ROUNDUPS
For the record 13 February
13-02-2003
by Ralph Averbuch
Datalex signs corporate travel deal with Siemens UK | Sega is to merge with Sammy Corporation
A document setting out the terms and conditions for Rendina's increased bid for Alphyra has been sent to shareholders. The closing date of the offer is 3.00p.m. Wednesday, 26 February, 2003. Rendina is urging Alphyra shareholders who have not already done so to accept the offer, although it is unknown whether institutional investors will react positively.
Datalex technology is being adopted by Siemens UK to automate its travel arrangements. Datalex said its BookIt! Corporate product offers a range of air, car, hotel, rail and ferry host options, while letting Siemens retain control over its travel procurement strategy. Datalex's customers include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Amadeus, AmericanExpress, American Trans Air, Amtrak and Best Western International.
Oracle has announced that Xiam, the mobile middleware and application company, has received certification on Oracle9i Real Application Clusters.
Motorola has announced enhancements to its iTAP predictive text input technology, allegedly making it faster and easier for people to compose and send text messages in a wider variety of languages. iTAP was developed by the Lexicus Division of Motorola.
Esat BT is plugging its on-line dating site www.rsvp.ie in the run-up to Valentine's Day. It seems that on-line dating is proving to be a popular new way for love to blossom. With this in mind Esat BT's site is designed to allow busy professionals to meet other like-minded souls on-line. Since its launch in June 2002, rsvp.ie's 10,000 users spent an average of 20 minutes on-line per visit.
Sticking with Valentines Day, last year the UK sent 57 million text messages on this special day. This year the UK's Department of Trade & Industry predicts the number of romantic texts will rise to 68 million. People in the UK sent more than 16 billion text messages in 2002, according to new UK government figures.
As the world prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight, Microsoft has announced Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight. Due out this July, it is one of the oldest games for PC, originally available for DOS. The latest release will let people experience history at the controls of historic aircraft, such as Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, the Douglas DC-3 and the world's first successful powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer.
Sega, which scrapped its Dreamcast console two years ago to cut its losses, now plans to merge with Sammy Corporation, a maker of Pachinko gaming machines and software. The transaction may be worth at least USD1.1 billion. Sammy President Hajime Satomi, who will head the merged company, told reporters the merger will take place in October but didn't say who will control the company.
Scottish Hydro-Electric has successfully completed technical trials delivering high-speed Internet access down electricity cables at 2Mbps. The company has been running the trials since last July. Scottish Hydro-Electric is now planning two larger trials - one in Scotland and one in England. The cost of rolling out telecoms infrastructure to sparse rural populations is hampering the availability of broadband in remote areas, but delivery via power lines could fill in some of the most serious gaps in coverage if the on-going trials prove its viability.
Shares of TMP Worldwide, the parent of job search board Monster.ie, dropped 16 percent after the company withdrew its original forecast figures for 2003, blaming the shaky US economy and current global concerns.
Intel is getting serious about the handset market, looking to take on the likes of Texas Instruments, already well established as a supplier to the phone industry. Intel unveiled a new high-tech chip, called the PXA800F, on Thursday, designed for a new generation of high-speed phones for on-line games and videoconferencing.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 