NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 29 April
29-04-2009
by Emmet Cole
Microsoft, Verizon mull iPhone killer? | Twits quit quick
The Technical Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) of Saudi Arabia has signed major contracts with Institutes of Technology of Athlone, Galway-Mayo and Waterford. The announcement was made by Tanaiste Mary Coughlan during the Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. TVTC is responsible for the development of the Saudi Arabian workforce through both technical and vocational education. Under the terms of the contract, Irish colleges will receive around 200 TVTC scholarship students over a three- to four-year period to study a range of courses including engineering, science and business, with a total spend in the Irish economy estimated at around EUR20 million.
The potential exists for Ireland to become a major centre for medical technology business services, according to Irish Medical Devices Association (IMDA) director Sharon Higgins, speaking at a workshop co-hosted by IDA Ireland in Limerick on Wednesday. "Our highly-skilled workforce and low-risk, low-tax business environment has given Ireland an excellent track record as a location for global business centres in other sectors, particularly ICT," said Higgins. The event showcased organisations that are already operating these services in Ireland, including Cook Ireland, which is running significant parts of Cook Medical's Global Business Services activity from Ireland and serves markets throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Digital office equipment supplier, Ricoh Ireland, has won a contract to provide a fully managed print solution for University College Dublin (UCD). In the process, UCD will become the first university in Ireland to adopt a 'green printing' policy, which includes 'duplex printing' as standard, meaning that documents are automatically printed on both sides of the page, a move that's expected to reduce the paper output of UCD students by several million pages each year. Ricoh will supply 60 printers and provide two full-time on-site technicians to manage all printer related queries. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
Citing revenue losses to the Irish economy, Currys, one of the country's largest general electrical retailers, has demanded government action to reduce the 21.5 percent VAT rate. Currys estimates that three of its sister Northern Ireland stores in Newry, Derry and Enniskillen alone will take in excess of EUR12 million out of the Irish economy this year, representing more than EUR2 million in lost VAT income. To coincide with this call, Currys has announced a "UK VAT Range" price promotion for the month of May. Currys will sell its top 200 products at prices matching the UK VAT rate of 15 percent.
E-learning solutions provider ThirdForce has engaged in discussions with LearnVantage, a company formed by former ThirdForce chairman Pat McDonagh and CEO Brendan O' Sullivan, which may or may not lead to an offer being made. Independent directors at ThirdForce said they are not recommending the proposed offer of USD0.08 per share, however discussions with LearnVantage in relation to its approach are ongoing, although no agreement has been reached to increase the offer price.
Irish IT consulting and services company Version 1 has announced that it has launched a Grant Management Solution as a shared service for public sector organisations. The solution is designed for organisations that need robust management systems for their grant management processes. Version 1 claims the system greatly reduces costs and eliminates hardware and maintenance costs.
Move over iPhone? Microsoft is rumoured to be planning to launch an iPhone rival in 2010, according to reports. Code-named "Pink" the project aims to extend Windows Mobile with new features and capabilities. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is currently in talks with Verizon to launch the device next year. Software and hardware of the device will be designed by Microsoft, but the report claims that a third-party company will manufacture the phone. Verizon is a close rival of AT&T -- the iPhone's exclusive US carrier.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has launched a trial version of Vine -- an online emergency preparedness tool inspired by Hurricane Katrina that's designed to help keep people connected in times of crisis. Vine users download a dashboard application using Windows Live ID. Users identify their location, and information from 20,000 local and national news sources is then linked to that location and sent to their profile. Information is also provided by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Vine is currently in beta testing.
Finally, internet traffic data collected by Nielsen Online has found that more than 60 percent of Twitter users stop using the free social networking site a month after joining. "Twitter's audience retention rate, or the percentage of a given month's users who come back the following month, is currently about 40 percent," David Martin, Nielsen Online's vice president of primary research, said in a statement. However, prior to Oprah joining the service last week, Twitter had languished below 30 percent retention. Other high-profile Twits include President Obama, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 