IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 18 January
18-01-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
UPC to invest EUR10m in set-top boxes | Google reveals massive philanthropic drive
The Irish Times reports that shares in e-payments group Payzone were suspended in London on Thursday, as reported by ENN.
The same paper says that Galway medical device firm Aerogen has completed a management buyout from its US parent company. Read more on this story on ENN.
The paper also says that Vislink, the Dublin- and London-listed satellite TV group, has posted a higher operating profit and growth in underlying sales and orders for 2007. According to a trading statement, Vislink is predicting that adjusted operating profit for the year will be in line with expectations of STG15.5 million, up from STG14.3 million the previous year.
The paper also notes that Silicon & Software Systems (S3) has won a contract with MultiChoice, the largest pay TV operator in Africa, that will see its software being used to provide a mobile digital television service.
The same paper says that UPC Ireland is investing EUR10 million to provide its new digital subscribers with a set-top box capable of supporting "two-way interactive services". The move paves the way for the firm to begin offering video on-demand and other services that involve the viewer in a transaction. The new Digital4All box includes a built-in cable modem, which means that UPC will be able to upgrade it remotely with new software.
The Irish Independent reports that the European Commission is planning to clamp down on the way mobile operators bill their customers, as noted by ENN on Thursday.
The Irish Examiner reports that a website claiming to arrange EU driving licences for motorists who fail their driving test or are banned from the roads has all the hallmarks of a scam, prospective customers have been warned. Speedlicence.com offers to secure licences for a fee of EUR600 from nine of the newest EU member states where, it says, application regulations are lax and the applicant's place of residence will not be thoroughly checked. Various EU consumer websites are carrying warnings about the offer, and Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness said she had asked the European Commission to investigate the site.
According to the Financial Times, chip giant AMD reported its fifth consecutive quarterly loss but said it had moved close to break-even operationally. AMD recorded a USD1.6 billion impairment charge related to its USD5.4 billion acquisition of Canadian graphics chipmaker ATI. This contributed to a net loss of USD1.77 billion, or USD3.06 per share, compared with Wall Street estimates of just USD0.36, not including the writedown. "We are maniacally focused on a return to profitability. We plan to do so in the second half of 2008," said Bob Rivet, chief financial officer.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has unveiled almost USD30 million in new grants and investments, outlining how it will focus a massive philanthropic endeavour. The first set of major five- to eight-year initiatives it will pursue includes efforts to create systems to help predict and prevent disease pandemics, to empower the poor with information about public services and to create jobs by investing in small- and mid-size businesses in the developing world. Google had previously announced initiatives to accelerate the commercialisation of plug-in cars and to make renewable energy cheaper than coal.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 