IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 21 November
21-11-2007
by Sylvia Leatham
T-Mobile told to change how it markets iPhone | Facebook users concerned about privacy
The Irish Times reports on the launch of online retailer Amazon's new electronic book reader, Kindle, which can hold a mobile library of 200 books. The paperback-sized device, which is only available in the US, uses high-speed wireless networks to deliver a choice of material from up to 90,000 books, blogs, magazines and newspapers. Best-sellers and most new releases cost USD9.99 to download, while users can subscribe to have newspapers delivered to the device each morning.
The paper also says that consumer electronics firm Samsung has said it will make a major investment in the Irish market and that its mobile phone division has set a target of becoming number two in the market with sales of 400,000 to 500,000 units. Executives declined to disclose the exact value of the investment in the Irish market, citing competitive issues. Mark Mitchinson, a director of Samsung Electronics UK, said he would be looking to at least treble mobile phone sales next year and would aim to exploit "non-mainstream channels" to increase sales.
The paper also says that Hewlett-Packard has posted fourth-quarter sales of USD28.3 billion and net profit of USD2.2 billion. Read the details of HP's results on ENN.
The Irish Independent reports that an ex-Garda has claimed he downloaded indecent images of children while trying to infect pornography websites with a virus. The still and video images were found on computer material belonging to Jarlath Heverin, who claimed he was trying to sabotage porn sites. But the court heard that it would not be necessary to download the material in order to send a virus to a website. Heverin has been given a suspended prison sentence and registered as a sex offender, after being convicted of possessing the child pornography.
The paper also says that a futuristic robotic arm named after Leonardo Da Vinci holds hope for men struck down with prostate cancer. The EUR2.2 million robotic surgery system was unveiled at a Galway Clinic on Tuesday night. Originally developed by NASA for operating remotely on astronauts in space, and used by the US Department of Defense to operate on soldiers in the battlefield, the Da Vinci Surgical System is minimally invasive and operated entirely by computer-controlled robot.
The Irish Examiner says parents buying Christmas gifts on auction websites should exercise greater caution following a spate of toy safety scares, consumer watchdogs have warned. Versions of recalled toys, found to be potentially unsafe or coated in substances such as lead paint, are on sale on auction sites such as eBay. The National Consumer Agency told parents to take care when buying on internet auction sites this Christmas.
The Wall Street Journal reports that some users of the Facebook social networking website have been startled by a new feature that tracks their activity outside the site and shows it to their friends -- renewing questions about the privacy implications of a growing practice of exploiting personal information in online advertising. The service earlier this month began posting updates about users' activities on websites outside Facebook, such as movie rental sites, and on commercial pages within Facebook -- in some cases, alongside ads from the companies behind those sites or pages. Facebook is posting users' photos alongside certain advertisements, another feature that has alarmed some privacy advocates and users.
The paper also says that a German court has asked Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile unit to change how it markets Apple's iPhone. The court has temporarily prohibited T-Mobile from continuing to sell the iPhone only in combination with a two-year service contract. The court also asked that the product be allowed to function on other mobile phone networks, not just on T-Mobile's. The court acted after T-Mobile rival Vodafone Deutschland sought an injunction to review T-Mobile's marketing rights on Monday. The court's ruling stands until a hearing in a Hamburg court, expected in two weeks.
According to the Financial Times, Ericsson lost another 11 percent of its market value on Tuesday after it told an investors' conference in New York that fourth-quarter earnings would come in at the lower end of expectations. The sharp correction intensified shareholders' misery and highlighted the nervousness surrounding the world's largest telecoms equipment maker since it issued a shock profit warning last month.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 