News Corporation have begun public beta testing of their online video service, Hulu. It offers ad-supported streaming video clips and feature films, a business model that undercuts the buying of TV shows and movies through services like Apple's iTunes. Hulu is currently accessible by invitation only and carries content from the NBC and Fox networks, as well as from MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Television and more than 15 cable networks. Both NBC and News Corp will be hoping that the service draws some users away from Google's hugely popular YouTube service.
it@Cork has announced the finalists for its tenth anniversary 'Leaders In Technology' awards. The 16 nominees are divided into four categories, which are Emerging Company (Cubic Telecom, NitroSell, Yougetitback, Xcelersol); R&D Project (Pilz Ireland Industrial Automation, Treemetrics/Cork Constraint Computation Centre, UCC, Compucal Software Solutions; Alan Holland/Cork Constraint Computation Centre UCC); High Potential (Pulse Learning, Lincor Solutions, Abtran, Azotel) and IT Department (EMC, Musgrave Retail Partners, Abtran, Thomas Crosbie Holdings). The four panels of judges will announce the winners at the Leaders Awards ceremony, to be held on 1 November in the Vertigo Lounge, Cork County Hall.
The '100 Dollar Laptop' looks like it may have to undergo a name change after recent reports that the educational and developmental tools are costing between USD175 and USD188 each to build. The One Laptop Per Child programme blames the price discrepancy on fluctuating raw material prices and different features requested by the various countries that have ordered batches of the laptops. The government of Uruguay has meanwhile placed a firm order for 100,000 units, with the option to buy a further 300,000 machines by 2009, which would see every child in the South American nation equipped with a laptop.
Microsoft's MSN service has added a new channel called MSN Green, which is described as a 'one-stop online resource' for the latest environmental news, exploration of issues and tips for taking action. The channel is being run in conjunction with MSNBC, The Daily Green, Conservation International, Environmental Defense, Grist.org, TreeHugger.com and StopGlobalWarming.org.
Creating successful email surveys: Denise Cox of email specialist Newsweaver argues that you can tap into your readers' likes or dislikes by surveying them.
