IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 25 February
25-02-2008
by Ciara O'Brien
Tipperary to celebrate Space Invaders anniversary | Ireland still lagging in broadband stakes
The Irish Independent reports that the Tipperary Institute has been officially endorsed to host the 30-year anniversary of the game Space Invaders on 13 March. The high point of the celebrations will be the Microsoft-sponsored XNA Ireland Challenge 2008, which will see students devise their own version of Space Invaders. Leading worldwide computer gaming companies will attend the event as judges.
The Irish Examiner says that last year 35 million spam messages originated in Ireland, according to research from Cork-based Trend Micro. The results of the research prompted Trend Micro's EMEA vice-president, Anthony O'Meara, to call on the Government to increase its efforts in the area. "We need to see more effort from the Government and major ISPs to help consumers better understand the threat and work with them to block infected machines from the internet and help in their clean-up," he said.
The Financial Times reports that a handful of US companies are set to dominate the emerging market for "cloud computing", which will assume a central role in the IT world, according to Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive. Cloud computing involves the centralised storage and processing of information. Ballmer's prediction points to a future in which the distinctions between software, hardware and internet companies fall away and a small number of big tech firms, each running a collection of vast data centres, controls the IT landscape.
The paper also says that international mobile phone makers such as Nokia will be big beneficiaries of an expected overhaul of the Chinese telecoms industry, according to Colin Giles, Nokia's president for Greater China. A long-awaited restructuring of the state-owned industry and the granting of 3G mobile licences appears likely soon, according to speculation in Chinese media and industry circles. Giles said his company expected to be a big beneficiary if and when the restructuring came because it would increase the number of mobile operators in the country, all of whom would need to purchase and upgrade equipment from suppliers such as Nokia.
The Sunday Tribune reports that new figures on broadband from the European Competitive Telecommunications Association will put Ireland in the bottom four. The table shows that, despite extra investment improving Ireland's performance, there is still much room for improvement.
The paper also reports that turnover at DCC-owned DVD retailer Sendit.com has fallen. In 2006, turnover at the online firm fell to STG5.8 million compared to STG9 million for the 14 months previous. However, there was some good news for the firm, with pre-tax profits up to STG698,074. The directors have expressed some concerns over the impact of internet downloading on the business.
The Sunday Independent says that a new hand-held device could spell the end of feeding parking meters in the rain. Dublin and Cork local authorities are planning on introducing the new devices, which will be able to be used from inside a car, eliminating the need for motorists to walk to the meter. Accounts are set up over the phone using a credit or debit card, and parking fees are paid through the device.
The same paper reports that a website supporting the 'Real IRA' has been allowed to stay online, despite requests from families of the Omagh bomb victims that the British police step in to have it removed. The families believe that the site is being allowed to remain live so that the group's activities can be monitored. The site is hosted by Canada-based Netfirms.
The Sunday Independent also says that Iona Technologies has introduced a new bonus scheme for directors only days after Software AG's interest in the firm was revealed. However, the company has not altered its change of ownership clause to increase the pay-offs should Iona be taken over.
The same newspaper reports that civil servants are blocking Fine Gael's attempts to reach an all-party agreement on broadband. Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan rejected a motion put forward by FG's Simon Coveney to set targets for speed and government investment. Coveney said the minister had told him he could not get civil servants in the department to agree on anything.
The Sunday Times reports that the taxman is using social networking websites to profile people. Dutch-born tech entrepreneur Evert Bopp fell victim to the taxman's profiling when a list of his activities on Facebook and LinkedIn was produced during a VAT audit. According to the Revenue, there is no policy on using the sites to gather information but investigators will use publicly available sources of information.
The Sunday Business Post reveals that Atlantic Bridge, the venture capital company that backed by Dermot Desmond, Denis O'Brien and Brian Long, has sold Optical Metrology Innovations. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but the venture capital firm is believed to have made a multi-million-euro return.
The same paper reports about the need to enforce security policies, given the recent data loss incidents. IT management firm CA has said companies need to develop and implement proper IT policies, train staff on security risks, and increase awareness about data sensitivity.
The paper also reports on the small profit made by Mapflow, and the new funding the firm is expected to get from SOS Ventures. The location-based software firm reported profit of EUR46,000 for the year ended 31 March 2007. The company is set to receive up to EUR5 million in funding should it meet certain targets, as yet undisclosed.
The same newspaper reports that Hosting 365 has opened a research and development centre in Poland. The company plans to use the centre to expand into other European countries in the future. The Polish centre employs 17 people and is expected to increase that to 25 by the end of the year.
The same paper briefly reports on Davy's multimillion euro deal with Odyssey Financial Technologies. The tech firm will provide a new technology platform for wealth management services to the stockbrokers.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 