NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 26 May
26-05-2009
by Emmet Ryan
Nokia opens up Ovi Store | Nikon to cut 1,000 jobs
Nokia opened its long-awaited online software and content store, Ovi Store, to some 50 million phone users globally on Tuesday. Australia, Singapore, Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Ireland and the UK are the first countries to gain access to the Nokia Ovi Store, while US consumers will have to wait until later in the year. The Finnish phone maker aims to follow the success of Apple's App Store with its new offering.
Japanese camera maker Nikon is to cut about 1,000 jobs. Most of the cuts will be made in Japan and the move is being made as the firm expects to post a loss this year. With this major jobs cull the group aims to reduce its annual costs by about JPY8 billion (EUR60.3 million).
Microsoft has announced that more than 3 million customers are currently trying out its Windows 7 operating system. Customers who downloaded the pre-release version of the operating system or installed it from a compact disc have provided a list of 175 points for the company to review. The news was announced by Eddie Wu, general manager for Microsoft's Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) division in Asia, at an event in Taipei. Windows 7 is due to be released before the end of the year.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) is recalling 15,000 laptop batteries distributed in China because of a danger they could overheat. HP China will replace the batteries, which are used in HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario and HP Compaq models, for free because in extreme conditions they can overheat and pose a fire hazard. This latest recall follows news earlier this month that the PC maker was recalling 70,000 batteries for the same reason.
The small screen beckons for Twitter. The micro-blogging website has announced that it is working with Reveille productions and Brillstein Entertainment Partners to develop an unscripted series based on Twitter. The concept of the show would see participants use Twitter to follow celebrities in a competitive format.
iPhone and iPod touch readers can rejoice, they can now access the Kama Sutra on their devices. This follows Apple's decision to allow the Eucalyptus ebook reader program to be made available as an application from its App Store. The application, which enables users to access thousands of books from the Project Gutenberg library, had initially been blocked as these included books deemed offensive by Apple such as the Kama Sutra. Apple has withdrawn its opposition to the application following complaints by the application's creator James Montgomerie.
Irish mobile and accessories distributor, BPI Telecom has signed a contract with Click.ie to distribute and support Three Ireland's mobile broadband product. In addition, Click.ie stores and online portal will sell accessories from BPI Telecom subsidiary, CTC. These include Gear4 iPod accessories, Belkin networking products and Golla bags for laptops, MP3s and mobiles. To mark the new agreement BPI Telecom and Click.ie are donating 30 laptops to 25 schools which have collected up to 2,000 mobile phones for recycling in aid of the Meningitis Research Foundation. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Eircom has announced the launch of the Junior Spider Awards. The awards, modelled on the Golden Spiders, will recognise students in primary and post-primary schools nationwide that prove themselves amongst the most talented and innovative users of the internet in education. Teachers will also be recognised at the awards as students can nominate a teacher for their contribution to the use of the internet in their school. For more information and to enter the awards visit www.juniorspiders.ie.
A report has found that the economic downturn has dramatically changed the way companies are going about their daily business. According to analysis from research firm Frost and Sullivan, businesses are seeking new ways to boost productivity while significantly cutting costs with the help of Web 2.0 solutions. This includes moving to lower-cost versions of enterprise applications and adopting cloud computing.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 