Daily Digest 8 September

08-09-2008

by Deirdre McArdle

Boston Scientific invests EUR50m in R&D | Texting is key tool for SMEs

Medical devices firm Boston Scientific has announced it is to invest EUR50 million in research and development in its Galway facility, where it employs 3,000 people. The investment will focus on increasing the capabilities of the R&D team in Galway, which is responsible for developing new products. Staff at the Galway facility develop instruments such as stents, which are used in the treatment of heart conditions. In August, Boston Scientific announced it was to close its plant in Tullamore, Co Offaly, with the loss of 240 jobs. In a statement, Boston Scientific said the proposed closure follows the acquisition of Boston Scientific's fluid management business in February by Avista Capital Partners.

Casual games developer and publisher PopCap Games has announced the upcoming launch of Peggle Mobile, the mobile version of the firm's popular Peggle game. The launch will see Peggle make its way onto a wide range of handsets from all major wireless carriers in North America, the UK and parts of Europe beginning later this month. Peggle Mobile has been internally developed at PopCap's European headquarters in Dublin. Since its first introduction in March 2007, Peggle has been downloaded from the internet over 20 million times.

National Irish Bank has announced the launch of www.moneyville.ie, a site aimed at helping parents and teachers educate 5-to-7-year-old children about money. Created to support the National School curriculum, the site consists of an online universe that introduces children to basic financial literacy skills through different games and online exercises. The bank developed the site in collaboration with experts in e-learning, including media researchers, child psychologists, representatives from teacher training organisations and online media experts.

Almost half (49 percent) of owner/managers of Irish SMEs say they use texting as a business communications tool, according to a survey conducted by mobile operator O2. However, while texting has entered the mainstream for SMEs, the O2 study reveals a mixed attitude to blogging. Almost half of SME owner/managers don't know what a blog is. On the flip side, of those who are aware of blogging, a quarter claim to read them. Furthermore, 6 percent of SMEs said they had started a business blog while 5 percent are personal bloggers.

Insurance firm FBD Insurance has launched an interactive website that it says is aimed at improving its customers' online experience. The website, www.fbd.ie, was designed using Web 2.0 technologies and has a number of new features such as enabling customers to contact FBD via Skype. The site also has a Twitter Chatroom, where customers can communicate directly with FBD staff using Twitter. "This significant investment by FBD is recognition by the company for the need to engage with Ireland's ever increasing online community. This new web service will form the keystone of FBD's drive for online transactions to represent 25 percent of new business growth within the next three years," said Adrian Taheny, director of sales and marketing.

At the end of 2008 some 343 million households worldwide will receive digital TV signals. That's according to a report by Informa Telecoms and Media, which forecasts that by 2013 half the world's TV homes will receive digital signals, the equivalent of 636 million households. By 2013, Asia Pacific will account for 39 percent of the world's digital homes, with North America taking 21 percent and Western Europe 25 percent. Asia Pacific will overtake North America in 2008, and will surpass Western Europe in 2009.