IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 22 February
22-02-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
Local councils expose citizens' information | RIM boosts subscriber growth forecast
The Irish Times reports that US firm ServiceSource is to create an additional 120 jobs this year through an expansion of its European headquarters in Dublin. Read more on this story on ENN.
The paper also says that Havok, the Irish software firm owned by Intel, has decided to make the PC version of its flagship Havok Complete software available to developers free of charge. The physics and animations software, which has been used in over 200 computer games, can be used for commercial purposes by developers approved by Intel.
The same paper says that the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research at Trinity College Dublin has entered into a research partnership with NEC Communication Systems, part of Japanese technology giant NEC Group. The partnership will focus on the use of optical networks to facilitate faster, lower-cost internet connections.
The paper also notes that Irish firm AdaptiveMobile has won a contract with United Arab Emirates-based Etisalat, which will allow it to run an anti-spam service for customers that will stop unsolicited SMS spam from overseas sources.
The paper also says that Intel chairman Dr Craig Barrett and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin will be among those honoured at the first Irish Technology Leaders Silicon Valley Awards. The event will be held in Stanford University on 27 March.
The same paper reports that electronic payments firm Payzone last week told workers at an office in Blackpool that it is to close in mid-March. The move had been rumoured for some time. The Blackpool facility was operated by Cardpoint before the merger in December with Alphyra.
The paper also says that sensitive personal and financial information about individuals seeking planning permission has been put online by local authorities. Local councils have been publishing planning files on the internet for several years. The information can be accessed directly through council websites and it also comes up in internet search results. Many of the files only contain information about the development applied for and the name and address of the applicant or their agents, but thousands contain personal information such as bank account details, credit card bills, pay slips, Revenue information and medical reports. On Thursday Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney criticised the Government for failing to protect citizens' personal information.
According to the Financial Times, telecoms group Deutsche Telekom has ended its search for a new head of its supervisory board. Ulrich Lehner, chief executive of soap and detergent maker Henkel is expected to take the post. Lehner's move would follow last week's announcement by Klaus Zumwinkel that he would be stepping down, according to sources. Zumwinkel became the first victim of a big investigation by German prosecutors into alleged tax evasion. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In other appointments news, the Wall Street Journal says that Motorola has named Paul Liska as its chief financial officer. Liska succeeds Tom Meredith, the director who served as interim financial chief. Liska has a reputation as a cost cutter and deal maker with deep ties in private equity.
The paper also reports that Research In Motion has sharply boosted its fiscal fourth-quarter subscriber-growth forecast. The maker of the BlackBerry e-mail device had projected subscriber growth of 1.82 million when it issued its fiscal third-quarter results in December. It now expects growth to be 15 percent to 20 percent ahead of that pace. As a result, total subscribership is expected to stand near 14 million when the quarter ends on 1 March.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 