NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 4 November
04-11-2008
by Deirdre McArdle
Siemens to sell half of joint venture to Fujitsu | LG and Microsoft hook up on mobile convergence
German engineering group Siemens is to sell its half of the joint venture Fujitsu Siemens Computers to Fujitsu for around EUR450 million. Fujitsu had held an option to buy the entire venture, which posted EUR6.6 billion in sales in its latest fiscal year. Fujitsu Siemens, which makes mainframe computers and servers, posted a pre-tax profit of EUR105 million in 2007, and has forecast that figure could double this year.
Faced with a slowing market and increasing competition, Finnish mobile giant Nokia has released seven new handsets aimed at the emerging market, including the 1202, which will sell for around EUR25, and two models with e-mail support priced at EUR40. Nokia has been making serious inroads into emerging markets over the past year or so but is starting to feel the competitive pressure there recently from low-cost manufacturers such as China's ZTE. Separately, the mobile maker also announced it is to cut just short of 600 jobs in its marketing and research units. It will cut 450 jobs at its markets division and 130 at its research centre.
LG Electronics and Microsoft have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a strategic collaboration in the area of mobile convergence. The agreement will see the pair collaborate in R&D, marketing, applications, and services in the field of converged mobile devices. On paper this sounds like a good match, combining LG's mobile products and Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS, application, and service. The agreement was signed in Seoul by Yong Nam, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of LG Electronics, and Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.
Limerick County Hall and Library Headquarters have become the first State-owned buildings in the country to install Photovoltaic solar panels in an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint and energy usage. Limerick County Council estimates that the project, delivered by solar electricity provider Cool Power, will reduce the local authority's fossil energy consumption in the buildings by as much as 15 percent. Photovoltaic (PV) technology converts sunlight into electricity.
Chorus NTL has agreed a deal valued at EUR500,000 with field management company FMI. Under the agreement 20 dedicated FMI personnel will sell Chorus NTL "triple play" products in cabled cities across Ireland.
Dublin-based online backup provider keepITsafe has announced 30 percent revenue increases, month on month during 2008, and is on target to reach EUR800,000 in turnover by the end of the year. Last year the firm, which was founded in 2003, posted revenue of EUR600,000. The firm said it has plans to boost its workforce in 2009.
ComReg has formally warned Hutchison 3G Ireland that it is in non-compliance with the National Numbering Scheme. ComReg is charged with managing the National Numbering Scheme, which dictates that operators must not use numbers that have not been allocated to them. Following an examination of the Hutchison 3G Ireland website the regulator saw that on the "Contact Us" page Hutchison has assigned the number "333" as an access number for customer services. This number has not been assigned to Hutchison from the National Numbering Scheme. ComReg has warned Hutchison that the number will be withdrawn within six months.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 