NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 20 January
20-01-2009
by Emmet Cole
Eircom battles weather | Duolog acquires Beach Solutions
Eircom is battling the fallout out from last weekend's severe weather conditions, with up to 10,000 reported faults to deal with, according to a statement from the company on Tuesday. On Monday alone, more than 5,000 faults were reported. The nationwide storm damage impacted every county in Ireland with the sole exception of Dublin. Mayo and the Western seaboard, Louth, South Kilkenny and Waterford were the worst hit areas. More than 1,400 staff are working on the ground to restore connectivity. Faults can be logged on the "Log a Fault" section of the eircom website or through the company’s automated customer service line 1901.
NovaUCD-based software company Duolog Technologies has acquired Beach Solutions Ltd for an undisclosed sum in a combined cash and equity deal. UK-based Beach Solutions is an electronic design automation company that provides register management solutions for System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. The company develops products that are used by major semiconductor companies in Europe, US and Asia. With this acquisition, Duolog intends to accelerate sales and to grow its revenues to USD15 million in 2009.
The founders of genetics technology company IdentiGEN have been awarded the Trinity College Dublin Innovation Award for 2008. Professor Patrick Cunningham, Dr Ronan Loftus and Ciaran Meghen founded IdentiGEN as a result of genetic identification research led by Professor Cunningham's research group in Trinity College's Institute of Genetics. The company pioneered the commercial-scale integration of sophisticated genetic technologies with industrial-scale meat processing and retailing.
The Deloitte Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Group has announced its predictions for the TMT industry in 2009. The report, published annually, highlights the significant impact the international downturn will have on some aspects of the TMT industry. The authors expect to see increasing adoption of SmartGrid technologies to cut electricity costs and the continued development of smartphones as a potential replacement for laptops. The authors also predict that plummeting consumer confidence and lower household spending will reduce spend on high price goods such as LCD TVs and PCs. This trend will set the scene for an increased use of the 'device subsidy model' -- such as getting satellite navigation systems for free when you subscribe to future map updates, according to the authors
Irish web company Strata3 has announced the launch of a website package to help small to medium sized enterprises avail of new business opportunities on the internet. Strata3 Professional is an integrated website package , including web assessment, design, online research and development, content management and hosting services. Prices begin at EUR 5,000.
US telco giant Qualcomm has acquired graphics and multimedia technology assets, intellectual property and resources from AMD's handheld business in an effort to increase its multimedia capabilities. As part of the deal, Qualcomm has extended offers of employment to various design and development teams from AMD's handheld business -- developing technologies to enhance mobile devices in areas including 2D and 3D graphics, audio/video, display, and architecture. Last year, Qualcomm acquired Ireland-based Xiam Technologies for its mobile advertising targeting and personalisation technology.
Bitbuzz has announced the appointment of Tom Porter as broadband channel manager. Porter will be responsible for developing new broadband products for the SME markets as well as setting up and managing a reseller channel for Bitbuzz in the Republic of Ireland. He previously held similar roles in the UK with Colt Telecommunications and Cable & Wireless.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 