IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 3 March
03-03-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
Three ends Meteor talks: sources | Smart Telecom facing legal action
The Irish Times reports that losses at Cork software firm Qumas grew to USD6.2 million in 2006 from USD1.9 million, as staff rose 65 percent and turnover fell slightly, according to accounts just filed. This brought retained losses at the firm to USD11.9 million at the end of 2006. The company raised USD6.5 million in funding from two existing investors in February 2007.
The Irish Independent says that Three Ireland has pulled out of discussions with Eircom over a planned bid for Meteor, according to sources. Sources have claimed that top Three Ireland and Hutchison executives held "continuous discussions over a period of time" with senior representatives of Eircom owner Babcock & Brown in Dublin in recent weeks. However, Eircom has denied these meetings took place. "No meetings have taken place regarding the sale of Meteor to Three or any other network," the company said.
The paper also says that SCi Entertainment, the company that created the 'Lara Croft Tomb Raider' video game franchise, is to cut 25 percent of its workforce and cancel more than a dozen projects, as it fights to restore profitability. The company said losses soared in the six months to the end of December to STG81.4 million, from STG17.9 million in the same period in 2006. The company also plans a rights issue to raise up to STG55 million to cover its working capital requirement.
According to the Financial Times, Microsoft will on Monday unveil a new service designed to repel Google's incursion into one of its core markets -- selling software applications to small and medium-sized businesses. The plan will involve delivering a service over the internet for small companies to do things such as manage corporate e-mail and let workers collaborate on documents, rather than requiring them to buy the software. Users of the new internet services will be charged a flat annual subscription fee per worker. The move marks a response to Google's launch a year ago of a set of online applications for business customers, for a fee of USD50 a year for each worker.
The Wall Street Journal reports that a US federal judge who closed down the renegade website Wikileaks.org reversed the decision on Friday and allowed the site to reopen in the US. In mid-February, US District Court Judge Jeffrey White issued an injunction against Wikileaks after the Zurich-based Bank Julius Baer accused the site of posting sensitive account information stolen by a disgruntled former employee. White set off storms of protest among free-speech advocates and news media organisations when he ordered the disabling of the entire site rather than issuing a narrowly tailored order to remove the bank's documents. On Friday, the judge dropped the injunction that took the site off-line, citing First Amendment concerns and questions about legal jurisdiction.
The Sunday Business Post says that Microsoft is to give its core developer tools away free to university and higher-education students in Ireland, Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Canada and the US.
The paper also reports that a survey conducted by security software firm Sophos has found that computer users think the Mac's reputation as a malware-free platform is under threat.
The paper also covers news of Dell breaking its 15-year ethos of 'direct sales only' in Ireland. In February the manufacturer began selling laptops and PCs through 12 PC World stores throughout Ireland.
The paper also says that the British National Consumer Council is claiming consumers are being forced to accept software licence agreements full of confusing jargon unfairly biased in favour of the vendors.
Also in the paper is Chinese telecoms firm Huawei Technologies' multi-million-euro High Court action against Smart Telecom. Huawei was one of a number of signatories on a EUR100 million draft bond that Smart lodged with the Commission for Communications Regulation to secure a 3G licence in 2006. Smart Telecom subsequently collapsed under huge debts and went private.
The paper also reports that the number of monthly visits to recruitment website Irishjobs.ie has increased by 23 percent to almost 1 million, according to ABC Electronic audit figures due to be released this week.
The paper also notes that IT consultant firm Kainos has extended its partnership with Microsoft. Kainos has extended its Microsoft Gold Partnership with the addition of Microsoft's Custom Development Solutions competency.
The paper also says that Goodbody analyst Gerry Hennigan believes that the business model of payments software firm Trintech is still in transition and has yet to demonstrate a return to sustainable growth.
The paper also says that a report from IT consultants Version 1 is claiming that the improper use of licensed software could leave Irish businesses facing significant fines and even jail sentences for directors.
The Sunday Tribune reports on new survey by consultants Amarach Research which reveals that more than 1 million Irish surfers use Google's search engine several times day, while 75 percent use it at least once a day. The same story also reports that US ambassador Thomas Foley last week warned that multinationals could be put off investing here due to problems with Ireland's broadband and communications infrastructure.
The paper also notes that David Tighe, chairman of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, is to tell an audience in Dublin's Four Seasons this week that new media is now a bigger threat to commercial stations than RTE.
The Sunday Times carries a story about a British couple who are facing a bill of EUR14,400 after downloading four episodes of Friends via their mobile phone. The wife of a city executive used his "unlimited" phone package to order the programmes. They would have been free had they been received in the UK. However, the husband travelled to German for a two-day trip, where the download continued for 12 hours.
The paper also reports on private equity firm Fidelity, which is providing EUR5 million in funding to Newbay Software, a Dublin-based mobile networking and multinational company.
With Bryan Collins
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 