IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 5 June
05-06-2007
by Sylvia Leatham
Viviane Reding criticises ComReg | Cisco's Volpi joins Joost
The Irish Times says that European telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding has criticised ComReg for not taking action to enforce more competition in the Irish telecoms market. In an interview, Reding told the paper that ComReg had done a good job of identifying where the problems are in the market, but it had failed to implement changes. She also described the take-up of broadband in Ireland as "inadequate" and warned that the economy would suffer unless action was taken now. "The only way to have more competition is to have infrastructure-based competition, where competitors can access the last mile [of Eircom's network]... I regret this has taken so long in Ireland," she said.
The paper also says that Adobe Software Trading Company, the holding firm for Adobe's businesses outside the US, took a USD558 million dividend from its Irish subsidiary in 2005. According to accounts for the year to 2 December 2005, Adobe Software Trading recorded a net profit of USD322.2 million, a 16 percent increase on the previous year. Revenue from continuing operations was also 16 percent ahead, at USD1.1 billion. The accounts also show that the operating margin held steady at 31 percent, while operating costs rose from USD565.7 million to USD658.1 million.
According to the Irish Examiner, the introduction of mobile phone jamming technology into Irish prisons has been delayed after high-tech cabling went missing. The blocking equipment was supposed to go live by the end of last month but has now been deferred for a few weeks. "Some of the cable being used in the project is imported from the UK and went missing," a Prison Service spokeswoman said. She said the cable couldn't be sourced in Ireland and had to be re-ordered from Britain.
The Financial Times reports that Google and online CRM provider Salesforce.com have announced a strategic global alliance intended to challenge Microsoft's business software market. The two internet companies said their first product, aimed at small businesses, would combine Google's AdWords advertising technology with Salesforce's customer relationship management applications. Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords provides a simple interface that guides businesses through placing an advertisement in the Google system to tracking the leads that it generates and analysing its effectiveness in the amount of business earned.
The Wall Street Journal says that Intel is working with Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc to develop low-cost laptops designed for users in developing economies. That target price is around USD200, even lower than Intel's Classmate PC, a product aimed at a similar market that costs around USD285. Intel's efforts are seen as competition for 'One Laptop per Child', a non-profit initiative that uses chips from rival AMD and hopes eventually to hit a USD100 price point for student laptops.
The paper also says that Michelangelo Volpi, a Silicon Valley executive and former senior vice president at Cisco Systems, has been named chief executive of Joost. Joost, founded in January 2006 and based in London, makes software and runs a service that allows consumers to watch TV shows over the web. At Cisco, Volpi was credited with helping drive an aggressive acquisition spree in the 1990s that fueled the company's growth.
The same paper reports that Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos has said the online retailer will increase its investment in China, the company's fastest-growing market. On his first trip to China since Amazon bought Chinese internet company Joyo.com in 2004, Bezos unveiled a new name for the Chinese site and several other new features executives said are aimed at attracting more customers -- including free shipping. He said Amazon intends to pour more capital into its Chinese operations, because of the opportunity it offers for rapid growth.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 