IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 10 April
10-04-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
Yahoo and AOL talk while Microsoft flirts with News Corp | UK market to get Wii iPlayer
The Irish Times says that Yahoo.ie is the most popular site among 19 Irish websites, according to a survey by the Joint National Internet Research (JNIR). The next most popular site was Eircom.net and then Ticketmaster.ie, followed by Myhome.ie. The top media website was RTE.ie, as noted by ENN on Wednesday.
The paper also says that Ireland was ranked 21st out of 70 countries in the latest 'e-readiness' poll by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Read the full story on ENN.
The Irish Independent reports that Irish designer Laura Caulwell, inventor of the 'tree PC', is competing in an international design competition in New York. Read the full story on ENN.
The Wall Street Journal says that Yahoo and AOL are closing in on a deal to combine their internet operations, a move aimed at thwarting Microsoft's efforts to acquire Yahoo, according to sources. The AOL-Yahoo deal under consideration would include the re-purchase of some Yahoo shares at a price above Microsoft's offer. Meanwhile, Microsoft is re-crafting its assault plan by talking to News Corp about mounting a joint bid for Yahoo, said people familiar with the matter. Microsoft and News Corp have yet to reach an agreement but one person apprised of the plan described the discussions as serious. Such a deal would combine three of the biggest internet properties: News Corp's MySpace, Microsoft's MSN and Yahoo.
The paper also reports that Dell plans to join rivals in entering an emerging market for low-priced laptop computers. An official at Compal Electronics, a Taiwan-based company that assembles laptops for other firms, said Dell would launch a new low-cost product built by Compal as early as June. A Dell spokeswoman confirmed the company's plans to enter the field.
According to the Financial Times, struggling mobile phone maker Motorola has moved to bolster investor confidence by naming David Dorman, a telecoms industry veteran, to succeed Ed Zander as non-executive chairman. The appointment is the latest attempt by CEO Greg Brown to stabilise the company and underscores his determination to address Motorola's deep-seated problems. Dorman, former chief of AT&T, will take on his new role at Motorola's annual meeting early next month, when Zander steps down as chairman.
The paper also says that the BBC's catch-up TV service, the iPlayer, is coming to regular TV sets for the first time thanks to a deal with Nintendo. The UK's 2.4 million owners of Nintendo Wii games consoles will now be able to view BBC programmes "on demand" over the internet. The Wii is broadband-enabled and plugs into a standard TV set.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 