IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 2 January
02-01-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
Irish texters send 41 million New Year greetings | 3Com takeover proposal probed by US
The Irish Independent says that US internet sales during the Christmas period rose at the slowest pace on record as consumers grappled with high oil prices and a housing slump. Online spending from 1 November to 27 December grew 19 percent to almost USD28 billion, up from USD24 billion a year earlier, said US internet analyst firm ComScore, but sales growth trailed last year's 26 percent.
The paper also says that the Irish Government has spent another EUR11 million on the faulty PPARS system over the past 12 months, despite plans for a new computer system for the health service. The payment system -- which was originally slated to cost EUR8.8 million -- has now cost nearly EUR190 million, and the figure is still climbing.
The Irish Examiner reports that 41 million text messages were sent in Ireland around New Year's Eve. Vodafone said its network was the busiest ever as customers sent about 13.5 million texts on 31 December. O2 said its customers sent 12 million text messages between 7am on New Year's Eve and 7am on 1 January. Meteor customers sent 15.4 million messages.
According to the Financial Times, a US probe into a proposed USD2.2 billion buy-out of 3Com by a consortium involving a Chinese company is poised to enter a decisive second phase. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US is this week expected to take the rare step of extending a month-long investigation into the deal by a further 45 days. The committee is studying any possible national security implications due to the takeover.
The Wall Street Journal says that a US court ruling could force Qualcomm to pay patent royalties to rival Broadcom for the next 13 months to keep selling chips for mobile phones that infringe three Broadcom patents. US District Judge James Selna on Monday granted Broadcom's request for a permanent injunction against the Qualcomm products at issue in a patent battle between the two Southern California chipmakers. The judge also added a "sunset provision" to his order, which allows Qualcomm to keep selling the chips through January 2009 if it pays royalties to Broadcom.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 